The quiet via dei Rossi is home to the remodeled The Irishman, which was originally owned by another local, Antonio Tortorelli, who opened the bar in the 1970s as a casual space where he could socialize with friends over a drink. Fast forward to 2012, the year Kieran Patten first visited the city with his wife, Donna Passannante, and experienced that expat-familiar feeling that he’d somehow come home. His then crazy-seeming dream of opening a bar in Siena’s center became easier to realize once he befriended Tortorelli and the two of them started discussing the idea of Patten taking over one day. 

It’s now been nearly two years since Tortorelli’s death, but Patten, an Irishman from Dublin with Siena’s architectural silhouette tattooed on his forearm, has recently reopened The Irishman, formerly named The American Bar when it was under Italian ownership (which has also been known by some locals as Bar 115, for its street address) in Tortorelli’s honor. The medieval cellar-like rooms have been respectfully updated to fit Patten’s vision, with sleek banquettes and new lighting, while maintaining original elements—like the tufa in one of the walls and an old well that’s visible through the floor. On offer are classic American and craft cocktails as well as eight beers on tap, including a Brooklyn IPA and Irish Guinness, both nods to Patten and Passannante’s other beloved cities.   

The food will be substantial enough to make any visit into a full meal. On opening weekend, the focus was on the aperitivi boards, which automatically accompany first drinks, featuring a creative trio whose star is the pimento cheese vol-au-vent-style tart, which has already won over the locals. But the full menu will offer both American and Italian “elevated comfort food”, says Patten. Rather than add more versions of Sienese classics to the city’s existing Tuscan spots, Patten wants to give Siena an eatery with things that can’t be found elsewhere.

The Irishman (which he and Passannante refer to as “the American bar with an Italian accent…and Irish hospitality”) will stick to the local practice of using the highest-quality ingredients from Sienese and Tuscan producers, but for things like “a superlative burger, a superlative fried chicken sandwich,” in Patten’s words—to guarantee a great meal for those who want to eat out in a non-trattoria setting. And even in this bar scene, you can end the meal with something sweet—the banoffee pie might be worth the trip alone. 

The Irishman is a true hybrid of the cultures it has been born from. Patten’s philosophy of hospitality effuses the place with warmth and a spirit that makes every hour of the evening feel like a party, whether you’re a local or a tourist or a Florentine expat. “There are no strangers in Kieran’s life.” says Passannante, “There are only friends he hasn’t met yet.”