No matter what angle you use to look at this place, it reads Irish Pub all the way. Inside or outside, stained or merely cut glass windows, dark wooden interior, loud talking, crowds; this is Irish pub central and what better place to find a predictable pub lunch than O'Neill's with its rabbit warren of rooms and attentive staff. The lines looked long but I was cold and needed to sit for awhile so I tried it.
As in most pubs, the lunch is made in massive quantities and set out on steam tables. They do a decent job of keeping the food warm, but do not add to the ambiance, nor do they bode well for extraordinary nor inventive cuisine. This is bare bones hot food at best, but it is plentiful and affordable. No gastro pub pretense, this is the real deal, pub grub.
As you stand in line, you pass the blackboard with the daily specials listed, and then within a few minutes, if things go well, you have placed your order and are walking by the bar where you may choose to add "a pint" to your selection. You are also trying to find an empty table, a difficult feat at lunchtime.
My selection of roast pork was accompanied by a potato gratin, I use the term loosely because I detected no cheese, nor anything else to liven up the bland potato, not even salt. The peas and corn were overcooked as expected, and the gravy was from a tin no doubt. On a cold and wet day, this could pass as a decent lunch if you added two or more of those "pints" to it. After this pedestrian lunch and my return home, I noticed that the pub is also a restaurant and the linked menu indicates that I walked into the wrong door if I was looking for good food. It's worth trying again.
http://www.oneillsbar.com/
Suffolk Street
Dublin 2
(01) 679-3656
Fax: (01) 679-0689
Monday - Thursday 10.30am to 11.30pm
Friday & Saturday10.30am to 12.30am
Sunday 12.30pm to 11.00pm
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