On the facade of the 130-year-old building in downtown San Marcos that houses Sean Patrick’s is a sign that reads “Irish pub, Texas grub.”
That description pretty well sums up the atmosphere and menu of the restaurant, owner Brian Jeffrey said. Sean Patrick’s serves Irish pub staples—shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew and fish and chips are just a few—in addition to southwestern dishes such as quesadillas, burgers and nachos.
“You’re offering the traditional Irish dishes plus what San Marcans are looking for,” he said.
Jeffrey, who bought the bar in 2010, said the quality of the food tends to surprise people.
“I think the comment that I hear the most often that surprises me is that people go in and say, ‘I never knew your food would be this good.’ I get that all the time. I don’t know if people walk around and go, ‘Oh you’re a pub,’ and the food expectation goes low.”
The formula has served the restaurant well, as Jeffrey and the team at Sean Patrick’s celebrated 10 years in business in late October.
In early 2015 the restaurant introduced a new offering: beer brewed in-house. What started out as an experiment with two beers has since grown to include about seven varieties of beer. The way the new beers have caught on has even surprised Jeffrey, he said.
Head Brewer Devin Nisson began brewing beer at Root Cellar, a restaurant a couple of blocks from Sean Patrick’s, two years ago and said his most popular creation at Sean Patrick’s is probably the Blarney Swag IPA.
Jeffrey said one of the greatest pleasures of owning the business comes from investing in the passions of millennials like Nisson. That investment is paying off for both parties, Jeffrey said.
“We’ve been approached about distribution [of the in-house brews],” Jeffrey said. “I’m not saying that’s what we want to do. We’re keeping a strong eye for quality on our product. So for now the immediate future is in-house, but the expectation is that we will expand that offering.”
Wyatt Martin, who has been with the restaurant for more than four years said the success of Sean Patrick’s’ is due in large part to the fact that the restaurant fills multiple needs in the city’s dining and bar scene.
During the day it is not uncommon to see families and professionals at the restaurant, and later in the day and into the evening college students and those looking to enjoy the city’s nightlife filter in.
“It kind of morphs,” Martin said. “We encapsulate three different styles: Texas restaurant, Irish pub and sports bar.”
Whatever the reason for the restaurant’s success, Jeffrey said he is thankful the community has embraced the concept during the past decade.
“That’s a big deal in the restaurant business,” Jeffrey said. “When you’ve been open for 10 years, no longer are you just a location. You’re now an establishment.”
