Tom Bergin's

Tom Bergin’s, the Oldest Irish Pub in LA, Still Throws the Best St. Patrick’s Day Parties | Eater LA

"Opened in 1936 during Mid‑Wilshire's transition from oil fields and dairy farms to commercial hubs, this two‑story Tudor Revival bar — with its green‑shingled Dutch gable roof, dormer windows and green-and-white neon sign — has remained essentially unchanged while the neighborhood has grown around it. On a warm afternoon regulars, like Janna Bryan (a 30‑year patron who often sits outside with her soft, blonde dachshund mix Massi), recall the bar as a place tied to large swaths of their lives; crowds packed a hearing and hundreds sent messages to help secure its designation as a Historic‑Cultural Monument in June 2019 after it closed in 2018 and was at risk of demolition. “What we wanted to focus on was, you can’t erase what came before you,” says operating partner Francis Castagnetti, who runs the bar with his brother, Dave; “Everybody in this city has a chunk of time in this place and it will always be that to them.” The brothers, operating since 2019 and with over 50 years of combined fine‑dining experience, say “My brother and I knew right away that we were stewards of this place,” and have kept the approach simple and unpretentious. The famous shamrocks that cover the ceiling carry lore — from a verifiable story about Ronald Reagan earning one in the Oval Office to more dubious claims that the bar inspired Cheers or invented Irish coffee — and Francis quips, “In the ’70s and ’80s, it was easier to get into Harvard Law School than it was to get a shamrock.” Drinks and food stick to classics: the Irish coffee is still just Irish whiskey, hot coffee, sugar, and cream, with the cream sitting atop the coffee and whiskey without running; “But it just came back to: the simplest thing was the perfect one,” Francis says of their recipe. Head chef Eric “Panda” Punzalan retools bar fare — the well‑seared Wolfmother burger, made from ground ribeye, pairs earthy blue cheese with a buttery slice of brie and balsamic onion jam and comes with a generous heap of crispy, seasoned fries — embodying the Castagnettis' ethos to "keep it simple, but make it great." Inside, faded shamrocks, stained‑glass lanterns salvaged from the short‑lived second location, warm wood accents and decades of memorabilia create a welcoming, softly lit neighborhood pub atmosphere where, as Francis puts it, “Everyone is welcome here.” Hours: open 4 p.m. to late Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 1 p.m. to late Sunday; closed Tuesday and Wednesday." - Phoebe Solomon