The Poet & the Patriot

If you hate fake poser bars, The Poet is your go-to. Great staff, Comedy Night on Mondays and First Fridays, music other nights, darts......must check it out.

Performed with my band LUNACIES ABOUT 5 TIMES SO FAR cuz of the atmosphere ÷ good people the sound dude and bartenderare are really cool they treat bands with respect and much support

Fun authentic Irish pub. Beer and wine only, no liquor. Live music on the weekends, darts, friendly patrons and staff. Always a good time.

It is a silly place, with live music, open mics mics and a comedy night. They have beer and wine only, and underberg. Fun atmosphere. Cash only.

The best relaxed place in Santa Cruz! Good beer, wine, and cider, the friendliest bartenders, 4 dart boards, and live music often!

It’s a great little pub. Good atmosphere and the bartender was super awesome and nice. Great open mic nights too.

So much fun... I went to the late night show of the annual Santa Cruz Comedy Festival...but they have weekly comedy nights too. Check their schedule.

My favorite place in town to grab a pint and play a round of darts. Also a great small venue for live music and the facilities are top notch.

Ive been there twice and paid NO dollars and had zero drinks. because they are cash only. But it looks cool :)

Serve only beer & wine; a local favorite; no food; friendly service; sometimes music; serves as small meeting place for a few; darts, pool table.Somewhat of an Irish pub, originally; more men than women frequent.

The bartenders there are very nice and polite. Phil is definitely the most attractive of the group. Very easy on the eyes!

Funky and friendly. A great place to drink beer, cider, and Irish whiskey while playing darts and watching people.

Great place to grab a pint. They have a nice selection of beers including local breweries and cider!

Love the atmosphere and friendly staff. They only serve beer and wine but that have one of my favorite ciders on tap. I'm never disappointed when I come here. Love it.

It's a Pub. ..that stands for Public.... .I just made that up BUT that does describes the feel. Very casual 'meeting house' with music and a very relaxed feel. I have felt welcomed their since their opening about 40years ago!

Comedy show every Monday night! Sometimes famous people that have been on TV come through and perform. Often it's locals and bay area comics, but they're really funny, too. And me. I'm funny. Come on down and you could win a free drink.

Irish bars are a dime a dozen. This one feels like I'm actually in Ireland. Great beer selection and friendly service. That is saying a LOT in this day and age of mass produced beverages and cocky, pretentious bartenders who can barely stand your presence long enough to pour you a drink and take your money. The Santa Cruz cider tastes like a true scrupmy dry cider. Yummy!!

My spiritual home for drinking. An authentic pub atmosphere and healthy amount of rebellion and wonderful community. Great beer, lots of local craft options. Open Mic Tues & Sat. FREE live music and comedy frequently.

Free comedy every Monday night! A beer and wine bar, with plenty of dart boards, Irish warmth and Larry's excellent music tastes. Plenty of other entertainment, including bands and music open mics pad out the rest of the week. Secluded yet conveniently placed next to Kumbuwa near Jazz alley . Parking is limited, you'll have to find a meter usually.

I was here for a pub crawl, and I really want to go back when it's not as crowded. Even as packed as the place was, though, the bartenders handled the crowd extremely well. As far as I saw, everyone got their drinks quickly, and when I had to wait more than a couple minutes for someone to help me, they apologized. Excellent service.

Best place in Santa Cruz to watch the election returns. Very authentic Irish pub with a good beer selection. They frequently have live music.

Great place for a pint and some darts. Friendly bartenders and the owners are awesome! Used to love this place, but it's more than temporarily closed. Poet and the Patriot has been closed since COVID started.

First rate Irish bar open to all. Proper tribute to Ireland, drinking, and the working class ... but not necessarily in that order. Establishment best suited to gathering with good friends.

We went to the Poet and Patriot for the first time to hear my friend do stand-up comedy. She was good. So was the bar. Good beer. Comedy. Darts. Pleasant people. At the end of a small parking lot. Next to a jazz club that closes earlier. Taco stand right outside between the two establishments. A lady came in to sell tamales table to table. We bought two tamales. We would go back. We had a good time.

Fun place to hang out! Bartender was very friendly and personable. They have dart boards & a great diverse beer selection. It’s cash only, so be prepared! They have an ATM though, with a $2 fee.

Jackie Lee Flemmings

It's a Pub. ..that stands for Public.... .I just made that up BUT that does describes the feel. Very casual 'meeting house' with music and a very relaxed feel. I have felt welcomed their since their opening about 40years ago!

