St Patrick's Day 2018 in London: Where to paint the town green this weekend

Whether you’re Irish or just a Guinness-loving Hibernophile, Saturday is your chance to extol the virtues of the Emerald Isle. Here’s where to soak up the luck of the Irish this weekend.

Irish stew

Start the day in style with an Irish seafood breakfast at London newcomer Nuala, where you can enjoy oysters and crab claws alongside your first Guinness of the day. Hungry revellers can also head to Hackney restaurant and live music venue Oslo, which will be serving up hearty portions of traditional stew. Irish chef Robin Gill is celebrating the fifth birthday of his Clapham restaurant The Dairy this week by championing Irish produce, and on the big day he’ll be on barbecue duty in Dalston at 40ft Brewery’s party (alongside a drop or two of Bán Poitín).

Drink it in

Not a Guinness fan? Not a problem. Swap the black stuff for one of the Irish-inspired cocktails. The Zetter Townhouse in Clerkenwell will be serving whiskey cocktails, including the Everybody’s Irish made with green Chartreuse and crème de menthe. The Bloomsbury Club bar is teaming up with the County Kerry-based Dingle Distillery for its St Patrick’s Soirée, concocting an Oyster Stout Old Fashioned. The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green will serve Teeling-based cocktails with complimentary oysters, while Soho bar Swift is getting perky with Irish coffees topped with freshly grated nutmeg.

On the pitch

Ireland may have already been crowned Six Nations champions but there’ll be a lot of pride at stake when they meet England tomorrow. North London sports fans will be out in force at Finsbury Park’s The Faltering Fullback pub.

Paddy power

The city is rolling out the green carpet for the Paddy’s Day parade tomorrow, with more than 125,000 people expected to turn out and honour Ireland’s patron saint. There’ll be Irish dancing, live music, marching bands and a lot of Irish energy as the floats make their way through Piccadilly and Haymarket, before the parade culminates in a huge party in Trafalgar Square. This will include a pop-up market of craft stalls and Irish food along with family-friendly activities and plenty more pints.