Annie Bailey's Irish Pub

Participated in the August 2009 and September 2010 Taste the World events.

Opened in April 2006

John and Siobhan Keane, owners
28 E King St # 30
Lancaster, PA 17602-2850
(717) 393-4000
www.anniebaileysirishpub.com
SuMTuWThFSa 11am-2am

To try on your first visit: Shepherd's pie. For Siobhan Keane, who grew up in Mayo on the west coast of Ireland, the shepherd's pie of all the menu items is "the closest to home. It's the most traditional." But fish and chips is a hit as well. And she often hears about other not-so-Irish favorites: "Everybody always raves about our burgers, the Kobe burger."

The area where Siobhan (pronounced shi vahn) grew up was about 20 minutes from the coast. At that time, there were not nearly as many organized activities for kids as there are in the United States. "They're left to their own devices to entertain themselves," she said. "Basically kids make their own entertainment."

Her parents had a bed and breakfast that kept her busy, from the chores of washing dishes and making beds to the opportunity of greeting guests. "You just got to meet a lot of people," she says.

Today, she is greeting guests daily at Annie Bailey's Irish pub.

In Ireland, a pub is not just a place to drink, but also a place to eat, to greet and to talk. "In traditional Irish pubs, there are no televisions. It's really about going in and mingling and talking, maybe even singing at the end of the night."

And wherever she has traveled, from Prague to Australia to New York, she seeks out Irish pubs as a place to settle in and find a friendly face, a welcoming atmosphere. "That's what we're trying to do here," she says. "It's not about getting people in and out. It's about making sure they enjoy themselves, that they don't feel rushed."

Where did the pub get its name? Annie Bailey is the name of the grandmother of one of the restaurant's partners.

To do: The bar was built in Ireland, then taken apart, shipped to the United States and reassembled. And be sure to also look up. "All the pictures you see, it's all from Ireland," Siobhan says.

written by Marla Pierson Lester; photos by Matthew Lester Photography