O'Callaghan's opened its doors in The Barnyard in 2020, built around a simple idea: Irish pub food doesn't have to be an afterthought. Managing Partner Brent Sepulvado set out to build something different on the Monterey Peninsula — a scratch kitchen, an in-house pastry chef, and an upscale Irish whiskey bar, all inside a space that still carries its original fireplace and bar, the heart of the room since long before O'Callaghan's arrived.
"The worst thing we can do is open without having our place together. We want to hit it right, otherwise we're just a place with good beer."
Every dish that comes out of the kitchen is made from scratch — the wing sauce, the soda bread, the clam chowder, the desserts. The bar program is built the same way: fresh juices, house concoctions, a real Irish whiskey selection, and not a pre-mix in sight. It's the kind of attention to detail that doesn't usually show up in a pub, and it's exactly the point.
Today, O'Callaghan's is the highest-rated Irish pub on the Monterey Peninsula — a gathering spot for World Cup matches, weekend live music, Thursday karaoke, and the kind of regulars who treat the patio like a second living room. Whether you're stopping in for fish and chips and a pint or booking the space for a private celebration, the goal has stayed the same since day one: make it feel like a proper pub, done right.
