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There are approximately 60,000 “public houses,” or pubs, in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand—one for nearly every city, town and village, and pubs are becoming more and more popular in the United States. Now the Gulf Coast has an authentic Irish pub, plucked from the legends and the traditions of the Emerald Isle—Finnegans Wake Irish Pub & Eatery in Pensacola.

Most people know Finnegans Wake as the famed novel by Irishman James Joyce, which is based on a ballad from the 1850s. In the novel, whiskey was involved in both Finnegan’s downfall and his resurrection, and Joyce removed the apostrophe denoting that there are multiple Finnegans—i.e., that we all fall and “wake,” or rebound, again and again.

Proprietor Pamela Levitan say it's a dream to open a real Irish pub where families and friends can meet to share a pint and enjoy a great meal. “The most important thing for me is authenticity. This is not a themed restaurant, it is an authentic Irish pub.”

Pub fare
Pubs provide a friendly, comfortable gathering place for the community. Besides sharing a “pint” with friends, the traditional Irish pub can turn a televised game of rugby or baseball into an event. Special occasions are celebrated in high style, and all of it centers around food. “We understand that a true public house has to have a great food offering,” says Finnegans Wake Executive Chef Paul Pipes. “Our menu will have something to satisfy everyone’s taste.”

Pipes has taken traditional Irish fare such as corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and rarebit and given it an extra kick with a first-class presentation.Try the Bangers & Mashers; butcher market sausages with Robert sauce, mixed sautéed onions, peppers and cabbage, served with mashers (mashed potatoes). Another of Pipes’ takes on Irish comfort food is Dad’s Lambchops O’Ael —meaty lamb chops rubbed with fresh herbs, then roasted ‘duck-braised’ and served with Finnegans Wake’s own mint jelly and vodka

glaze, champs and roasted asparagus. The Lamb Stew is an entire lamb shank smothered with potatoes, carrots and onions in a thick, homemade beef broth. There’s a helpful glossary in the menu to help you navigate through some of the unfamiliar terms. If Irish dishes aren’t your style, dig into one of the hand-cut certified Angus steaks with one of the tantalizing scratch-made steak sauces: Irish Whiskey Demi Glaze, Tarragon Cream Sauce or Irish Rarebit. Seafood brought in fresh by the Joe Patti fleet is also offered.

A “Neighborhood” Spot
According to proprietor Pam Levitan, Finnegans Wake is a neighborhood pub away from the congestion of downtown, with plenty of free parking. “Our goal is to make sure that everybody leaves happy,” Levitan remarks with a smile. “We’re serving quality food and drink at a fair price, and it’s close to home. We’re bringing downtown dining to north Pensacola.”

Finnegans Wake will feature live traditional Irish music. "A great pub has to have great music," says Levitan, "and we have a great line-up of musicians who will perform here on a regular basis including the popular Irish band Sweet Prospect and our very own bagpipe band, Finnegans Wake Pipes & Drums."

And in the tradition of a true neighborhood gathering place, Finnegans Wake will be the site for a regular Irish “session”—a neighborhood jam, so to speak, where local musicians, both amateur and professional, can show up and play together. Riverdance, The Chieftains, and a general resurgence in all things Celtic has put this type of Irish dance music in the forefront of popular culture. The fiddle, Irish wooden flute, concertina, button accordian and “elbow” pipes are just a few of the instruments used to produce the music that gets people on their feet.

With its warm and welcoming atmosphere, live music, 40 wines on the Irish Vine, 15 single malt Irish whiskeys, and a completely unique spin on traditional Irish dishes, Finnegans Wake sets a new standard on Pensacola’s north end. .