Tuesday, October 5th, 2010—Bar 268
Day 268—Monday, October 4th, 2010
O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
Okay, tonight I’m going to a bar that invited me to bring the crawl to it. Waaaay back when I went to Bar number 19, which was the Ginger Man, I met Tiffany and Griffin who were seated next to me. Griffin told me he tended bar at O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub and I told him I’d stop by sometime. Then time and bars moved on and I forgot about this. Well, Griffin’s on my email list and the other week I pestered the shit out of everyone on that list by sending out an email to them about this blog sent out an update about the blog to my list. Griffin sent me an email and invited me to O’Lunney’s. Very nice of him and it makes tonight’s destination a snap. It’s off to O’Lunney’s we go!
Summer's over and it's a rainy, chilly night in Manhattan. Oh well, just 15 more blocks to go.
And through the magic of the internet, here we are at O'Lunney's Pub. Let's go check it out.
Wow, crowded for a Monday night, let's go find Griffin.
And, once again through the fast-forward of the internet, we not only find Griffin, but are served up a perfectly-poured pint of Guinness. In addition to being a fine bartender, Griffin is a comedic actor and writer and part of the comedy group, Stuff Films. Check out their website here: Stuff Films and their YouTube channel here: Stuff Films on YouTube.
Grifffin topped it off with a shamrock, which can only lead to...
The traditional wearin' of the Guinness. Too rah loo rah loo rah.
Damien was another friendly barkeep on duty.
Here's the center of the bar with the hand-carved logo above. The entire bar is hand carved and very impressive.
There's long wooden tables and stools in the center of the bar to gather round.
And candle-lit dining tables line the outer brick walls.
Seated at the center of the bar were the lovely Sarah and Brooke. And guess what? They're in town from Sydney, Australia! I keep running into Australians on this bar crawl and that's nothing but a good thing.
There's a large selection of draft beers available at the bar and here's some of them.
Mosaic lamps hang overhead and illuminate the bar.
And this hallway leads to the other room...
With an equally enormous wooden bar on this side. Plenty of seats at the bar in this place.
But I'm staying loyal to Griffin's side of the bar and here he is in action.
I got to meet the owner, Hugh O'Lunney and the manager Norman. From left: Owner, Hugh O'Lunney, Yours Fooly, and manager Norman.
Seated next to me at the bar were Derek and Rebecca. They're in town from Sacramento, California and are a really cool couple. We had a nice conversation at the bar.
And then Griffin decided it was time for some shots to be had. He pours...
And we clink and drink. Cheers!
And three parting shots. (Yes, I'm going to run this joke into the ground like everything else I do here. You got a problem with that?) Goodnight, everybody!
Review
O’Lunney’s is a massive, sprawling, Irish bar in the heart of Times Square. The bar itself is a giant horseshoe, dark wooden bar that snakes around both rooms. You’re almost always likely to find a seat at this place. The bar is a family-owned business run by the friendly owner Hugh O’Lunney and his daughter, Maureen. The bartenders and staff are a nice and friendly crew and the cliental is a mix of after-work locals and tourists stopping in for a pint of Guinness and some traditional Irish atmosphere and food.
They have a full bar and a good choice of bottled beer and a dozen beers on tap including: Guinness, Harp, New Castle and Killians Red. Just like the bar itself the menu is large with four burgers to choose from, ten varieties of sandwiches and wraps and three types of steaks. Of course there’s a large selection of traditional Irish fare to be had and some of those offered include: Corned Beef And Cabbage, Bangers And Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Hash. There’s a daily dinner special offered every night of the week and a full lunch menu is also available daily. The kitchen is open late till 2am on Sunday’s and Monday’s and till 3am the rest of the week.
O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
145 W 45th St. (Between Sixth and Seventh Ave.)
212-840-6688
18 Comments
Reader Comments (18)
You correctly pointed out how impressive this bar is because of it's size. The carved back bar is equally impressive. I like that there is a Mr. O'Lunney, usually these irish places have names that start with O,,, like O'Shagmenow,,,but this is the real deal. Also I liked that the bartenders dress like bartenders,,,,old school,,,white shirt and tie.
Hand carved logo + hand carved bar = pride in ownership. O'Lunney's looks like a fun friendly place with a lot to be proud of!
Wow, impressive place. And I agree with Al, nice to see an Irish bar owned by a true Irishman! And I love the shamrock on the Guinness. Looks like a friendly place to while away the night. And I checked out Griffin's sites, funny stuff!
Wow! That place is HUGE! Love all the cool lighting (especially those stained glass doodahs hanging from the ceiling) and totally agree with Al - the white shirt and tie is classic. Glad to know that, even in the heart of Times Square, you can still find a family-owned joint. TO THE O'LUNNEYS! And TO GRIFFIN for bringing you in! Oh, and by the way, if there's any way to ship some corned beef hash to Ohio, please let me know ASAP. I'm Stahvin!
TO THE O'LUNNEYS! And TO GRIFFIN! And GO BROWNS!
those "wearing of the Guinness" shot never get old. and Griffin is frickin talented! love the stuff film link :) thanks for making me smile (again) Marty.......... !
That place is huge . Very Cool looking . Where does the stairs take you ?
TO : 268 !!!
@Jason: Glad you noticed the stairs, I forgot to put in the review that the upstairs is a room that can be rented out for private parties. It's open on St. Patrick's Day to the public and you can bet both floors are packed!
I wonder how they do the shamrock??? Is someone know?
very cool place, I love old school !! and I agree with Al for "the bartenders dress like bartenders" !
I thought we would have an extraterrestrial invasion for 2012, but it looks like Aussies stole the alien's idea! They are everywhere!!!!!!!!! But not much in France... :( However allot of French left to go to live in Australia! The 3 past years I've seen 3 friends, my cousin and my ex husband leaving France to go to live in Australia, and they all did it for the same reason... Well, midget said : "France you like it or you leave it" but only romani people get expulsed (cynical humor) others got ashamed of Sarkoland and prefer to leave and go to visit Kangaroos !!!! ;)
@Zioum Zioum: They do it using the tap in the foam somehow, I need to get a picture of someone doing this. I'll try at the next Irish bar.
This pub is massive. Haven't had a guinness in ages but the weather is starting to warm up down here so I'm sticking to the crisp drier beers.
The lamps are cool. Good to see an Irish bar that isn't corporate owned.
Happy daze....Fucking pissing down here at the moment also!
Looks like a great place, The 4 leaf clover thing is cool, They used to let us try our hand at many years ago at a bar called The Abbey around 24th and Lexington long since gone. It was a great place.
i love all the people you meet! this place was nice and huge. liked the night shot of the ny sidewalk. i'm going to go check out griffin's websites now.
Hey Marty - did you get the photo I sent you last week?
Wow! What a very cool Irish Pub that is. I like it very much and the nice smiling faces or everyone makes me smile.
Nice choice Marty!
@David Brooks: No I didn't. Could you send it again, maybe I accidentally deleted it, make sure you put something in the subject line because I get tons of spam. Thanks!
Gee, walked by this place a million times. Looks like I might have to give it a tumble sometime. Thanks for the ed-ju-ma-cation, Marty!
Oooo, carved wood even better than regular wood! And nice male eye candy again. And definitely have a soft spot for the family run places. Good luck O'Lunney's!!