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