We’ve probably all heard the saying, “Everybody’s got a little Irish in them.” And at Flanagan’s Irish Pub on Pearl Street in downtown Grand Rapids, it’s easy to get your Irish on.

First, the menu includes an entire section, “Emerald Island Entrees” which includes Irish classics like shepherd’s pie, corned beef platter and my personal go-to item when I eat there, the fish ‘n chips. (Seriously, you can’t go wrong with that choice!)

Nightly drink specials and each evening’s talent, which hails from near and far, are announced on Flanagan’s Facebook page. Weeknight happy hour specials range from $2.00 domestic drafts to $3.00 vodka and Red Bulls (for the energy you need to finish your walking tour of ArtPrize) and weekends are made for specific drinks, like Long Island iced teas.

A staple in the Grand Rapids downtown scene for almost 30 years, Flanagan’s turns from pub-style restaurant during the lunch and evening hours into a casual and pleasantly crowded place to meet friends, be seen, and get a deal on local, national and international brews as your ArtPrize evenings progress.

The ArtPrize You’ll See

Kyle Adams, a native of South Korea who is studying to be an art teacher at Western Michigan University, presents “Guardian of Old Bell South,” a colored pencil rendition of the gargoyle outside of the South archway entrance of the former Bell South building on Division Avenue in Grand Rapids.