Tis Me Michelle

An Irish Pub is my happy place. Well, if I’m having a night out that is. Which is rather few and far between as I’m aging out of the whole scene. But I won’t lie and say I’m one of those ‘I’m too old to go out’ or ‘I don’t like going out’ people. I love a night out and as independent as I am, I don’t drink alone, even at home. I’m at that life stage where most of my friends have aged out of the scene and I have to check schedules and plan a month or two in advance to catch up with most of them. So when the opportunity arises, especially at an Irish pub or a cute vibey cocktail bar, I’m so in.

My friends and I had a dinner planned at Santiago’s Bodega and while we were there my one friend mentioned Fiddler’s Green and how he had gone and loved it. I immediately said I always see it and wanted to go and went on about my obsession with Irish pubs. Ya’ll, I don’t know how to describe it. The vibe is homey, everyone is always friendly, it’s chill, and always a good time. Even the one ‘bad’ experience I had at an Irish pub, it was an interesting night and a story I’ll always remember. Anyway, I was sold and so we did an impromptu post-dinner drink hang.

Fiddler’s Green is right in the heart of Winter Park on Fairbanks Ave. If you follow my coffee date series, you may know that parking is very important to me, especially on this side of Orlando. The parking situation was a little confusing to find, but plenty of space once we got there. As always, it felt so welcoming as soon as we got there. We went on a Saturday night, so it was pretty busy. I can see it being more chill on a weekday night or earlier in the day. However, there was still plenty of space. And being the old lady I am, I did ask to move to bench-style seating halfway through for back support, and they were super accommodating.

I obviously ordered, quite obviously, a pint of Guinness – DUH. And it was delightful as always. My friends got a cider on tap – which they described as having a kombucha flavor. I don’t mind kombucha, but definitely have to be in the mood for it. I also got a tequila shot, which… Not very Irish pub-y, but it is my other alcohol of choice. It was a heavy pour, I could have done three separate shots with what they gave me. From what we saw there was also food if you wanted to grab a bite. I can’t speak on it, because we just grabbed drinks.

Being it was a Saturday night, it was a little on the loud side. Also being next door to a college, it did seem like there was a large college-age population there. Which made me feel real old, real fast. However, it still had the homey, friendly, chill vibes I enjoy in an Irish pub. There were a few rooms that had fewer people and an outdoor patio, we love options. It’s a great after-dinner drink spot, with great restaurants around the area.

Rating: 8.5/10