Express Old Town Alexandria Self-Guided (GPS) Audio Walking Tour, Virginia - Pub Crawl

Our first stop is a one-two punch, a two-fer, a double date, a duo if you will. Yup, The Light Horse and Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub are right next to each other so I’m gonna tell you about BOTH of them right now.

So, the Light Horse has been pouring a lot of effort and energy into updating their restaurant. You know, keeping up with the Joneses. They just recently renovated their first floor, and added a new outside patio. You will definitely notice those upgrades, but some that you might now notice are the hospital grade air filters, and UV lighting air purifiers on all of their HVAC systems.

I mentioned the renovated first floor but the upstairs isn’t too shabby either. It can be a bit loud, boisterous and rowdy, but in the absolute best ways. It’s like a neighborhood gathering place meets sports bar and skee-ball, and shuffleboard shows up and brings along a karaoke machine. Yeah, it’s like that.

Wait, but is there live music? Of course there is! Just check out their calendar. And food? Yes, there’s food. A few of my favorite menu items are the bacon wrapped dates, the scallop and lobster risotto, and honestly - their grilled cheese sandwich. I love a good grilled cheese and Light Horse has it figured out.

Beer? Obviously. The last time I checked they had almost 20 beers on tap and some amazing and creative specialty cocktails. Ever had a blackberry pecan old-fashioned? Well maybe it’s time.

How about we switch our focus over to Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub?
Murphy’s is all about authenticity. This place has been feeding hearty Irish meals to the masses since 1978. And by Irish, I’m talking Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, and Shepherd’s Pie.
Unfortunately, Murphy’s doesn’t serve any Guinness Beer. I’M JUST KIDDING! Head in there for a perfect pour of Guinness Draught. There’s also more Irish favorites like Smithwicks and Kilkenny.
Along those traditional Irish lines, Murphy’s has free, nightly live Irish music along with local alternative entertainment.
Also, keep in mind their Happy Hour starts early - 3:00 to be exact, so keep that in mind. And I know this might sound really random, but Murphy’s Irish actually has a running club. Yup. From beginners to crazies, runners gather upstairs on Wednesday nights to head out together to get in a mid-week run. I don’t see the draw here, but whatever. I’m not a runner.
You can also find all of your favorite sports teams playing on Murphy’s large screen TV’s while you wait for your crazy running friend to get back from their Wednesday night jaunt.

Ok, why don’t we go ahead and move on? Please head East on King Street and then turn right on South Royal.
Downtown Alexandria is as cute as it is fun, so enjoy the scenery as you walk along.

Our next stop is the Brut Champagne and Wine Bar. It’s on the right side of the street. Just look for the sign.

Ok, before you go into this bar, let me answer the question that might be burning in your mind. Is Brut the name of a company, a type of wine or a variety of grape? If you guessed any of those three options, you would be wrong! The short and simple answer is this - Brut is the French word for dry. So, Brut sparkling wine is basically a dry sparkling wine. Brut can also be used to describe Champagne. Champagne with a capital C, which means it is made in the French region of Champagne.

Ok, now you can go on into the Brut Champagne and Wine Bar and know a little more than you did a few minutes ago. Now get on in there and try out a few champagnes. The staff there is friendly and knowledgeable and LOVE to share their knowledge with all who enter. Oh, I almost forgot. There’s food too. Interesting food like Yellowtail tartare, truffled egg toast and hickory-cherrywood smoked duck breast.

After this stop, it’s time to walk off some of this alcohol. Please continue down South Royal Street, turn left on Prince Street and then left on South Fairfax Street. And again, enjoy the scenery.