O’Shea’s Traditional Irish Pub

Great place! HUGE outdoor patio, mostly in the shade. Friendly service, strong drinks. Ordered nachos, they were great (just wish they came with jalepeno slices!). If ever in Louisville again, this is a definite stop. Loved this place.

Went to O’sheas to meet up with some friends for some late night drinks and Taylor Lynch band was performing live!
Drink selection was on point! The level of service A+++. Right when you walk in you’re greeted by Carl in a fancy green jacket-​shakes your hand and welcomes you like his own home! Will definitely will be back if I ever come back to this town! The ambience outdoors is great!

Went to O’Shea’s for drinks after having dinner on Bardstown Road. It was a busy Friday night, but we got in without any problems. The line at the bar was manageable and the bartenders were personable.
My friend loved her white Russian; she said that it was one of the best she’d ever had. My margaritas were a little on the weak side, but when I mentioned that to the bartender, he made up for it with my next drinks.
The patio and outdoor area is what makes this place fabulous! There’s a fountain, generous seating, and great ambiance with lights and decorations. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting outside, as it was a beautiful evening.
Will definitely be back next time I’m in Louisville.

Great night life, Nice outside patio & great place for live music & socializing with friends. One of the coolest places in the area.

We should judge on a few topics, right? Food, service, atmosphere? Love the food, our server, Luke, was amazing, but there were two things that killed this rating.
We ordered a grilled cheese, a kid’s cheeseburger, a turkey sandwich, and fish and chips and it took 50 minutes to come out. 50 minutes! The place wasn’t full. No excuse.
Had two beers and both were served in 12 oz glasses. I asked how I could get a pint and our server explained that the higher ABV beers come in 12 oz. The ABV was 5.5%! The beer was $ 5.50. That’s just price gouging. When my wife ordered a bourbon, a jigger pour appeared. Your local pub pours real drinks, not measured drinks and half beers. Very disappointing.
Real shame considering the great location, service, and atmosphere. Improve your service times and give some value to your drinks.

Let me start by saying, how absolutely rude the hostesses were to my fiancé and I. We walked in, and it was hardly busy. The hostesses (Two girls in their early twenties) were chit chatting away about some sort of drama, and they didn’t say a word to us. They just motioned for us to follow them and sat us outside with a menu. I looked at the menu, and did not see but only 3 traditional Irish eats on the menu. Upon realizing that the tradition was only in the beer, we politely told our server that we unfortunately did not see the type of food that we were interested in eating this particular day, while adding that I was in no way knocking their menu, so we would be on our way– Not a single thing ordered not even water. Fine right? I guess not because this seemed to upset the two hostesses at the front who shouted comments at us as we walked out the door. Never been anywhere so rude. I may have returned one day, because their wings and burgers looked to die for, but not after this experience. Ill take my business to Molly Malone’s across the street.

This is the best Irish style bar on Bardstown Road! Everyone was very friendly. The drinks were strong and the food was good and reasonably priced. I had the full order of fish and chips and it was delicious. My waiter Kenny was awesome not to mention ridiculously handsome and very friendly. I would recommend this place and will be coming back soon! «Lamborghini Marci» makes the best drinks in town

Its a good thing the bar tenders are pretty. But you need to tell the pretty servers how to make your drinks. Ordered a hot toddy but they don’t have cloves. Or honey. So i got hot whiskey and water with a wedge of lemon. A different bartender wasn’t quite sure what Buffalo Trace was and whatever she served me didn’t have much whiskey in it. Oh but they did have the sweetest, fruitiest, pinkest «Old Fashioned» we have ever had. Do not recommend. Bottom line, if you’re 16 with a fake ID this will probably be your favorite bar. If you’re an adult go find a real bar. I think the moral of the story is if one of the bartenders tells you he’s 22 … run!

