Mark’s Score 8.6
I grew up on the north shore of Boston, which is practically like growing up in Ireland. Back in the early 70s, when graffiti in the rest of the country focused on Vietnam, our graffiti said things like, “Brits Out,” or “26+6=1.” Rumor had it that there were several IRA safehouses in our area. In my part of the world, if you walked into a pub, you were walking into an Irish pub. So, I know a bit about Irish pubs. Though it is hard to be authentically Irish when you are located in a strip mall, the Irish Penny feels very authentic to me. When I walk into the Irish Penny, it feels like home.
Jeff Travits and Scott Urban opened the Irish Penny in 2012. Their main purpose in opening the pub was to create something different, so they decided to open an Irish pub with a menu chock-a-block with Irish specialties such as boxties, Guinness beef stew, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips.
Travits and Urban wanted the Penny to be a local gathering place, and in the Irish tradition, the pub is the living room of the neighborhood. In times past, people didn’t spend evenings on their couch in front of the TV, they went to the pub to talk, to laugh, and to have a pint or two.
The Irish Penny does produce a decent burger, as well as typical pub sandwiches. But, if you are going to an Irish pub, shouldn’t you eat Irish dishes? When I go to Irish Penny I go for the Irish experience. They make a fish and chips worthy of Irish pubs in Boston. But other pubs serve decent fish and chips in Salisbury. What you won’t find elsewhere is Irish Boxty or Shepherd’s Pie. Then there is their Guinness Beef Stew. There is nothing like a Penny Guinness Beef Stew on a cold winter’s night.
Though it is a pub, as time has gone by, the Irish Penny has become one of my favorite places for Sunday brunch. OK, an Irish Pub isn’t the first place you think of when you are thinking about breakfast, but you would be wrong to miss Irish Penny’s brunches.
You can get a traditional Irish Breakfast which is two eggs, bangers, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, black and white pudding, and baked beans. If Irish breakfast is not for you, you might want to try the corned beef hash, with poached eggs. There is nothing more Irish than corned beef. What is more, the Penny gives it their own special twist by adding sriracha. I rate this my favorite dish at the Penny.
When people talk about their favorite cuisines, no one, not even the Irish, say Irish. But a trip to the Irish Penny isn’t about fine cuisine, it is about good times with friends and family. It is about a cold beer and hearty food on a cold winter’s night. It is about coming home.
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