NJ’s Best New Bar Blends Mexican-Irish Cocktails, Pub Plates and a Unique Story Lost to History
During the Mexican-American War, hundreds of Irish-American immigrants defected from the United States to fight on the side of the very nation their new country sought to invade. They became known as Saint Patrick’s Battalion.
From 1846 to 1848, Saint Patrick’s Battalion—called Los San Patricios by the Mexicans—fought against their adopted homeland in defense of the freedoms they believed in, the same freedoms that led many of them to flee Ireland in the first place. Primarily composed of Catholic immigrants escaping persecution, the battalion was led by John Riley, an Irishman who enlisted in the U.S. Army soon after arriving in America. He grew increasingly disillusioned as he witnessed rising anti-Catholic sentiment and deepening prejudice toward Irish-Americans.
So when the U.S. announced plans to invade Mexico, Riley defected, eventually leading a unit of Irish immigrants and others who felt similarly betrayed by the nation they had hoped would offer refuge. The Saint Patrick’s Battalion forged a deep camaraderie with the Mexican people—one that has often been left out of history books.
It’s a story few know: one defined by bravery, conviction and, above all, brotherhood. And now, one bartender is bringing that brotherhood to life in New Jersey.
NJ’s best new bar tells the lost story of the Irish-Mexican brotherhood
For Jack McGarry, the Belfast-born bartender who rose to fame after opening The Dead Rabbit in New York City in the 2010s, the story of the San Patricios has long been a point of interest. After a decade spent chasing accolades—including a period when The Dead Rabbit was named the best bar in the world—he realized what truly mattered: sharing this story with the masses through cocktails and food.
When I asked McGarry what led him to open San Patricios in Jersey City, that story was the first thing he shared. “A lot of my reading brings me to Irish stories. So when I came across the San Patricios story years ago, I had this idea for a bar that I developed into one page and sort of left in a Google Doc,” he said. “That story fascinates me and isn’t something that would be reflected if we opened another Dead Rabbit. Instead, we had the opportunity to dive into this new challenge, which feels more meaningful at this moment in time.”
The second lightbulb moment behind San Patricios came shortly after moving to New York. “The idea to do Mexican food specifically came from The Dead Rabbit,” McGarry said. “Most back-of-house staffs are primarily Mexican or Latin-American. Two weeks after opening The Dead Rabbit, I went downstairs and found the chefs making family meal. They asked me to join them and I was just completely blown away by the food.”He laughed, “I’m coming from Belfast, so…”
“My first thought was, ‘How do we serve this food?’ But it didn’t fit The Dead Rabbit mold, so it’s been in the back of my mind ever since.”
It’s more than a passion project for McGarry—it’s politically urgent for him to tell this story now. “I felt it was a pressing time given the president’s view of immigrants,” he said. “It felt like the right time to celebrate them instead.”
San Patricios flags hanging over the bar
That sentiment is palpable the moment you step into San Patricios. Mexican décor hangs from the ceiling, bartenders wear soccer jerseys nodding to both Ireland and Mexico and posters of revolutionaries from each nation line the walls. To understand the Irish-American and Mexican-American story is to understand an intertwined struggle—what it means to give up everything except your beating heart.
“Irish immigrants came here and fought for the U.S. Army… and they were treated terribly by Protestant and Puritan soldiers,” McGarry said with passion lingering in his voice. “They looked at the Irish like shit on their shoes.”
Yet despite the language barrier, Mexican soldiers never showed that same resentment. Instead, the two cultures found an immediate, unspoken bond. The Mexicans even nicknamed their new brothers-in-arms Los Colorados, a playful nod to their sunburnt skin and red hair.
San Patricios brings that bond to the masses through Mexican-style pub plates, frozen Margaritas, a menu studded with some of the best cocktails in New Jersey and, of course, perfectly creamy pints of Guinness.
Perfectly creamy pints of Guinness are the lifeblood of San Patricios
As far as I’m concerned, there are two essential ways to kick off a night at San Patricios.
First: velvety frozen margaritas, rotating flavors with the season. One visit might bring passionfruit with a Tajín rim; the next, apple-cinnamon spiked with Laird’s Applejack.
Second: Guinness—lots of it. San Patricios pours one of the best pints in Jersey, with a creamy head, zero bubbles and proper temperature that allows the subtleties of the stout to flourish. Custom pint glasses read “G’wan then” on one side and “Split the G” on the other—a nod to the Guinness trend sweeping the States, where drinkers try to “split” the G logo with their first sip.
These two drinks are the currency of San Patricios. Margaritas come in several different styles, so if frozen isn’t your thing, you’ll be pleased to find multitudes of the Mexican classic, often mixed with Irish flair. The Margarita de la Casa proves the concept, and dare I say, it’s perfect. Altos Plata tequila and Shortcross Irish Poitín (gin) come together as the spirit base, along with sour orange, lime and honeyed agave for sweetness. It is balanced and crushable—my new favorite margarita.
Drinks are crafted to honor both Mexican and Irish ingredients
Guinness, meanwhile, doesn’t just fill the dozens of pints across the bar top. It shows up as a cocktail ingredient, too, adding texture and depth to drinks like The Countess: a ruby-toned highball with Uruapan Charanda rum, hibiscus, ginger beer and a quick pull of Guinness straight from the tap.
Named for Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz, the first woman ever elected to the UK Parliament—a suffragist and socialist who rejected the privilege of her Protestant upbringing in London in favor of Irish independence and Republicanism.
