Golden Ace Inn

I love, love, love the Golden Ace! This is a dive bar on a part of East Washington Street long forgotten and left to urban decay. For this reason, some people may raise an eyebrow about going there on any day apart from St. Patty's Day. It's been made well known that this is one of the best parties in the country on St. Patty's Day, and it is! They set up a tent outside, bring in a band from Ireland, and the typical St. Patrick's Day libations. Cover is a reasonable $5, and the drink prices are average. Cash only on St. Patrick's. Always a huge crowd, always a good time. Apart from St. Patrick's Day, I still like to stop in on occasion, as they have live music, trivia, and other activities. Even if there's no activity, I like the burgers, the drinks, the family, and the charm of the place. It's like visiting an old friend.

The best place in Indy to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Reasonable beer prices, cover charge, and a fantastic atmosphere! With live music, a wide range of ages, and decent weather for Indiana in March this place was packed. I can't wait to come back to enjoy more events and try the food everyone says is phenomenal!

When I heard that Golden Ace was ranked as one of the Top 10 places in the nation to celebrate St Patty's Day by USA Today, it became a no brainer on where I would spend the evening. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought this. As we Uber'd up, the right-hand lane of Washington Street was basically a parking lot of cars and taxi cabs with speakers blaring the live music from inside the tent in the parking lot.Even though there was a little bit of a line, we were inside pretty quickly after having our ID's checked and paying our $5 cover to get in. The tent was packed full of people, and it was a little difficult to tell where the bar was. Thankfully my height helped, and I was able to see the beer tables set up in the back corner, so we headed that way. I don't know how many people were in the tent when we got there, but it seemed to thin out slightly after it started getting dark. We found a great spot to stand and watch the bands with easy access back to the beer table. Everyone seemed to be in great spirits, singing along with the Irish band and laughing with friends. The bands that I saw were very engaging and talented, and the beer was fairly cheap and plentiful. No green beer here... but that's about the only thing that wasn't green! A great place to hang out and celebrate St Patrick's Day!

This is everything a bar should be.Cozy, warm, inviting, in an odd sort of way. It's got it's own unique character. The moment you walk in, you know you're not in some corporate knock off Irish bar, you're in the real deal.You'll find lots of (low key) activities here. Jam sessions, trivia night, spontaneous games of Euchre, and friendly conversation.And, dare I say, the best cheeseburger in Indy. Quite possibly, in the midwest.The mixed drinks are generous and cheap. Beer is cheap enough, too.This really isn't a place you want to drop in for a quick bite. It's a place you want to linger, people watch, and escape the real world for a while.

Let's hear it for a place with an interesting history, local flavor, and a surprisingly good burger. The Golden Ace Inn opened in 1931, less than a year after the repeal of prohibition. The owners, Irish immigrants from Donnegal, later changed the name to "Emerald Isle", in an effort to highlight the Ace's identity as an Irish pub. But Indiana at the time was still a stronghold of the KKK, which didn't like the Irish-Catholic nature of the enterprise. Business plummeted, and the owners changed the name back to Golden Ace. Even so, the place remains Indy's oldest Irish pub.Today, the son and grandson of the original owners still run the place and tend bar. They have increasingly added the family name to the place ("McGinley's Golden Ace"), and that's how a lot of the locals know it. You'll also notice shamrocks on the outside walls and a variety of Irish paraphernalia. But don't let that fool you. Shamrocks are sometimes a sign of a fake Irish pub -- a pub trying too hard to make a buck on St. Paddy's Day. But in the case of McGinley's Golden Ace, it's the real deal. And it's really really wonderful. And seriously, that burger was really quite decent ... especially for the price.

Before anything else, big ups to Ethan H for puttin' this on the Yelpdar. I went to his review to see if I could find anything going on during St. Patty's Day, and, yes their St. Patty's is huge... then found out that quietly on March 1 they'd be celebrating their 77th anniversary. Damn, Gina! That's the oldest Irish pub in Indy! I love when I feel like I'm in someone's house when I'm not really in someone's house -- like in an old Inn, like this one! Straight forward Bar menu -- much like Red Key -- and the burger & chili was recommended (and there's braunschweiger on the menu!). The burger was juicy and as thick as it was wide (almost). Heavy on the cheese, too. Kind gentleman behind the bar taking care of the crowd. The owner Jimmy introduced himself and told us they celebrated his 77th anniversary this past Sunday (nice!). Well, just as terrific the Tuesday night traditional Irish musicians gathered round a table to play, another group gathered round to listen while we gathered with post it notes on our foreheads (those crazy kids!) and played a traditional bar game of guess who. I'm down to make this a routine thing with this Irish Music. Michelob on Draft. Yep. Smithwicks to Harp to Guinness too. And, there St. Patty's is apparently enormous! The bottom line... I love this place.

If you are talking about a class Act, Jimmy , the owner, is a great guy. My father, who is a regular, is in the hospital. I am from Texas. My dad sent me to get his dinner from The Ace. I showed up, spoke to the guy at the counter, Jimmy. Told him my story and showed him my dad's pic. He told me what my dad regularly ordered. When he handed me the order. Said no charge and made my dad a get well video. If you want a pub where everyone knows your name...Thank you Jimmy!!!

Love this place , great burgers , fish sandwiches , chowder and chili .! Can't wait to try the live music on Thursday nights ! Service is outstanding !

Wow! This was the first time I had been to The Ace and their St. Patty's Day tent party. It was super packed but great fun! Servers did a great job despite the insurmountable challenge of serving half of Indy beers. They also had great music straight from Ireland.

The Golden Ace is a fantastic Irish bar! The cheeseburgers are great and there's a top-notch traditional session on Wednesday nights. Stop in for great atmosphere and live music!