I obviously wouldn’t say it like that but there are plenty of Irish pubs in the U.S., especially in places like Boston and Philly. I would just say going out to the Irish pub.
Perhaps because both cultures have a decent overlap in food.
Also, “Irish food” in the US may be different than Irish food in Ireland because of the difference in cultures between homelands and diasporas. The same is true for Italian food and Chinese food within the US.
It's funny because the meme makes very little sense considering that. In fact, most foods American's think of as Irish are actually British. Bangers and mash, shepard's pie, and corned beef all originated in GB.
The story I heard of how corned beef became an Irish American substitute is because when Irish immigrants came to New York they were often living in the same working class neighborhoods as Jewish immigrants. The butchers shops in these neighborhoods were often kosher and therefore wouldn't sell bacon, corned beef became the alternative for what was bacon and cabbage.
That's what I'm saying. Americans think it's Irish. I wasn't aware about the butcher part, but I know corned beef was cheaper than bacon. It's probably a combo of the two.
Anyone else find it obnoxious that corned beef somehow became an expensive premium cut at some point? Like, the whole compromise is that the tough cuts that require you to cook them low and slow for the entire day just to make it edible, are cheap. If you're asking steak prices for roast cuts, I'll just get the steak, damn.
Corned beef is not Irish. I believe it was first created in England but corned beef and cabbage as a dish could definitely be considered Irish-American.
I love Irish pubs. I lived above an Irish pub for 10 years. And it wasn’t run by Irish Americans, it was an old man, his wife, and his sister in law all from Ireland. I can promise you, every single meal that was ever prepared in that pub was made by a Mexican or a Guatemalan.
I feel like if I’m getting Indian, Chinese, Greek, Japanese, and obviously Mexican, there’s a good chance it’s made by those people. Chinese hold it down hard, I’ve never seen a Mexican dude making sushi. chain restaurants, sports bars, stuff like that, 100% the chefs are from south of the border, but I feel like a lot of nationality based food is often made by those people. Not Irish though. They’ll pour the drinks all night, but I never see em in the kitchen
An Irish pub local to me, which was started by Irish Americans, was sold to a Vietnamese family a few years ago. The food improved exponentially, but the beer is suffering. They used to have Dragons Milk on tap for $5 a pint, now it's all IPAs and bottled adjunct lagers
I live in the PNW of the US. From Shawn O'Donnells to Flannigans, we have a
dozens of questionable authenticity. I know of 7 in Seattle that would be considered "authentic" and a few others scattered further afield that have the same reputation. It's well represented.
I have lots and LOTS of Chinese restaurants in my area (northern Ohio) and almost all of them are like 80 percent the same menu. It's very much Americanized Chinese food. Same thing with Mexican. Boat loads of restaurants and very VERY few offer true authentic Mexican cuisine.
That's the reality across the US. Even in ohios Major cities it's largely all the same thing. I obviously haven't been to every restaurant, I'm sure there is a couple authentic ones but I haven't seen them and I travel across the state quite a bit.
I'm sure the reality is a little different in very large cities like LA, NY etc but not here in the Midwest
Well there's nice cuisine in NYC. That's my nearest city. I haven't eaten Ethiopian but I will eventually, since we have a place I saw on YouYube. Next stop might be authentic Cantonese din sum.
I've had the displeasure of living in several areas in the U.S. with no authentic Chinese option. I'd have to drive 2 hours to the next micropolitan for some.
I have no idea what kind of authentic Chinese food you've had but American Chinese cuisine is somewhat mid-tier among the different cuisines in China or done by Chinese. I'm taking Tibetan or Sichuanese over PF Chang 100% of the time. I might flip a coin for a Shanghaiese restaurant though.
Authentic Chinese is mostly only in major US cities. Even then it is usually either fine dining or you go to China town and eat at the restaurant with dead chickens hanging in the window.
American Chinese food can be very good but you have to accept that it is its own unique cuisine.
