I would also give their food and beer selection an A+. Their fish and chips are probably the best I’ve had outside of the British Isles, especially the chips! The guinness and beef stew is excellent. I would highly recommend it. I haven’t tried the burgers, but Ireland never was known for their burgers. Stella and Kronenbourg on tap…..I’m loving this place!
I've tried the Dubliner twice now, and I was disappointed both times. I found the portions small, fatty, and overpriced. Not much to choose from, either. And why can't I get baccon on my cheeseburger, for crying out loud! I also found the place too loud to carry on a conversation. We had to sit by the door on my last visit, and we got blasted by a very cold breeze every time somebody came in.
Living less than 2 blocks from the Dubliner, I was really excited about it opening. A bunch of us went there within the first week of it opening. The atmosphere is great. Love the decor - they have Football jerseys displayed which is nice. Some in frames, others on mannequins - recommend that they ditch the mannequins and frame them all. The high ceilings are nice (although not very authentic to an Irish Bar.)
The service was horrible (to be expected upon opening) but the food was pretty good. The burger was the best thing. The fries and mayo were awesome. Outside of the burger, the portions are small. To me, fish and chips should be falling off the plate - especially for $12 - it's not. If you sit in the main bar area, the ventilation is pretty good. Even if there are a lot of smokers, it doesn't seem smoky. The upstairs is another story - but at least you have a choice.
Between then and now, things have progressively changed. The service has gotten better (not great, but better) but the food has gotten worse. The portions are smaller and some items were even brought to the table cold.
I went in to talk to the manager one day on my way home from work to give him my opinion and observation. He seemed uninterested. I guess I should talk to the owner of the building who I believe is an investor. I thought for a while that Mosaic was going to take a big hit but if the Dubliner continues it's downward spiral, they have nothing to worry about.
Regarding the sound... I guess I'm too old but it's just too loud in there. You can't have a decent conversation without yelling. BTW, if you ever here that the U2 cover band Vertigo is there, don't bother unless the lead singer is sick. The band is great, the singer is horrible. He may look like Bono but that's where the comparison should end. And to make matters worse, the audio mixer turned up his mic so even if he was Bono, it would have been bad. As it was, it was excruciating.
Overall, now I consider the Dubliner a place to get good beer and maybe a good burger (as long as that doesn't change). The bartenders can make a decent Black and Tan. The started with an A- and are now at a C+.
I think that noise is a problem with any bar/restaurant in a loft-like space - it's just the way it is in places with high ceilings. The noise at Flannery's can be ridiculous too.
I would hate to see Dubliner go down because they cannot take criticism or that the manager cannot understand customer's needs. I agree that the food servings are small (European..... another authenticity thing ). This place has a lot of potential if they can pay attention.
I was there on Sat night. Overall, the experience was OK. The service was actually very good. Could be busier though. It seems as if it's "almost-there"
I want this place to succeed, and it seems to be doing so.
One thing that stood out:
They probably have the dirtiest mens bathroom I've seen downtown, and I've been to Dapper Dan's plenty of times.
By the way, I was joking with the Bar staff that in order to be truly authentic, they should serve Guiness in a Guiness glass, Stella in it's own, etc. I did see them serving Stella in it's own bar glass, but the Guiness was served in plain or Guiness glass.
It seemed almost a cardinal sin in Ireland to serve a beer in a plain or "incorrect" glass.
bsharmastl wrote:By the way, I was joking with the Bar staff that in order to be truly authentic, they should serve Guiness in a Guiness glass, Stella in it's own, etc. I did see them serving Stella in it's own bar glass, but the Guiness was served in plain or Guiness glass.
It seemed almost a cardinal sin in Ireland to serve a beer in a plain or "incorrect" glass.
Just a little bit of nonsense on my part.........
I agree. 33 in Lafayette Square manages to do that, despite serving some very obscure beers. If they can do it, The Dubliner can do it with Guinness, for pete's sake.
bsharmastl wrote:By the way, I was joking with the Bar staff that in order to be truly authentic, they should serve Guiness in a Guiness glass, Stella in it's own, etc. I did see them serving Stella in it's own bar glass, but the Guiness was served in plain or Guiness glass.
It seemed almost a cardinal sin in Ireland to serve a beer in a plain or "incorrect" glass.
Just a little bit of nonsense on my part.........
I agree. 33 in Lafayette Square manages to do that, despite serving some very obscure beers. If they can do it, The Dubliner can do it with Guinness, for pete's sake.
But the guys at 33 (bartenders and owners) are especially nice and talk to you and take suggestions.
The manager at the Dubliner has that STFU look on his face before you even open your mouth.
bsharmastl wrote:By the way, I was joking with the Bar staff that in order to be truly authentic, they should serve Guiness in a Guiness glass, Stella in it's own, etc. I did see them serving Stella in it's own bar glass, but the Guiness was served in plain or Guiness glass.
It seemed almost a cardinal sin in Ireland to serve a beer in a plain or "incorrect" glass.
Just a little bit of nonsense on my part.........
I agree. 33 in Lafayette Square manages to do that, despite serving some very obscure beers. If they can do it, The Dubliner can do it with Guinness, for pete's sake.
But the guys at 33 (bartenders and owners) are especially nice and talk to you and take suggestions.
The manager at the Dubliner has that STFU look on his face before you even open your mouth.
Well I like the food and beer selection at Dubliner's so I am going to give my piece of mind to the manager.
I will have to try 33. I like Sqwire's a lot (expensive wine, but very good pairing with food)
Slaten is definitely a questionable character. I remember many years ago I played against his basketball team in the parkway league. Mid game antics included multiple shouting matches with the fans (both teams'), referees, our coaches and players (we were about 10). After multiple threats to adults and children alike he was ejected. Before making his exit he grabbed the ball while in play and drop-kicked it into the stands. The guy is a freakin pyscho.
Blzhrpmd2 wrote:Slaten is definitely a questionable character. I remember many years ago I played against his basketball team in the parkway league. Mid game antics included multiple shouting matches with the fans (both teams'), referees, our coaches and players (we were about 10). After multiple threats to adults and children alike he was ejected. Before making his exit he grabbed the ball while in play and drop-kicked it into the stands. The guy is a freakin pyscho.
You should have heard him at the SLU-UMSL game last year. Ridiculous.
Fortunately, this year Kevin Lisch LOCKED DOWN Troy Slaten, holding him scoreless until the end of the game.
I've been to one of the remote broadcasts by slaten and his crew and they are idiots.
The "producer" was doing trivia in a commercial break and his question "Who was the blues goalie that let up the goal in 1996 to Steve Yzerman in double OT?" My answer "John Casey" His response "Wrong!"
HE said it was grant fuhr. But grant fuhr had blown out his knee when nick kyprios cheapshotted him in the first round against Toronto.
So I call him out at the next break. "Whatever buddy." is what I get. I turn to Slaten and ask him who he thinks is right. He turns his head and ignores me. I say "You guys call yourself a sports station. I'm never listening again." They mumble at my back as I walk away. And I havn't.
I believe this guys version 100 times more than slaten's. And I imagine the bar tried to lessen the incident so they're not liable, since I am guessing they invited 590 there.
). This place has a lot of potential if they can pay attention.
