O'Brothers Irish Pub

Ethnically, I'm an anglo mutt. British, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh with some mainland European thrown in for good measure. My wife's descendants were all full blooded Irish and she's even got the stereotypical red hair to prove it. Perhaps then it's our genetics that account for our attraction to the pub scene. Or I could dispense with that line of utter bollocks and instead attribute our fondness to living and traveling in places where such establishments are far more prevalent. But while our city is still pretty slim in the traditional pub department, we now have one more location to add to the collection.

O'Brothers Irish Pub was formed from the ashes of Avondale's Preservation Tap & Chophouse and Dona Maria's Mexican Restaurant in ownership and location respectively. The $35,000 needed to renovate the space was raised through unconventional means. Prior to opening, the owners offered 100 "patron packages" at $350 a piece which included an O'Brother's T-shirt and $100 in food gift certificates per month for six months. Sounds like a pretty good investment deal for rabid pub patrons.

And while there are some deviations from the traditional pub setup (you don't order at the bar and I can't seem to remember seeing a dart board) this is about the closest you can get to a pub around here. Looks like a pub, tastes like a pub, I think it's a pub. The large menu combines traditional stodgy pub food, like the Bangers and Mash and Irish Breakfast we ordered, along with some creative twists, like the Shrimp and Chicken Curry, in addition to standard American restaurant fare. What we tasted was deliciously authentic and the prices were reasonable.

Another great feature of O'Brothers is the availability of beers not typically seen in these parts. I had the London Pride and quite enjoyed it. I'd be forced to make my visits more frequent if they began offering my favorite British beer, Tetley's English Ale, but I'm still impressed with the refreshing variety they have on tap.

Hours are Monday - Saturday from 11am until all of the drunks leave but they're closed on Sundays so you're going to need to find an alternative location for your Sunday Shepherd's Pie fix. Oh, and one word of caution: some of the staff might try to fool you with an affected brogue when they're really no more Irish than a box of Lucky Charms cereal, but don't blame them for trying.

O'Brothers Irish Pub
1521 Margaret Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204
904-854-9300