urbanSTL

Re: The feel of the Dubliner:



When the place isn't packed it can have a very cold, empty feel to it, the raw loft look certainly doesn't help the Irish pub ambiance. But when there is a band playing on the balcony and enough people, I love the place. If you don't like the place when there is a good crowd, try the upstairs bar. It has a much cozier, pub feel to it and the Guinness is much better up there anyway (shorter lines from the kegs).



Maybe Dubliner needs to find something to fill up some of that space and break up the monotony of the exposed loft ceiling and ductwork. I think a few antiques hanging from key places of the ceiling would go a long way; maybe a large, antique wagon close to the front entrance. If you have ever been to a Fado, some of their decorations are pretty cheesy when observed in isolation, but overall their bars have a much cozier pub feel even though they are in large, open spaces.



Just another random thought...with a bit more $$$, it would have helped immensely to have built/extended the balcony along the east wall over the booths, with an ornate staircase in the southeast corner near the entrance, and then have placed stools and small bar tables up there overlooking the bar.

^ You brought up a lot of great points...as the Dubliner is a good place that could be a great place with a few tweaks.



I went for the first time a few weeks ago, specifically, on a Sunday afternoon following the last day of our woefully mediocre auto show. The place was rather quiet, and I had no problem finding a parking spot out front after bailing out of the old Stix/Dillard's garage by the convention center. (Normally, I would've walked, but it was the one of the first days of our bitter cold streak.) Of course, road crews tore up that stretch of Washington Avenue in front of the Dubliner a week or so after my first visit, so hopefully it will be done soon and not have a negative impact on business there.



The food and service were excellent on my first visit, and as always, the Smithwick's hit the right spot. Like others here, I think the place just needs a few changes for a better overall feel and experience. I was surprised by the half-ass condition of the bathrooms for such a new place, and the place would benefit from changes to make it feel a bit more intimate (although I'm sure that vibe is better when there's music and/or more customers).



Since there is breakfast on the menu, I'd also like to see them open early on at least some weekend mornings, because it would be a great place to see a football match on the telly. Uh, what did I just say?

They (last year) only had football (our football) on one TV. The rest had Rugby and Hurling on it).



I agree this would be a kick as* place to have the NFL ticket. I would be there on Rams "non home" games from 11-6.......

I noticed today that they have a deal where during happy hour, you get a dollar off pints for showing proof of a city address.

Whole City or just Downtown address?

THE WHOLE CITY!!!!!!!!

And...... what does that mean? Does Dub decede what is the "city" now? There are boundaries drawn up from the municipal point of view, but I am not sure how Dub bartenders will know (unless they are doing by zip)

bsharmastl wrote:And...... what does that mean? Does Dub decede what is the "city" now? There are boundaries drawn up from the municipal point of view, but I am not sure how Dub bartenders will know (unless they are doing by zip)

I guess they just know. Maybe they have a list.

DeBaliviere wrote:I noticed today that they have a deal where during happy hour, you get a dollar off pints for showing proof of a city address.

Let's hope the anti-discrimination lawyer-types don't hear about this.

Discrimination like this is good. I like getting stuff county people don't. Particularly because we get pooped on a lot by living in the city.

If bars can give women happy hour deals just because they have,...um..., well anyway, I should get a deal for living east of Skinker. My buddy used to be a bartender at a bar in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood in Washington DC. The bar was called Madame's Organ and every day, all day, red-headed women got 1/2 price Rolling Rock. Go figure.

Next time in DC, I'll check 'er out!

last I worked there they said the discount on pints was going to be for all city dwellers ALL the time. not sure what they ended up doing.

First time - Saturday Jan 11 - evening - packed house on cold Saturday January Night - The food was excellent and this place is HUGE! ! ! Wow! Great to see. Saturday Night was packed downtown everywhere!

For those of you that haven't had a pint at the Dubliner lately, here are a few recent pictures I took...

Is that Antwerp?

SShoe wrote:Is that Antwerp?

Ding ding!

Framer wrote:

DeBaliviere wrote:I noticed today that they have a deal where during happy hour, you get a dollar off pints for showing proof of a city address.

Let's hope the anti-discrimination lawyer-types don't hear about this.

What's illegal about this? It's not based on race, gender, religion or the other isms so there's no legal prohibition against doing this.

<sarcasm>

^ Anti-suburbanism

</sarcasm>

innov8ion wrote:For those of you that haven't had a pint at the Dubliner lately, here are a few recent pictures I took...

I wanted to go, but I couldn't find a place to park that was less than 100 feet away. They need more angled parking. And look at those hideously wide sidewalks! In any case, the whole city is a dump. They need to get rid of all those dirty ugly old buildings and build more surface parking lots; then maybe someone would want to come visit.

They should build a skywalk connecting it to the office building across the street so people don't have to be exposed to the elements.