Business

Belfast man behind the Dead Rabbit pub to open New Jersey venue inspired by the Irish soldiers who fought with Mexico against the US

Jack McGarry announced San Patricios will open in Jersey City this Autumn

Split image showing Jack McGarry on the left and San Patricios branding on the right.
Belfast man Jack McGarry, managing partner of the Dead Rabbit Group has confirmed the company will expand into New Jersey later this year with San Patricios.
By Ryan McAleer

The Belfast-native behind the world famous Dead Rabbit pub in New York has revealed plans to expand his hospitality portfolio with a Mexican-themed venue in New Jersey.

Jack McGarry has confirmed San Patricios will open in Jersey City in the Autumn.

It will join the group’s growing portfolio of venues across the United States.

The north Belfast native originally established the Dead Rabbit with Sean Muldoon after the former Merchant Hotel employees switched sides of the Atlantic in 2012.

Mr Muldoon later left the Dead Rabbit to set up his own hospitality enterprise in South Carolina, with Mr McGarry overseeing efforts to expand the pub as a franchise across the US.

The Dead Rabbit bar is run by Belfast men Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry
The Dead Rabbit has opened venues in New York and Austin, with plans to expand into Washington DC and New Jersey.

Alongside its flagship venue in New York’s financial district, the Dead Rabbit has opened a venue in Austin, Texas and is planning another Dead Rabbit pub in Washington DC.

The group also runs The Irish Exit in New York’s Penn Station.

The Dead Rabbit Group said their latest venue is inspired by the connection forged between Ireland and Mexico during the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s.

The pub and cantina takes its name from the San Patricio Battalion, a group of mostly Irish soldiers who famously defected and fought alongside Mexico, evoking Ireland’s patron saint.

The pub group said the new venue’s theme will bring “together the warmth, wit, and craic of an Irish pub with the bold, familial, and rhythmic soul of a Mexican cantina”.

Jack McGarry said: “At The Dead Rabbit Group, we believe that Irish hospitality is for everyone.

“San Patricios is our chance to show that spirit through a different lens, one that honours the shared struggles and celebrations of the Irish and Mexican people.

“This is more than a concept, it’s a statement about solidarity, community, and cultural pride.”