Live music, basketball, and great selection of beer. Win win! First time out and about in Kentucky and this place did not disappoint. If your in the neighborhood, stop by for the live band sparking this place up

The courtyard is so nice you almost don’t care that the service is the absolute worst ever. You’ll wait for. ev. er. FOREVER!!!
Food is a solid 7.

So I visited this little place for the first time in about four years after having some plans fall through to chat with a couple of friends, I wanted a beer and they wanted to get some nosh.
It’s about 9 p.m. on a Friday night so we were expecting the parking situation to be terrible, but luckily we got a spot in the back and didn’t have to walk that far. We get lost going in (when I went years ago it wasn’t as renovated as it is now) and eventually found our way to a table. Like I said I wasn’t hungry so I just ended up getting a beer and nibbling on the fish and chips that they bought.
The beer I ordered was the Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA, which is about 9% ABV, and it was given to me in this fairly intricate little chalice. The beer was delish (if you like your beer bitter and hoppy, like I do). Their food came out and I sampled a little fish, hushpuppy and some fries (chips). There are two styles there, the O’shea’s and Euro. Personally we are all for beer battered deep fried goodness, so we went Euro style over O’shea’s style since O’shea’s style wasn’t a beer batter, but breaded. It’s a good thing too because that fish was pretty tasty. The tartar sauce is house-​made and it’s not like that Kraft stuff you buy in the grocery store. I’m not sure what it is but there is a different twang to it that gives it something special.
The interior is super cool inside, they have beer steins hanging on the ceiling, a bourbon room and a huge open concept, multi-​roomed façade going on that is really quite nice. Unfortunately the crowd that shows up at night isn’t my cup of tea and I’m not a fan of the live bands that play there. However it would be a cute little place for lunch and a drink before 10.
If this is your scene then it’s for sure a great place, but if you’re not into live music and the jock/​Irish bar scene then maybe pick somewhere else if it’s getting kind of late, but do stop by for some fish and chips during lunch sometime.
Overall I wasn’t unimpressed with it, but I wouldn’t see myself in here late at night.

I know that O’shea’s might be old news for some people, but I’m a really big fan of this joint.
The thing that originally drew me into this place was the beautiful patio. There’s tons of seats, soft lighting, a fountain, speakers, vines and other plants. In the summer they add fans outside and sometimes there’s live music, too. I spent many nights this summer sipping on their house cocktails with friends on that patio.
The patio may have drew me in, but the food, service and drinks keep me and many of my friends coming here instead of other bars.
I’ve always had excellent service here. The servers checks in often and keeps the drinks coming. The friendly bartenders are quick to take orders, are attentive and make great drinks. The hostesses are some of the most pleasant that I’ve ever encountered and always make me feel really welcome.
The food is a notch above any other bar food that I’ve had. A few of my favorites here is the juicy cheeseburgers, the fish sandwiches, the tater tots with cheese and their Bailey’s cheesecake. The fish sandwich is crispy and comes with two pieces of cod and house made tarter sauce and the burgers are cooked to order with lots of different toppings to choose from. I believe that they make their buns in house, they’re delicious! The only problem I’ve had with my food so far is the burgers may be juicy, but they can be dripping with grease, too, and I can’t recommend the chili cheese fries. For seven bucks you get a small bowl of soggy fries and strange tasting chili and shredded cheese. A bit overpriced and not very tasty at all. But other than that, dig in!
I love their house cocktails. There’s about ten to choose from and they max at about ten bucks. My favorite is the Kentucky Bluegrass. Its a great bargain at only eight bucks and its huge and delicious! They have a great selection of beers, both tap and bottle. They do have a large selection, but they’re pretty pricy compared to other places.
I love the general ambiance of this place, a bit dim, cozy and tons of places to sit. The live bluegrass that often plays here is always excellent and just adds to the great vibes of this place.
Overall: This is the place where we go when we’re out of ideas or don’t want to take any chances and want something that we know is going to be fun and delicious. Definitely check this place out with a few friends when they have a live band playing. Always a good time!

