Blarney Stone

This is a review for early dinner and drinks.
Being a Vancouverite, this place has been around for ages. Until New Years Day, I had never been (purposely avoided).
We were headed to a hockey game and met up with some friends visiting from the UK. Being New Years Day not much was open. It was 4pm, so the spots that we’re going to be open at 5pm for dinner were not a option.
We stared out with a round of Caesars, which were delicious and come with about 4 toppings. For my main, I ordered the shepherds pie. The portion was massive and so good I ate it all! My boyfriend had the Guinness Pie and had the same comment. I was pleasantly surprised with the food. We had a few rounds of beer, a selection to meet all preferences.
As we left the bar was filling up, not sure what the atmosphere would be like when it’s packed. When were there it was super laid back, not too loud, and really comfy.

Nice vibe, pretty good playlist, and very clean bathrooms; awesome! We also played a couple of card games because you can borrow boardgames from the bar. I ordered the lipstick jungle, and although it tasted good, I didn’t taste any alcohol in it. Our server was great and attentive. I would definitely come back here to try some of their food.

Food is terrible. I feel for people who think this is a ‘typical’ Irish pub. The only thing Irish about it is the name! No Irish staff, expensive drinks, and no atmosphere. Try the Irish Heather right next door instead if you want authentic Irish.

This place is okay. It’s your typical Irish pub, with two levels, live music, and a dance floor. Seeing as the Foggy Dew Irish Pub is five minutes from my house, I can’t really justify going all the way downtown to pay cover for something that I can enjoy closer, and for free entry and coat check!
The two times I’ve been have been just okay. They have a fun list of shots you can order. I think you can get like two for one or something. If there was a birthday party here or something I would go, but for a night out on my own accord, probably not.

I had supper this evening at the Blarney Stone.
It’s a big pub … they have lots of room in the back and upstairs. But everyone was sitting in the front, near the open windows and at the bar.
I saw a woman pouring her beer into a water bottle, which she put into her purse before she left. Hmmmm …
When she and the fella she was with left, I moved over to their table as it was on the patio. Other than a couple people stopping to ask for spare change, it was a nice spot to be.
I ordered Roasted Garlic Hummus and Chicken Wings with Honey Garlic sauce. Both were delicious. The honey garlic sauce had a bit of a bite, which I liked.
Sarah was my server. She was friendly and took good care of me.

I used to travel here from the burbs for my 19 and 20-​year-​old party shenanigans. Now I work in Gastown and frequent Blarney for the occasional beer and stodgy lunch.
It’s a great lunch spot! Good beer specials, lunch and daily discounts… and a nice hightop table to pull up to and watch the um… colourful people at the crossroads of Gastown and the Downtown Eastside.

If i could give zero stars I would. Not only did they search our bags as if we were going through airport security but they charged a hefty cover fee. This is an irish bar cmon.

I can’t give the folks here anything less than 5 stars after how good they were to us after the U2 shows in May. Had a group of about 20 of us from all over the continent who became friends through the band and I decided to put on a bit of a party the Saturday night after the concerts. The people at the Blarney Stone were amazing to work with, we put together a nice menu of appy food to have with drinks and had our own little private area (with bar!) upstairs. They put on a playlist of U2 tunes for us — the city was still buzzing from the shows so it was perfect — we also had a TV running some U2 concert videos as well. Everyone who was there thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I wouldn’t hesitate to book a group event with them if I lived locally. Thanks again guys, you made our night really special.

Defintely a good night out and recomended for any type of night. For large groups, they have more secluded private tables, but for smaller 1 – 2 sized groups they have longer community tables which is great for meeting new people. I went when the place wasn’t packed, but crowded enough to cover the dance floor while having a good personal space. This made it super enjoyable and took away the shoulder-​shoulder clubby aspect of going out. The drinks are alittle pricey, but thats what happens when you drink at any bar. Look online for their daily specials, which include discounted food and drinks. I’d give the truffle fries a ⁶⁄₁₀ but still is great finger food for any tipsy individual. Other drinks tasted:
— the lipstick jungle: ⁸⁄₁₀
— long island ice tea: 7.5÷10
— car bombs: ⁹⁄₁₀

I can’t attest to this place as a nightlife venue, but since I work nearby I’ve been here for lunch many times and always have a good experience.
The interior of this place is actually really nice — it has a genuine Gastown-​y/​European old style pub feel, but with some great modern features (read: possibly the biggest projector screen I’ve ever seen in a pub). The upstairs mezzanine area is cosy and great for viewing said projector. There’s also a few armchairs to lounge around in, and in summer a decent patio along the sidewalk.
The staff, although ridiculously clad in tiny kilts, are always friendly. The drinks are reasonably priced, and there’s usually a decent daily special (both for food and drinks). I despise the unwieldy, never-​cold beer mugs they serve in though!
The food is also quite good. I’ve really enjoyed the salads, nachos and yam fries I’ve tried here. I’m also told the bangers and mash and pies are great.
This is also a perfect place to watch sports — the number and quality of the screens is ideal. All in all a solid, non-​hipster option in Gastown.

Sat down with 2 coworkers. Order beer and appies. Waited 30 mins while waitress flirted with bartender. When asked about drinks. She said soon. Then saw her chatting with another waitress in the back. Left after 40 minutes. Was maybe 20 people in there for the football game. Complete waste of time. Smells like
Bleach and puke inside.

I want another Irish Coffee right about now! Service was friendly and fast. They have awesome cider on tap that is served with ice. We ate the shepherds pie that tasted great. Free wifi and great vibe.

Came here to get a beer.
Parking is available on the streets, but good luck trying to find a spot.
The interior is somewhat unique, with the mezzanine over the dance area. The only other places that come to mind with such a setup are Tobey’s on the Drive, or (to a lesser degree) the Alexander downtown.
Beers are not the cheapest here at $ 7 or so. The glasses also seem a bit smaller than other establishments.
It must’ve been a college night when I was here, as the floor was packed with quite a few young ‘uns. They do have the whole lights thing going, so this could be a decent place to party down. More importantly though, the dance floor is a fairly decent size. If you don’t want to dance, there is also another bar area near the entrance.

Fantastic and fun with a friendly crowd and great live music. Only downside is that Crowd control fails to control stomp dancing people who’ve clearly had a few too many and like to launch them selves sweaty elbows first in to unsuspecting dancers’ soft, fleshy bits on the packed dance floor. Regrettably this can cause the night to be a stressful one specially if you are under 6 feet tall and/​or not a Viking.