At the Oldest Irish Pub in Los Angeles, the St. Patrick’s Day Parties Are Always Legendary

Plastered shamrocks and 89 years of history at Tom Bergin’s Irish pub in Mid-Wilshire On a warm afternoon in Mid-Wilshire, the Kelly green door to Tom Bergin’s, one of the oldest bars in Los Angeles, is propped open, laughter and muddled conversation emanating from within. On a sun-drenched bench outside, Massi, a soft, blonde dachshund mix with soulful eyes, perks up as her owner, Janna Bryan, bookmarks her novel. Like many of Tom Bergin’s patrons, Bryan has been a regular for 30 years and can trace large swaths of her life back to this small bar.

“What we wanted to focus on was, you can’t erase what came before you,” says operating partner Francis Castagnetti, who runs Tom Bergin’s with his brother, Dave Castagnetti. “Everybody in this city has a chunk of time in this place and it will always be that to them.” The duo has been operating the bar since 2019, just after it was saved from demolition.



“My brother and I knew right away that we were stewards of this place,” Francis says.Tom Bergin’s almost didn’t make it this far. After closing in 2018, the bar was at risk of being bought up and torn down.

In a bid to save the building, a group of devoted patrons, including Bryan, formed a group called Friends of Tom Bergin’s and petitioned the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission to designate it a Historic-Cultural Monument. Janna says that at the hearing, crowds of people packed into the room to share memories of Tom Bergin’s. Hundreds more sent messages from across the country.

In June 2019, the bar was officially designated a Historic-Cultural Monument; Tom Bergin’s was saved. The building that houses Tom Bergin’s, a two-story Tudor Revival, has witnessed 89 years of Los Angeles history. Tom Bergin’s opened in 1936 when Mid-Wilshire and Miracle Mile were transitioning from oil fields and dairy farms to commercial hubs.

As the neighborhood and the city have grown upward and outward, Tom Bergin’s has essentially stayed the same. Today, the modest two-story building with its green-shingled Dutch gable roof and charming dormer windows is dwarfed by larger, more modern buildings on all sides. Without its trademark green and white neon sign, the bar might go unnoticed by unacquainted passerby, but Francis says that the city’s progressive incursion “doesn’t feel suffocating at all.

” As the city changes, the bar is allowed to stay the same. Topping off Irish coffee with cream. Pouring the perfect pint of Guinness at Tom Bergin’s.

St. Patrick’s Day is in full bloom at Tom Bergin’s. A bartender pours a Guinness at Tom Bergin’s.

Given the bar’s long history, the place itself is steeped in mythology. Some of the stories, such as the one about Ronald Reagan earning one of his own coveted shamrocks while in the Oval Office, are easy to verify. The famous shamrocks, which conspicuously dot almost every inch of the ceiling and rafters, each have their lore.

“In the ’70s and ’80s, it was easier to get into Harvard Law School than it was to get a shamrock,” Francis says, only half joking. Other claims, like that Tom Bergin’s was the inspiration for Cheers, are more dubious. Another asserts Tom Bergin’s as the rightful inventor of Irish coffee despite the better-publicized claim of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco.

The famous shamrocks, which conspicuously dot almost every inch of the ceiling and rafters, each have their lore.The Castagnetti brothers aren’t intimidated by the stories. They still believe that for the bar, simple is best.

The famous Irish coffee is still just Irish whiskey, hot coffee, sugar, and cream. The cream sits atop the coffee and whiskey without running or mixing, and when made properly, is a work of art. When Francis and Dave first took over, they experimented for months with the recipe.

“But it just came back to: the simplest thing was the perfect one,” says Francis. Francis, with his jovial demeanor and perennial smile, passes as a regular as he chats with customers and makes his rounds at the bar. Still, he and Dave both boast an impressive fine dining pedigree with over 50 years of combined experience, including at Studio City’s Firefly and Pasadena’s Union.

When they took over Tom Bergin’s, the brothers wanted the prestige without any pretension. They assembled a small team, most of whom have worked together for years or even decades. Francis jokes that bartender Natalia is the team’s rookie, having only worked there for four years.

St. Patrick’s Day garb in full at Tom Bergin’s. Friends gather at Tom Bergin’s in Los Angeles.

St. Patrick’s Day decor and the legendary shamrocks at Tom Bergin’s. Three women sit at a booth at Tom Bergin’s with drinks.

The drinks, however, are only half of the charm. The food, a short list of reliable favorites, retools classic bar fare. Head chef Eric “Panda” Punzalan, who worked at the Flats and Firefly, could easily whip up chicken liver mousse with a balsamic reduction but is content with making a burger.

The well-seared Wolfmother burger comes with a generous heap of crispy, seasoned fries. Earthy blue cheese complements a buttery slice of brie, while balsamic onion jam offers a sweet contrast to the rich patty of ground ribeye. The Wolfmother encapsulates the essence of Panda’s kitchen and the Castagnettis’ ethos — keep it simple, but make it great.

Eighty-nine years after opening, Tom Bergin’s is still the quintessential neighborhood pub it has always been. On any visit, Massi and Janna may be sitting out front basking in the sun, or Francis may be regaling some of the regulars. The shamrocks plastered on the ceiling are in various stages of fading, some just vestiges of their former rich green; stained glass lanterns from the short-lived second location of Tom Bergin’s West jut from the walls, casting the bar in a soft light; and warm wood accents contrast with the memorabilia hanging on the walls.

The bar stays at a hum, never so busy that there won’t be a warm greeting waiting. As Francis says, “Everyone is welcome here.” Tom Bergin’s is located at 840 S Fairfax Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90036 and is open from 4 p.m. to late Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and from 1 p.

m. to late Sunday. It is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bar scene at Tom Bergin’s. Dave Castagnetti (left) and Francis Castagnetti (right), brothers and co-owners of Tom Bergin’s Irish Pub. An old cash register at Tom Bergin’s.

Irish coffee served at Tom Bergin’s..