Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Busy Bethesda, Maryland is home to over 55,000 residents and the site for many festivals and events annually, including the Bethesda Art Walk, Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, Bethesda Dance Festival and the Bethesda Painting Awards. But whether you are visiting Bethesda for pleasure or for business, you will want to explore the city's numerous dining options. If you are looking for an Irish restaurant to satisfy a craving for Guinness and shepherd's pie, look into these Bethesda venues.
The Irish atmosphere at Flanagan's Harp and Fiddle is achieved through their focus on playing soccer matches and rugby games as often as possible, as well as menu items such as tenderloin of beef with horseradish cream on toast and Irish sausage wrapped in puff pastry with grainy mustard. This restaurant also features live music every night, with karaoke on Wednesdays. Reserve space for your birthday party or rehearsal dinner at this restaurant and be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get the head's up on specials. To do their part in serving the community, Flanagan's also partners with organizations to host fundraising events.
If you want authentic Irish fare and feel, the RiRa Pub is about as Irish as Maryland can get, since the restored Irish Shop Bar and Olympic Bar were shipped from Ireland to this venue. The menu is plumb with traditional Irish foods like publican's meatloaf and whiskey garlic mussels, but you can also find some American favorites like nachos and chop chop salad. Happy hour specials are available every weekday and stop in for live music Saturday nights or brunch specials Sunday mornings. RiRa can host parties of up to 100 guests with a special events coordinator to meet all your needs.
The Irish Inn at Glen Echo, located east of downtown Bethesda, is a combination of a pub and white tablecloth restaurant which is open to the public but also specializes in hosting private events for up to 120 guests. Voted one of the top 100 restaurants in the Washington D.C. area by the Washington Post, the Irish Inn offers guests both formal and informal dining areas as well as a covered and heated rooftop seating area. Live Irish bands play every Monday; check the Inn's schedule for dates and times to see jazz or soft rock bands as well.