Fine beers - Raglan Road

Top Five Places to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Disney World

If you’re visiting Disney World in the next week or so, you might be wondering how you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Fortunately, there are several excellent options!

Let’s take a look at the top five places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Disney World.

1. Raglan Road

While there are a couple Irish restaurants in Disney World, none is as authentic as Raglan Road. In fact, Raglan Road is about as authentically Irish as you can get outside of Ireland.

When you walk into Raglan Road, you might feel like you’re in Ireland, but you are, in fact, in Disney Springs. This classic Irish Pub and Restaurant serves Irish cuisine for lunch and dinner.

Raglan Road will be the center of all celebrating on St. Patrick's Day!
Raglan Road will be the center of all celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day!

Why does Raglan Road seem so authentic?

Because it is!

Everything inside was imported from Ireland including the wall panels in the Snug Room and the Raglan Room, which are 180 years old! The Library Bar pictures Irish authors and playwrights including James Joyce, Sean O’Casey, and George Bernard Shaw. Paddy’s Bar integrates drawers from a 160 year-old apothecary, and the dancer’s stage in the Main Room is made from a preacher’s pulpit.

Inside, you’ll enjoy live music and award-winning Irish Dancers. If you’ve never experienced something like this before (and even if you have), you’re in for a real treat!

Then there’s the food. With 100 delicious recipes, you’ll never be able to choose just one. This upscale table-service restaurant removes all of your preconceptions and misconceptions about Irish food and serves up the best that Ireland has to offer.

2. Cookes of Dublin

If you’re not interested in a full meal, check out Cookes of Dublin.  This location is named after John Cooke, who is a co-owner of Raglan Road with head chef Kevin Dundon and Paul Nolan.

Inside, you’ll find décor that is rich in the history of Dublin including green tiled walls and ceilings and family photographs. It’s very small, and if you’ve ever been in a pub in Ireland, you know that this is also true to history.

Cookes of Dublin is just around the corner from Raglan Road!
Cookes of Dublin is just around the corner from Raglan Road!

Cookes serves up the same high-quality Irish fare in a quick-service atmosphere. If you want fish and chips, this is the place to go! The recipe for the light batter has been a family secret for generations. While they won’t give away the secret, you can enjoy the flavors of true Irish cuisine.

Don’t be surprised if it takes a little longer to get your food here when compared to other counter-service restaurants in Disney World since most of the food is cooked to order. However, you’ll appreciate the wait when you taste the obvious freshness!

You can’t beat authentic, well-prepared, comfort food!

3. The Hole in the Wall

To continue with our theme, it’s obvious that Raglan Road will be the center of the entertainment on St. Patrick’s Day.

The Hole in the Wall is one of two outdoor bars at Raglan Road.
The Hole in the Wall is one of two outdoor bars at Raglan Road.

The Hole in the Wall Bar is one of several bars in Raglan Road, but it’s one of only two that are outside. Cookes of Dublin doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages, but Hole in the Wall is just around the corner and even has additional outdoor seating for Cookes.

There's plenty of open-air seating in the area!
There’s plenty of open-air seating in the area!

Hole in the Wall has a variety of draft beers on tap including many that are classically Irish like Guinness Irish Stout, Smithwicks Irish Ale, Harp Irish Lager, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, and Magners Irish Cider. There are also some more familiar flavors like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Blue Moon Belgian Style Wheat, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Cherry Wheat, Miller Lite Lager, and Yuengling Lager. There are also cocktails and wine like Bailey’s Iced Shake, which is an excellent liquid dessert.

Happy Hour traditionally runs daily from 3 to 7 pm during which all draft beers, house wines, and house liquors are $2 off, but you can bet that this place will be hopping this weekend!

4. Meet Merida

Merida is a favorite recent Disney Princesses. She embodies all that it means to be Irish (Scottish), but she is also strong and self-confident.

Merida, from Disney’s movie Brave, meets and greets her fans in Fantasyland‘s Fairytale Garden, which is actually just off to the right of Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom.

Meet Merida in Magic Kingdom!
Meet Merida in Magic Kingdom!

This isn’t your typical meet and greet, though; Disney calls it a play and greet! Merida will say “hi” and pose for pictures, but she’ll also teach you some archery, and you can color your own “tapestry”. Since lines are usually relatively short here – probably because it’s kind of difficult to find – you’ll get to spend quality time with Merida!

5. Quickstep

Quickstep is a acoustic quartet performing authentic Scottish, English, and Irish songs with a fiddle, a flute, and Irish frame drums. They’re located in the United Kingdom Pavilion in Epcot‘s World Showcase, and their show lasts about 20 minutes.

If you’re a family visiting with young children and you don’t want to take them into a “bar” (though they are family friendly), this is an excellent place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the whole family! Your kids will love the lively music, and you just might find yourselves dancing along!

Where would you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Disney World?

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