Patrick's Irish Pub & Fine Kitchen in Modiin

June 2024
The best thing that Israel got from Ireland is Patrick’s Irish Pub & Fine Kitchen. There are several Irish pubs in Israel, but Patrick’s is unique among them. The restaurant in Modiin opened without Kashrut, but the war brought owners Dor and Daniel closer to tradition and several months ago the restaurant became kosher under the hashgacha of Rabbanut Modiin.

Patrick’s in Modiin offers an all-in-one evening of food, drinks, and entertainment. Patrick’s kitchen, under Chef Avi Naamani Luxemburg, is an uncompromising meat restaurant. The menu in Hebrew, English and Chinese comes to the table on an electronic tablet. I am a stickler for clean menus, and I was pleased that the tablets had been wiped clean of fingerprints. The menu starts with the drinks, my favorite place to start. There are alcoholic drinks by the glass or by the bottle, fruity teetotaler drinks, mixed cocktails and a good selection of wine and beer on tap. Guiness anybody? After all, this is an Irish pub.

The menu offers a fine selection of starters and mains that are almost all meaty or prepared together with meat which limits the selection for vegetarian purists. Completely non-meat options are mostly from the salad menu. My companion chose the large 250-gram premium burger topped with smoked meat. The chips that were served with the burger had a crispy coating. The meaty menu goes well with a tall cold beer and so it was a third of a Blue Onion beer. For my main dish I chose the bouquet of mushrooms from the starter menu. This was a vegetarian dish, served hot off the fire.

Patrick’s Irish Pub is on an impressively large property in the heart of Modiin unusual for an urban restaurant. There are beautifully designed interior rooms and a very large garden. On the pleasant summer evening of our visit to Patrick’s we opted to sit outdoors at one of the large rustic wooden tables in Patrick’s Garden, stretching from the street till the entrance to the restaurant which is set well back. The Garden can seat 350 guests comfortably under the night sky.

A large flat screen in the corner of the garden broadcasts dancing, mercifully, without sound. The garden was filled with a mix of diners. At a high table on the side there was a guy-table of beers and burgers. There were middle age couples and some soldiers, who made the right choice of where to go that evening.

Waitresses carrying trays bearing tall glasses of beer and a rainbow of colorful drinks weave their way between the tables. What’s the frothy green drink on the next table? I asked. Something nonalcoholic perhaps. The rum-based Santiago cocktail (NIS 59) that we chose came in a tall glass over ice topped with slivers of coconut with a slice of candied pineapple off the side. Perfect. My compliments to the barman.

The party starts every evening at 9pm, with singing and dancing to different styles of music: nostalgia from the 80s and 90s and Mediterranean music. Most evenings the DJ works inside the restaurant leaving Patrick’s Garden for peaceful relaxing dining. Reservations are a must for seating indoors. On Wednesday nights the DJ moves outdoors to Patrick’s Garden with a mix of musical styles. Motzei Shabbat is nostalgia night with songs of Eretz Yisrael. You’ll enjoy the outdoor space when weather permits, but in the winter months you will need reservations for indoor seating. Then you can enjoy the gorgeous indoor design and the great investment in the design of the interior.

Three years ago, when owner Dor set out to build this restaurant, he brought architects from Ireland to create the authentic Irish atmosphere. Even the bricks were imported from Europe to give the genuine feel. The result is a beautiful interior room, awash in wood and stone. A shimmery bar the full length of the back wall which catches your eye as you enter the restaurant. Alongside this room is an intimate VIP room, a beautifully invested private space heavy on the leather. You cannot help but be impressed by the size of the property, the various rooms and spaces and the large investment in this enterprise.

We could have sat on that patio well into the night, enjoying the evening air and the pleasing mix of diners, but alas, we have a long drive home ahead. We extricated ourselves with difficulty from this pleasant environment just as the festivities were to begin and the seats started filling up. The food and drink, even without the entertainment, was well worth the visit. Reservations recommended. Patrick’s is your venue to host parties of up to 250 guests.

Getting There: There are several multi-level underground parking lots on Dam Hamaccabim Street and limited street parking on both sides of street. I have it on good word that the best place to park is in the Grey, across the street.

From the Menu: