One Pub, Many Stories: The Heart of ‘Long Story Irish Pub’

By Jillian Butler

As wallets tighten under economic uncertainty and SDG&E  prices soar to astronomical highs, a beloved Ocean Beach gathering place is fighting to keep its doors open.

Owned by Kyle Schubert, Long Story Irish Pub has been a community hub for people hailing from all walks of life -– from aspiring musicians playing at their Tuesday open mic nights to Little League teams celebrating a win over lunch, to sports fans catching a Padres game.

A seasoned restaurateur, Schubert moved from Sacramento to San Diego to both open Long Story Irish Pub with his friends and to be with his long time partner, Azure. The namesake of his pub is a tribute to the “long story” of his love for Azure. Schubert met his partner when he was only 13 years old, and followed her down to San Diego decades later, laying down roots here.

Long Story is a cozy venue with hospitable staff, mirroring traditional pubs from the Old Country. Guinness flows easily on tap and there is a robust selection of whiskeys. Unlike many bars in the area, Long Story is a space that welcomes anyone. The pub has served partiers on Saint Patrick’s Day, active duty military and veterans celebrating the Marine Corps birthday, funeral wakes, and families stopping in for a bite to eat. Even dogs are welcome. During the government shutdown, pub regulars teamed with Schubert to serve free meals to furloughed federal workers.

Last week, Schubert took the time to meet with me and discuss his experience running the pub, serving the community, and the struggles the future yields. Since opening in 2021, Long Story has quietly become part of Ocean Beach’s patchwork of neighborhood institutions — less flashy than the bars on Newport’s main drag, but deeply woven into the community.

After the initial new restaurant excitement wound down, so did patronage. Schubert addressed the Ocean Beach community stating:

“This place has never been a business to me – it’s always been a community. But right now, we’re in a real pickle.”

Issues like parking and not being located on Newport Ave. fed into this problem. Like many small businesses in Ocean Beach, Long Story has been hit hard by rising SDG&E rates. Running industrial kitchen equipment has become increasingly expensive, and unlike national chains, independent bars don’t have corporate buffers to absorb the costs. While a GoFundMe exists, Schubert stressed that what keeps the lights on is something far simpler: neighbors walking through the door, ordering a meal, and spending an evening together.

Despite looming economic hardships, the spirit of Long Story remains the same. Last week, I was able to attend their open mic night, and it was the most fun that I have had in months. The pub was decked out in full Christmas festivities. An emcee with a brash sense of humor and equally eclectic sense of fashion led the event, making sure that all musicians had their chance to play. Music ranged from The Doors covers to traditional Irish folk songs. A warm, smiling bartender ensured that food was served and everyone’s glasses were full. It was a night of laughter, good music, and the unmistakable OB spirit.

When I asked Schubert what his favorite part about owning Long Story was, Schubert told me it was the patrons that he met while serving the community. He credits customers for helping him grow as a person and making him more outgoing, saying this experience has “changed his life”.

In a neighborhood built on community, Long Story Irish Pub is exactly the kind of place Ocean Beach risks losing if residents don’t show up for the businesses that show up for them. For Schubert, the pub isn’t just a job. It’s a shared space shaped by the people who walk through its doors. Whether it survives may depend on whether OB continues to treat it like the home it has become.