Looking for an authentic and real Irish bar in Santa Pola? Look no further, this one has fantastic hosts, quality home cooked food, and live music every week!
There are times when it’s almost impossible to find the things you take for granted at home (like mature cheddar cheese) As a proud Welsh woman I love the Six Nations Rugby. I even took my Wales shirt along on our adventure. But finding a bar in Spain which was showing the Six Nations proved trickier than we first anticipated.
If you want the experiences that a UK pub has to offer (normally we are all about local culture, but Spain just doesn't seem to be into its rugby!) when you’re abroad, always search for the local Irish pub or bar.
Having figured this out whilst in Granada during rugby season we had a whale of a time so be sure to check out Hannigan and Sons or Paddy’s Pub. We made some brand-new friends and enjoyed proper full pints of beer and cider (fun that day but not the next morning)!
If you're looking for more of the best places to eat in Santa Pola take a look at our recommendations here.
An Irish pub in Santa Pola, Alicante
When we arrived at Santa Pola we knew we would have to do our research to find the best bar to watch the rugby as my Dad was coming over to visit. We decided to check out a couple of Irish bars in Santa Pola in the hope that one would have a licence to show live UK TV.
Our mission to find a proper Irish pub in Santa Pola also took us to a hidden treasure in the shape of the Leprechaun Bar.
The Leprechaun Irish Bar in Santa Pola
This place is famous in Santa Pola for its food, live music nights and fantastic hosts Joan and Tony (who have a beautiful story to tell) Check out their website here. It's a quirky, authentic Irish bar just off the beach with a sunny terrace on the roadside.
The Leprachaun Bar is a little out of the centre of Santa Pola but just a 20-minute walk from our apartment. So, we took a walk down to find out if they were showing the Six Nations, Tony apologised saying that they didn’t, but they did have live music and a pie night, and after Tony’s cheeriness and great sales pitch we decided to give it a try (and have the first proper full meal of our journey, thanks to our diet of just tapas in Granada!)
Joan is a fantastic chef, and all her food is made from scratch, so we had to order our steak and Guinness pies in advance! The Irish pub was quiet when we arrived but as the evening went on it became busier and busier with young, old, expats and Spanish alike.
Live Music In Santa Pola
The live duo playing were FlightRisk. You can find their Facebook page here and I highly recommend you give them a listen. Jade & Dan have a gorgeous repertoire of covers and originals which they play effortlessly.
FlightRisk cover everything from Bob Dylan to Natalie Umbruglia and their music is toe tapping and pitch perfect. They come into their own when singing their original songs. Our favourites included, ‘I wish you could see what I see’ and ‘Blue purple haze’ which sounded like an Irish lullaby.
These guys put their poignant personal stories into songs which are genuine and give you shivers. Jade is the sax playing, sweet talking, Jessica Rabbit of the Costa Blanca and, when coupled with Dan’s impressive guitar and vocals they make you feel like you’re in a jazzy speakeasy in some hip part of London not a quirky little Irish bar in Santa Pola!
Tasty Food & Proper Pints
Getting back to the Leprechaun Bar itself, Joan and Tony are impeccable hosts, it feels like they’re sharing their home with you not their business. This is real Irishness in charm, quality and friendliness, certainly not in the cliché way you sometimes find with Irish bars abroad. Also, their Guinness gravy is something else. Based in Santa Pola Del Este, they say themselves that the Leprechaun Bar is a little out of the way, but frankly when the whole coast is so beautiful, nothing is too far out of the way, so it’s the perfect place for a pit stop and a proper pint of beer as you’re exploring.
We would also like to give a shout out to Joan’s garlicky prawns. We devoured a liberal portion of (peeled) prawns with stacks of sweet garlic, caramelised and sizzling in the pan, with plenty of fresh bread to soak up the flavoursome oil.
All in all, The Leprechaun Bar was a pleasant surprise. Just the kind of place you could walk into fresh from the airport, take off your backpack and feel at home. If you’re ever in Santa Pola and you need a break from the hustle bustle of tourists and looky-looky men, we recommend a visit, you will certainly feel at home.
PS. We eventually found a really cheesy Irish bar in Gran Alacant, Alicante for the rugby match, where we were the only people sitting inside on a gorgeous March afternoon!
Want to save this article to read again later? Make sure to click Pin It on the image below to save it to your Pinterest.
A very fair review, and gives a nice feeling of what we are succeeding to achieve for our customers.
Approachability & constructive feedback are key elements @ TheLeprechaun.Restaurante
Latest Music and updates on Facebook theleprechaun.bar
We hope others will follow the lead of Niall & Bryony and call in often to savour us!
Kind Regards Tony & Joan ☘️