Dick O’Dow’s

Dick O’Dow’s is the Irish pub downtown Birmingham has leaned on for two decades — a proper public house on West Maple with the best pint outside of Dublin, live music most nights of the week, and a kitchen turning out shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, and Guinness-battered fish and chips. It’s the rare Birmingham spot that’s genuinely a neighborhood bar first: warm, a little rowdy, and equally happy to pour you a Guinness or park you by the fireplace for a long one.

There’s a big beer and whiskey list, a weekend Irish breakfast, and a patio when the weather turns. We have it on our list as the town’s go-to for a group night, a game on the telly, or a low-key lingering pint with friends — the antidote to Birmingham’s more see-and-be-seen rooms. Come for the music, stay for the craic.