Many years ago, O’Shea’s was one of my regular hangs. I spent many a evening out on their incredible, front patio enjoying a libation and food with friends. Fast forward, I no longer live in the Highlands and most of my friends spend the hours after work doing house chores & homework with the kids rather than happy hour. So, I had a few moments of déjà vu when my co-​workers chose the O’Shea’s patio for al fresco lunch earlier this week.
Parking on Bardstown Rd can be tricky, but if we found a spot on the street right across from the bar. We sat at a shady table next to the large fountain at the center of the lush courtyard. Work stress seemed to melt away within minutes of sitting down next to the bubbling water.
The lunch menu is smaller than what I remember for the dinner hour, but included many O’Shea’s favorites like the fish & chips, burgers, and assorted appetizers. We started off the meal with one of the restaurant’s stand out dishes — the fried, hot pepper cheese balls with ranch dip. Always amazing, these little nuggets are the perfect app to share (especially with a cold beer handy).
I chose the dressed, mahi sandwich (8.50). The others went for the mahi tacos ($ 8), which came 2 per order on the apps menu, and the fried cod sandwich ($ 8.50). All the sandwiches are a la carte which doesn’t make this a budget friendly lunch. I added tots and the others had fries ($ 2.50 per order).
Everyone agreed that lunch was tasty and filling. However, my tab which didn’t include drink (or the appetizer) after tip cost me around $ 15. This is more than I normally would spend on a lunch at a casual eatery. O’Shea’s is consistently good at what they do, but not an affordable, lunch spot for this hungry girl. The ambience and service are worth a little more, but I think I’ll save my pennies for dinner time!

O’Shea’s is a really fun spot in the Highlands.
The property itself is pretty cool. There’s plenty of space. Lots of indoor seating split between several rooms and outdoor seating on their massive patio. I love the layout of the place.
The food is pretty good. In the past, I always ordered the beer battered fish and chips, which I really enjoyed. Whenever I strayed from this dish, I was usually unhappy with my choice. Recently, I went to O’Shea’s for the happy hour oysters. $ 1/​oyster, and they were very good. Just as fresh and delicious as oysters you pay $ 3 for elsewhere. And they came with a delicious homemade cocktail sauce, which seemed to have a little more chili flavor than your typical cocktail sauce. Yum.
On this visit, I noticed they have revamped their menu since my last visit. I was pretty impressed with it. The actual design of the menu is done well. It’s much more modern and easy to read. The menu items have been condensed and changed — in a good way. There’s more bar-​type food (burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, etc) and less traditional, entrée-​type meals. This is probably a smart move considering O’Shea’s is really more of a bar than a traditional Irish restaurant. A lot of the menu items have been updated to include fresh, unique ingredients. Although I only had oysters on this visit, the new menu (and the yummy oysters with homemade sauce) made me excited to come back and taste the changes.
I will note, there was one little hiccup on this recent visit… Their beer selection. On paper, it looks great. A very large selection. However, they seemed to be out of half their beer menu. Seriously, it took 3 tries for me to get a beer. Instead of changing their menu or alerting the server, I would order a beer and she would come back a few minutes later to tell me they were out of it. Repeat that process three times. By the time I finally found a beer in stock, I wasn’t too excited about drinking my 4^th choice. We had planned on hanging out for a while and having a few beers, but the available selection just wasn’t appealing. Maybe this was an off night, but I wouldn’t suggest O’Shea’s if you’re specifically looking for beer. I will add, our server, as well as a bartender, were super apologetic and tried to be helpful in suggesting other beers.
At night, O’Shea’s turns into a nightclub, and it’s a popular place to be. With a DJ, dance floor, multiple bars, and ample outdoor space, it can turn into quite the party. I really enjoy O’Shea’s nightlife.
Overall, I’m definitely a fan of O’Shea’s. I rate it higher for it’s nightlife. The atmosphere really is a lot of fun. The food/​beer is closer to 3 stars for me, but their new menu looks like it has a lot of potential for really good bar food.

