Located inside the Little Japan area on Le Thanh Ton street, Sheridan’s Irish House is one of the few authentic Irish-styled pubs in Ho Chi Minh City.
Step over the wooden-frame doors and you might feel like you’ve wandered into a typical Irish house, with natural wood furniture and stone walls. The Irish pubs in Middle Ages bore large fireplaces and hanging oil lamps, and wood or cobblestone floors. Sheridan’s lacks a fireplace and uses shaded lamps, so not Middle-Ages feel for this pub.
At night, the owner uses many candles instead of activating neon lights, bringing out the coziness and romance of the wooden-floored pub. Many old paintings and pictures of the owner’s family from the previous generations can be seen on the walls.
Sheridan’s is divided into two spaces. The outer room is set up as a bar, which makes the cocktails and serves the wine and whiskey. It has a small stage for nightly live music. The tables are designed for small groups of guests. Across the stage, you can see a special corner next to the staircase where I often sit with my girls and talk about things without being disturbed. I always feel apart from the rest of the pub when sitting at this table because of its special circle shape. There’s another bar nearby where serves other drinks and the drought beer.
The smoking area is a small glass room with the same kind of furniture, excepting the tall chairs, placed against the wall where the guests can enjoy their drinks and watch the musician’s performance. There’s a corner next to the huge glass door where I often choose to sit for some alone coffee time that overlooks splendid Le Thanh Ton street. There was a period of time where I brought a book of Murakami, ordered a cup of coffee, enjoyed jazz songs and read.
In the daytime, there’s not many guests here. At nights, Sheridan’s is a rendezvous of expat and Vietnamese bands. They have some fun jams and play the Irish ballads and folk songs. Space is limited, so they play the cajon instead of the drums. Sometimes there’s an impromptu harmonica or saxophone player, instruments hardly played in other pubs in the city.
Sheridan’s has been serving traditional food, drink and “craic” since 1999. Guests at Sheridan’s can choose from an extensive menu featuring traditional Irish, British and regional cuisines prepared by a team of talented chefs. For those with a smaller appetite, bar snacks and sandwiches are available, while the Sheridan’s daily specials are excellent values at just 4.25 USD, including a complimentary beer or soft drink.
Sunday’s lunch is the traditional Sunday Roast for just 10 USD, which includes soup, a main course, dessert and coffee with a complimentary Bloody Mary or Irish Coffee.
Sheridan’s usually hosts quiz nights and live music nights on special occasions like Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. If you are an expat and want to recall the experiences of the West or you simply want to experience a piece of Irish culture, just come to Sheridan’s and feel the tranquility and excitement of this Irish-themed pub.
Address: 7/13 Le Thanh Ton, D.1
Tel: (84-8) 823 0793
Text: Pham Chieu. Photos: Reggie
