11 Best Restaurants to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day This Year + Gift Ideas
Whether it's drinking green beers while you listen to Irish music or eating corned beef and Irish Stew, there are plenty of restaurants to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
In this blog post, you'll learn the best restaurants to eat at for St. Patrick's Day, as well as other ways to celebrate the holiday and St. Patrick's Day food.
The History of St. Patrick's Day
Every year, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17th, but do you know why and where the holiday even originated? As you probably figured out, St. Patrick's Day has Irish roots.
March 17th is the anniversary of St. Patrick in the 5th century. The Irish have celebrated this day as a religious holiday for more than 1,000 years. This holiday also occurs during Lent, which is a time when people celebrating it are prohibited from eating certain foods.
So, you may be wondering who St. Patrick was. For starters, St. Patrick wasn't Irish but he found his true faith when he was taken prisoner by a band of Irish raiders. He spent six years in captivity in Ireland.
When he was alone and afraid, he turned to religion for comfort and relief. Eventually, he managed to escape and walked 200 miles to the Irish Coast, where he was eventually able to flee home to Britain.
While he was back home, he had another revelation when an angel came to him in a dream telling him to come back to Ireland as a missionary. He went to school to be a priest and then returned to Ireland to minister to the Christians there.
He became so popular because he incorporated traditional Irish rituals into his various lessons, such as using bonfires on Easter because they honored their gods with fire.
St. Patrick also superimposed a sun - an important Irish symbol - onto a Christian cross. This cross became the Celtic cross.
While he was known as the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church as they had no such formal process. He was proclaimed a saint by the Irish people because of his popularity in Ireland.
What Food is Traditionally Eaten on St. Patrick's Day?
Thousands of Irish Americans everywhere gather with their families to celebrate this holiday and eat corned beef and cabbage.
Corned beef didn't become a traditional St. Patrick's Day food until the 20th century when Irish immigrants in New York City substituted corned beef for Irish bacon. This substitution became a tradition because it was less expensive than the Irish bacon.
But you won't find people in Ireland dining on a classic corned beef sandwich, cabbage, or even green beer drafts. The most popular Irish foods to eat on St. Patrick's Day in Ireland are slow-cooked lamb or beef stews. These are often served with traditional colcannon or butter mashed potatoes with cabbage folded in.
There's nothing better than a slow-cooked Irish beef stew with buttery potatoes and cabbage!
Irish soda bread is another favorite Irish dish, and it's usually made with a cross-cut in the center. But you won't find the caraway seeds or raisins that are found in American soda bread recipes.
St. Patrick's Day is focused on going to mass, and then there are some parades, but generally, the day focuses on people spending time with family and friends enjoying traditional Irish food. As far as drinking goes, Irish people may drink a few traditional Irish beers like Guinness, and they'll probably have a round or two of Irish whiskeys.
So, if you want to eat real traditional Irish grub, a hot corned beef sandwich won't cut it. However, since it's made its way into the list of Irish dishes that Americans eat every St. Patrick's Day, it's okay for traditions to change over time depending on what's available and inexpensive to eat.
St. Patrick's Day Gift Ideas
Besides going to restaurants or an Irish pub for St. Patrick's Day, you can make it a day to give presents. One of the best gifts for St. Patrick's Day is a gift card.
Gift Card Granny has gift cards to many popular brands, so we know you'll find the perfect one for your St. Patrick's Day gift.
You could also get a present from ShamrockGift.com, a company that sells quality Irish gifts. They have sweaters, cable knit throws, and more.
Amazon also has great presents like shamrock LED light-up headbands, t-shirts, candles, and more.
The Best Restaurants to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Here are some of the best restaurants to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
1. McDonald's
A minty twist on a fast food favorite
McDonald's is known for their famous McCafe Shamrock Shakes which they only offer once a year in March to celebrate the holiday. This mint-flavored shake has layers of chocolate that pair well with the mint.
They also offer a Chocolate Shamrock Shake, Shamrock Chocolate Chip Frappe, Shamrock Mocha, and Shamrock Hot Chocolate. This is a fun way to celebrate the season with an American classic.
Gift Card Granny does not currently offer McDonald’s gift cards.
2. Buffalo Wild Wings
For a fun gathering this St. Patrick’s Day
Buy a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card
Since a huge part of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, for some folks, consists of drinking alcohol and making merriment with friends, Buffalo Wild Wings makes for a great place to kick back and share a good brew with your pals. Alongside delicious bar food and award-winning chicken wings, patrons can sip on a variety of spirits and signature cocktails to help keep the night alive. Try out their Sour Irishman cocktail if available, or simply add Jameson Irish Whiskey to any beverage of your choice.
Pick up a Buffalo Wild Wings gift card from Gift Card Granny to earn cash back!
