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From 1896 to 1919, before the age of motion pictures, Redwood City’s Main Street was a cultural and social destination for all of San Mateo County. Housed within stately Roman-Spanish architecture and inviting up to 1,500 patrons per show, the Alhambra Theater – originally opened by Charles Josselyn of Woodside – hosted some of the best musical performances, operas and plays of the late 19th century for the “who’s who” of the Peninsula.
Sadly, the theater was forced to shutter in 1919 due to the growing popularity of cinematic film.
The elegant building, located on the 800 block of Main Street, was the last work of architect Arthur Page Brown, who is also known for historic landmarks in San Francisco, such as the Ferry Building and Trinity Episcopal Church.
Much of Alhambra’s beautiful character—original brick walls, hardwood floors, and floor-to-ceiling pillars—was salvaged, even after the façade suffered extensive damage from the 1906 earthquake and when the roof caught fire during its reconstruction in 2001.
The charming and family-run Alhambra Irish House currently occupies the ground floor of this historic site. From their website: “We chose to keep the smoke marks from the fire’s flames untouched on the brick walls near the back ceiling at Alhambra Irish House. You’ll also find the virtually untouched, original columns from the turn-of-the-century building down the center of our dining room. In this way, we hope to give our guests a sense of the rich history of the building.”
One of its most notable patrons was Wild West outlaw Wyatt Earp, who was a regular at the theater’s ground-floor watering hole, The Alhambra Saloon. By many accounts, Earp made the trek down from San Francisco’s Richmond District for the theater’s Grand Opening performance of “Men and Women.” His old flame from Tombstone, Arizona—Josephine Marcus—was an actress in the play. She remained his life companion for 46 years until his death.
The Pulse sat down with Erika Barry to chat about the storied history of the establishment and how her family chose Redwood City as home for their next venture.
Pulse: Given that Alhambra Irish House is a family affair, tell us your origin story.
Barry: My husband, Erik, and I met through friends on Valentine’s Day in 1997. I was on a Student Visa for a year, and he was here for a year on a company transfer from Dublin. Afterward, I returned home to Prague, thinking I’d never see him again. Luckily, he was able to travel back to Europe for work and came to visit me about a month later. After about 6 months, I moved back to the U.S. with him.
Pulse: I love this story. So, what inspired you and your husband to enter the restaurant business?
Barry: My husband always kept his job in research in the computer industry. He’s been there for over 30 years, starting in Dublin. But, he grew up in Southeast Ireland, in a coastal fishing town called Wexford on the Irish Sea, that was frequented by tourists. His parents had a guest house, so his mom would always cook for the people who stayed with them. He was always surrounded by food and hospitality. He also went to college in Dublin and played rugby, so he gained a lot of restaurant and bar experience working in rugby clubs there.
In 2000, we opened our first restaurant and pub in Mountain View called St. Stephen’s Green, which we own in addition to Alhambra Irish House.
Pulse: What attracted you to Redwood City, particularly this space, for your next venture?
Barry: We actually used to come here all the time for dinner when it was Martin’s West and just loved the building. So, once it was available, we knew we wanted it.
The architecture was beautiful, and the history of the building was interesting—the exposed brick walls, the bar, the floor-to-ceiling pillars from the theater. We changed the venue a little bit when we took it over, but we maintained the original hardwood floors, too, which are great for the bands and the dancers. The fact that it survived the earthquake and all these pieces are still here—it’s amazing.
Pulse: Tell us a little bit more about its storied past.
Barry: As you can see, Wyatt Earp’s picture is next to the bar. He would hang out down here, at the Saloon, and his second wife, Josephine, was an actress who performed upstairs at the theater – so he was a regular here. If you go outside, you can still see the sign that says “Alhambra” on the building. There’s also a beautiful staircase in the back that used to lead up to the theater (now offices are upstairs).