Met a friend for a quick dinner after my hair appointment (right next door at Focus Salon). On a Tuesday night at 6:45 and the place was practically empty (?). I love O’Sheas — simple, good food and drink. I had a yummy fish sandwich and fries. My friend had a salad and beer. Our server was friendly and efficient. All for a pretty reasonable price. If the weather had been better, we would have set outside on lovely patio. Maybe next time.

I have probably been to O’Shea’s more times that I can add up. It is in a great location right on Baxter Avenue-​in the highlands neighborhood.
This place is a great lunch/​dinner spot during the week, and a pretty good «going out spot» for the party crowd on the weekend. They have a great outdoor patio both on the side (right up to Baxter Avenue) as well as in the back. This place has grown since 2003, when I first visited O’Shea’s.
The menu has gotten better, and changed several times throughout the years. The price point is reasonable, and the drinks are too.
The also have live music, either inside or outside, depending. Sometimes they may have live music in the bar area and then a dj out back. This place caters to different types of music lovers/​dancers.
On my last visit here we were meeting a couple for a quick drink before they headed to see Neutral Milk Hotel at the Iroquois Amphitheater. I decided to sip on a glass of their house cab. This is a sweeter, lighter cab than I am used to drinking, but hit the spot for me since I was not in the mood for a beer. Our server was nice, but did not check on us very much. I wanted to order a bit to eat while we were socializing with friends, but did not have the chance. By the time she came back over to take our food order, about 20 minutes after she had given us the food menu, it was too late. I will say that I was anxious to take a bite of some beer cheese. Next time.
One thing to remember on the weekends is that after a certain time sometimes there is a cover. This depends on the entertainment that they have going on for the night. Bring cash/​call ahead to make for sure you are getting into something that suits your mood for the evening. :)

This place is amazing! I went on a date here with my partner for our 3 year anniversary. The waitress was extremely attentative and helpful. Secondly the BBQ bacon burger was amazing! Everything was so fresh and sizable portions for what you pay. The atmosphere is relaxed at least when we went (lunch on a wednesday) and has that old irish rustic charm.

This bar under the current management has become one of the worst bars on bardstown road. Moving from one of my favorite places to frequent to I will not come back.
The menu used to be great! In the past the menu included traditional Irish pub food that was the best in Louisville, but now you would be better off going to McDonald’s. And to top things off this place has become so cheap that burgers don’t include a side of fries.
Go somewhere else! Go anywhere else!

This review is going to be strictly based on an event I held at O’Shea’s this weekend, though I’ve been here many times for drinks and food.
I threw a surprise party for my husband’s 30^th birthday at O’Shea’s on Baxter this weekend and couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out. I booked the Carriage House as the rental cost was very reasonable for four hours and the room was incredibly charming. It was also the perfect size for a group of 20 – 30 people.
While you can’t bring in your own food (with the exception of desserts), the catering menu was fairly reasonable. I ordered the buffalo chicken sliders and pretzels with beer cheese and was impressed at the layout of the food when I arrived. It was also delicious.
One of the best parts was having a dedicated bartender, Christina, who was so attentive and fun to be around for the evening.
If you’re looking for an event space, then you really can’t go wrong with O’Shea’s!

A night out is going to cost you an arm and a leg and a first born child. Pre-​gaming and cab-​ing it will cost you less than drinks once you get in the door.
But the music is good, the outdoor space is awesome (even more so during normal waking hours when O’Shea’s behaves more like a restaurant than a bar), and lots of space (though often super crowded on weekend nights).
If you are going here for the bar scene, expect a lot of people and leaving with an empty wallet.
If you are going for the restaurant scene, grab a spot on the patio and enjoy the people watching with your food and drink!