As a senior here at Purdue, there aren’t many restaurants that create a nostalgic feeling of being at Purdue for me, except for one. Whenever I’m away from West Lafayette, even when I was overseas this summer, I was homesick for the ultimate Purdue staple: Nine Irish Brothers.
Purdue University Student, Caroline Thacker, shares this blog. This blog is part of a series of articles submitted to Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette through a cooperation with a 400-level travel writing class at Purdue University.
Nine Irish Brothers opened in 2006, adjacent to Purdue’s campus, and has lived up to the founder’s mission of being a place that fosters community. Families, old friends, professors, undergrads, townies, visitors and more come to Nine Irish Brothers to enjoy the delicious food, drinks, and to spend time with loved ones. Co-owner Maggie Rose, daughter of Nine Irish founder Jerry O’Bryan, said her favorite aspect of Nine Irish is the family connection.
“Everyone gathers here,” she said. “Growing up we always had extra people at our house during holidays, and that’s how I feel here, the more the merrier!”
So, I took her advice and invited my grandparents to accompany me! Matt and Maggie Rose were so welcoming and respectful toward my grandparents and the questions they had as well; it stood out to me how they embody what their restaurant stands for.
Here are five reasons that make Nine Irish my favorite place:
The décor
Even though the West Lafayette location of Nine Irish Brothers is located down in the levee, inside, Irish history and culture dances wall to wall. Pictures of Jerry O’Bryan’s family, his five sisters, the nine brothers, and their parents, are scattered across the restaurant. Rose’s father made numerous trips to Ireland to find authentic décor to furnish Nine Irish. The dark wood, fireplace, decor, furniture, and overall establishment aesthetic mirrors a traditional Irish pub to a tee!
Outside seating on the patio
My grandparents and I decided to sit on the patio to enjoy the beautiful weather. With plenty of seating and the biggest flatscreen TV I’ve ever seen, sitting with friends and family outside is perfect for watching any Purdue sports game. Rose mentioned how their busiest season is during Purdue basketball when the patio is filled with Purdue fans.
Traditional Irish dishes
Whether it’s the Shepherd’s pie, reuben sandwich, fish and chips, or Guinness stew, Nine Irish has a plethora of traditional Irish dish options ensuring a taste of Ireland! My grandpa and I split a fan favorite appetizer, the loaded pub chips. These are potato slices decorated with cheese, chives, bacon, and a side of sour cream. I also tried a cup of their roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup, which hit the spot as well. It was difficult to decide what to order because their boat of wings and fried pickles are some of my favorites. Their fried pickles come with a tangy bomb sauce unique to their restaurant.
World class Guinness
Matt Rose, co-owner, said Nine Irish is the only establishment in the entire United States to ever be awarded a “Best Pint Pour” designation by Guinness, and it’s happened twice. Rose explained how their kegs come in straight from Dublin and take about three weeks to receive.
Nine Irish Brothers takes its Guinness seriously; they have a specific glycol system that keeps the Guinness cold and because Guinness is a top fermenting beer, they have a specific gas mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide that when pushed yields the creamy collar on top.
As much as Nine Irish Brothers is “Guinness approved,” you do not have to be a beer lover to have a good time. I ordered their chocolate martini and loved it; it was a sweet ending to my night. If you are not an alcohol drinker, Nine Irish provides a plethora of drink options like coffees, teas, coke, lemonade, sprite, and hot chocolate.
Traditional Irish music and Trad Sessions
I ventured to Nine Irish Brothers another time flying solo because every Wednesday night, Nine Irish Brothers hosts a famous Irish tradition called a “Trad Session.” This is an Irish pub tradition where members from all over the community come in and play fiddles, violins, banjos, and more to create a set of tunes for the audience to enjoy.
I learned that a set is made up of three differing Irish tunes that transition from one to the other. Trad Sessions are not a group, concert, or organized performance; it is a gathering of likeminded individual players that share a drink and bond over their love of traditional Irish music. The core group is who you see in the back row; they lead the tunes while others come in when they want to add to the set.
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I talked to Rob Podshadley, a local Trad Session player, about his experience playing the bodhran, a traditional Irish frame drum. Podshadley has been coming to Nine Irish for these Wednesday night Trad Sessions for a little over three years now. “Not a lot of bars in the United States know how to promote and nurture an Irish session, so when Nine Irish started, they created something special by having a bar and session work in conjunction,” Podshadley said.
He also mentioned how welcoming Nine Irish Brothers has been to him and the community of Trad Session players. Podshadley invited me to sit in the center of their Trad Session, which is also an Irish tradition, in front of their core players, so I could hear the tune transitions. It was a beautiful experience to be a part of and made me want to learn how to play the fiddle so I could join them!
If you are busy on Wednesdays and don’t want to miss the music, don’t fret! On the weekends, a couple of local Irish and Celtic bands come to perform.
Nine Irish Brothers has two locations in the Greater Lafayette area. It truly is a place where all are welcome and invited to celebrate being a Boilermaker. Maybe it’s the luck of the Irish, but Nine Irish has been and will always be a place that has created fond memories I’ll take with me wherever I go from Purdue and beyond!