Luck of the Irish near the Ballpark

Luck of the Irish near the Ballpark

Review of: O’Neill’s Irish Pub

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

4/21/2006

After what seems like a year of waiting, O’Neills by the ballpark is open! i’m live-reviewing it from the bar, a mere two hours after opening.

More to come as the night progresses…

It’s just a few minutes before 6 and I’m well into my second pint of Murphy’s while waiting for the missus… The bar has a raucous vibe ans Eoin O’Neill, owner of both this branch and its sister bar in San Mateo is beaming with pride… shaking hands and welcoming the neighborhood inside.

7pm now… three Murphy’s, a Magner’s cider and a hefty pour of Michael Collins (a great whiskey from the independent Cooley distillery) and life is fine…

7:30 and the fourth Murphy’s is underway. The bar is still doing a brisk business and the staff is unfrazzled. A lack of bathrooms (only a single men’s and a lone women’s room may be an issue. Still, the vibe is great…

8:20 – The night is over. Overall, the bar is great. I wish that the Magner’s was on tap and that there were a few more bathrooms, but overall, I’m ecstatic that O’Neill’s is in my neighborhood!

The morning after…

It’s Saturday morning, and now that I’m on my laptop, not trying to write a review from my PDA, it’s time to give some final thoughts on O’Neill’s.

I’ve been patiently waiting for O’Neill’s to open for what seems like months. Originally slated to open no later than March 1, due to problems with the contractors it didn’t open its doors until April 21, missing Opening Day, St. Patty’s Day and at least a half dozen home games where the hordes that invade the neighborhood would be more than happy to shell out $5.75 for a pint of stout.

Honestly, even though construction had kicked into gear over the last few weeks, I still had no idea when it was scheduled to open. If it was not for the fact that I elected to work from home Friday afternoon and that I couldn’t think of anything better to have for lunch than Quizno’s, I wouldn’t have known. However, the fates conspired to have me walk by the bar a little after noon, and seeing how close the bar was to finishing its construction, I just had to ask when it was opening. The sign installer looked at his watch and said “3pm”.

By the time I got to the bar a few minutes before 5, it was already halfway full of neighborhood denizens who, on their way back from lunch or on their way home saw that the bar was open and decided to stop in. It’s obvious that my neighborhood has been craving a new bar, especially one that is open every night until 2am.

The bar is beautifully appointed: dark wood, stenciled gold lettering and hand painted scenes from the St. James and Lady’s Well breweries. The mahogany bar is the definite centerpiece, large enough for 6 bartenders to be working along side of a couple of bar backs.

My largest worry are the crowds that are sure to wreak havoc during game nights. Sure, there are enough days where we’ll be able to enjoy the bar with the locals, but how much damage to this new neighborhood gem will be done by the throngs of baseball fans?