Blarney Stone

Located in University City, Philadelphia, the Blarney Stone is decidedly a University of Penn student hang-out. The maple paneled walls of the Blarney is decorated with U of Penn Pennants and Jerseys. Even-though this reviewer is a Drexel University Alum, I'll try not to begrudge this pub a fair review.

The Blarney Stone appears to be a small pub from the exterior, but looks are deceiving. The front entrance opens up into the main bar area. This room has three large tables (seat 6) against the right hand wall. A few smaller tables line the left hand wall. In the center of the room against the back wall is the bar (seats about 20). Practically everything in the room is made of maple wood, and the bar is no different. The beer taps don't disappoint either, selections include: Strong Arm Cider, Michelob Amber Boch, Coors Light, Guinness, and Bass.

Behind the bar, a couple of steps above, there is an area that contains a couple of tables and a DJ. I was about half-way thru my Bass when I noticed that there was more to this area than just a DJ and a couple of tables. Off to the right of the first floor bar is a doorway that leads up a couple of steps to a landing where the DJ is. Opposite the DJ is another room that contains 2 pool tables and a few old fashioned diner booths. The bathrooms are housed up on the third floor.

For entertainment there are a couple of TV's, a video poker machine on the bar's countertop and a nightly DJ that spins 80's & early 90's tunes. The odd thing about the DJ was that he was spinning tunes that were retro tunes when I was in college back in 1994. Sure it's not that long ago, but I figured since he was playing to a mostly college aged crowd, the tunes would be a little more current - ah, what do I know, I don't make my living spinning plastic.

The crowd is college aged. What surprised the P-town crew the most was that the female patrons outnumbered the male, which is unusual for a pub. My guess is that the Penn guys are too busy pledging some frou frou fraternity, to pay attention to the women. My bad, I just couldn't keep my Drexel ire from rearing its ugly head. More plausible reasons for the attraction to the Blarney Stone might be its bright interior. Unlike normal pubs, this pub is well lit and the maple wood paneling brightens up the place.

One good thing about the Blarney Stone is that no matter where you walk around there is plenty of space for traffic. They've sacrificed space at the bar, so that standing patrons won't get in the way as people move to the back of the bar to play billiards and use the bathrooms.

Speaking of which, the bathrooms are a little bit scary. The rooms look like they're half finished. A few more tiles and maybe some drywall would do some good here. The entire third floor appears to be in a state of transition, so only time will tell if management tidies things up on this level.

Parking can be a bit of a bugger in this part of town, but it comes with the territory when visiting West Philly. Less than a half block away is another University City standard called Cavanaugh's. If you're in the mood for a mini pub crawl and you're in the neighborhood, these two pubs should be on your short list.

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