2007 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103   

Phone: (215) 568-5603

Upon entering The Irish Pub, immediately to your left is the front portion of the pub shown in the picture above. This area, which juts out onto the Walnut Street sidewalk, is lined with tables and chairs for the clientele to observe the passers-by while enjoying a smooth creamy glass of Irish Stout. I think this addition to the building was a smart move because the inner bar, in the shape of a huge square, takes up approximately 80 % of the bar area.

Continuing further into the establishment, you find yourself at the threshold of the main bar area where all of the magic happens. Well, magic doesn't literally happen, but this is the room that contains the main bar and also where beer flows from the four corners of this grande solid wood bar which looks as if it has seen its share of pub crawling over the years.

There are about 6 TV's mounted high above the bar, mostly showing sports programs.The walls are a mixture of real wood paneling and glass. A narrow corridor runs the length of the building on the right side, in which is decorated with posters and pictures on one wall and window panes which over look the grande bar area.

Further back into the Irish Pub is a dining area, that turns into a nice spot for conversation with new or old friends as the midnight hour draws near. The interior of the Irish Pub is very reminiscent of another bar in the area called The Bent Elbow, located in Fort Washington, PA. 

The bottom line is that the Irish Pub is an interesting place to go to, but if you are not a fan of crowds, this isn't the place for you. By virtue of it's name, the Irish Pub attracts a crowd. The clientele are 20 somethings, who are perhaps just starting to hit the pub scene, aka rookies. On the particular night that I was there, we closed the bar, but were still able to walk out of the place without stumbling (and this is after 3 Irish Stouts). I can't say the same for quite a few other patrons leaving the place.

Unbelievably it took me until Sept 1999 to visit this center city stalwart.  The reason for this was that the Irish Pub is located in an area where there are few other bars/pubs within walking distance. The Walnut Street area has an reputation as being a Philadelphia Mecca for high cuisine since it is lined with establishments like Striped Bass, LeBec Fin, Circa, and Susanna Foos. These places aren't the sort of establishments that the laid back pub crawler patronizes when out for a relaxing (and inexpensive) evening with friends. Recently The Bards and Cutters (both within 2 blocks of the Irish Pub) have become the "in" places to commiserate over a frosty brew, so the climate in this area  is starting to change.

Even though these haute couture establishments are well within spitting distance of the Irish Pub, it is doubtful that there will be any cross pollination of patrons. But hey if you have dinner at Circa and are itching to get rid of that tie and throw back a few Guinness, the Irish Pub might just be the place for you to end up at, at the end of the night.

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