What’s Not to Love?
This week’s Georgetown hot spot is Slainte Public House! Known as “the pub” or just “Slainte” (a toast in Gaelic that roughly means “health”), this local gem occupies a cool historic property on Main Street in downtown Georgetown. Its spaces are warm (literally, several rooms and the courtyard have working fireplaces) and intimate. My husband and I have been coming here since it opened, and it feels like “our place,” a place to meet friends and make friends, brings friends and entertain friends.
One of our favorite things about Slainte is the live music. We especially enjoy sitting out in the courtyard on a warm summer evening listening to great music. On any given night, you can hear country, folk, singer-songwriter, rock, covers, originals, Irish. They also have an Open Mic night when the weather’s nice. The courtyard is just a little magical, with its massive magnolia tree (recently recognized as the largest Southern Magnolia tree in Kentucky), bricked walkways, gurgling fountain, fireplace, and rocking chairs. Besides my own back porch at sunset, it’s my favorite place to be in the summer.
In the winter, musicians are forced inside and upstairs to the dart room. It can get pretty packed in there when a popular group like Trippin’ Roots is in the house. But despite the crowd, it’s still an intimate, friendly atmosphere. Last weekend, we saw Josh Tong again and enjoyed his wide variety of covers.
Downstairs, you’ll find the bar to the left. There’s a nice selection of beers on tap, including Irish staples like Guiness and Smithwick’s (pronounced “Smiddicks”) and local brews from Country Boy and West Sixth. Not so much of a beer drinker myself, I usually have a Mule (Moscow, not Kentucky) or an Irish Coffee. Slainte doesn’t serve food, but they often have a food truck out front, and you can also have food delivered from local restaurants. Of course, Slainte celebrates St. Patrick’s Day in a big way. Since March 17 falls on a Tuesday this year, they are having their 4th annual Kegs and Eggs breakfast on Saturday, March 14 with seatings at 9am, 10am and 11am.
People have asked me whether Ben and I have a stake in Slainte, because we are so enthusiastic about it. We book family events there; I have client appreciation events there. We usually stop in at least once a week. And we’ve become very fond of the owners, Matt and Ashley Nunn. So we don’t have a financial stake in the pub, but we have a huge personal stake in its success. Slainte is a special place. I’ve literally travelled all over the world (including Ireland), and there’s not a more charming place to be found.
Where to Find Slainte Public House
Slainte Public House is located 320 E. Main St., Georgetown, KY. There’s adequate parking on the street, but do be considerate of the neighbors.
You can also find them on Facebook.
