The Field hosts special Thanksgiving menu to celebrate its second biggest holiday of the year

By Francesca Abarca •

Logan McGuire and Alice Henley, Irish residents of Fort Lauderdale, first walked into The Field Irish Pub & Eatery in 2010. Walking in on that day allowed them to return to their cultural origins.

“Look around. There’s this kind of homey feeling to it. If you’ve ever seen ‘Lord of the Rings,’ it has a bit of a shire feel to it almost, and it has been that way since the first time I walked in here,” McGuire said.

The Field Irish Pub & Eatery is a typical Irish pub, where one can find “a little piece of Ireland in South Florida,” as the restaurant’s slogan reads.

McGuire likes that so many things in the pub are made out of wood.

“The tables, the barrels, the floors, the bar, walls, just like the pubs at home,” McGuire said. “This is the spot to bring people to give the feel of being back in Ireland.” Henley agreed.

“We always bring our friends here for good food and quality time,” Henley said.

In March 2001, The Field Irish Pub & Eatery opened its doors for the first time on Griffin Road in Fort Lauderdale.

Jay O’Hare, who has served as general manager for 22 years, said the main attraction of the restaurant is the authenticity of the food and Irish culture.

“We have a loyal base of followers, and when someone walks in, they have transported a little bit of Ireland over to South Florida, and it’s just kind of unexpected. It’s not what anyone expects to see,” O’Hare said. “We use meat imported from New Zealand and every dessert and sauce is made in-house by our Irish dessert-maker.”

The owner of the restaurant, 72-year-old Alan Craig, got into the restaurant business after his music career ended.

He developed Dupuytren contracture in his hand, which forced him to stop playing music and gain an interest in business.

“I’m a musician, and my ex-wife and business partner, Hillary, says I’m the only person she ever met who had to buy a bar to get a gig. And as strange as that may sound, that’s how this all started. When I contracted Dupuytren in my hand, I couldn’t play guitar, and she wanted me to join in on her business idea of opening an Irish Pub in South Florida. I couldn’t resist,” Craig said.

The menu offers six different options of typical, fan-favorite Irish food, including Shepherd’s Pie and Bangers & Mash. The Field Irish Pub & Eatery is also having a special Thanksgiving menu that includes a traditional turkey dinner that is only served on Thanksgiving during lunch and dinner.

Luis Silva, Fort Lauderdale resident, has been coming to the restaurant since it opened. He knows that he will be greeted with the same kindness from the staff that he was greeted with on the first day he walked in.

“That’s the reason I keep coming back. Everybody’s always friendly and the food here is really, really good. The drinks are good and I like that. There’s no other restaurant like this around. I come for happy hour, and Heather, who is behind the bar, treats me like family. I love sitting here and meeting new people,” Silva said.

Craig said the restaurant is designed in a way that customers can feel its family friendly atmosphere.

“This was originally two houses filled with old Irish antiques. The original owners turned all these rooms into a restaurant, by extending it back there to where we were standing at the host stand and the kitchen, the music room and the patio. We’re actually called The Field because of the movie called ‘The Field,’ which [Alan] loves,” Craig said.

The restaurant’s staff prides themselves on their family values and fresh-tasting food.

“Everyone treats each other like family and we’re all of Irish descent so it feels like being home,” O’Hare said.

Customers like McGuire said they come to the restaurant for the quality food, the live music and the history.

“I tend to come here more often than I’d like to admit, but it’s kind of like an experience in terms of the music and the food,” McGuire said.