Finn McCool’s

I love Finn McCool’s. Their fish & chips are awesome and it’s a great place to watch a game. It’s a popular place, so don’t complain about it being crowded if you show up during peak hours or a big game. Do try the fried mac & cheese bites, enjoy the happy hour prices, and order a vanilla porter, because they’re the best. Cool interior design too. Enjoy!

We stopped in here after leaving another Irish bar. This one has the best food! Guinness is always poured properly here. We tried the Shepard’s pie. It tasted great! It was super hot, boiling actually. But when it cooled down it was yummy. We were expecting a bigger portion but still good. Also, we were hoping for live music. Oh well the food & drinks were good. The bartenders were great. As soon as my friend and I walked in we were greeted by a male bartender. Shortly after a female bartender took over. She was great!

Line at the door on a Saturday night at 11pm, moved quickly though and no cover. Live band was playing covers, slower paced than I/​the crowd would have preferred but solid musically. Bar was busy but it’s a big bar and if you take a lap you can find a spot to catch a bartender. Bartenders aren’t friendly, efficient and professional though which counts for a lot. Casual spot, would come back on those nights you’re looking for a slower pace.

I never thought that I’d become a «regular» at a bar. But then again, I never imagined that there could be a place as special as Finn McCool’s. A place where, much like the TV show that many of us grew up on, everyone knows your name. And if they don’t know your name, it’s only because you’re not going to Finn’s as often as you should.
Not only does Finn’s have a great selection of beer and a friendly staff, but their food is consistently delicious. Whether it’s their shepherd’s pie, their burgers that are good enough to order rare, or their free-​range chicken, the food here never disappoints. Not to mention, Finn’s happy hour menu is so exceptionally satisfying, that the word «happy» doesn’t do it justice — my name pitch would be: overjoyed hour.
And if the solid booze, friendly staff, and delicious grub wasn’t enough to get you to kick up your feet and sip a pint, Finn’s ambience will without a doubt do the trick. Walking into Finn’s is like walking into a three hundred year-​old bar on a cobblestone street somewhere in Galway. That’s because — as the story goes — the owner went through the trouble of importing every fixture and piece of furniture straight from the The Land of Saints and Scholars in order to give Finn’s the transportive effect that it has today — an effect that’s only amplified by its thoughtfully cultivated music; which includes an occasional acoustic Irish band, and a general playlist that never fails.
True to its Irish ancestry, Finn McCool’s has succeeded in creating the perfect meeting-​place for its community. A place where, on any given day, you’ll see folks from all walks of life enjoying themselves. And even though the food, drinks, and hospitality is nothing short of impressive, it’s Finn’s warm and welcoming atmosphere that will surely win you over, and before you know it – you too will be a «regular.»

Nice spot. Food is very good. Servers know their stuff.

The bouncer was absolutely ridiculous. My best friend got a little too drunk on her birthday here and now we will NEVER EVER celebrate another birthday here or go here ever again. The bouncer who said I had herpes just because I had a cut on my lip due to hitting my face was absolutely unprofessional and judgemental.
This bar is completely unprofessional. It smells like the restroom and I will NEVER EVER go there again.
Don’t ever go here. It’s the WORST BAR in SANTA MONICA.
In addition, this bar also accuses people of poor behavior, when they haven’t been there in over a year, of behavior similar to another group. The below general manager accused of my group of throwing as glass which couldn’t be remotely true since we haven’t been there for over a year. It’s too bad the general manager didn’t actually step out of bar to see or hear what was actually going on by his staff.
It’s really sad that a restaurant manager would stand behind such a judgmental situation and allow such poor customer service.
I wish I could give them less than a star but unfortunately, Unilocal doesn’t even allow it.
Good luck GM and good to any customer who tries to have a good time here.

If you are looking for a nice bar to have a few drinks this your place. They have a dance floor sometimes a live band as well. The drinks are a really good price which is always great. I highly recommend this place.

My husband and I absolutely LOVE this place! It’s one of our favorite restaurants in Santa Monica. They have a great vibe, awesome food and service is always right on.
Our favorite items on the menu are the free range chicken strips, potato nachos, Irish beef stew, and the fish and chips. Honestly we haven’t found anything we haven’t liked yet.
Come in on Sunday night for live music and check times for the great happy hour!!!