This is a flyer from the first show that took place here in 1896—before cinemas opened—called “Men and Women,” which we have displayed on the wall next to the picture of Wyatt Earp. Some people ask us why our name is “Alhambra” when we are an Irish pub, but we wanted to honor the building’s history.
Pulse: What differences do you see in your Mountain View and Redwood City restaurants? Do you offer different events or have different types of clientele?
Barry: In Mountain View, because of its location close to Apple, Facebook and Google, our clientele is more young professionals. In Redwood City, there are more locals – some living here for generations – and families. When we first opened in Redwood City, it was mainly food, drinks, and a little bit of entertainment that we had just got going. Then, when COVID hit, we had chefs and managers leave for the East Coast and had to evolve to a takeout model to survive the pandemic.
A lot of international people like to come here as well. They’re not all Irish, although many are. They’re from all different areas of Europe and elsewhere around the world. Some don’t have family here or many friends yet, so this is a place where they can come and meet other people. I’m from the Czech Republic and host monthly meetups here, where people who aren’t here can make new friends and establish relationships.
For singles, we offer things like line dancing on Mondays, which attracts a group of similar people who want to meet and mingle. We even get many high school or college students who come here to work on school projects and study the building because of its history. Maybe they’re studying Irish music or Irish writers, which we feature a lot of.
Pulse: How did you guys weather the storm through the pandemic, and how have you grown or changed since reopening?
Barry: We evolved to a takeout model at both restaurants and had to cut our staff. Luckily, since our three high school boys were home and out of school, they helped with lots of the deliveries. We all pitched in, and it was a family effort.
My husband does an amazing job of budgeting, management, and operations, and once we reopened, I got more involved in our entertainment and events. It started with one lady who ran a non-profit for music who wanted to perform here on Saturday afternoons, then others who saw that would come to ask us if they could perform here, and it sort of naturally took off from there. Now, we have many bands, singers, dancers, sporting events, trivia nights, and even a new flower workshop here. The Irish dancers are here twice a month, and trivia night is one of our busiest nights at both of our restaurants. Our talent is all from the San Francisco Bay Area, so it’s really nice to support our local community.
Pulse: Speaking of your sons, what is their current involvement in the family business/businesses, if any?
Barry: My eldest son is now old enough to bartend and enjoys it. So, he is one of our managers and bartenders. My youngest son really enjoys being in the kitchen, so he helps there. All of our boys helped out in different ways as they grew up: bussing tables and helping with inventory. We also took the kids to both Ireland and the Czech Republic every summer, so they have deep connections to both countries’ cultures, food, etcetera. We both grew up on farms, so when we returned with our kids, we spent lots of time farming and with the sheep and calves.
Pulse: Now, let’s talk about the food…what are your can’t-miss dishes?
Barry: The Fish & Chips are very popular – we get great reviews about our Fish & Chips. Then, we have our Shepherd’s Pie, Guinness Steak Pie, and Scotch Eggs. Our chicken curry is also very popular, and we serve it with rice or fries. And then there’s our weekend brunch, where we have Corned Beef “Irish” Eggs Benedict and Boxty (Irish potato pancakes), which are two of our most popular dishes. And obviously, our Irish coffee is amazing. Our chef (Karen Monaghan) and our manager (Mark Kelly) are from Ireland, allowing us to stay authentic.
Pulse: What special events do you have planned for St. Patrick’s Day that everyone should know about?
Barry: On St. Patrick’s Day, starting at 11:30 a.m., Alhambra Irish House will have the Jackie Flynn Irish Dancers perform. Then, we will have the pleasure of featuring the Dublin guitarist Stephen Ross. Lastly, DJ Chip will emcee our St. Patrick’s Day party from 3 p.m.-12 a.m. Visit our website for a complete list of St. Patrick’s events leading up to the big day, starting March 8.
Our normal operating hours are:
Monday: 4-10 p.m.
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday & Thursday: 4-10.pm.
Friday: 4-11 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m-11 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m-7 p.m. *12 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day
Editor’s Note: The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
