Poet & Patriot Irish Pub — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

This pub was the single biggest disgrace to the Irish republic I have encountered on my travels in the US. Not only were the staff unfriendly, rude and unwelcoming they were also terrible craic. When one walks into an irish pub they expect to be met with a jovial, inviting barman and a warm welcoming atmosphere. In this pub we were met with a sour, wicked man who would neither let us stay and drink or even sing some Irish songs. The place was barren of any kind of Irish hospitality, a tacky wasteland of craic void of anything genuinely Irish. When we asked the barman about the political posters hanging on the wall he gave us a blank stare, clearly clueless about anything Irish. Despite our best efforts to make conversation and enjoy our watery bog standard pints of Guinness we were swiftly told to leave the establishment which in hindsight was a blessing as every second spent in that place was another insult to brave men who fought and died for our proud country. Padraig Pearse must be turning...

Friendly, down to earth, unassuming little "secret hideout" tucked away in an alley in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. It's easy to forget it's there, and every time I go in I say "I have to come here more often". It's not the kind of Irish pub that's trying hard to be an Irish pub. It's the kind that has regulars and foreign visitors and people call the barman by name and it may or may not take a little extra socializing to be invited into a conversation with the regulars. It's a place those regulars call their "local", it has a good selection of beer including $3 PBR, and it's home to a free Monday night open mic comedy show that's a good...

Hard to find and not particularly worth the effort. Cash only, beer only, loud, claustrophobic, no food and a bouncer that regularly causes more problems than he fixes. He and I have never had a problem, but I have worked as a bouncer and this guy flexes way more than he needs to. Really too small for a band of any size. Mondays comedy night is a local favorite and it is very close to the Kuumbwa jazz center, but you can find places more representative of Santa Cruz culture with a less...