Casey Moore's Oyster House has held the corner of 9th and Ash in Old Town Tempe for decades, an Irish pub that pairs fresh oysters with a full bar and one of the most reliable happy hours in town.
Published January 25, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
Casey Moore's Oyster House sits at 850 South Ash Avenue, on the corner of 9th and Ash in Old Town Tempe, a short walk from Mill Avenue and Arizona State University. The Phoenix New Times has long listed it among the area's enduring pubs, and Yelp logs more than 1,200 reviews of the converted 1910s house.
The format is part oyster house, part neighborhood Irish pub. The kitchen runs fresh seafood, sandwiches, steaks, and salads, while the bar pours a wide range of draught beer, bottles, whiskey, and spirits. Locals treat it as a default meeting point as much as a restaurant.
The room
The bar fills a century-old house, with indoor rooms downstairs and up and a large dog-friendly patio that does much of the heavy lifting in mild weather. The building carries a ghost story, named for a 19th-century free spirit said to still haunt the place, which the pub leans into rather than hides. Seating spreads across the patio and several interior rooms, so it absorbs a crowd without feeling packed.
What to order
Start with the oysters, the dish the name promises and the kitchen builds around, then work the draught list, which leans local and rotates. Happy hour is the value play and a regular fixture in Tempe, so time a visit around it for the best price on beer and bites. Expect $$ pub pricing, fair for fresh seafood and a full bar in a college town.
The crowd and best time to go
Students, ASU staff, and longtime locals mix on the patio, with the energy shifting from a lunch and happy-hour crowd to a louder late-night bar after dark. Weekday afternoons on the patio are the calm window; game days and weekend nights run busy and loud. Bring the dog for an afternoon and the patio is the seat to ask for.
What regulars say
Across Yelp and Tripadvisor the praise centers on the patio, the oysters, and the unhurried pub feel, with the haunted-house backstory a frequent talking point. The common caution is that weekend nights get crowded and loud, closer to a campus bar than a quiet seafood room. Service is described as friendly but stretched at peak hours.
Getting there
The pub sits at 850 South Ash Avenue on the corner of 9th and Ash, two blocks west of Mill Avenue and walkable from the Arizona State University campus and the Tempe light-rail stops. Street parking and small lots surround the building, though they fill on game days and weekend nights. The patio entrance faces Ash Avenue, so the dog-friendly side is the first thing arrivals see, and the light rail makes it an easy car-free stop on a wider Tempe night out.
Who it is for
This is for the oyster fan, the patio drinker with a dog, and anyone exploring Phoenix craft beer and pubs around Tempe. Skip it if you want a quiet, design-led cocktail room. For the wider metro, see the full Phoenix bar guide.
The verdict
Casey Moore's wins on longevity and the patio, a pub that has outlasted most of its neighbors by doing the basics well. Come for happy hour, take a patio table, and order the oysters. For more Phoenix beer and pub nights, compare Four Peaks Brewing and the sports-friendly The Vig. Our craft beer guide rounds out the list.
