Seville Quarter

We visited Seville Quarter the week of December 24, 2007

After dinner in Pensacola, Florida, we decided to try Seville Quarter, a complex of bars we had noticed on the web.
The building is an old brick structure, with wrought iron decorative balconies, reminiscent of New Orleans.
All of the bars/restaurants are attached inside, so you can wander from place to place to see what's going on.
We found deuling pianos in one location, 80s music and aviator's decor in another, a live rock band in one, and a nice outdoor courtyard with gas heaters in back. There was a small oyster bar location as well, which seemed to be our speed, but the place was full up.
There was a place to play billiards and video games, and all of the locations allowed smoking, which was something we had not seen anywhere on our trip.
Opened in 1967, Seville Quarter really is a sight to see, with gates from the governor's mansion in New Orleans, chandeliers from England, French doors also from New Orleans, brick flooring from a theater in Pensacola, old train station benches, bar stools from an 1870s café, ship's doors, the list goes on and on. It's really quite stunning, and seemed to be the place to be as the night wore on, more and more people piled in.

Seville Quarter
130 East Government Street
Pensacola, FL 32501

McGuire's Irish Pub

We visited McGuire's Irish Pub the week of December 24, 2007

We had a great time at McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, Florida. I had seen the restaurant on the web, and at least wanted to stop there for drinks to check the place out.
I love a little imbibery and debauchery just as much as the next gal.
McGuire's is dubbed one of America's Great Steakhouses, and opened in 1977. They moved to the current location, a 1927 fire house, in 1982.
This restaurant was room after room of tables packed with diners. One of the coolest rooms was the wine cellar, an intimate dining room with room at the back for 8,000 bottles of wine. The wine list features a huge selection of Chateau Mouton Rothschild Artist Series, pick your vintage year and they probably have it. We could have ordered a bottle of wine from the year of my birth for a mere $2,000.
One of the most stunning sights when you visit here is that the bar and lobby ceiling, plus parts of the restaurant, are covered with dollar bills bearing names and messages from patrons of Irish descent. There are well over half a million dollar bills hanging in this place.
The rest of the decor is a blast to check out, from corpses to celebrity photos to odd signs and the like.
For dinner, I ordered yellowfin tuna with a side of asparagus. StfRon decided to try the hickory smoked prime rib. Our meal was preceded by a delicious loaf of warm brown bread drizzled with honey, and some great garden salads. The tuna was excellent, as was the prime rib. We also split a bottle of wine, a $25 Pinot, instead of the $2,000 bottle. Our meal with tip was about $90.
Our enjoyment continued when an Irish chap took the corner stage and played some tunes, so we hung out for a bit longer.
Actually, the place was so nice, we visited twice.
On our second night's visit, we mixed things up a bit. This time I had the hickory smoked prime rib, again with asparagus and a great salad, and StfRon tried the ribs. These ribs were covered in thick meatiness. There was no way to finish this rack. My prime rib was excellent.
For dessert, we split some bread pudding, which was delicious.
On this visit, there was a bagpiper wandering from room to room. The music was excellent and not overwhelming, and added a great touch to the atmosphere.

McGuire's Irish Pub
600 E. Gregory St.
Pensacola, FL 32501-9971