The Hoboken Girl Team 
Jersey City is gearing up to welcome a new speakeasy. Dead Rabbit NYC, the team behind the buzzy Irish/Mexican pub San Patricios, is opening a cocktail lounge underneath the Jersey City bar. Called The Life of Reilly, The Hoboken Girl first shared exclusive details for the new concept back in February. Now, The Life of Reilly is set to open on the lower level of 8 Erie Street on Wednesday, April 8th — and we got a sneak peek. Read on for more about the new speakeasy coming to Jersey City, The Life of Reilly.
About the Concept
The Life of Reilly is similarly inspired by Irish culture as is San Patricios. The team shared that The Life of Reilly, a phrase rooted in late 19th-century Irish-American music culture, will draw on Irish-American history and vaudevillian theatrics.
It’s also reflective of the layered legacy of John O’Reilly, an Irish immigrant who rose to lead the San Patricios battalion–which is celebrated in the upstairs cantina and pub. Visitors can expect a cabaret-style room with vintage Mexican and Irish playbills, posters, and performers, and more.
The drinks reflect the vaudeville and performance aspect of the concept, with cocktails shaken and stirred on-site, fruit juice made to order, and ice cut by hand. All the drinks are made with local fresh ingredients from different places in NJ/NY, but mostly NJ. The team says that it’s by design, “turning the act of making a drink into a performance, and the guest’s enjoyment of it into the point of the whole exercise.”
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The food menu consists of small (but mighty) plates: oysters, shishito peppers, shrimp cocktail, caviar (yes, really), fries, and churros. The vibes could be described similarly — a small, but infinitely cozy space apt for date night, drinks with the girls, or just anyone looking to enjoy the “good life.”
Jersey City’s newest cocktail lounge/speakeasy concept officially opens on Wednesday, April 8th.
San Patricios
San Patricios, the sister restaurant to Life of Reilly, opened in fall 2025. The name San Patricios references the Batallón de San Patricio, or the St. Patrick’s Battalion. This was a group of mostly Irish immigrants who fled Ireland during An Gorta Mór, or The Great Famine, in search of a safer, happier life. When they made it to America, they found themselves facing similar discrimination they received under British rule. Many were forced to join the US Army during the Mexican-American War, only to be back under the boot of Protestant Anglo-Saxons for being Catholic, poor, and Irish.
When they looked to the south, they found similarities with Mexico. The US was trying to take Mexico, just as Britain was trying to take Ireland. A crew of Irish soldiers then defected from the US to fight alongside Mexico, led by Irishman John Riley. They did not have strong odds, but they fought on, together, to the very end.
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For some, the San Patricios were heroes for helping Mexico during the Mexican-American War. For others, they were seen as traitors for helping an unjust attempt by Mexico to take back Texas.
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The menu at San Patricios has a little bit of everything from both Mexican and Irish cuisines. It features classic cantina drinks, modern Irish pub cocktails, and other Mexican and Irish dishes for brunch through dinner. Some of those signature drinks include Irish Coffees and Carajillos, Guinness, and Pacifico. The team stocks shelves with Irish whiskey, Poitín, tequila, mezcal, and Mexican agave spirits such as Raicilla, Bacanora, and Sotol.
The Life of Reilly opens in Jersey City on Wednesday, April 8th, at 8 Erie Street. Reservations are encouraged and can be booked here.
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