3. The Cheesecake Factory
A gift card for fantastic food and Guinness-flavored pie
Get a Cheesecake Factory gift card
We are huge fans of Cheesecake Factory. They are a nice mix of great atmosphere and decor, delicious food, and affordable prices. It is more expensive than something like Domino’s or Five Guys, but it delivers a different experience all around. This is a great way to give your friend a great takeout meal next time they want a nice meal at home.
This St. Patrick’s Day, make sure to try their Guinness Cake to enjoy a subtly flavored sweet treat.
Get a Cheesecake Factory gift card
4. Cold Stone Creamery
A lucky ice cream treat is something to smile about
Buy a Cold Stone Creamery gift card
Get some sweet luck for St. Patrick’s Day when you pick up a Lucky Charms ice cream cone at Cold Stone Creamery. This limited-edition flavor is a fan-favorite and doesn’t last long, so get your fix in before it’s gone like a rainbow.
Earn cash back on a Cold Stone Creamery gift card from Gift Card Granny!
5. Uber Eats
Order food and so much more with Uber Eats
Uber Eats is a great site and app to use to get food delivered from plenty of different places and restaurants. There are always a lot of exciting deals for St. Patrick’s Day, and if you know your friend is notoriously indecisive, then keeping their options open with an Uber Eats gift card is a great way to ensure they will get something they love on the holiday weekend.
There are so many restaurants out there, certainly too many for us to get to in one list. Check your location for nearby restaurants and think about the restaurants they talk about the most, and then boot up Gift Card Granny to see if it is one of our many retailers! That is, of course, if you aren’t 100% sold by these restaurants like we are.
6. McAlister's Deli
Go green to score some festive favorites
Buy a McAlister’s Deli gift card
For your holiday delight, McAlister's has two holiday specials. If you wear green you get a free green tea and the St. Patrick's Day Reuben Spud. This potato is baked in the oven and topped with sauerkraut, swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and corned beef.
Earn cash back on a gift card to McAlister’s Deli when you use Gift Card Granny.
7. Red Robin
A food delivery gift card for a classic burger
This gift card is perfect for people who love a nice and delicious burger. Red Robin has a great comfort menu filled with great burgers to make a night in one to remember. When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, Red Robin puts forward fun green foods to keep their menu festive. Fortunately, they don’t color foods green, rather they add more lettuce wraps, pickles, and spinach wraps to their menu.
8. TGI Fridays
Guaranteed to have a good time any day of the week
The TGI Friday's restaurant chain has two specials for St. Patrick's Day - green beers, and You Call It cocktails with Jameson. The special is only available on St. Patrick's Day.
You can grab some friends and make it a great night with some cheap appetizers, green drinks, and awesome company.
Snag a gift card for TGI Fridays from Gift Card Granny!
9. The Tilted Kilt
Sip on some great brews at your neighborhood Celtic sports bar
The Tilted Kilt Chain has an Irish Hooley menu throughout March. They have several drink specials like the Belfast Bloom made with Baileys Irish Cream, Guinness, and Jameson Irish Whiskey, The Irish Slammer made with Guinness and RumChata, and more.
Their holiday food menu includes corned beef and cabbage that you can get with eggs or not, a corned beef sandwich special on a toasted hoagie, and Irish chip dip made with horseradish and cold corned beef.
The Tilted Kilt gift cards are not currently offered through Gift Card Granny.
10. Dunkin'
Grab a seasonal donut and get caffeinated
Dunkin' is one of the most popular breakfast restaurants in the nation, and you can get a Shamrock Sprinkle Donut topped with fun shamrock sprinkles.
This is a low-risk, high-reward gift card. You can be sure they’ll enjoy every order on your card at Dunkin’. Even if they don't usually go to Dunkin’, who would pass up the opportunity for a free Shamrock Sprinkle Donut? Having a gift card to Dunkin’ is the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a lavish latte and a delicious donut. There are so many coffee drinks and specialty donuts nowadays that a handful of free orders are always appreciated.
11. Chili’s
A margarita at the end of every rainbow
If you’re a margarita lover in general, then you may want to consider checking out your neighborhood Chili’s for a St. Patrick’s Day-inspired cocktail called the Lucky Jameson. Touted as the chain’s marg of the month, this classic margarita is made with a dash of Jameson to give it an Irish touch. Pair that with killer appetizers, and you’re guaranteed to have a good night out.
Earn cash back when you buy a Chili’s gift card from Gift Card Granny!
These are our favorite St. Patrick’s Day Restaurant gift cards!
Now that you know a little bit about the history of this holiday and where to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you can observe the holiday with gifts and a night out. If you have Irish relatives, a quiet St. Patrick's Day at home with a delicious slow-cooked roast may be the best way to celebrate.
Whatever you choose to do, remember the holiday is all about spending more time with your family and friends and honoring St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Whether it's drinking green beers while you listen to Irish music or eating corned beef and Irish Stew, there are plenty of restaurants to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.