O’Connell’s

A good spot for an on-​your-​own evening’s meal at the bar. I had the «Gourmet Burger,» which was actually rare, and came with lovely Irish cheddar and a crispy onion ring atop it. A good selection of beers available on tap. The «parmesan steak fries» were, however a disappointment: what you would think of as steak fries, which were part crisp and part limp.

I came here tonight for a drink with some friends for my fiancé’s birthday. The bartender, Carlos G., who was also serving as the waiter/​server went to speak to the table of girls next to us and stuck his hand down her pants, grabbed her thong, and pulled it up and down… He then proceeded to serve people food and drinks with those hands. I am beyond disgusted. This is heinous behavior.

I probably should come back here and try it again. Our first visit wasn’t really fair. It was one of those Fridays when I needed a cocktail like 30 seconds ago, but the fiancé wasn’t ready when I got home, so I had to wait like 45 minutes before I could get the G&T I wanted. Since we just moved to JC, he wanted to try a new place, so we stopped here. It’s a functional bar — they had both gin and tonic. They also had pretty good buffalo wings because he thinks you should eat when you drink.
In a neighborhood filled with bars, I can’t say this will be high on the rotation. There’s no real reason it won’t be — it just failed to be more than a place that had gin and tonic when I needed it. It might require a less urgent visit.

The drinks are standard but this is some of the worst bar food I’ve ever had. Perhaps they had an off night or something the one time I decided to eat but I was very hungry, took a couple of bites and lost my appetite.

MEH. From the outside looking in, the restaurant looks like a nice establishment. There are candles adorning the tables, tablecloths, proper plate settings.
Maybe because there was a snow storm going on outside, the service was slow (but the servers were nice). There were only three tables occupied at the time we were dining.
We ordered the following:
1) Seafood quesadilla ($ 12). Comes pre-​cut into 6 pieces; good for sharing.
2) Roasted Half Chicken ($ 18). Solid effort, but not worth $ 18.
3) Pan Seared Rainbow Trout ($ 18). Solid effort, but not worth $ 18.
I’d give O’Connell’s another go later on, maybe try the brunch next time.

Very nice and cozy place. Guinness is as good as guinness should be, service is nice and unobtrusive and Irish Beef Stew is tasty and nutritious.
Recommend.

From the outside, O’Connell’s looks like it will be a cozy traditional pub, serving up beers and fish and chips with the best of ‘em. Then you walk inside and it’s so much more – this place is surprisingly trendy and much sleeker than you’d expect. The staff quickly put together a couple of tables to accommodate our party of 8, and we sat down and ordered some Guinness (not bad for being outside of Dublin!) and soda for the non-​21 year olds in our group.
We got the guac to share, and it was served with homemade chips. The guacamole had good flavor but it was so chunky it didn’t seem entirely intentional. No matter, we smashed it up with forks and kept on chowing down.
I got the hangar steak with garlic spinach and yucca fries. It was perfectly medium rare and butter knife tender, with delicious spinach and the surprising yucca fries – seriously I’ve never gotten these at a non-​Latin food spot. The gourmet burger was amazing too, just probably smaller than we were all expecting. The half chicken on mashed potatoes looked phenomenal, but the real winner here was the NY strip steak. So flavorful, with mushrooms and a bangin sauce on top.
If you’re looking for dinner and drinks for a group, hit up O’Connell’s and enjoy its trendy ambience and reasonable prices.

Nice and surprising place. From the outside, I was expecting your average Irish bar, but inside O’Connell’s is something quite unique. A very chill bar with low, amber lighting, great service and relaxing ambient music. The diverse crowd was in a good mood, the prices are very reasonable and the food is quite good. I loved the Short Rib Sandwich, and my wife was very happy with her talapia. My only disappointment was that I found the house salad dressing very bland.
I’ll be back to try other items on the menu and enjoy the friendly bar service here.

Had a blast at weekly Wednesday night trivia, but I felt it went on a little long. I also enjoyed the burger/​beer special and the burger was absolutely out of this world DELICIOUS.

