Hooleys truly is a San Diegan Irish Pub

Because I first spotted it at a mall, I walked around for years assuming Hooleys Irish Pub & Grill was part of a national franchise; like it was the Irish answer to Chili’s or TGI Friday’s. I should have known better. La Mesa’s Grossmont Center is home to many independent, local businesses. Facing out to Grossmont’s southern parking lot, Hooleys actually counts among the greatest examples of this.

That said, I’d still rather not go near a mall if I don’t have to. So when I realized Hooleys is one of the best spots in town to try a boxty, I went instead to the original Hooleys, found in Rancho San Diego. Established in 1999, this Hooleys isn’t part of a mall in the strictest sense, but it does sit at the end of a large shopping center, immediately next door to the multiplex, so either location proves a great spot to hang out, before or after catching a movie.

In that regard, Hooleys presents way more charm than most shopping center restaurants, and not only because it affects the usual Irish pub motifs of dark polished wood, stone brick, and folksy, old world artifacts. As I sat at the bar, eating boxty and sipping ale, it seemed as though the bartenders knew every customer who strolled in to take a seat. Not just by name, but the circumstances of their lives.

“How was your trip?” asked one, of her regular.

“How’s the new job working out?” asked another, of hers.

Being a stranger didn’t exempt me from the friendly banter, either. Of course, I was less interested in sharing details about my life than I was asking food questions, such as: “What the heck is a boxty, anyway?”

When Americans think of Irish food, corned beef often comes to mind, and in the U.S. at least, the popular St. Patrick’s Day dish is a staple of Irish pubs. It is here, too, and if I needed further evidence this Irish pub is of San Diego origin, Hooleys provided it. One of the most popular menu items is a corned beef taco, served on a corn tortilla with piles of grated cheddar and shredded cabbage.

Albeit tasty, die-hard taco fans might take exception to this fusion, but Irish purists may as well embrace it. Turns out, corned beef is less a staple of the Irish as it is Irish-Americans, and those early Irish immigrants got theirs from Jewish delis (which helps explain that particular cultural crossover).

Now, foods that are more historically Irish in origin tend to feature the potato. (We can forget for a moment this tuber originated in South America). And it’s a potato dish that brought me too Hooleys. Because the main component of a boxty is an Irish potato pancake.

That’s not to be confused with other potato pancakes, including Jewish latkes, which are more like shredded potato fritters. A boxty, on the other hand, is closer to a crepe. It’s made by combining wheat with mashed potatoes, yielding a pancake almost smooth enough to top with maple syrup.

But that’s not what to do with a boxty. Instead, the potato pancake is served with — more likely wrapped around, like a crepe — a savory meat or fish filling, maybe bacon or smoked salmon. For $18, Hooley’s offers with a variety of fillings, including wine braised chicken, shrimp, or a traditional Irish stew. You may also order it filled with corned beef and cabbage.

I took mine with shepherd’s pie. That is, with the mixture of ground beef, carrots, peas, and onions that go into a shepherd’s pie. Here, the boxty itself replaces the usual mashed potato crust, and the whole thing is topped with gravy. My friendly bartender offered to bring an extra plate, in case I wanted to share with my wife. But I waved her off.

Instead, I bought the love of my life a pint of local IPA. I wanted the delicious boxty all to myself.