The votes are in and the winners have been selected for OnMilwaukee's Best: Eat & Drink, 2007. The results of this readers' poll, including an editors' pick, are available in this series of articles that run all month long in the Bars and Clubs section of OnMilwaukee.com.
Year after year, two Irish bars duke it out for the number one pick from the OnMilwaukee.com readers. This year, the top prize goes to the venerable County Clare, with runner-up and editors' choice going to Paddy's Pub.
It's not hard to see why OnMilwaukee.com readers keep voting for either, though they are quite different. County Clare, 1234 N. Astor St., is also a small inn and serves some great authentic food, including Irish root soup, shepherd's pie, and a mean corned beef and cabbage. With one corner home to a toast fireplace and couches and other open for regular live music, County Clare rarely feels cramped (except, of course, on St. Patrick's Day). They even offer a small room for private parties, and the bar's ideal location between Downtown and Brady Street means parking isn't that big of a challenge.
On the other end of the spectrum is Paddy's, 2339 N. Murray Ave. The bar looks more like a dark living room, and it's a quite authentic reproduction of rural Irish pubs. Things got a little weird a few years ago when they expanded into the front of the building, then re-did the façade to look like a castle. But despite the clutter (and there's all sorts of random stuff on the walls), Paddy's never lost its welcoming feeling. It has a great patio for use during the summer, but one of the main reasons we like it is because it's about 100 yards from our office.
Editors' choice: Paddy's Pub
Runners up:
2. Paddy's Pub
3. Mo's Irish Pub
4. Slim McGinn's
5. McGillicuddy's
6. The Harp
7. Irish Pub
8. Derry Hegarty's
9. McBob's
10. House of Guinness
11. O'Donohue's
12. Packy's
13 Fitzgibbons Pub
14. Champion's Pub
15. Halliday's