There are worse ways of waiting for your hotel room to be ready than to hole up in an Irish pub. And, indeed, if that pub is Waxy’s in fabulous Fort Lauderdale, I can attest that you may not to choose to leave, even when the call comes.

Located on the 17th Street, just up from the Hilton and across from the Embassy Suites (and not too far from Port Everglades for those waiting to board a cruise ship), Waxy’s Irish Bar makes the most of its exterior setting in a strip mall, but inside more than lives up to its billing as a wee slice of Ireland.

Importantly (since one is in Florida), there is an outside patio, enabling guests to enjoy the Irish craic and the sunshine simultaneously.

Also known as Waxy O’Connor’s, the establishment has for the past two decades earned a reputation as a rugby pub, though nowadays there seems to be too many Manchester United football games for the liking of some regulars. Being the US, it’s also a place you’ll be sure to catch American football games on one of the 16 TVs.

The pub says it pours “the best Guinness this side of the Emerald Isle” – a serious claim for a drink that actually requires training to pour properly – but, embellished or not, the boast points to beer bona fides that also includes Harp and Smithwick’s and a dozen more drafts from across Europe, plus a similar number of American and local craft options.

Of course, there’s also wine, plus a dozen or so craft cocktails – notably the subtly named “Blind Lemon,” made with Jefferson bourbon, after the Blues great.

And food: what you’d expect from an Irish pub – fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, burgers, steak, lamb, and a chicken pot pie that earns raves; for dessert, there’s Jameson’s (i.e. Irish whiskey) bread pudding.

I can’t in good conscience advise anyone visiting Fort Lauderdale to skip the beach or to overlook the city’s many wonderous water activities or vibrant downtown for the sake of an Irish pub; but then again, who says I have a good conscience?

With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here:

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