P.J. O’Brien Irish Pub & Restaurant – 39 Colborne St, Toronto, ON M5E 1E3

Country: Ireland
Seating: Large indoor seating only
Must-try dish: Beef and Guinness Stew
Dinner guests: Big Daddy, Pornstar Sam & Young Matt
The high: Irish cuisine exceeded our expectations by a long shot.
The low: It’ll be difficult to get into this pub on Saint Patrick’s Day, as lineups start early in the morning but at any other time of the year you should go for Irish comfort food. 

Saint Patrick’s Day is upon us and we’re celebrating everything Irish this week in preparation for the big event. After asking a few Irish friends living in the city about where to find the best food from their homeland in Toronto, we booked a night at P.J. O’Brian’s for all the Irish classics.  

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the items on an Irish menu are potatoes and lamb. It was therefore no shock to see the majority of dishes with one or both of these ingredients. We’ll be honest, we expected average pub fare but the food exceeded our expectations and the whole group made plans to return. 

This is the recommendation – find a table, order a beer, preferably a Guinness and eat one of the many delicious items below while taking in the atmosphere that can easily take you all the way to Ireland. 

Starters: 

• Irish Cocktail Sausages with Brown Sauce: These miniature sausages are just as tasty as they are cute. It’s the ideal dish to share as 15 pieces come in the order with a generous portion of brown sauce (the Irish expression for HP sauce). 
• Curry Chips: Don’t be fooled by the word “chip”, this dish is made up of a plate of french fries with a curry dipping sauce. 

Entrees: 

• Fish and Chips: Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, these two pieces of haddock are covered in a light batter and accompanied by french fries and coleslaw. 
• Beef and Guinness Stew: This savoury comfort dish is made up of chunks of beef, root vegetables, and of course, a sauce with a Guinness base. It comes with crunchy bread for dipping. This is all you’ll want to eat on a damp, chilly day. 
• Chicken Curry: South Asian flavours have made their way to being a staple on Irish and British menus over the years. In this particular dish, the pieces of chicken are swimming in sauce that goes on top of soft basmati rice. The dish is mild on the spicy scale for those with a lower tolerance to heat. 
• Shepherd’s Pie: Minced beef, creamed corn and mashed potatoes make up the ingredients for this dish. It was homestyle cooking at its finest, and every last crumb disappeared. A Shepherd’s Pie would typically be made with lamb, while a Cottage Pie would use beef. But who’s counting when it tastes this good? 
• Guinness-braised Lamb Shank: The slow-cooked meat falls off the bone, Need we say more? This dish was eaten pretty quickly as the juicy pieces of lamb mixed with the creamed mashed potatoes were irresistible. 

Dessert: 

• Bread Pudding: Made with stale bread, spices and cream, this after-dinner treat is served hot and it’s perfect to share if you’re craving something sweet but not an entire portion. But no one is judging you if you get your own!

It wouldn’t be an Irish night without a Guinness, which was flowing the entire night coupled with a stout and cider mix called a “Red Velvet” or “Crown Float”, and the occasional shot of Jameson whiskey. To make things even more authentic, the all Irish staff treated us to their warmth and hospitality until closing time. Although this pub is in the centre of the Toronto’s hustle and bustle, the charm you feel from being in Ireland was present all the way across the pond. 

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)