With Options In and Around San Bruno, Celebrate the Luck of the Irish

Revelers across the Bay Area will be tapping their inner Irish today (along with hundreds of beer kegs) in celebration of the man who, legend says, rid Ireland of snakes. Many say that everyone has a little Irish in them on St. Patrick’s Day, and folks around here show it by donning green apparel, singing traditional songs and, in a more modern tradition, drinking themselves silly. But no matter how you choose to celebrate today, we’ve got a few ideas to keep it lively and safe.

• If you’re looking to get out and celebrate, there’s no need to wait until tonight. Many local pubs are opening up early for day-long festivities. San Francisco bars The Irish Bank, O’Reilly’s and The Parlor are just a few spots across the city that will be featuring live music, food and more at all-day block parties. Many of these parties are free to attend if you come before 2 or 3pm.
• To keep the revelry a bit closer to home and avoid the roads tonight, check out the celebration at , where Irish step dancers, bagpipers and other live music will set the tone for an all-day party that is set to begin around noon. The landmark South San Francisco pub will also be serving up traditional corned beef sandwiches to prepare stomachs for a night of heavy-flowing Guinness, Harp and Jameson. San Bruno bar will be helping feed hungry party-goers today as well. The bar will serve corned beef and cabbage from 3:30pm on.
• Small business owners can mingle with comrades tonight at the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce’s . Local business will host tonight’s mixer, where business people can enjoy refreshments from Irish eatery Fiddler’s Green while making new connections.
• Maybe you would like to skip the crowds and prepare your own traditional Irish meal to honor good ole’ Pat tonight. Local markets, along with chains , and , are on corned beef and cabbage, or to make one of my personal favorites, stock up on Irish bangers (fat, stout sausages) and make your own mash. I love heaps of butter and cheese in my mashed potatoes, and in South City has some of the best options to keep it Irish: grab a pack of Kerrygold’s creamy Irish butter and their sharp, uniquely flavorful Dubliner cheese to melt into your mash. And to make a great tangy honey mustard dipping sauce for the bangers, mix a little sour cream, honey and cayenne pepper into your favorite Dijon.
• It used to be that all you had to worry about on St. Patty’s Day was remembering to wear green so as not to get pinched. Now, with the holiday taking on the tradition of heavy drinking in the States, simply making it home in one piece can be the real challenge. If partying in and around the City tonight, hop in a cab and get a surprise so fortunate you’ll start believing in the luck of the Irish: no fare! From 3pm this afternoon to 3am Friday cab rides home from bars in San Francisco are free (thanks to a sponsorship from Alameda law firm Berg Injury Lawyers), so leave the car at home and get home safe tonight!