Ellen Burmester

I was here for a pub crawl, and I really want to go back when it's not as crowded. Even as packed as the place was, though, the bartenders handled the crowd extremely well. As far as I saw, everyone got their drinks quickly, and when I had to wait more than a couple minutes for someone to help me, they apologized. Excellent service.

Da Mistanista (Manista)

First rate Irish bar open to all. Proper tribute to Ireland, drinking, and the working class ... but not necessarily in that order. Establishment best suited to gathering with good friends.

Elise Scher

We went to the Poet and Patriot for the first time to hear my friend do stand-up comedy. She was good. So was the bar. Good beer. Comedy. Darts. Pleasant people. At the end of a small parking lot. Next to a jazz club that closes earlier. Taco stand right outside between the two establishments. A lady came in to sell tamales table to table. We bought two tamales. We would go back. We had a good time.

Ashley Nicole

Love the atmosphere and friendly staff. They only serve beer and wine but that have one of my favorite ciders on tap. I'm never disappointed when I come here. Love it.

Paul Scott

My spiritual home for drinking. An authentic pub atmosphere and healthy amount of rebellion and wonderful community. Great beer, lots of local craft options. Open Mic Tues & Sat. FREE live music and comedy frequently.

Josh Lloyd

Fun place to hang out! Bartender was very friendly and personable. They have dart boards & a great diverse beer selection. It’s cash only, so be prepared! They have an ATM though, with a $2 fee.

Pablo Yale

Free comedy every Monday night! A beer and wine bar, with plenty of dart boards, Irish warmth and Larry's excellent music tastes. Plenty of other entertainment, including bands and music open mics pad out the rest of the week. Secluded yet conveniently placed next to Kumbuwa near Jazz alley . Parking is limited, you'll have to find a meter usually.

Michael Moran

Best place in Santa Cruz to watch the election returns. Very authentic Irish pub with a good beer selection. They frequently have live music.

Mike Matera

Classic Irish bar. Beer and wine. Wonderful bartenders, darts. Left wing decor and lots of history. One of the most essential bars in Santa Cruz.

Peter Preciado

Irish bars are a dime a dozen. This one feels like I'm actually in Ireland. Great beer selection and friendly service. That is saying a LOT in this day and age of mass produced beverages and cocky, pretentious bartenders who can barely stand your presence long enough to pour you a drink and take your money. The Santa Cruz cider tastes like a true scrupmy dry cider. Yummy!!

Sam Weber

Comedy show every Monday night! Sometimes famous people that have been on TV come through and perform. Often it's locals and bay area comics, but they're really funny, too. And me. I'm funny. Come on down and you could win a free drink.

can't miss a visit here on March 17th. now with great local beer from discretion brewery. darts in the backroom and music and sometimes even comedy in the front.

Not a bad establishment. A decent collection of beer, and the staff I met were pretty chill. Nice, cozy Ave rustic. Just how I like it.

Nice atmosphere, friendly servers, dart games. They have events like music or stand up from time to time, the only problem I have is that it is cash only.

The oldest traditional Irish pub in Santa Cruz is the Poet and Patriot Irish Pub. People visit from all over the world. From Ireland , the UK, it is a destination spot for everyone from every corner of the world. They pay homage to this iconic political , social Institution. To have a pint, raise a glass and make a toast in the Celtic Irish tradition.

Just your basic dive, which isn't an insult from me. I love dive bars. Cash only, ATM on sight, no food served but outside food is totally welcomed. Darts, friendly staff that definitely know how to pour a Guinness properly and live music

Had a weird experience with the bouncer, but got in and felt pretty at-home in this neo-punk kind of run-down place. Very grunge atmosphere, which kind of worked for the type of place. Was almost like being in a big house-party. Bar is cash only, there is an ATM.

Friendly, down to earth, unassuming little "secret hideout" tucked away in an alley in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. It's easy to forget it's there, and every time I go in I say "I have to come here more often". It's not the kind of Irish pub that's trying hard to be an Irish pub. It's the kind that has regulars and foreign visitors and people call the barman by name and it may or may not take a little extra socializing to be invited into a conversation with the regulars. It's a place those regulars call their "local", it has a good selection of beer including $3 PBR, and it's home to a free Monday night open mic comedy show that's a good craic. Slainte!

So cute! Love the warm atmosphere. It really does feel like an Irish pub on a weeknight or a slow weekend... I wouldn't suggest the hard core rock shows if you want to find the Irish pub feel... Cash only still...but there is an ATM..... Darts and other games in the back...fireplace and comfy benches and games and books... Suggestion... Most small town Irish pubs have arm chairs! Do it! I loved that

I like the comfortable atmosphere. Darts has gotten pretty serious over time - one room is all darts. The other is tables and there's always the bar. Nice hangout.

