Arthur Guinness began brewing his famous namesake porter at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland in 1759 and started a world-wide phenomenon. The velvety brew traveled with the Irish diaspora and endured wars, industrialization and globalization, becoming the ideal symbol of the Emerald Isle. 

Andrew O’Keefe began serving Guinness at his namesake Irish Pub & Restaurant in Tavares long before the locals knew what it was.

“We were the first to serve Guinness in Lake County,” he says. “My parents bought the tavern in 1984 and when I changed the name to O’Keefe’s Irish Pub in 1987, we started serving it on draft when most of locals drank their favorite standard pilsner.” 

O’Keefe’s was also ahead of the curve when they started their legendary St. Patrick’s Day block party, which was a huge part of Tavares downtown culture and was a mainstay for decades until 2020, when they had to send back the dozens of kegs and shut it down. They’ve taken the day off ever since. 

Andrew says everyone in the O’Keefe’s family has worked there at one time or another, including his wife, kids, his seven siblings and their extended family. His brother Terence is the head bartender/manager and still works behind the taps a few shifts per week.

The local trailblazer formally trained in the culinary arts has incorporated Irish-inspired pub food to the menu and added 51 Irish Whiskeys to the mix, another first for Lake County.

After decades at the helm of O’Keefe’s, Andrew is finally planning his first trip to Ireland. Fittingly, he says he plans to try the Guinness for . . . “research.”

“It’s funny, I’ve never tried Guinness right from the source, but I plan to try it everywhere I go,” he says. 

Staff Writer Gina Horan enjoying a Guinness in Dublin, Ireland.

Photos: Nicole Hamel and Provided