Friday night at Shamrock Irons, 9pm start. The pub's got that laid-back corner stage setup that works for a weekend wind-down, good spot if you want live music without committing to a late late night.

You can post up close to the stage if you want to really watch or grab a table farther back if you're there for the full pub session with food. Most nights feature live music with no cover, so it's an easy drop-in whether you're catching a full set or just passing through downtown College Street for a pint and whatever's happening that evening.

Shamrock Irons is a downtown Asheville Irish pub hosting live music every night: Irish folk, acoustic singer-songwriters, and rotating cover bands. Guinness on draft, fish and chips on the menu.

"Typical pub atmosphere... fish and chips which was crisp, tasty and very good. Owner/waiter very accommodating friendly."

Shamrock Irons Irish Pub

Looking for the best bars in Asheville? Find cocktail lounges, dive bars, rooftops and live music spots downtown, on the South Slope and in West Asheville. Downtown, Little Jumbo pours cocktails in an old grocery on Broadway, The Crow and Quill stocks more than 800 whiskeys behind an easy-to-miss door on Lexington Avenue, and The Workshop Lounge has jazz inside The Foundry Hotel. Capella on 9 serves drinks with mountain views atop the AC Hotel, District 42 sits on Pack Square, and Cork & Keg pours wine inside The Weinhaus on Patton Avenue. 5 Walnut Wine Bar has live jazz and acoustic sets most nights, and Fitz and the Wolfe runs three rooms on Battery Park Avenue. On the South Slope, Banks Ave. hosts drag shows and DJ nights, and Sovereign Kava pours kava on Biltmore Avenue. Haywood Road in West Asheville has The Low Down under The Hop, wine and vinyl at Potential New Boyfriend, and late shows at The Odd and Fleetwood's. Out east, The Social is a neighborhood pub on Tunnel Road, and Town Pump Tavern and White Horse anchor downtown Black Mountain. When the night's over, call AVL Ride for the trip home.

Elijah Wise

The Scoop