A riff on the classic El Diablo, The Countess brings spiced florality from hibiscus and ginger, rounded by sugarcane-forward rum. The Guinness merely fades into the background, adding a savory note and a fluffy texture that quietly elevates the drink without overpowering it.
Where the cantina meets the pub
San Patricios’ cocktail list is nothing short of extraordinary. The menu reads like a book—page after page of originals, each somehow weaving together Mexican and Irish ingredients and stories. From afar, developing a list this varied seems impossible, but McGarry insists the drinks were the easy part. “The cocktail part was easy… we wanted to bring on Diego Livera to lead the bar at San Patricios, along with Beverage Director, Aidan Bowie.”
Livera, a longtime Dead Rabbit bartender and a native of Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, was the obvious choice to pilot the program. His Mexican upbringing, New York City work ethic and profound knowledge of Irish spirits and flavors make him the perfect man for the job.
Pot pie switches out the traditional creamy stew in favor of saucy chicken tinga
When it comes to the grub, McGarry admits that putting together a food menu was a bit more challenging. “I wouldn’t say the food has been as easy [as the drinks],” he said. “How do we thread the needle of pleasing the people who come in with an Irish perception or a Mexican perception? You don’t want to isolate anyone.”
The first step to solving that problem was bringing on a knowledgeable team to lead the kitchen. Chef Joel Franco, from Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico, runs the show, along with Sous Chef Daisy Nando, from Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla. The duo brings immense knowledge of regional Mexican cuisine, plus years of experience cooking traditional pub food at The Dead Rabbit. That means they’re equipped with all the tools needed to create the type of non-gimmicky fusion San Patricios is after.
And to develop a menu that carefully navigates this concept, you have to break rules. What does that look like? Pot pies stuffed with saucy chicken tinga instead of the traditional creamy stew. Queso fundido made with Irish cheddar. Scotch eggs filled with chorizo and black beans. And a taco menu split into two sections: Pub and Cantina.
Slow-roasted pork pibil, stuffed into hand-made corn tortillas
The latter offers the more traditional, Mexican-style tacos—think tender pork pibil with pickled onions and habanero, roasted pumpkin with black bean and braised beef birria loaded with chopped onion and cilantro.
The pub side of the taco menu, though, serves as the clearest picture of San Patricios’ vision. Nearly every table can be seen chowing down on corned beef tacos with apple slaw and Colman’s mustard. But if you ask me, the chicken curry taco is the star of the show—tender strands of chicken in Irish-style curry sauce, paired with mango salsa, green onions and handmade corn tortillas. It’s an utterly genius creation. The perfect food companion for a night of drinking, might I add.
Beyond tacos, there’s mole con pollo made with Guinness, lamb barbacoa-stuffed shepherd’s pie and would it be an Irish pub without fish and chips? While no one would complain about a classic chippy-style version, San Patricios opts to batter its fish in Pacifico, serving it alongside fries, guacamole and chipotle tartar sauce. That’s just the way they roll.
Cerveza-battered fish and chips prove the San Patricios concept with ease
Night owls get a special late-night menu from 11 p.m. to close and brunch lovers are covered until 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
For sweets, the wheels keep turning. Dunk freshly fried, crispy churros in Irish whiskey caramel and Mexican chocolate sauce—or maybe tres leches is more your speed? How about tres leches soaked in Baileys Irish cream?
But if you take anything away from reading this, it should be this: order the San Patricios Coffee. The Dead Rabbit is famous for their Irish coffee, so McGarry and Livera knew it was a must for San Patricios. Instead of the traditional version, theirs comes with a split base of Patrón Silver and Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey, hot coffee and fresh whipped cream. The dark base and creamy top make it look like a mini Guinness. Fitting.
Fresh churros: the perfect companion for Irish whisky caramel and Mexican chocolate sauce
And if hot drinks aren’t your thing—no worries. I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest for going with the frozen café con leche, made with Lost Irish Whiskey, coffee liqueur, cold brew and horchata. It’s well-textured, bold, dairy-free and goes down rather easily. It might just be the perfect way to end your night.
Every piece of San Patricios is intentional. From the colorful ceiling-strung banners to the sports posters on the walls—the shrine dedicated to family members of both heritages to the catalog of Irish whiskies and Mexican tequilas. “All of the work here is done deliberately. It celebrates revolutionaries on both sides. Sports on both sides. Music on both sides. I wanted to honor the shared commonalities,” McGarry told me. “Both cultures love the same things, albeit the manifestations of those things are very different.” San Patricios looks to highlight that.
The already-famous San Patricios Coffee in all its glory
A simple appreciation for a lost piece of history has snowballed into the best new bar in New Jersey. The average person might be unfamiliar with the Irish-Mexican brotherhood, but through food, drink and art, San Patricios looks to share the story. What’s next is continuing to hone that mission.
Though McGarry says the days of chasing bar accolades are behind him, it doesn’t mean he’s given up on pointed cocktail artistry and recognition that celebrates his team’s hard work. At the three-story The Dead Rabbit, you’ll find a pub on the first floor and an inventive cocktail parlor upstairs. He hints that the basement of San Patricios could be getting the parlor treatment in the near future—but for now, it’s only a rumor. Or is it? You’ll just have to stay tuned.
Mexican and Irish stories are told all throughout San Patricios
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
