Paddy O'Shea's Readies New Menu

The luck of the Irish has struck in Beijing. Paddy O’Shea’s, our fair city’s longtime portal to the Emerald Isle, is preparing a vast new menu to incorporate more ambitious dishes like shepherd’s pie, beef stew, and a burger that is already getting serious buzz in the food and beverage scene.

In fact, a recent reader review hailed the Irish-themed Dongzhimen venue as an established sports bar, before lamenting “in recent years I have avoided eating there because the bar food has seriously been going downhill (or at least comparatively weak compared to relative newcomers like Great Leap, Slow Boat, etc.).” But the reviewer was quick to admit that Paddy’s new burger had changed his or her mind, thanks to its high quality beef, succulent cheese and cushiony bun, which all left reviewer to write: “Kudos to Paddy's for seriously sorting out their menu.”

That hefty RMB 60 burger is now available, but more goodies will be ready before month’s end as Paddy slowly rolls out its new menu. Owner and manager Paul R. said he’s excited by the revamp, and is eagerly awaiting the chance to change the minds of more customers that dismissed Paddy’s as passé.

“I see new bars and restaurants opening every day, proposing super good food,” Paul said. “Of course we need to respect our customers by providing the best, but the best in our way. Paddy is a family-run, international Irish pub. Our Irish identity is strong, so we need decent Irish food and we will try as much as possible to cover more cuisine, but with an Irish twist.”

Among that fare is the heartstoppingly delicious coronary combo plate that comes in RMB 78 normal and RMB138 sizes, featuring onion rings, fries, chicken wings and other pub friendly delights. There’s also the beef stew for RMB68 and the shepherd’s pie for RMB 88, the latter of which is a deeply nourishing Celtic meat pie that is rare in Beijing. Paul is even more excited about the RMB58 Irish poutine. The dish is a favorite for gravy and tatters lovers, and Paul says it’s made all the better “by using the cheese curds made by 4corners. The manager says an equally enticing menu item will be RMB 88 bangers and mash because “we will use what is maybe the best handcrafted sausage in Beijing, Andy’s Craft Sausages.”

These new offerings will be coupled with the restaurant’s long time fare, courtesy of Ganges Indian Restaurant located upstairs. Paul says Paddy’s has a “a good cooperation” with that neighboring venue, before lauding their fare as “the best Indian food in town… (so) you can order a nice curry” from Ganges while watching your favorite game at the adjacent Irish sports bar.

While Paul has always been grateful for that collaboration with Ganges, he knew it was time to literally beef up his own kitchen, saying: “They can’t do beef and pork for religious reasons. So we have developed a new menu focusing on Irish items and pub food.”

Indeed, Ganges has been a longtime ally for Paddy’s, providing enough dishes to buy them time to determine their own culinary destiny. Now Paul is hoping that his restaurant’s own forthcoming dishes will pay tribute to another dear friend, saying: “Katherine, our Chinese manager, is celebrating her one-year anniversary at Paddy’s on February 1. So we will try to have the menu ready before the end of the month,” as a gift to both her and the restaurant’s equally cherished patrons.

Photos: Kyle Mullin