Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in style at Dublin Bay in Ames with live music and food specials

Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune
·2 min read
Irish dancers from the Robert Thomas Dancenter perform during a past St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Dublin Bay in Ames. This year’s event is canceled because of the spread of the coronavirus. Ames Tribune file photo
Irish dancers from the Robert Thomas Dancenter perform during a past St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Dublin Bay in Ames. This year’s event is canceled because of the spread of the coronavirus. Ames Tribune file photo

Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill serves more than Irish food and drink on St. Patrick's Day.

Dublin Bay is a community gathering place modeled after pubs in Ireland, and Saint Patrick's Day is one of their biggest events of the year.

The establishment at 320 South 16th Street in Ames will open early on Sunday and serve a traditional Irish breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The authentic Irish food will be accompanied by plenty of entertainment throughout the day.

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Who is scheduled to perform at Dublin Bay for St. Patrick’s Day?

  • Irish pub musician Stuart Walker will perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

  • From 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Felix & Fingers Dueling Pianos will provide entertainment.

  • Irish dancers from the Ames-based Robert Thomas Dancenter will perform from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Mackenzie Highlanders Pipes & Drums of Iowa will entertain beginning at 7 p.m.

Dublin Bay will not have a cover charge on Sunday. The nation, which doubled in size a couple of years ago, will be dotted with heated dots for guests to enjoy.

Family photos and ancestors' china are among the decor at Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill in Ames. Many of the items are from the family of owner Donny O'Brien.
Family photos and ancestors' china are among the decor at Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill in Ames. Many of the items are from the family of owner Donny O'Brien.

What’s on the menu at Dublin Bay?

Dublin Bay bartenders pour so many pints each year that the bar and grill has become the No. 1 seller of Guinness in the state of Iowa.

The chef adds Guinness to several menu items as well. Dublin Bay's boxty, for example, is a potato pancake filled with Guinness-marinated beef or corned beef topped with gorgonzola cream sauce.

“We always get a lot of calls asking if we’ll be serving corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick’s Day," general manager Justin Kabrick said in a past interview. "We have corned beef and cabbage every day."

Some of Dublin's most popular Irish items on its extensive menu include shepherd’s pie, lamb stew, and fish and chips.

With a full-service bar, the Irish bar and grill also sells Harp and Smithwick’s. Irish coffee is a popular drink on Saint Patrick’s Day, too.

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Dublin Bay's boxty is a potato pancake filled with Guinness-marinated beef or corned beef and topped with gorgonzola cream sauce.
Dublin Bay's boxty is a potato pancake filled with Guinness-marinated beef or corned beef and topped with gorgonzola cream sauce.

Where is Dublin Bay located?

Address: 320 S. 16th St. in Ames

Website: dublinbayames.com.

Phone number: 515-956-3580

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Ames Tribune reporter Ronna Faaborg can be reached at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: What's going on during Dublin Bay's St. Patrick's Day festivities?