The Dead Rabbit team is opening a new bar in Jersey City

Time Out

5 days ago

Twelve years later, The Dead Rabbit is proving that this hare still has legs. One of New York's most awarded pubs, the Irish saloon and cocktail bar in FiDi brought its mixology know-how to Moynihan Train Hall in 2023, cheekily naming the transit bar as The Irish Exit. Last year, the team made the leap all the way to Texas, bringing its perfect pours of Guinness and Irish coffees to Austin. Still tightly under wraps, a two-story saloon from the same group is set to land in Washington D.C. Now, the hare has found another rabbit hole, this time closer to home, bringing a taste of Irish and Mexican cultures to New Jersey.
Come this fall, The Dead Rabbit team is debuting an Irish pub and Mexican cantina in Jersey City, named San Patricios. An unlikely pairing at first glance, the bar's marriage of cultures is one pulled from the history books. In the mid-1800s, Irish immigrants defected to Mexico to escape racial and religious prejudice found in the states. During the Mexican-American War, Irish soldiers joined Mexican forces in battle, forming the San Patricio Battalion, where the bar now draws its name.
'At The Dead Rabbit Group, we believe that Irish hospitality is for everyone. San Patricios is our chance to show that spirit through a different lens, one that honors the shared struggles and celebrations of the Irish and Mexican people,' said McGarry in a press release. 'This is more than a concept, it's a statement about solidarity, community, and cultural pride.'
The coming bar plans to blend both cultures under one roof, combining 'the raw textures of an Irish pub with the folkloric vibrancy of a Mexican cantina' with altar walls, hand-painted murals and signage that's translated in English, Irish and Spanish.
As for the fare, the Dead Rabbit Team will merge Mexican-Irish-inspired street food, washed down with Irish coffees and Carajillos. The shelves will soon carry Irish whiskies, Mexican tequilas, mezcals and sotol, while taps will soon dispense perfect pours of Guinness and Pacifico's. Much like its FiDi outpost, the bar will celebrate its respective cultures, hosting live Irish musicians alongside Mexican folk bands.