Each Tuesday, Kevin and Jenna talk about all things food in Connecticut with Alex from CT Food Girly. This week we get our St. Pats Parade green on as she gives us a road map on the best spots to eat before, during, and after the Milford and New Haven parades this weekend!

Milford:

In Milford, the parade starts right at 1:00 on Saturday March 9th. Downtown Milford transforms into a lively celebration of Irish heritage and community spirit.

• The first spot that came to my mind was Founders House Pub & Patio. Their doors open at 11:30AM, with live music starting at 1pm. They are having Irish fare and drink specials run all day. They are taking reservations for the dining area as the bar will be first come first service. I took a peak at their St. Patrick’s Menu running from the 8th to the 18th, there’s jumbo pretzel sticks with Guinness beer cheese, corn beef sandwiches with house cut fries, Guinness Irish short rib stew, and Irish cheddar lobster mac and cheese pie.
  
• The Stonebridge Restaurant is ready to go for this weekend, they are having the doors open at 1:00 pm with live music by the rum runners, chris kiley and a dj, their huge outdoor tent is up, so there will be plenty of room for all to enjoy, and they will be serving their corned beef reubens as well.

• Right off the green, there is My Bar & Grille. Known for their award winning chicken sandwiches, My Bar always serves delicious crafted cocktails and tasty apps to enjoy on your parade day. This is your typical pigs in a blanket, fried pickles, mozz sticks, mac and cheese bites, all the cozy food after a day of celebration.
  
• Archie Moore’s in Milford. It is right off the Milford green, right near the water. Service is quick and their pub style food always hits the spot. They have a great selection of drinks to pair nicely with their buffalo wing sauce. I always order their nachos and golden potato skins as well with bacon and cheddar cheese. They do have a beer battered fish sandwich on their menu and their hot garlic pretzel with honey mustang and cheese dipping sauce.

New Haven:
In New Haven the parade starts at 1:30pm on Sunday the 10th. There is a live broadcast on WTNH until 4:00pm that day. I just learned that it is actually the largest free single-day spectator event in the state of CT.

• The Trinity Bar is my favorite spot to go after the parade has come to a close. There is always a line out the door of excited, green-loving customers ready to cheers and have a cold beer together. I saw on Instagram that the band Modern Refuge is playing that day for the 3rd year in a row. It’s definitely a high traffic area after the parade, but the drinks do come and so does their delicious food. Their fish and chips is an absolute must try. I went on the Taste of New Haven french fry tour and the Trinity was one of our stops, so if after the parade you need an ice cold beer and some good food, wait in line at the Trinity. They open at 9am for breakfast that day and obviously there are no reservations, it’s first come first serve, but that’s part of the fun!
  
  
• Another fan favorite on parade day is Rudy’s Bar, which is directly on the parade route. They will see hundreds of customers for this single day of celebration. They have great pub fare, live music, beer, cocktails and more. If you do get into Rudy’s check out their starters like their fried pickles, french onion soup, poutine fries and spinach and artichoke dip. All the cozy comfort food to warm you up after an afternoon outside watching the parade go by.
  
  
• Another fun bar to check out after the parade is Elm City Social. They have great gourmet bites, cocktailed, with a rooftop bar and plenty of space for all to enjoy. They’re not too far off the parade route. In 2023, the offered the “Brennan’s Pub Up” where it was a menu that they served just at the beginning of March with pub pretzels, corned beef sliders, irish egg rolls, a full irish breakfast and much more. Currently, for March 17th, they are hosting a whiskey dinner series, which is a 6 course pared dinner tasting featuring keepers heart american irish whiskey. It’s 99 a person and a great way to keep the irish loving foods and drinks flowing.
  
  
• The last spot on my list is Bar New Haven. It’s off of Crown St and not too far from the green where the parade goes by. It’s known for their brick oven pizza, craft beer, dance club and spacious bar areas. This will be a great spot to grab a nice hot pizza, some cold craft beer and relax at a table from standing during the parade’s passing. It’s also on the same street as Geronimo’s Tequila Bar, if that’s also the vibe you’re going for after the parade. In the past, Geronimo’s has done some irish-loving drink specials for St.Patrick’s Day and their verde margarita, so be on the lookout for that.