I love Irish pubs. Even if I’ve never been to a particular pub, I know I can count on a warm welcome, hearty food, and a relaxed atmosphere. Sometimes, they even have live Irish music—perfect for dancing or tapping your toe while sipping a beer. If you find yourself in the Louisville area and craving a pint with some fish and chips, I know just the spot. The Irish Rover on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky, is a beloved pub known for its warm hospitality and mouthwatering Irish food.
The Irish Rover opened in Louisville’s Clifton-Crescent Hill neighborhood over 30 years ago. Its owners, Michael and Siobhan Reidy, dreamed of opening an Irish pub and brought their dream to life in 1993. The restaurant is housed in a 170-year-old building and has the feel of an authentic Irish pub. Pub signs cover a wall on the restaurant’s brick exterior. Its interior is rustic and welcoming, with wooden chairs and large windows that face bustling Frankfort Avenue. It’s everything you want from an Irish pub.
The restaurant’s menu features classic Irish dishes with plenty of variety. Scotch Eggs, Cheese and Chive Fritters, and Salmon Potato Puffs are the perfect way to begin a meal at The Irish Rover. The restaurant also serves soda bread and sourdough—my stomach is rumbling just thinking about it. Its pub food includes Bangers & Mash, Guinness Beef Stew, Cottage Pie, and Fish & Chips. The menu also features delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, and sides. There’s a kid’s menu to please even picky eaters, with chicken fingers, Kraft Mac & cheese, grilled cheese, kids fish, and kids’ bangers, as well as Irish sausages and mash.
The Irish Rover’s desserts are delectable. There’s a Guinness Chocolate Cake, which is flourless and topped with chocolate mousse. The Raspberry Trifle has cake, berries, and whipped cream. The Sticky Toffee Pudding, a spice cake topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream, would be my first choice.
Just one visit to the Irish Rover will have you looking up flights to Ireland. Luckily, the owners are well-traveled souls, and they love hosting trips across the pond. Michael and Siobhan Reidy regularly host group trips to Ireland and Scotland. Instead of visiting the tourism hot spots at a frenzied pace, these trips focus on enjoying charming hotels, authentic pubs and restaurants, and beautiful sights at a relaxed pace. The next tour to Northern England and Southern Scotland in 2026 will take travelers to Scotland’s oldest inhabited home, England’s Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall, Edinburgh, and many more places…