Nice Irish Pub in JC, the set up was a bit strange as we walked into the dining room, gave a confused look to the hostess, and then found the bar. The bartender was good, Happy Hour specials were very good. $ 2.50 Yuengelings and some half priced apps.
Nothing stands out here but it was a nice spot to grab a happy hour drink and an app.

I ate here for the first time last week. Previously to that, I would pop in here for a pint or two sometimes on my way home from work.
It’s a decent spot with a restaurant that is separate from the ‘pub.’ I have only been in the pub, and think the service is solid. Quick, and definitely give off that neighborhood vibe. The regulars get treated well here. They have a good selection of beer, and an extensive whiskey list. This place screams beer and a whiskey on a rainy day.
The bar area itself is pretty inviting, but because of this huge beam in the middle can seem cramped at times. My favorite spot is at the bar right by the windows. There are a decent amount of tables and TVs here. The background music is always at the right volume, and usually a pretty good mix of Pearl Jam and similar.
I have to say my first experience eating here did not go as well as planned. I was wfh this past Friday, and stopped in for their $ 10 Burger & Beer special. Make that $ 11 if you want cheese on it. Still a very good deal. The burger has potential to be really good. They use quality meat, but I think I would ask for medium-​rare next time around. The outer edges of the burger were a bit overdone and dry. The fries could use a little work too. I think they are too thick, and the biggest disappointment was that my Yuengling was flat! Very out of character for this place.
I think I will have to give them another chance on the burger for sure, and I think the neighborhood vibe here makes it a spot to continue to frequent.
One quick note to management though… bar could have used a wipe down.

The first thing my husband noticed about this place is that there are two apostrophes in its name. Clearly, he’s been married to me for too long!
It’s more like 2.5 stars, really. Nice décor and white tablecloth service, but food was all over the map, literally. I expected a traditional yet fancified Irish pub, but there was also spring rolls with an «Oriental» (haha) dipping sauce, chips and guacamole, vegetable lasagna… along with the shepherd’s pie. Identity crisis? I half expected to see roti on the menu, too.
That being said, the chicken pot pie I ordered was pretty yummy. My hubs got the veggie lasagna and actually, really liked it (he’s picky about pasta). Our friends, who chose this place, got salmon and chicken. No complaints there, either.
The clientele on this particular Tuesday was a bit odd — older crowd that was really rowdy to the point of someone (an ADULT) doing somersaults in the seated dining area. Pretty trashy and I was taken aback that the management did not quiet them down or move them to the bar area.
Bah!

My husband and I just ate here for dinner this evening and are completely confused by the night that we had. I have previously eaten in the bar area for lunch and was really impressed with the reuben sandwich that I had that day. Since it’s a short walk, we wanted to stop in and have a bite to eat.
We did not have a reservation but were given the option of two seats right away– right inside the door and right next to the bathroom. We decided on the drafty doorway instead of the bathroom seat. When we sat down, I realized how badly laid out the restaurant is. Huge amounts of open space not used… and the loud noise from the boisterous bar got louder as the meal progressed.
I ordered from the prix fixe menu of chef’s selections, which was actually very good… but the service for three courses took about an hour and a half. The interesting thing was the awkwardness among the manager, who had to come to help our waitress out several times, the waitress, and us. We all realized how long the service was taking, but no one really addressed it. I mean, we should not have seen the manager as much as we did. After a 20 minute wait for my cheesecake to come out of the kitchen, my husband and I looked at each other and I commented «I feel like we’re being held hostage!»
The best part? They charged us for each refill for our coke and iced tea. That’s $ 14. For tiny glasses of soda and tea. My husband was so fed up, we left without comment as soon as we paid. Really disappointing. Would go there again, especially in the bar area, but won’t suggest it off the bat.

