The Luck of the... Irish? Local Favorite IV is Replaced by Eerily Similar Shamrock

For an average patron stopping by Shamrock Irish Pub on a recent evening, nothing would seem drastically out of place. This Lido pub, if you haven’t guessed by the name, has all the trappings of a typical Irish pub, from the Emerald Isle flags to the Guinness posters and that renowned stout prominently available on tap. However, Lido dwellers and many Beijing expats who play hockey and other house sports will likely have a drastically different opinion about this seemingly nondescript watering hole. That’s because the same space was formally known as the Irish Volunteer, and had almost exactly the same Celtic decor and cozy pub vibe. If that doesn’t sound like a big difference, think again.

Regular readers will recall that earlier this summer, we reported that The Irish Volunteer (commonly referred to as the IV) was looking down the barrel of a rent hike, and were not optimistic about being able to renew their lease. After a few closing celebrations, the sports bar did indeed die with a whimper later in the summer. And now in its place is this surreally similar new Irish bar. Upon entry, Shamrock doesn’t look that different than its forebearer, with Irish paraphernalia like, you'll never guess, vintage Guinness posters and logos dotted on the walls along with, surprisingly enough, hockey Jerseys on the wall, giving off a strong sense of deja vu for any IV regular.

So what gives? 

Former IV main shareholder George Smith has shared his side of the story with the Beijinger: "Our landlord wanted to close the Irish Volunteer for a month for renovation before he would give us the new rent structure. We knew there would be a significant increase so we created a partnership with another Irish Pub and remained in discussion with the landlord." Promising as that next step may have seemed at the time, Smith says it quickly soured for and his fellow shareholders, explaining: "In the end he [the landlord] never allowed us to make an offer, which was sad."

Current employees at the Shamrock Irish Pub declined to comment on the circumstances that led to the change of ownership.

So how is Shamrock shaping up in the IV's wake, and just how daunting will it be to fill that void anyway? Sure, at first glance it looks like a cinch to open an unfussy Irish pub that doesn’t chase trends but instead provides a taste of home for expats.

However, a couple of big hurdles lie in the way. Firstly, can they maintain the IV team's friendliness with the expat hockey league? Niche as it may be, this community association was sizable enough and, committed enough to pack the IV and its “hockey bar” side room after practices and games for players who just finished at the Shunyi rinks and were on their way back home (many of whom lived in and around Lido a stone’s throw from the IV). That same close-knit clientele also hosted regular, big parties outside the hockey season, from the broadcasting of big games to events for the Maovember charity fundraiser.

Then there was the menu, formerly handled by well-liked chef Zach Lewison, the laid-back Floridian who made a major splash at pioneering Union Bar and Grill when Beijing’s expat restaurant scene was still nascent, before heading up the dependable and satisfying pub grub menu at the IV (Lewison moved on to a snazzier gig in Guam last year).

READ: Zach Lewison dishes about his earlier days in Beijing’s F&B scene

Rough as the ownership overthrow may have been, it didn’t alienate patrons, at least not completely, with a handful of expats playing darts in the back, though the main room was practically empty on the Thursday night we stopped by. When it’s all said in done, an average customer wouldn’t be faulted for not noticing any change at all, especially without knowledge of the behind-the-scenes shakeup and didn't happen to glance at the sign outside.

Our bartender poured our order of (what else) Guinness serviceably enough, handing it over with the right head to beer ratio. When we asked him about the difference between the IV and the Shamrock, he smirked and said, “The IV was getting old and dirty. Now the bar is much better, we have more beers on tap and more whiskeys available,” before gesturing at the shelves loaded with bottles behind the bar. (When asked, former IV shareholder Smith declined to get into a "he said she said" about such claims made by the new bartender).

Our last visit to the IV was so long ago (and compromised by how many Carlsbergs we drank), that we can’t quite attest to exactly how much the beer selection has improved since the change of hands. But the options at the Shamrock were pretty solid, with nine brews on tap including standards like Guinness and Stella (RMB 30 each for a half pint) along with trendier craft options like Goose Island and Boxing Cat (RMB 25 each for a half pint). About 50 bottled beer options fill up two pages of the menu, while the bartender’s boasts about spirits were backed up by dozens of single malts, vodka, rum, most priced around RMB 50 for a single (though 21-year-old Chivas regal and were each RMB 105 for a single, to give you an inkling of the higher-end options).

We didn’t sample any of the food, but the menu does have chicken wings, fries and other grub like pizzas (coming in nine, 12, 15, and 19-inch options, with pepperoni, seafood, and of course, "Canadian," all available, ranging from RMB 55 to 150).

It all amounted to a pleasant enough evening out for anyone longing to down a pint at a straightforward, Western-style Irish pub. Let’s just wait and see if Shamrock has the same luck of the Irish with Beijing's hockey diehards that the IV had.

As Smith, the former IV shareholder, puts it: "The Irish Volunteer was never the place but the community it created. It is very nice to consistently hear how much the IV meant to people. Who knows what might happen moving forward."

Get the scoop on Beijing's latest openings and closings, right here.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: Kyle Mullin

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I'm Irish.

Literally no pub in Ireland looks anything like the photos in the above story. The Shamrock Irish Pub looks like a cafe.

Seriously, is this what Americans think an Irish pub is like?

Irish pubs look and feel like this:

That's a photo of a typical Irish pub. Nothing special. But you can see it is dark, old, quiet, cosy.