Art After Dark returns to Houma
September 5, 2012
Chartering a Comeback
September 5, 2012
Quaint and hospitable, Mahony’s Irish Pub is readily identifiable as an inviting relic among the downtown-Houma nightlife scene.
Fixtures hanging from the wooden rafters keep the quaint establishment well lit, which allows outsiders to see unimpeded through the large glass windows, coercing on those special nights would-be passersby into joining the party. This, after all, is perhaps the most-identifiable quality of the close-quartered pub – discussion among neighbors here must be a universal certainty.
The aged-brick wall adjacent to the L-shaped bar – the room’s focal point – is decorated in marker with names of patrons who thought to preserve their memories. Stools, benches and small tables provide seating throughout the room.
Music is constantly piped in, but those who desire a more intimate setting can matriculate to an adjoining room, which is set around a foosball table.
Mahony’s is located in the heart of downtown, just east of where Belanger and Main streets intersect. As such, the tavern serves as a launch pad of sorts for those planning to venture upstairs into the live-music-featuring Downtown Balcony or to another club along the strip.
But Mahony’s is more than just a pre-game spot. On some nights, patrons remain until closing time, turning the room into a cacophony of chatter as moonlight bears down.
And regular drink specials, coupled with a five-hour Happy Evening five times a week, garners a fair share of evening regulars.
“It’s like ‘Cheers,’” says 28-year-old bartender Bryce Bourque. “Everybody knows your name.”
“Happy Hour” extends from 2 to 7 p.m. every weekday. Draught beer costs $2, and a $1 discount is applied to all other drinks.
Additional specials are in effect five days a week. Monday means Ladies’ Night, when women get free well drinks and draught beers after 9 p.m. Tuesday ushers in $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon pints and $3 Crown Royal drinks. Wednesday means $2 Abita pints and Mexican beer, and two-for-one well drinks and calls and $2 Guinness and Smithwicks are offered on Thursdays.
Mahony’s hosts its weekly foosball tournament on Sunday, also offering $1 PBR pints, $2 domestic beers and $3 well drinks for the players.
If the focus on one of the ultimate social drinking games isn’t enough to prove the establishment is activity friendly, perhaps the dartboard and video poker machines do the trick. A handful of flat-screen televisions are always tuned to sports.
Still, the bar makes a name for itself with the alcohol it offers. Bourque says the 100 varieties of beer available at Mahony’s is “definitely the largest (selection) in Houma.” Experimenters and loyalist cravers alike can savor malts not readily available elsewhere.
It’s the large selection that draws Logan Gautreaux, a 29-year-old Bourg native and frequent Mahony’s patron, to the pub. That, and the “mature crowd” that doesn’t seek out altercations, he says.
IF YOU GO:
Mahony’s, 7832 Main St., Houma. (985) 872-0284.
Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sat: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Sun.: noon to 2 a.m.
Mahony’s Irish Pub in downtown Houma serves more than 100 varieties of beer, including several on tap. The quaint, close-quartered tavern is conducive to striking relationships with fellow travelers.