3.5 stars if possible! We had a decent meal but thought that for an Irish place, they should do Irish food better. If it was just my meal, service, and atmosphere… easy 4 stars
Came in for a quick bite and drink with the bf last night. Decent beer selection except they were out of all ciders. Not deal breaking. Started with the ham cheese potato croquettes… how can you go wrong with deep fried mashed potatoes, ham, and cheese? :) They were pretty tasty.
I was seriously having a brain fart about what to order and couldn’t make up my mind. Finally decided to be good and ordered the sesame endive salad with chicken and it was GOOD! Everything went really well together and I was in slight heaven. Glad I made that choice. The bf however decided to stay traditional and order the cottage pie. It’s an Irish place, right? It was a huge portion but the whole thing was just bland. Meh. Pretty much just potatoes and meat, no veggies, no salt, no seasonings. Hoping the leftovers today will be a little better.
Bartender/​waitress was friendly and attentive even though we were in the most hidden corner ever.
Atmosphere is definitely weird, like others have said. The restaurant area is all tablecloths and candles… a little too fancy for a place called O’Connell’s if you ask me. But the bar area is cozy and welcoming. Will definitely try to eat in the bar area each time. Might have to come for trivia night one day. :)

Great menu and the food is outstanding. Don’t let the name fool you, O’Connell’s offers far beyond your traditional Irish food. The $ 15 pre-​fixe lunch is a steal and the portions are very good.
Sometimes the wait between apps and food seems long but it’s made up for with the phenomenal food.

Great Irish bar. Relatively upscale. Shepard’s pie was really good. Definitely wanna go back and try more.

Drawn into this place initially by coworkers who fancy the bar selection, we started coming here for meals because of the comfortable atmosphere but I agree with previous reviews, the décor and general tone of the place is disparate from the idea of an Irish pub, especially given the choice of tunes that are usually playing. These guys play to an older crowd that likes a choice in their cut of steak.
That being said, the candles, low lighting, and comfortable seating do the job and wait staff are very attentive. The bar tenders are also friendly with all the regulars, and welcoming to newcomers, making this place feel like a nice neighborhood bar hiding a sophisticated dining room behind it. The crowd here tends to be older couples enjoying a night out, or a corporate party letting lose after cutting deals by day.
They have Guinness, Smithwick’s, Magners, and Harp, but no Murphy’s. (Swear they used to, don’t know what happened.) My friend N enjoyed the trough of dipping elements that came with her fish and chips– as she enjoyed the full vinegar dunk it afforded her (probably the most Irish offering at O’Connell’s). Ravioli were tasty but a small portion for the price. Vegetable lasagna was better than I could make it myself, with a fresh tomato sauce and nice pesto reduction throughout. Dessert came by way of a Three Milk cake, of which the waiter complimented my knowledge of the recipe. This was okay, but the garnish was bigger than the portion again, and the cake itself was as dense as it should have been but dry. Thankfully we weren’t sharing.
I am charmed by the space and ambience here. Even though I’m more of a modern girl, there is something homey about O’Connell’s that brings me back. Its a nice quiet spot to take a date when you’ve got a few extra dollars in your pocket and you want to feel a part of the Paulus Hook professional crowd.

After basking in the glory of the Jets victory over the Patriots we decided to visit O’Connell’s. The bartender Kali was extremely friendly and even cheered up our one Patriots fan (I wouldn’t have bothered, they deserved it). We only ordered drinks and were very satisfied with the all day Sunday happy hour. I believe all domestics were $ 2.50. They had an impressive collection of beers on tap, including imports.
The next week we arrived for the game again and it was packed. My friends ordered from the bar menu which, while expensive and small in portion, was satisfying. The TVs are kind of sparse, so watching the game was a little difficult.
All in all, O’Connell’s is a decent place to spend a night out. If I ever dine in their restaurant portion, I’ll update this review.

This is a great place in Jersey City. Atmosphere is very sophisticated and classy, but with a down-​to-​earth feeling and none of that super modern furniture that is uncomfortable. This is a place you can be suited up with your boss or wearing jeans with your boys watching the game.
Food is really good. It is as far from typical bar food as you can find in Jersey City. This place could easily be in Midtown-​East and twice as expensive.

It was good. It was not the greatest but it was really solid. Went there on a Tuesday when they had half priced bottles of wine. AWESOME. Went there last night with the bf and his family for Father’s Day. Had the $ 30 prix fixe meal. I was already a bit buzzed — but the food was alright — crab cake was good, trout was alright. Good atmosphere but not very cozy or warm.
I don’t know, I know there is better out there. But the food was good.