North Dallas suburbanites who want to avoid the St. Patrick’s Day craze usually found on Dallas’ Lower Greenville will find East Plano’s historic downtown district filled with Irish charm during the holiday.
Popular pubs and restaurants within the two square block area of quaint, turn-of-the-century architecture and brick streets include The Fillmore Pub, Kelly’s Eastside, Urban Crust and Vickery Park.
The Fillmore Pub, self described as a European pub, serves ongoing Irish ale imports such as Guinness and Smithwick with foods made daily on site like Irish beef stew and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake. Its dark wooded interior, stained glass windows and Tudoresque exterior provide an across-the-pond feel; though its menu isn’t as vast as its neighbors, it’s my pick as one of the best! Fillmore manager Carter Voekel said the March menu will add traditional fare including Irish Boxty (an Irish potato pancake meaning poor house bread) and Shepherd’s Pie.
Kelly’s Eastside known for its award-winning burgers will offer the classic Reuben sandwich along with corned beef and cabbage. Within a block’s walking distance of each other, both Kelly’s and The Fillmore said they’ll offer live music and drink specials for the upcoming event.
For those looking for a contrast to the places with everyone-knows-your-name ambience, Urban Crust’s 32 Degrees rooftop bar, aka the blue bar, features sleek blue lighting, flat screens at every booth and outdoor seating near the DJ on its third-story roof. Across the street, the Vickery Park bar offers an unpretentious setting, jukebox and late night hours (open until 2 a.m. like its counterparts), which appears to attract an overall younger demographic than the mix of ages at the other locations.
While Plano’s Irish population is 10 percent, the downtown area features something for everyone: plenty of parking near the DART rail, Haggard Park with Norman Rockwell quality, the Interurban Railway Museum (free admission), upscale dining like Zanata, Eisenbergs indoor skatepark for extreme sports enthusiasts, Two Brothers cigar lounge with English tobacco blends for the pipe, antiques, shopping, live theater, fresh produce open market and more.
Plus, with close proximity to the Plano Police Department, Plano’s downtown is probably one of the safest settings to sing When Irish Eyes are Smiling and cheer the holiday into the wee hours of the night.