Uisce Irish Pub is now open in downtown Bellingham. Gaelic for “water,” Uisce (pronounced “Ish-Kah”) celebrated its rebirth as a local watering hole on Thursday, June 6.
Long-time Bellinghamsters will remember the original Uisce, which opened on St. Patrick’s Day in 2006. Bellingham’s beloved Irish pub was an institution, so the community was shocked to see it close in August 2022. Thankfully, owner Molly McGarry and her team promised to return — and nearly two years later, Uisce is back in business at a new location, 1409 Cornwall Ave.
“It’s true what they say: One door closes and another one opens,” McGarry said. “In my opinion, this place is gonna work a lot better for us.”
The new Uisce is smaller, which lends itself to a more intimate and refined pub experience. McGarry and her team brought the best qualities of the old Uisce to the new space, including what she calls the “magic” from years of gathering at the original pub.
“It was magic, and it was special. It was like the community hub to many different people over the years,” she said. “And so, I’m happy when people come in and they’re like, ‘Oh, it feels good’ — they sit in the same spot at the bar.”
Built by Lummi Island woodworker Tom Lutz in 2006, the legendary Uisce bar looks right at home in the new space. Aaron Kuhaulua (AK Crafted Woods & Design) took the bar apart, removed 7 feet, and rebuilt it to fit inside the pub’s Cornwall Avenue location.
Sitting beside me at the bar, McGarry explained one of its finer details: “The big ‘U’ circles are where we used to have our beer towers,” she said. “I hope that people can appreciate the detail that we took so long to create.”
McGarry and her team rebuilt the new space from the ground up, only retaining one wall over a full year of construction. Little details are everywhere — from the Celtic knot along the floor to the orange dart board backdrop, which serves as an ode to the original Uisce.
“All the artwork is the same. All of these are family portraits that we had in my old spot,” McGarry said, pointing out photos illuminated by hand-picked light fixtures.
Large windows let natural light into the building, providing an “architectural view” of Uisce’s neighboring Federal Building. Constructed in Italian Renaissance Revival style in 1913, the historic building still serves as downtown Bellingham’s post office.
Beer-wise, you can expect the classic Uisce lineup including Guinness Stout, Harp Lager, and Smithwick’s Red Ale along with a local beer, cider and gluten-free beer option. A couple next to me at the bar said Uisce is the only place they’ve found Harp on draft in Bellingham. It’s a subtle reminder that there’s no other place in town like Uisce, so we “cheers” to the new space with a round of golden Harps.
When it comes to cocktails, Uisce is known for its Irish coffee and Old Fashioned — both made from family recipes. The cocktail menu also includes gin-based drinks like the negroni, Bee’s Knees, and French 75. Alternatively, spring for The Irishman — a pint of Guinness paired with an Irish whiskey. (Fun fact: Uisce boasts the largest selection of Scotch and Irish whiskey in Bellingham.)
One of the most exciting additions to Uisce’s new space is food; specifically, pizza. Launching with a limited menu, Uisce now offers four personal-size pizzas: cheese; pepperoni; jalapeno and pineapple; and pesto, sausage and pepper. The dough is made fresh using a French baking technique called poolish, a type of pre-ferment (similar to a sourdough starter) that lends flavor and a toothsome, chewy texture to the finished crust. And, of course, they still offer their fan-favorite pretzels.
Uisce is open every day of the year, even Christmas. “It’s actually one of our busiest days,” McGarry said. “We consider ourselves to be an industry bar. So, we get a lot of restaurant clientele when they get off work — we get a huge late-night following.”
Uisce plans to host future events including trivia, whiskey tastings, live music and a belated St. Patrick’s Day Party. For now, McGarry — who is continuously interrupted during our conversation by delighted customers seeing the new bar for the first time — simply wants to celebrate the magic of Uisce with her community.
“It’s exciting to see people’s excitement when they come in,” she said. “Some of these people … were some of my first customers back in 2006. And I haven’t seen them in years — friends that I consider family.”
Uisce Irish Pub is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 1409 Cornwall Ave. Info: uisceirishpub.com.
Brandon Fralic's Drink Cascadia column appears monthly. Reach him at drinkcascadia@gmail.com.
