Limerick Pub
24 Calle Umaran (corner of Hdez Macias & Umaran)
San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico
Behind this unassuming door there lurks an adequate "Irish" pub called Limerick Pub. We walked through their doors just after they'd opened them for the day, so once again we had the place to ourselves and were able to really study, admire (and photograph) the interior. I found it too bright inside during the day -- but appreciated the global-friendly skylighting portals. I also disliked the absence of "cubby holes" or more private nooks and crannies. It was one, big cave. I think we'd like it more at night with a hopping crowd.
It has a large bar, outside back patio, tele's playing European football, one billiard table, a dart board, only a few high backed wooden booths, and even an English telephone booth inside. Is it a genuine Irish Pub? Of course not, its not in Ireland. But Melissa has been to Ireland and she gave it a thumbs down on the genuine aspect. But she kind of liked it. So did I, even though it's expansive interior makes it hard for me to use the oh-so-important pub adjective "cozy" to describe what it felt like seated inside. It wasn't cozy. And by the looks of two turntables setup inside, I suspect it gets pretty hopping and loud in there at night.
But did I mention the very nice beer selection? We each enjoyed a fine Belgian import Gouden Carolus Triple. And they had plenty of other good pub choices including Guiness, of course.
By bus San Miguel de Allende is an hour and ten minutes from Guanajuato. Whether or not it is worth extracting yourself from charming Guanajuato for a day trip to relatively ugly San Miguel is largely a matter of personal taste and interests. San Miguel is known for its art community and art work. Oh, and also for being "gringolandia" - land of Gringos. White Americans and foreigners, that is. There is a large American and European expatriate settlement there, heavy on retirees, and I hear that their neighborhood is quite nice. I found the rest of San Miguel not so pretty, and since I'm not much into buying art I could have passed on this day trip. But we did stumble onto this pretty cool "Bar Irlandia" (Irish Pub) in the process.