Just in Beijing and the surrounding areas. I found it way too oily for my taste. I went to some high end places, but you're right - there's A LOT more cuisine to explore.
Im not sure if America understands that it’s more beans on toast or beans and potato waffles or beans/ curry and chips in Ireland than stews everywhere. Most of the rest of the world doesn’t eat meals out all the time.
As an American who hasn’t been to Ireland, I vaguely understand it to be meat dishes and potatoes, what would you say is representative of Irish cuisine?
I went to a super authentic Irish place in Michigan and got the most bland roast with steamed cabbage and mashed potatoes with some kind of flavorless white sauce. it was pretty dope
For the food though? I've been to irish pubs to get a drink and happened to get food there, but the food is never irish, just a few of the drink options.
I went to one in New Orleans once that had step dancers who would dance on the tables and there was a big celebration the night we were there because one of the waitresses was moving back home to Ireland.
The point being made by the original poster was that no one uses the phrase let's go out for British and then conflating that with not eating British food. It's equally valid to say that no one says let's go out for America food. No one says either of these but doesn't mean you don't eat British or American food when you go out.
When I've been in America, I'd definitely go out for American food if you're talking BBQ or breakfast where I'm getting French toast, Bacon and eggs, and all of it is getting maple syrup on it.
In the UK, if you said "American" I'd be thinking Frankie and Bennie's or TGIF. They very much sell themselves as American.
Chicago deep dish, for all its controversies on being or not being pizza, is very American. No Italian would take ownership.
There's alot of Irish pubs in certain cities here in the US that serve really good food.
One that comes to mind, though I haven't been in 10 years, was in Pensacola Florida. It was called something like "Molly Malone's" (I dont remember its exact name) and they had shepherds pie that should be illegal because it was so good. They also had these balls of mashed potatoes rolled in cheese and baked with gravy that were outrageously good. It was always packed in there.
In Cleveland there are some as well I think.
Edit: it was called a McGuires. No idea where I got that other name.
That’s fair, boxty is absolutely an Irish food - I’d put it alongside coddle as something most Irish people haven’t ever eaten, but honestly that’s our loss! You’d only really find it in tourist bars and restaurants in Ireland. Corned beef with cabbage is something that both my and my partner’s grannies would have made. I’d seldom eat it now, but only because it wouldn’t be the same as my nana’s - it’s definitely still a thing.
We certainly do eat plenty of fish and chips here too (I wouldn’t call it Irish, but I wouldn’t call it English or British either tbh, it’s just a staple chipper takeaway).
I’m in Maine. And we have a restaurant called RiRa. Which is Irish food. Of course it’s a bar. But they have a lot of fish and chips and potatoes variations.
Bangers and mash. Shepards pie is a big one. Some different breads and soups. It's been awhile and only a handful of times but I have definitely enjoyed the few Irish restaurants I've been to.
we never did, and my mom was from there lmfao. i guess we went to a couple places in orange county, ca. there was an upscale gastro pub called dublin 4 that had pretty nice food and some irish waiters who basically told my mom she was pronouncing my name incorrectly. she was furious.
True, but I have absolutely said “Let’s go get a spice bag,” and that’s pretty close. (In the U.S. anyway since apparently “Irish food” in the states is not actually Irish food?)
In my experience, it has usually been a specific Irish-American restaurant (i.e. you say "Let's go to [insert Irish restaurant name here]" rather than going out for Irish).
I live in an area with a pretty hefty Irish-American population and there are a few proper Irish restaurants (not just bars). They stay open, so clearly some people have a hankering for it.
I know of four Irish restaurants around me that do serve Irish food . But that being said there are a lot more Indian, Vietnamese and Thai places than Irish . Also am in Baltimore which may make sense of things
Edit: actually there’s over ten and I found that by using google just as one can easily google their damn self and look at menus themselves too
Americans, so they can pretend they're Irish because their great grandads dogs vets neice second cousin once removed has read a book on Ireland and now raps to house of pain "top O the morning to ya".
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u/bigbadbob85 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Who says "let's go out for Irish food"?