When one thinks of an Irish pub in Orange County, Skosh Monahans should come to mind. It's owned and operated by Gary Monahan, currently a Costa Mesa council member.
From the outside, it looks like a typical bar, but once inside, the atmosphere is surprisingly kid-friendly. (Most of the kids do filter out around 9pm, so it really does becomes an Irish pub… ) The booths were comfortable and the waitresses were young and friendly.
The menu wasn't overly large, but it had plenty. There were steaks, seafood, Irish specialties such as bangers and mash and Irish coddle. For appetizers, we shared a lobster bisque, fried calamari, bruschetta, and shrimp cocktail. All of the appetizers were good, the shrimp were especially huge, but alas, there were only four shrimp and three of us… (we had to fight over the last shrimp). My only disappointment was the bruschetta. Apparently Skosh Monahans must have a panini machine, since the bread appeared to have been squashed in such a machine, which gave it an odd barbecued taste I wasn't accustomed to. But your taste may be different. The brushetta topping was excellent though.
For our main course, I had fish, shrimp, and chips, my friends had seared ahi, and the special of the day, sirloin and shrimp skewer. All of these were excellent. The presentation was good, the veggies were crisp, and so were my fries!
For dessert, we shared an apple cobbler, which was just absolutely delicious. Every now and then, I would end up with a lump of brown sugar on my fork, which ended up being a really tasty treat! Imagine that.
Overall, the atmosphere was casual, even kid-friendly earlier in the day. They have specials every day, and children's specials during Sunday.
I spoke briefly with the owner, Gary Monahan. They are doing a TACA promotional night sometime in May 2006. TACA is Talk About Curing Autism. One of Gary Monahan's children has autism, so this is quite close and personal to him. I think the personal touches, atmosphere, and phenomenal food make this the best Irish pub in O.C.!