O'Shea's World Famous Pub. Louisville, KY (Highlands)

956 Baxter Avenue

Guinness Tag: $7.00 | Overall Rating: 9.55

Today's Dedicated Pint: Mike

I've been to many bad Pubs throughout my journey of Stepping Foot Inside Every Irish Pub in America. I've said before that you need to have a few bad ones here and there in order to have a few good ones. If every Pub was "good," then this would be one incredibly boring journey. I believe the best way to rate an Irish Pub is to put it into one of four categories: Bad, Decent, Good, and Awesome. Once you place the Pub into one of those categories, then you break down all of the other things, such as how well they pour their Guinness, their charm, their history, their authenticity, and their Craic.

As soon as I laid my eyes on O'Shea's from across the street, I knew that it was going to be an awesome Pub. The curb appeal was inviting, the patio was, what I'd say, "Holy smokes, what a beaut'", and the interior was perfect. There's a big Santa Claus climbing up the wall near the front door. This place has all of the eye candy. However, I've always said that just because a Pub has the eye candy, that doesn't mean it has the Craic.

I stepped foot inside the door, I looked around, and I plopped my potato on a barstool. Within the first 30 seconds, I felt warmth from of all of the lights, nostalgia from the decor, and engagement from everyone inside. All this place had to do was to pour me a decent Guinness and maintain a good conversation for the next hour or so and it's a guaranteed, perfect memory for the rest of my life. O'Shea's delivered on everything. This place is pretty dang awesome. I accidently ran into the owner, Mike, who was wearing an apron and many different hats. He's a genuine guy, and he was happy to tell me about all of the Pub's attributes.

The Pub has three locations, but the third location doesn't really count in my opinion (I'll explain more about that in that particular Pub's article later). The other O'Shea's location is downtown, which I previously partook in about a year ago during the Cincinnati Reds Caravan. This particular location that we're talking about today, in the Highlands, is their original, and my favorite amongst the few. It's deserving of being high on the "Highest Rated Pubs" list, and there are only a couple of things that knock it below the "Perfect" pedestal.

For as fun as a Pub that O'Shea's is, I really don't understand why they serve their Guinness in miniature, 16oz glasses rather than pouring it in a traditional 20oz pint. They do this in all of their locations. As I said in the downtown location's article, do they think people won't notice? The owner(s) did such a phenomenal job at making this location so authentic in almost every aspect except for the Guinness pour. It makes me scratch my head.

If you've read any of my stuff before, then you'll know that I'm a pretty big fan of New Orleans. The patios down there are beautiful, and Patrick O'Shea's of Louisville built themselves a patio that not only captures the New Orlean's vibes and architectures, but it even beats out most of them down there as well. It's pretty evident that the owners of O'Shea's took a lot of notes from Pat O'Brien's in the French Quarter, as the signage and patios are almost identical. Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with paying tribute to a legendary Pub and giving your own Pub some of the same touches. It's a flatter if done right, and O'Shea's did it right. In my useless opinion? O'Shea's is much better than O'Brien's.

The patio at O'Shea's in the Highlands has a gorgeous fountain(s), pleasant greenery, and balconies that overlook the magic on busy nights. It's an incredible vibe. You won't realize just how big this Pub is until you walk around and explore, because it keeps going and going. They have built so many different spaces to consume the Craic, with multiple bars and gathering rooms.

As you sit at the main bar and place your head on a swivel, you'll notice many pleasant things. For one, if you look up, you'll see a beautiful skylight, bringing in sunlight from above which adds to the light coming in from the patio. You'll also capture an overhang of broken apart whiskey barrels (it's cool). The bartenders are dressed nicely, as one of ours today had on a green vest, and they're all fun to chat with. You're surrounded by comfy booths, an explosion of wall hangings and tchotchkes, and a few TVs. The furniture throughout the place is perfectly worn in, and the barstools have some uniqueness. You'll probably enjoy your trip to the toiletry as well, as they are clean and proper.

I'll let the pictures do the explaining, but this place provides everything you typically think of when you picture an American Irish Pub in your head. It has touches of both proper and western, and it covers all of the basics. It sits on a very convenient street that some people call "Restaurant Row," where you'll also find some fun shops, bookstores, and other businesses to stumble into all afternoon.

If you're in Louisville and have time to hit both of their locations (the downtown location as well), then I almost demand that you do so. Their third location which is located across the river in Indiana is good, too, but I want to talk about that one some other time. If you only have time for one, then I think you have to come to this one here in the Highlands. It's special, and I'm jealous of those who live nearby as I'd be frequenting here every week if I could. I've been to a lot of Pubs in this country, so believe me when I say that this one slaps.

I'm off to another barstool. Slainte!