Daniel O’Connell’s

I came here when I was in town for a quick drink after dinner. It was a Saturday, so it was very crowded, but we were able to snag a table and service was pretty good considering the amount of people vying for our servers attention!
I had to work the next day (very early) so I stuck with water since I had wine with dinner, but the people I was with enjoyed their beers and wine!
The atmosphere was nice! It was warm and friendly and had a good vibe. I would come here again if I am ever back in the area!

Great place to ski into for a quick bite and drink. Always a fun crowd and lots of different rooms to explore.

Was charged $ 60 for a $ 10 tab. I had to dispute charge with cc company. I won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Great drink and great food! Very close likeness to a pub in Dublin, only thing missing was the smell of peat and Irish music! The service was friendly and fast. We ordered the Guinness burger and a special (bacon and cabbage), both were phenomenal and hit the spot. The Guinness was well Poured and the whiskey and ginger hit the spot!!!
But skip the dessert… peanut butter pie was frozen, still yummy, but I bet the ice cream across the street would have been better.

Beautiful multi level old world establishment with so many nooks, bars, and booths!
Always have a great time at O’Connells and the location is excellent. Close to the waterfront, on the main drag, right in the middle of everything.
Food is good. Layout is awesome.
Definitely way better than your typical common denominator establishment chains; Crapplebees, Bennigans not again, TGF’s, or Ruby whatever day. Those places pale in comparison.
Support your local establishments!

Many things remain unchanged from my original review from nearly 2 years ago. This place is still a great hang out spot for a date either it be with a new potential mate, your spouse for simply for a lad or lass night.
The lights are dim and the music is playing overhead or if you’re lucky — you will get a live band to serenade you with its olé folk Irish tunes. Regardless the vibe remains vibrant and the atmosphere is soft. Unlike Murphy’s down there street, the demographic here is an older crowd. More of the late 20s and up crowd. As much as I love Murphy’s and I frequent it as well — I can’t have a low key night there like I can here.
For my latest visit I came here with a friend where we spent a couple of hours catching up. We had a nice time and enjoyed the quality of service we received. My dinner was okay, but not my favorite. I ordered the mushroom risotto and a side salad. I think for future visits I will stick to what I know best — Irish pub fare and burgers. They’ve got a great lamb burger.
The multilevel building makes it feel a lot more spacious than it is boasting of 4 bars throughout. It can assist with large parties and such. On slower nights though they limit the seating to the main bar area downstairs. Let’s not forget they have patio seating during the warmer months!
I love it here and don’t want them to change anything.

As Irish pubs go, it’s a winner. Carved out of what used to be Bullfeathers in Old Town, the non-​linear space has lots of nooks and crannies which serve as conversation pits — I forget what these are called in Ireland. Three bars: A small, more intimate one in front, the big honking one in back, and an awkward little one upstairs. Bar staff are quick and friendly.
The food? Meh. It used to be a lot better, prior to about 2013 or so when the menu changed. It’s below par pub food, but rather expensive. Still, I go here for a quick drink or to meet friends quite often. The vibe is great.

Just ok. Ordered the spinach artichoke dip and the crab cake sandwich and the best part of the meal was the tartar sauce

Nachos are killer! The chicken wings are darn meaty with the perfect buffalo sauce. The service was excellent! So glad we stopped in for the happiest of happy hours!

We went to one of the 3 bars for drinks the other night. The only nice thing I have to say is atmosphere was nice, meaning the other patrons seemed cool. Upon inquiry, the bartender said he could make anything we wanted, although he sounded annoyed I even asked. He didn’t seem well informed on cocktails, so we ordered something seemingly «easy» — a Manhattan.
What we got was a $ 13 slushie and the bartender seemed aware of his incompetence as he was scared to ask how they were and if we needed anything else. In fact, he avoided us at all costs, we tried to wave him down for the WiFi password and only got the attention of the busboy.
We then made the mistake of ordering another round, but we thought ordering something straight would yield a better result… Nope, another slushie. This time we flagged down the bartender, he had attempted to hide from us again, and when we questioned his terrible bartending skills he didn’t seem to care at all about his limited proficiency and knowledge in making and pouring alcoholic drinks. Actually he was very flippant about the whole situation. Another patron at the bar overheard our dismay at the level of service and conversation with the bartender and recommended with their level of service we should stick to ordering beer only at this bar.
The only way I would understand anyone stopping at the bar here is if they are taken by gun point and forced to order a cocktail. But try to negotiate with your kidnapper to let you order a beer. ONLY order BEER. And don’t expect the bartender to ask how you are or how the food/​drinks are… He will not notice you and the fact you are there against your will with your kidnapper… But I’m sure in that situation your kidnapper will be grateful and leave a big tip for your shitty drinks and being ignored.

Overall a fun Irish themed bar that is perfect for catching up with old friends. The bar has a nice mix of seating areas so you can have a more private conversation or be more social with other patrons. The staff were helpful and friendly, the beer selection was good, but the food was just OK. Standard pub fair is pretty easy to get right but this place misses the mark by a little bit. On the plus side they have live Celtic style music!
This is a great place to have a beer and catch up with friends but consider grabbing dinner somewhere else in Old Town.

Best bar in old town! Maybe it’s because it is one of the only bars I have been to in this area, but why go anywhere else? The drinks are always flowing, the music is always bumpin’ and there are always a lot of people going here so you know it has to be good! There are multiple rooms and levels to this bar which makes it not feel crowded even when it is. Their beer selection is extensive, and they have relatively good service. I have yet to have any food here but my boyfriend says they have a really good brunch! Check O’Connell’s out! It has a an old feel with a bit of a new twist and the decorations right now for Halloween are awesome.

Popped in here while I was on holiday
Good vibe to this bar and only had drinks
Got some JD and coke which where very nice.
Atmosphere was really good and barman was very nice, Philip was his name.
I loved the way he was very talkative and interested in where we came from in Ireland. He made us feel so welcome. Well recommended !

Great spot near the Old Town Waterfront! Delicious burgers, particularly the Guinness «no-​bun» burger. The BEST bottomless mimosa special in DC– $ 6 for the first, 99 cents for the rest. Seriously, unheard of. All around, amazing Irish pub. Attentive service, great ambiance, rugby all day (though they do put football on after the games are over.)
The only downside is the frazzled, rude (but maybe just socially awkward?) hostess. I couldn’t tell if she was being purposefully standoffish, or if she doesn’t know how to talk to people.
3 instances of her bizarre behavior:
— When we arrived, albeit 15 minutes late, we apologized and inquired about where our party had been seated. Her response– «They’ve been waiting for you for like 20 minutes.» ??? Lateness is really annoying, but can’t you just simply say «Yes, right this way» or even just gesture to the table. (They were seated in plain sight.)
–As the rest of our party were departing, we were going to relocate to the bar. Impossible, as it was mobbed with rugby fans. We spotted two high-​tops that were empty. I used to work as a hostess, and figured they were probably not seat– yourself, so I inquired after one of them. She FREAKED out, claiming that everything in the back bar had been seated. In the midst of saying good-​bye to our out-​of-​town friends, she made me walk to the back with her to show her exactly what was empty, even after I’d explained exactly where they were. The first two high-​tops in the back bar on the left. It’s your restaurant… shouldn’t you be able to figure that out? When I showed her the tables, she freaked again, claiming she’d just seated them and then asked me to stand there, while she chased down the server to find out where the groups went. After that, she said we could sit, but also told us not to move again???
— When we were departing later, a couple was asking if they were showing the Eagles game. Instead of saying «No, sorry, we only show football when the rugby games are over, as we’re an Irish Pub», she says «This is an Irish Pub.» When the couple was confused by her answer, as sometimes Irish Pubs will play both, they repeated the question, and she repeated with the exact same answer.
Honestly, ditch the hostess, and get one that can roll with the punches of being a popular, crowded sports bar.

I walked over just before midnight and it was closed up tight as a drum. The signs say 1am and so does @yelp. Looked really cute inside. Sad :(

Was on a business trip in and an associate recommended this place.
Food: We ordered the nachos and hummus as appetizers and I had the stuffed chicken pesto for dinner. The nachos were not your typical nachos… instead of tortilla chips, they used potato chips (which were kinda stale). There wasn’t much ground beef in the nachos either. I thought the hummus was decent but my vegan co-​worker said it tasted like it came out of a can? haha As for my entrée, the chicken was good — not too dry and the pesto gave it a nice flavoring. It came in a bed of spinach and lots of potatoes as a side.
Service: Our server took a while to refill our waters and keep the beers coming. He also wasn’t the happiest when we asked to split our checks (I mean c’mon… a group of people who don’t look like a family… you can expect for all of them to pay separately… though I guess we could’ve told him from the beginning).
Ambiance: Typical Irish pub feel — welcoming and lively.
It was bad, but it wasn’t good either. I wouldn’t make this my go to spot.

Cool Irish pub to grab a snack with brews in Old Town Alexandria.
Initially came for a beer with friends but couldn’t resist trying out the Irish egg roles since I’ve been on a corned beef kick lately. The dubliner cheddar combined with the corned beef and cabbage inside of the wonton wrap had a great flavor along with its honey mustard dipping sauce.
My friend decided she wanted dessert rather than an appetizer so ordered their delicious apple pie. The pie provided a fresh taste of apple and cinnamon. For me, the crust is what really made the dish. Some of the best I’ve tasted in while.
Going off of tonight, this place is most definitely worth more visits. I’m a fan of Irish pubs so that’s a plus as well.
Dinner 6÷10÷2015

Hit up Daniel O’Connell’s this past weekend for a friend’s bachelorette party and had a great time! The layout of the place makes it seem endless, since once you push past the first floor and head upstairs, there is tons of extra space that feels like it just keeps going and going!
There’s a rooftop patio that I didn’t get to check out because it was too crowded, and a second bar upstairs too. However, be warned that on the night we were there, the bartender at the second, much-​less-​crowded bar, was slooooooooow. It ended up being faster sometimes just to go downstairs to get drinks anyway, even though we were hanging out by the back bar.
They had a cover band in on Saturday night rocking some classic 90s tunes, which were much appreciated by the group I was with, and in general the place had a nice vibe. I dug it! Of course, I’m not exactly a bar aficianado, so take my words with a grain of salt. I thought the vodka sodas I crushed all night were perfectly good, however, as was the Lemon Drop shot that I was coerced into downing.
Tally ho!

Very nice décor, bathroom was very clean. They poured a horrible Black and Tan. Food was ok. It would have been better if it was cooked fresh. Food was definitely microwaved before serving. Batter on scotch eggs were slipping off. Calamari was not freshly fried but microwaves. Hash w eggs Benedict was microwaves as well but cooked in same oil as fish. Can definitely tell they’re lazy here. I don’t know how they make money. But then again I don’t expect their patrons to know the difference. Shame. Also silverware were not clean and waited half an hour for side plates. Don’t plan on going back until they change management. People in the DMV need to get their taste buds checked.

Popped in here for a pint and to finish up a game in the NCAA championship. Hung around until our ferry left for National Harbor because of the very decent music and pub-​like atmosphere.
Beer selection is pretty boring, standard Irish pub selection, but the pints are cold and the Guinness well poured (to be frank, I didn’t know a beer could really be «well poured» until I spent time in Ireland).
The music playing was loud enough to hear easily, but quiet enough so that I was able to talk to my hubs and not have to scream or put my mouth right next to his ear. It was even good enough that I gave him some money (gasp!).
Not sure about the food, but a friend of mine ended up sitting next to me and the burger looked really tasty. Can’t verify this information.
For what we were looking for, this place fit the bill. Next time I’m in the area I’ll pop in for a Guinness and also check out some of the grub.