Hanging on the walls of T.J. Byrnes are a couple of funny little plaques, one entitled “A Mother’s Letter,” and the other, “An Irish Tribute.” But don’t ask Tommy Byrnes for an Irish joke (as I did). He claims not to know any. It’s not that the owner of T.J. Byrnes isn’t friendly or doesn’t have a good sense of humor. He just takes his business seriously and doesn’t consider himself a joke-teller.
While he might not have any jokes to share, Byrnes has picked up plenty of stories over the years. Originally from Wicklow, Byrnes became familiar with the bar industry when he was about 17 and working in a bar in Dublin. There, the rules were stricter. He remembers a table of men coming in one night and beginning to sing. They were warned to stop once, but began to sing again, after which they were given one more warning. After that, the manager came over, took their drinks, and told them to get out. On another evening, a man sat down and told him to give two ladies at the bar another round of drinks. “The manager came to me, and he says, ‘What did you give them?’ He says, ‘You don’t do that. If someone doesn’t come in with a woman, he can’t buy her a drink in this place,’” Byrnes told me.
The youngest of seven children, Byrnes followed his siblings to the United States shortly after those stories took place. The family has shown a terrific proclivity for bar ownership, nearly all of them working in the industry, including one brother who owns The Inn at Leeds in Leeds, NY, and another brother ran a bar in Greensboro, NC.
Tommy Byrnes first opened a bar in the Bronx with yet another brother, before opening the Irish restaurant and bar on Fulton Street in 1995. The space had previously been a Chinese restaurant and after renovating the space, the brothers used their initials to christen the spot T.J. Byrnes—T for Tommy and J for his brother’s middle name, Joseph. They used the pause in customers during the pandemic to renovate further, including removing carpeting. Nevertheless, the dark wood paneling, shamrocks etched into glass panels, and stained glass lighting fixtures make it feel as timeless and Irish as ever.
Even more timeless than the interior has been the service. Byrnes drives in nearly every day from Yonkers, usually wearing a button-down shirt and slacks as he oversees the venue and occasionally helps behind the bar. Having only worked there for about four years, Drew, a friendly young bartender, is the “newest” addition to T.J. Byrnes, but he’ll make you feel just as at home in the space as Tommy or the regulars.
Tucked into the ground floor of Southbridge Towers, a private co-op near South Street Seaport, T.J. Byrnes is not readily visible from the sidewalk. In fact, it’s a wonder the place has stuck around for over 30 years—one which might be attributed to happy hour crowds of government employees, careful management by Byrnes, and surges of young people in the past few years.
On a recent evening, I stopped in for dinner and a drink, ordering one of their dinner specials—baked cod, which was served with a side salad, rice pilaf, and wonderfully garlicky sauteed vegetables. Byrnes himself recommends the burger or the pork chop, and on the last Friday of each month, you can also stop in for the lobster dinner.
A few stools down from me sat a regular. For about 25 years he’s been stopping in after work for a couple of drinks, before heading home to Brooklyn. He appreciates the older crowd and being able to hear everyone. When he first started stopping by, many of the guests lived in the complex above or were retirees. While it’s still quiet and easy to talk, the bar has become increasingly trendy among younger crowds. Last March, the New York Times covered the bar, highlighting its tenure in the neighborhood as well as its changing crowd—younger people sipping martinis and attending events.
On another evening, the pub showed off this younger side, slowly filling with millennials ordering cocktails before they hustled into the side room to listen to a poetry reading. According to Drew, each night is completely different, ranging from quiet nights with regulars to late night birthday parties, complete with smoke machines.
In a city where event space can be hard to find, many venues now charge fees to reserve space. “It’s not written in stone,” Tommy is quick to note, but at the moment, there’s no fee to reserve a room at T.J. Byrnes. Give him a call or send an email about using the space for an event, and he’s usually happy to oblige. “The artistic people are always very easy to deal with and very nice,” he notes, thinking of groups he’s enjoyed having. Reflecting a moment longer, he concluded that, having hosted many parties, most people are nice.
It wasn’t until I was traveling last year that I really understood the seemingly unlimited reach of the Irish pub. Who would have known that even small cities in eastern Slovakia are well equipped with at least one such pub? The beauty of an Irish pub is perhaps knowing that no matter where in the world you are, you can order a stout or a Budweiser. Telling Tommy about my pubbing in Slovakia he wondered aloud if there were any in China, or in Russia: “You should look that up.” Well, I looked it up and while there are several Irish pubs in Moscow, it’s hard to imagine they’re as welcoming as T.J. Byrnes.
