February 15, 2022 – Shuttered for nearly two years due the pandemic, Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub in Santa Cruz is set to reopen just ahead of its 25th anniversary. As we reported on social media last week, the popular Pacific Avenue restaurant and watering hole was forced to close due to lack of outdoor seating.
“It has been a devastating and heartbreaking couple of years,” says owner Mina Shamsaei. “While we were lucky no one in the Rosie’s family got extremely sick or lost their lives, we have not been able to adapt to the constant changes demanded by this unprecedented event, partially due to the fact that we don’t have any outdoor dining space and our business model is difficult to sustain on take out only.”
The Rosie McCann’s location on Santana Row in San Jose managed to make it through the pandemic so far relying on patio seating.
Longtime general manager Heather Boyd shared the good news with edible, saying she is pulling the team back together for a soft opening on Tuesday, March 1. A job fair takes place on Friday, February 18.
And she says she’s looking forward to having one of her favorite meals, Rosie’s California chicken sandwich. The menu will continue to offer a mix of California cuisine and Irish specialties—such as shepherd’s pie, McCann’s lamb stew, fish and chips and corned beer and cabbage.
On March 11 and 12 Rosie’s will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Santa Cruz with lots of festivities and specials. Then just a few days later the team will be putting on the Irish for St. Paddy’s Day.
If you want a sneak peek of what’s in store, you can catch Rosie’s chefs at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on February 26 and 27, where they will be taking part in the Clam Chowder Cook-Off.
The reopening is welcome news for downtown Santa Cruz, which has lost many businesses over the past two years—especially bars, including Pour Taproom, 99 Bottles and The Poet & The Patriot Irish Pub.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
