T.J. Byrnes: A Lifer Irish Pub Tucked Behind Fulton Street
T.J. Byrnes is the Irish pub Lower Manhattan forgets it has, and that’s its charm. It sits at 77 Fulton Street, tucked behind the Fulton Market block inside the Southbridge towers, and it’s been pouring since the summer of 1995, when brothers Thomas and Denis Byrne opened it. It stayed open through 9/11, the 2003 blackout, Sandy and COVID. It opens 365 days a year. Worth it? For a pint and a real plate of food a few blocks from the Seaport crowds, yes.
The Deal
There’s a happy hour Monday to Friday, 4pm to 7pm. What it takes off the bill isn’t published anywhere we could find, so don’t build your night around it. The better reason to show up on a schedule is Lobster Night, the last Friday of the month from 4pm to 9pm. Book it; reservations are required.
The Drinks
Straightforward and fine with it. Guinness, Stella, Goose Island IPA, Blue Moon, Kona Big Wave and a Sam Adams seasonal on draft, a long list of domestic bottles, and the classic cocktails: Manhattan, martini, Dark & Stormy.
The Food
This is a pub where the kitchen matters. Fish and chips are $21.95, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash and chicken pot pie are $19.95 each, and the 14oz NY strip is $35.95. Burgers run $15.95 to $18.95, with the Phat Pig and a pastrami burger at the top. The full menu runs until 9pm and the bar menu takes over after that.
The Room
An unassuming bar up front and a proper dining room behind it, open until 10pm. Regulars treat it like a local because it is one.
Who T.J. Byrnes Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| A post-work pint off Fulton | Weekday happy hour 4–7pm, minutes from the Seaport |
| A sit-down pub dinner | Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, strip steak in a real dining room |
| Lobster Night | Last Friday of the month, 4–9pm, reservations required |
| Holidays | Special menus on St. Patrick’s, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas |