O’Connell’s Pub

Husband waited at the hostess stand for 10 minutes without any acknowledgement by the employees walking by. He then walked up to the bar to try and place an order. At the bar, a waitress was pouring drinks looked at him and looked away and the bartender walked past him to the end of the bar to do paperwork. Needless to say, he left. Too many restaurants that want your business to patronize one with such apathetic employees.

Great place friendly staff. Best burger. Robust back bar. People and ideas from every corner. Great fish and chips. Reasonably priced. Will visit often.

The best place in the south Saint Louis to get a burger! All of the staff is amazing !! I can’t just pick one. Obviously I’m a regular for a reason! Everything about this place is original and unique. The décor is warm and comforting. You will definitely feel at home! Me. Parker is def doing it right!

I love OConnells! One of my favorite places in the Lou. Cannot go wrong with a burger or Roast Beef. I have been dozens of times and it’s always delish!

Hey its Friday night time for the best fish n chips in town. And the best pours, try the Red Breast Irish whisky

It seems as if O’Connell’s Pub has been around forever. We stopped here for lunch and I’m glad we did. We chose our own seats and looked at the menu. They are at the tables. We gave our drink order to our waitress and then placed our food order. Majordomo got the chicken sandwich and I ordered a cheeseburger well done. We decided to share a large order of onion rings.
The onion rings were very good. Majordomo said his chicken sandwich was delicious and the chicken was a big piece. My cheeseburger was wonderful also. And it was cooked the way I ordered it. I was beginning to wonder if it were impossible to get a hamburger well done at any restaurants lately.
Would I come back here? Yes, of course. It’s the best place to get a burger.

I did not enjoy this place at all. Please stay away from the burgers. Mine was very pink twice I sent it back. I figured the cook stopped at the bar before he started. I did like the atmosphere though. Just avoid this place for eats!!!

Corned beef? Cabbage? St. Patrick’s Day? Irish pub? What could go wrong? Ummm just about everything.
I ordered the corned beef and cabbage dinner while Mr C ordered a Corned beef sandwich. I pictured freshly cooked hot corned beef. What I got was lukewarm institutional sliced meat — really? It was just like Buddig meat. You know how sometimes you can see rainbows on processed lunch meat? Yep got that too.
Mr went to pick up his Sandwich and the bread was soaked in water. So gross! The waitress explained the corned beef was sitting in water and we probably got the bottom of the pan meat. Umm really? She quickly offer to replace the sandwich we declined because the thousand island dressing was crusty on the top. Nasty.
I expected much more from O’Connell’s.

Four stars for the burger. I heard this was the best burger in St. Louis, and the experience did not disappoint. It’s a greasy, giant heart attack on a plate, but it’s delicious. It may not be my vote for the very best burger in St. Louis, but it’s definitely the richest. It’s not a place I’d frequent and it’s somewhat of a dive, but you have to go at least once for the experience.

Horrible service, Waitress acted like we were a bother. Food was average.

We have been eating at O’Connell’s for years and absolutely love the food and vibe of the place. It’s a great burger, and the Mayfair/​Green Goddess salad dressing they serve is absolutely delicious.
However, the service almost always is slow and frustrating. Today’s experience prompted me to write this review, as not only were we treated with disgust by our server, but the burgers were also poorly cooked.
Five of us dined for lunch and let our server know that we needed separate checks when we ordered. She acted rather put-​out and told us that she would «do her best» to make sure all of our food came out at the same time. Which it did. Why even say anything?
She did a good job of keeping up on our refills during our experience, but when we were finished, we sat for a good 20 minutes before she came back. We were all watching as she chatted with a co-​worker at the computer, waited listlessly for drinks at the bar, and generally ignored us.
She finally came back with checks. We were all ready with payments out. I said, «We’ll just give you our cards now, if that’s okay,» to which she replied, «Yeah, okay,» and walked off as my husband was attempting to hand her our bill and credit card. She didn’t come back for about five minutes. We watched her not doing much around the dining room as we waited for minutes 25 – 30.
It’s 2016, and people request separate checks. It would behoove the staff of O’Connell’s to stop treating its customers as a nuisance. A smile and a pleasant demeanor don’t cost a thing. We have received this type of treatment too many times, and there are too many other good burgers in St. Louis to put up with rudeness from the staff. It will be awhile before we go back.

Still the best hamburger I have ever had.
Prices remain very reasonable and the restaurant so dark you can’t read the menu without a flashlight.
Would it kill the ambiance, though, to offer a decent field-​greens salad so I could go there with my vegetarian friends?

I’m new to STL so forgive me if I’m missing a piece of history here but given the hype I was expecting more. Heard they were known for the burgers and if you like a basic burger, then you will be okay with it. In the day of exotic burgers chedder, American, or Swiss seem fairly optionless unless you consider lettuce tomato and onion on the exotic side. I admit to being spoiled by living in St Paul MN 4 years where the juicy Lucy’s or the Blucy Lucy from the Blue Door Pub are epic. Having grown up with an Irish mother, I completely understand basic cooking from people whose national spice is butter. This leads me to what makes me cranky especially in an Irish or Irish themed pub. Don’t serve my Guinness in 30 seconds– See Guinness website whether you believe the two step is marketing rubbish or not. I didn’t mind the dark atmosphere though bring your iphone flashlight to read the menu and bill. The place does have character and if it were walkable I might fancy a few more tries. I’ll give ya a go again but might have to try the Jamesons instead unless you have the good protestant Black Bush

Love love love the veggie burger. It’s perfect every time. Even my meat eating boyfriend gets it.

Rude staff. Apparently ordering food Is a hassle. After the long long wait it came out on crappy paper and cold. Skipping and going right on shaw to real restaurants is a good idea

The dimly lit parking lot and the dimly lit interior of this place match perfectly to give this place that «dive» vibe.
I’m a beer and burger guy so that’s what I tried on my first visit. The pub burger isn’t anything fancy, but that’s exactly what makes it one darn good burger. It’s made of a thick, fresh «smashed» burger patty topped with cheese between two buns and served open faced with a slab of onion and pickles. The first bite had burger juices flowing out of the burger, and my mouth watering for more.
As a starter, my wife and I shared the house salad. Again, simplicity is key. This salad is nothing more than lettuce, tossed heavily in dressing then topped (and I mean almost covered) with salami and two pepperoncinis. The salami is a great and filling touch.
The side of fries wasn’t anything which amazed me, but they were good enough to go with the burger, and for me to constantly munch on while drinking my beer.
The beer selection here is extremely limited, but I’ll say this: 1) I’m from California so I’m spoiled with great beer selections at pubs; 2) It’s Saint Louis after all, what should I really expect with Anheuser-​Busch in EVERY pub’s back yard around here; 3) Lack of «craft» beer is NEVER a deal breaker for me.

Just moved nearby and took my group of friends out for lunch after a hard day of moving.
Coming in from not even a super sunny day and it took forever for my eyes to adjust to the low, yellow light. The place definitely has a vintage, causal feel (they even have an antique store upstairs!) but I like it. Not pretentious in the slightest. The menu is small but the prices are just right. The special of the day was the short ribs and when I asked the waitress about it she immediately ran to the kitchen and brought out a plate with a sample big enough for the entire table to try (there were 6 of us). She told us the burgers and roast beef sandwich were their specialities and wanted us to try the short rib so we could fully consider our choices (which was super nice).
All but one of us got the burger, the other got the roast beef. Sides are separate but cheap, nothing to write home about but good. The serving size was huge and everything was cooked to order. The meat was very juicy and tender. It could have used a bit more seasoning for my taste, and perhaps it was because we were all famished from the move, but it was hitting the spot. Simple, straightforward food, not pretentious at all just like the place itself. And the prices as just right.
Our waitress was great, our table was cleaned quickly, and we all left full and happy. This place doesn’t promise or pretend to be anything more than it is, and it’s does what it does perfectly. I will be back.

This is a dark, no nonsense, authentic pub located in South City.
If you are eating at the pub, the burgers and steak sandwich should be enough to keep you intereted. A person can eat more than their fill here for less than ten dollars. There is a daily menu special, Tuesdays feature the ruben sandwich.
The bar is manned by true pub professionals. You can find these authentic looking drinkmiesters at their post until 3 AM.
There are no take out orders and there is little in the way of typical bar entertainment. Oh, there is a couple of televisions to appease amateurs, but this is a pub, designed for professional drinkers and enjoyed by aficionados.
One of the best places for a hearty lunch or a late night drink with close friends. Be prepared, if you are over thirty and stop inside, you will instantly want to be a regular.

Don’t be a hoser. This place is the real deal. St. Louis classic, not fancy, not shiny, not full of hot young Wash U grads playing around for the summer after senior year. Just good solid things.

Skip this place and go to another joint instead! We had read the reviews and looked at the overall rating and were prepared to be thrilled with our meal… but were extraordinarily disappointed. The burgers have no more flavor than a hospital burger (NOT SEASONED AT ALL). This burger patty was juicy and cooked perfect with no flavor. The mushrooms (standard frozen kind) were OK but the Mayfair dressing was AWESOME. Lighting drove me crazy, way to low for a lunch meeting. Servers seemed focused on the regulars, witch would be cool if we had not been first timers !
Don’t believe all the hype.

The burgers are amazing! Be sure to wash it down with an O’Connel’s amber ale. The place was busy, but we were quickly seated and the server was polite and prompt.

Went Friday nite. The burgers were fantastic. Great onion rings and fries. Two out of three liked the fish but breading was to done for my mother to eat. Asked for another but it was too done as well. The martini was outstanding and so was the beer choices. Only complaint was someone that worked there kept walking by but never asked if help was needed. Thought that was strange. Would recommend to try. Great prices.

This is a hard rating to pick– the burgers easily get 5 stars as they are some of my favorite burgers (#4 to be exact), but the service here is usually more in the 2 – 3 star range.
First, the burgers are big at around 10 oz. and absolutely fantastic especially with grilled onions on them; I’ve also tried the grilled cheese and it was really good– served on rye bread which was a nice change of pace.
They do have some annoying policies like no split checks and no refills on soda, and usually the waitstaff isn’t exceedingly friendly, but it’s worth it for the burger in my book.

I ordered the hot salami sandwich. It was not good or bad, somewhere in between. The onion rings were actually pretty tasty. I was a little bit taken back that our food came out on paper plates. The food was average.
The bar as a nice atmosphere when you walk in. It was a week night, and it was very crowded. Most all of the tables were taken with a good 10 people in line at any one given time. Our waitress was truly working her ass off. And we felt very sorry for her. But at the same time, we were out as a large group trying to celebrate. Some of our parties food had not arrived by the time others of us had finished eating. It was hard to get a drink refill. With this kind of disruption in services, it was hard to enjoy meeting with old friends for our special event.
The long island ice tea was not shaken. It just tasted like a glass full of alcohol. We tried to tell the waitress, but she, again, was working a full house with no assistance.

This is an update on my last review. I HATE givig one star. Lately when I come here I seem to be bothering the staff with my food order. This last trip sealed their fate on me not returning. When our party of five arrived the place was filled but we were the first in line to get a seat. Lets jump to when two tables freed up both were large enough for both of us. We were the only people waiting for a good five minutes, then the line slowly got longer. The manager made sure to seat the people behind us first. If I didnt have a hungry kid this would have been the end of the review since I would have left. But I waited (patiently mind you considering I have been where each one of the staff has been) We were told that we would in a servers section that was just sat with a large party (the large party was sat before we arrived mind you).
We watched the other server bring drinks to the party that was behind us (like 5 minutes before they arrived behind us) still no server. I went to the bathroom came back… no server. Not even I’m sorry I will be with you in just a moment. I know people are busy and I am patient but I hate being ignored. When I went to the manager he was not quick to help his staff I got a «yeah shes busy it will be a moment.» Did I tell you he was standing doing nothing. Who lets their staff get in the weeds like that? The server wasn’t nice when she finally came over. And I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. But I guess it ws too late. We got our drinks as the party that was behind was getting their food.
We finally got our food. Missing my daughters burger so I gave her mine and I picked on others plates since we were in a hurry THe waitress said she didnt hear my order (MY ENTIRE ORDER? I’m the loudest one at the table and I ordered for two people). The onion ring I got was not even cooked I got a onion with uncooked dried batter in the middle. When we got the check turns out she did hear my order, I just never got it. Add another almost ten minutes to get my check fixed.
You know I have been coming here for a long long time. The staff has always been on the crabby side but I got my food so it worked. Its beyond … the burgers are not that good. I’ll go to Seamus. at least I get my food there.

Not impressed. Our waitress (who never introduced herself) was a total crab.
She seemed very annoyed to be there. The service was sooooooo sloooooow. And it wasn’t even busy. The waitress never came back to fill drinks or check on us after she brought us the food. We only saw her again when it was time to pay.
The food was good. That bumps our 2 star visit up to a 3. Wasn’t enough to salvage how unwelcome the waitress made us feel. I had a cheeseburger. Which was pretty good, but I’ve had better burgers elsewhere. My husband had chicken wings and they were ok too. My sister wasn’t impressed by her grilled cheese at all.

When we want a good hearty sandwich and an adult beverage to wash it down we can count on O’Connell’s to fit the bill. They also conveniently serve food till 10pm on Sunday nights.
My bf and I always get the fried mushrooms served with their special dipping sauce. I love their grilled cheese on wheat. It’s always gooey with lots of cheese. Their soups and stews are tasty too. Sunday night they had Irish stew with lamb. My bf always gets their cheeseburger because they know how to cook it medium rare.
This is NOT health food but that’s fine by us!

I can’t understand all of the 4 and 5 star ratings on O’Connell’s. Following my visit on 03÷16÷14, I was less than impressed.
Why? I have a few reasons, but let’s start with the prices. In comparison to the prices of food at other, similar restaurants, O’Connell’s prices are in my opinion, a bit high for what you get. A single cheeseburger is $ 6.50, and doesn’t come with a side, an order of 6 onion rings (yes I said 6) is $ 3.75, and a roast beef without a side or ajus is $ 7.75 (with au jus $ 8.00).
Now, moving on to the presentation. I realize this place is a pub, but for the prices, the meals should be served on real dishes rather than the paper plates they’re served on. This seems cheap. I’m at a sit down restaurant, not McDonalds. Maybe this is my gripe, but it bothered me.
As for the food itself, it’s just okay. Well, the cheeseburger was, anyway. The bun was toasted but not buttered, and the meat had a decent flavor, but it was nothing special, and wasn’t anywhere near the best burger I’ve ever had, or even close to it. contrary to what many Unilocalers have claimed to the contrary.
The roast beef on the other hand was not okay. My boyfriend, who usually loves roast beef sandwiches, didn’t like it at all. I tried a bite and had to agree. The beef is thickly sliced (which on a roast beef sandwich doesn’t make sense), and it is tough … the type of tough where you have to use the old side teeth to tear off a bite. He said it had a strange flavor, and I have to agree to an extent. It was not good — and to quote him, it was the worst roast beef sandwich he’d ever had.
Onion rings were good — probably the best part of the meal, but I’m not sure if that’s saying much. The portion for the price, as I said before, is very small. Onions are cheap. C’mon people!
I ordered a beer (a Blue Moon pint), which was $ 5, and for a draft, that’s a little steep, but I digress. The part that annoyed me was, the glass wasn’t chilled, and the beer wasn’t all that cold. For $ 5 I expected both.
I won’t return to O’Connell’s … not when truly good pubs like Seamus McDaniel’s in Dogtown exist. I was disappointed. I was hoping for better from O’Connell’s after reading the rave reviews here on Unilocal.But I suppose my taste and standards aren’t always the same as those of others.