Amañda Gilpata

So cute! Love the warm atmosphere. It really does feel like an Irish pub on a weeknight or a slow weekend... I wouldn't suggest the hard core rock shows if you want to find the Irish pub feel... Cash only still...but there is an ATM..... Darts and other games in the back...fireplace and comfy benches and games and books... Suggestion... Most small town Irish pubs have arm chairs! Do it! I loved that

Chris Ebert

I like the comfortable atmosphere. Darts has gotten pretty serious over time - one room is all darts. The other is tables and there's always the bar. Nice hangout.

Bobby Bishop

The oldest traditional Irish pub in Santa Cruz is the Poet and Patriot Irish Pub. People visit from all over the world. From Ireland , the UK, it is a destination spot for everyone from every corner of the world. They pay homage to this iconic political , social Institution. To have a pint, raise a glass and make a toast in the Celtic Irish tradition.

Six O'Nine

Friendly, down to earth, unassuming little "secret hideout" tucked away in an alley in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. It's easy to forget it's there, and every time I go in I say "I have to come here more often". It's not the kind of Irish pub that's trying hard to be an Irish pub. It's the kind that has regulars and foreign visitors and people call the barman by name and it may or may not take a little extra socializing to be invited into a conversation with the regulars. It's a place those regulars call their "local", it has a good selection of beer including $3 PBR, and it's home to a free Monday night open mic comedy show that's a good craic. Slainte!

Jamie Ott

Just your basic dive, which isn't an insult from me. I love dive bars. Cash only, ATM on sight, no food served but outside food is totally welcomed. Darts, friendly staff that definitely know how to pour a Guinness properly and live music

Nika Ripley

Had a weird experience with the bouncer, but got in and felt pretty at-home in this neo-punk kind of run-down place. Very grunge atmosphere, which kind of worked for the type of place. Was almost like being in a big house-party. Bar is cash only, there is an ATM.

Friendly with good beer, but beer and wine only. We were early. It probably fills up at night.

Musical performances werent quite hitting the right notes or even the chords. But entertaining none the less as the beat an iPod any day.

Beer is flat warm, glasses dirty. Floor is sticky. And don't be English as they're pretty 'patriotic' as the name suggests.

Hard to find and not particularly worth the effort. Cash only, beer only, loud, claustrophobic, no food and a bouncer that regularly causes more problems than he fixes. He and I have never had a problem, but I have worked as a bouncer and this guy flexes way more than he needs to. Really too small for a band of any size. Mondays comedy night is a local favorite and it is very close to the Kuumbwa jazz center, but you can find places more representative of Santa Cruz culture with a less uptight vibe.

Lucky Houston

Hard to find and not particularly worth the effort. Cash only, beer only, loud, claustrophobic, no food and a bouncer that regularly causes more problems than he fixes. He and I have never had a problem, but I have worked as a bouncer and this guy flexes way more than he needs to. Really too small for a band of any size. Mondays comedy night is a local favorite and it is very close to the Kuumbwa jazz center, but you can find places more representative of Santa Cruz culture with a less uptight vibe.

This pub was the single biggest disgrace to the Irish republic I have encountered on my travels in the US. Not only were the staff unfriendly, rude and unwelcoming they were also terrible craic. When one walks into an irish pub they expect to be met with a jovial, inviting barman and a warm welcoming atmosphere. In this pub we were met with a sour, wicked man who would neither let us stay and drink or even sing some Irish songs. The place was barren of any kind of Irish hospitality, a tacky wasteland of craic void of anything genuinely Irish. When we asked the barman about the political posters hanging on the wall he gave us a blank stare, clearly clueless about anything Irish. Despite our best efforts to make conversation and enjoy our watery bog standard pints of Guinness we were swiftly told to leave the establishment which in hindsight was a blessing as every second spent in that place was another insult to brave men who fought and died for our proud country. Padraig Pearse must be turning in his grave.

Grungy bar, mostly young crowd. Tried this place twice before attending an event at Kuumbwa Jazz. Proprietor is nice and great beer selection. This bar does not serve hard liquor. I suppose if you are 20 something male and having a matching sense of humor you would find the open mic night a blast. Not the place for me.

Judy A

Grungy bar, mostly young crowd. Tried this place twice before attending an event at Kuumbwa Jazz. Proprietor is nice and great beer selection. This bar does not serve hard liquor. I suppose if you are 20 something male and having a matching sense of humor you would find the open mic night a blast. Not the place for me.