Emilia checks out an authentic Irish pub in honour of St Patrick’s Day

Jimmy O’Neills Whiskey & Alehouse.

154-156 Acland St.

St Kilda.

I’m not encroaching on Tony Leonard’s territory this week, but I did go to an Irish pub in honour of St Patrick’s day this weekend. One thing that will quickly tell you the authenticity of any Irish pub is how many skinny leg adidas pants there are on any weeknight, I can vouch for Jimmy O’Neills high ratio of skinny tracksuits, young Irish boys with their long, sweeping side fringes all ordering the Beef & Guinness pie.

I watched a number of Irish TikTokkers, before I went to Jimmy O’Neills, tell me the ‘traditional’ Irish food I just had to try: Chicken Parma done the Irish way, battered sausages, croquettes, a spice bag, BBQ sauce drenched chicken tenders, bangers & mash and of course the Beef and Guinness pie…and I tried…it all. Australia’s competitive eater, Jimmy Webb has also taken on their 2 kg, 2 foot sub covered in curry sauce and whilst I didn’t attempt that it certainly felt like I might’ve got close trying it all.

Jimmy O’Neills is on Acland Street, they host live music on weekends despite their intimate space, I can imagine it packed out with Irish live music leaking into Acland Street. I tried my first Guinness and, despite dubious warnings, I’m into it. 

The food was really good, a genuine, proper feed. My favourite meal of all might need some explaining, in Ireland when they get ‘a Chinese’ there’s one thing they have to get. A spice bag, longing expats flood to Jimmy O’Neills to fill the spice bag gap in their diet. A spice bag is chips, fried chicken pieces, fried onion & capsicum covered in a shaker-fry-like-spice; paprika, onion & garlic powder, ground pepper, a bit of cayenne (I wouldn’t call it spicy) and definitely a hint of sugar. They shake up all the ingredients in a brown paper bag and a side of curry sauce, intended to be emptied over the top of an emptied out bag/pile. Now, I know your immediate response might be to screw up your face but I totally understand the hype, like an Irish HSP. 

We also started with battered sausages, with a side of vinegar. I urge you to give it a go, I’m not saying it’s glamorous food, but it is bloody moreish. The croquettes were a perfect amount of crispy outside, dipped in tomato relish and “ah ah hot hot hot” oozing inside. The chicken tenders, although simple, were just that simple- that’s the good stuff, dripping in BBQ sauce. 

That’s all before we got to the mains. The Beef & Guinness pie lived up to the joyous expressions on the young Irish boys at a table beside us. Fall apart beef, crispy pastry, on a bed of mash and mushy peas, the mash served its purpose, I wouldn’t say it knocked me over though. Bangers and mash fell into the simple and reliable category, good, effective, no fuss pork sausages.

Have you been wondering since the start what the Irish version of a parma is? First, start with fresh, crispy chips, exactly how I like them, a side of salad and slaw and the parma. Stretchy cheese topped with their famous curry sauce, don’t get confused with this being a spicy sauce, it’s more of the flavour of curry powder in a gravy. Absolutely delicious, even if it’s not how you grew up with it, you’ll be thinking of it nostalgically after your first taste. 

There was a mix up with our order, after using the QR code to order drinks and food, somehow the food got lost in the system meaning our food was delayed. Whilst annoying watching everyone else’s food flow out of the kitchen, when our food did come out (with a free round of drinks on them to apologise), it was fresh and steaming hot so we’ll forgive them on that.

Food was reasonably priced, $23/24 for a spice bag or bangers and mash, $26 for pie, steak and parma specials throughout the week, and roasts on the weekends. Good pub vibes. This weekend they’re celebrating St Paddy’s Day all through Acland St with the The Paddy’s day festival. They’ve already got Jimmy O’Neills merch at the ready for it but even if you don’t get down this weekend, it’s definitely one of the best Irish Pubs in Melbourne.