Eats

Two Fools Tavern

Dubliner or not, there's soul-warming Irish fare here on the regular.

Founded in January 2006 by Tom White and Jeff Watson, Two Fools Tavern was launched with the goal of providing the Duke City with all the comforts of a traditional Irish pub.

“We wanted you to walk in here and be at a bar in Dublin or a bar in Glasgow and just have that kind of feel, the way the ambiance is, the way the wood is, the way the food is — the fireplace,” says general manager/partner Russell Reid. “All those things together [set] a standard.”

The establishment adheres to the Craic (pronounced “crack”) ethos, which in Ireland typically refers to good food, drink and conversation in the company of friends. That can be found in abundance at Two Fools, which strives to provide an all-inclusive atmosphere to its guests. Where some places that claim to offer a pub environment tend to focus on drinking and general rowdiness, Two Fools is the spot where virtually no one will feel out of place.

“At a traditional Irish pub you can bring your family, bring your kids, bring your parents and it’s fun for everybody,” Reid says. “That’s what we were trying to accomplish here.”

In 17 years of existence, Two Fools has exceeded its own expectations in terms of popularity. The tavern is a hot spot for Celtic holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, but it also does steady business thanks to a menu that features traditional Irish fare and what it calls the largest whiskey selection in the Southwest. Patrons appreciate the consistency, too.

“We’ve tried to stay as close to the same as we could,” Reid says. “We’ve had to adapt. We never ever envisioned that we would be [as popular as we are]. We’ve had to tweak things here and there to do the best you can to make it work. The hard part about being super small and super

FOOLING AROUND

The establishment is named after the exploits of founders Tom White and Jeff Watson, whose outings at the location now occupied by Two Fools were dubbed “Fool’s Night” by their wives.

PITCH FEVER

Two Fools stays true to its European roots with sports programming. Whether it’s World Cup, Premier League or anything in between, if soccer is happening, you’ll likely find it on TV here.

NEARLY TWICE AS NICE

The owners at Two Fools were strongly considering opening a second location in 2019. Those plans were shelved, however, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the following year.

FESTIVE FEEL

St. Patrick’s Day gets the lion’s share of the attention, but Two Fools celebrates a number of other holidays from the region including St. Andrew’s Day, Burns Night, Tartan Day and St. David’s Day, to name a few. busy is you’ve got to work around that. We’ve done a really good job at that.

“The menu today is almost exactly the same food — it’s a little bit better in some ways — we’ve got some better ingredients than we could get before. But it’s almost exactly the same 17 years later.”

At its core, Two Fools is a restaurant first and a drinking establishment second. The options range from appetizers such as the Irish Nachos, topped with both green chile and cottage pie beef, to the Cashel Blue Cheese Dip, served with Irish brown bread and Irish potato chips. There’s plenty of traditional Irish entrees to intrigue the palate as well, including the Jester’s Pot Pie, the Bookmaker Sandwich and

Two Fools Tavern 3211 Central Ave NE (505) 265-7447

2foolstavern.com the Guinness Beef Boxty, to name a few. Everything on the menu has one key component in common.

“Better ingredients. That’s the simple, honest truth,” Reid says. “We use really expensive ingredients. A lot of people aren’t willing to spend that kind of money on the more expensive ingredients, especially with inflation these days. That’s really the big difference. We buy better quality products.”

Nowhere is that more evident than in The Two Fools Fish and Chips, perhaps the tavern’s most famous dish. According to Reid, the quality is enhanced by the use of haddock, which are larger and twice as expensive as cod.

“It’s gonna be a lot firmer and not fall apart like cod does,” he says. “A lot of people generally comment that it has a cleaner flavor than cod does.”

Those looking to imbibe will find op- tions abound. Two Fools boasts more than 300 brands of whiskeys from around the world as well as other traditional spirits, 50 beers in the bottle and 19 on draft. Whiskey is the lifeblood of the bar, though, and the staff, which takes whiskey knowledge classes, is often quite adept at helping with selections. Good drink and conversation go hand-in-hand with the Craic experience.

“The great thing about whiskey is we’re living in a Whiskey Golden Age these days. The world’s making some really incredible spirits,” Reid says. “People always ask me what my favorite is, and I’m real seasonal and I like different flavors. I love to have those conversations with guests, like ‘Hey, what are you in the mood for?

Let me find you something that you probably haven’t tried before.’” —TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

Featured Dishes

SCOTTISH EGGS, $9.95

Two hard boiled eggs wrapped in house made sausage & bread crumbs, cooked to a golden brown & served with pub mustard.

JESTER’S POT PIE, $13.75

A not-so traditional chicken pot pie. Slow simmered with chicken, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, peas & green chile topped with a flakey pastry crust.

THE BOOKMAKER, $12.95

Thin sliced house made roast beef, served with grilled onions & mushrooms, topped with Irish white cheddar cheese & served with a side of Au Jus.

BANGERS & MASH, $12.95

Two traditional English sausages served over mashed potatoes with a savory Guinness & onion gravy.

GUINNESS BEEF BOXTY, $15.50

Two house made potato pancakes filled with slow simmered Guinness beef stew.