When my boyfriend and I went on our first date, he insisted upon asking me foodie questions (points for him, because clearly, I’m a foodie!) and one of the first questions he asked me was «Best Burger?!». I was kind of stumped… I sat there for a moment, thinking back to the last time I had had an ACTUAL cheeseburger. I have been watching my girlish figure pretty solidly (until I met him and we started going out to eat all of this amazing food. Just kidding, dear, don’t worry, I am not going to let myself go.) for a good long while and so it is a rare occasion when I had a cheeseburger!
I certainly couldn’t answer «Wendy’s… I like Wendy’s. They are nice!» (He probably wouldn’t be dating me.)
So, I had to think long and hard, and the last REALLY good burger I had had was at The Block in WG. Very good burger, but the burger seemed… a little pretentious at The Block. I don’t know if that is the right word. But there it was, it was a deliciously pretentious burger with a serious tab to show for it. There’s a place for that kind of burger.
But a charred hunk of meat with good melted cheese, crisp lettuce and table condiments? I had not had such a thing in quite some time… (I was at JFK flying out to head to Africa and we were all starving, quite to death, so I grabbed a cheeseburger from The Shack near my gate — and THAT was a good burger, no lying.)
He took me to O’Connell’s, since that was his response to the foodie question of «Best burger?!».
He took me there on a Saturday evening for an early dinner. We each got the burger and french fries. However, beforehand we shared a salad with the Mayfair dressing. (He had told me about it on more than one occasion before tonight and I was relatively intrigued). I had NEVER had Mayfair dressing! Hello? Where have you been all my life, Mayfair dressing? You knew that I loved zesty tangy sauces that make lettuce a happy experience to eat? Why didn’t you find me?!
The burger was cooked exactly how I liked it. The cheese was melted (You lose solid stars and get a generally poor review if you serve me a burger with a cold slice of cheese on it, or an unmelted one in general, shows a lack of attention, restaurant owners, watch out for me.) and the lettuce was crisp and cold, and pickle slices and Heinz ketchup in the glass bottle on the table to-​boot.
We’ll be back. Next time I want my own salad and I think I am relatively intrigued about the roast beef after my good experience with the burger.

Much has been written about this pub by St. Louis papers, but since most of my Unilocal friends aren’t from St. Louis, I thought I’d pass along the tip.
O’Connell’s excels by doing simple things very well. The burgers are homemade patties, they are cooked properly to order, and the only toppings are cheese, lettuce, and a full onion slice.
If you ask for rare, its cooked perfectly, likewise with medium and so forth. Order fries and you’ll get fresh potato fries that remind me of those at In ‘N Out Burger.
Wash it all down with an O’Connell’s Amber lager, which reminds me of the malty goodness of Sam Adam’s Boston Lager or Yuengling. Like I said, simple things are done well at this pub.
O’Connell’s excels at simple American pub food. These days too many places overdue it and instead of making a homemade burger patty, use frozen ones with lots of sauces. Not here; the patties showcase quality ground beef.
By the way, last night we learned that the house salad is lettuce soaked in dressing with sliced salami and two pickled chili peppers. Who knew a salad could be so good?
I’m glad to live nearby it so its an easy option for evenings my wife & I aren’t in Chicago and we don’t want to cook. My only warning is that on Friday or Saturday night you’re probably going to have to wait in line.