St. Patrick’s Day: Irish Fare & Mustard, Too

Whether looking to start your day with a cup of coffee and festive baked goods, enjoy a plate of corned beef and cabbage, or raise a glass of Guinness, there are several places in Middleton offering Irish fare and specials for the green at heart.

COFFEE

Start your day with something green and caffeinated — Barriques downtown sells a Green Monkey smoothie and a pistachio mint latte. It’s the perfect way to combine holiday fun with your daily morning ritual.

Grace Coffee offers has a mint mojito matcha latte on the menu, as well as a regular iced or hot matcha lattes.

Starbucks is celebrating spring and St. Paddy’s with a new iced lavender cream oat milk matcha.

And Scooter’s Coffee is offering limited time specials this month with The Lucky Leprechaun Blender — ice cream, white chocolate, mint shake(with or without espresso); and the ‘Lil Leprechaun — a kid-sized mint-flavored ice cream shake.

LUNCH & DINNER

Craftsman Table & Tap has declared itself “Middleton’s St. Patrick’s Day Hub” with a list of free events and Irish specials this year, March 14-17, (2024).

• Thursday, March 14, from 5-7 p.m.: They have invited folks from Guinness to pour your pint and “print” your photos onto personalized pints. Also, The Currach Irish Trio will perform live.
• Friday, March 15, from 5-7 p.m.: Staff will answer all your questions about Irish whiskeys, including Jameson, Red Breast, and The Spot.
• Saturday, March 16: Brunch begins with corned beef hash; lunch and dinner includes corned beef and cabbage; and beginning at 2 p.m., the Trinity Irish Dancers will perform a jig live.
• Sunday, March 17: Corned beef and cabbage specials continue and at 3:30 p.m. live bagpipers will perform.

Speaking of corned beef and cabbage, Hubbard Avenue Diner is also offering the Irish dish Sunday, March 17, for lunch and dinner — which also comes with potatoes and slice of homemade soda bread. Pro tip — Hubbard Avenue Diner serves chocolate mint malts and shakes year-round!

The Free House Pub is celebrating St. Paddy’s Day with specials all weekend, including: corned beef and cabbage, Irish Mules and Grasshopper Slushies, Leprechaun Lemonade Shots, and more.

St. Patrick’s Day the Wisconsin way at Longtable Beer Cafe March 14-17. Longtable is serving Irish beef stew, made with Highland Spring Farm grass-fed beef braised in McFleshman Irish Stout; also corned beef sandwiches with house-brined Fox Heritage Farm beef brisket, Wisconsin provolone cheese, house made sweet and spice pickles and Clasen’s European Bakery’s marble rye bread. Also on the menu is McFleshman’s Public House Iris Dry Stout on nitro, brewed in Appleton, Wis. Longtable Beer Café is known for curating its menu to fit the season and what can be sourced locally. Also don’t forget about their “wall of beer” — more than 300 kinds of beer on sale to stay or go.

Monk’s Bar & Grill is offering St. Patrick’s Day specials that include corned beef and cabbage dinner and corned beef Rueben quesadillas. Drink specials include pints of Guinness, shots of Jameson and Irish Car Bombs.

Paul’s Neighborhood Bar on Parmenter Street is also offering a special of corned beef and cabbage on Thursday, March 14.

There are daily Irish-inspired specials at The Village Green March 6-16 with Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, and Irish ciders available. On March 16-17, there will be a St. Patrick’s Day party from 11 a.m. to close with corned beef and cabbage lunch and dinner specials, green beer and prizes and games. On March 18, The Village Green will keep serving up Irish fare while supplies last.

IRISH EXTRAS

Clasen’s European Bakery is selling St. Patrick’s Day sugar cookies, Leprechaun chocolate bars, Irish soda bread, Claddagh marble rye, and caraway bread through March 17 — pick up your own from this family-owned bakery. Claddagh marble rye is dark and light rye dough rolled together and topped with caraway seeds and semolina. Caraway bread is a classic chewy sourdough rye bread with plenty of aromatic caraway seeds. Both perfect for a corned beef sandwich. Irish soda bread is that traditional Irish bread leavened with baking soda and buttermilk instead of yeast and studded with delicious golden raisins.

Swing by The National Mustard Museum for some tasty “Mustards of Ireland.” They have a display in the gift shop now through March 17. Any mustard and pretzel combo makes a great hostess gift or souvenir after visiting the free museum.

DESSERTS

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream is a Madison-based shop with a store in Middleton, serving up custom and classic flavors for more than 60 years. If looking for an excuse to enjoy ice cream on St. Paddy’s Day, here are a few flavors to satisfy anyone wanting to “go green:” Matcha Green Tea, Mint Avalanche; Mint Chip; Pistachio Nut; and Zanzimint. Also, Mint Oreo Oat Cream comes in vegan.

Miggy’s Bakes has several March cake-decorating classes coming up, including March 14: Decorate a St. Patrick’s Day cake; and March 17: Decorate a springtime rainbow cake.

Cold Stone Creamery has a whimsical offering this month with “Feeling Lucky!” — which includes Lucky Charms ice cream and cereal, whipped topping and gold glitter. Enjoy in a green waffle cup.