They have the best fish and chips ever! The Irish stew and chicken tenders are awesome too ! Literally the best service I’ve had in Santa Monica! Ask for Cory, amazing waiter that is smart and quick. Love the atmosphere and the live music ! Also great happy hour specials ! Thank you Finn McCools!

Came here during the Santa Monica pub crawl. Was not apart of the crawl, but still loved watching everyone dressed like Santa.
It was a Saturday night– so the line to get in probably took like 15 – 20 minutes to get inside which wasn’t too bad but it was already 12:50 am. Easy to get a bartender’s attention here, which is always a nice pro. The crowd is in their mid twenties to late twenties. There was live music, which was fun and everyone was dancing. The music itself is more alternative, oldies, and rock– so if that’s your scene, this is the place to be.

Thank you to Hunter H., Director of Operations, for reaching out and working to rectify the unpleasant service we had experienced. Much appreciated, and very professional!

Came here about almost 7 years ago and had an awesome time. this last visit a week ago i was kind of disappointed. it has totally lost its Irish charm. the food was eh… nothing special and the décor just looked poorly taken care of. this was the last time i go out of my way to stop by this place.

A reasonably fun place we stopped for lunch, with the traditional «irish pub» food done so commonly in California. Although, I’d say they’re doing it better than many of the other pseudo-​irish pubs out there. The interior is very — authentic, the menu selection is pretty good. We were mid travel and driving so we didn’t partake of the adult beverages: though the selection seemed pretty stout.
It was lunch, early lunch and they had just opened. Despite that, service was great; attentive, entertaining and on point.
It’s a great place in a fun area, and very worth the stop.

I love this place so much that I stumble an additional 2.5 miles south after the LA Marathon to be here and out of the insanity of downtown SM and overpriced 3^rd ST promenade. The beer is the best (cold and on tap), the location feels like Belfast by the sea (but warmer), the food is is like Ireland and the staff is just nice. Really… it keeps me running 26.5 miles thinking about this place at the end. Don’t get me wrong. It is not cloud nine (finishing a marathon is that). Just a reliable good place. Can you have a better review? Will be here March 2016 (I am from out of town).

I first chanced on Finn McCool’s after binge watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix, so needless to say, I was very excited to be in a legit looking Irish pub. It feels old-​timey and nostalgic, and is everything I’d hope for from an Irish pub.
They have an awesome selection of beer and whisky and fair prices for the area. The food good. Not exceptional, but good bar food and good Irish classics like Shepard’s pie and corned beef. I also like their build-​your-​own burger option. The choices are enormous enough to satiate the most creative palates.
This place is great for large groups and I appreciate that they take dinner reservations. Have a good Irish dinner and stay after for drinks, live music and revelry. The bar area gets pretty packed on the weekends with the late twenties/​thirties crowd. A pretty good time, if you ask me.

Pretty bog standard Irish bar. Been here a few times and service can be a little slow. With the bar in the middle it’s hard to take big groups as everyone breaks off into little groups to fit around the bar. Good beer selection and reasonable prices.

I was pleasantly surprised by Finn McCool’s. Had walked past here many times and never gone in, until a few weeks ago. It was a lot more fun than I expected!
Their bar food was also surprisingly tasty and the drinks were very well priced!
I would most definitely return here!

The atmosphere is fun and live the décor! Great food options, especially for vegans and vegetarians! The food was great, very delicious and filling. Prices range from $ 12 – 17 per plate (burgers, sandwiches, shepherd pies, Irish nachos, etc) they also have a full bar. Now, our only issue was the service. The waitress who was not crazy busy was very rude, and very scarce. She did not like to be asked questions, she refused to refill drinks, she got the order wrong and wouldn’t fix it (they put avocado on a sandwich when asked not too and the person is allergic, she suggested just taking it off and nachos should have come with sour cream but didn’t and she shrugged it off with an oh I don’t know) and was annoyed when we tried to order desert, so we ended up not ordering it. We had also asked to split the check into two checks and she said she couldn’t do that it was to difficult. Also the busser kept coming by taking drinks that were half full, and they were never brought back or refilled. and could never find our server to get us more, so we pretty much got stuck drinking water even though we paid for beer and sodas.

Decorated and feeling much like the Irish pubs back home, Finn McCools got me all sorts of nostalgic. Of course I opted for the Guinness, which wasnt on the happy hour pricing, but they do have drinks and food on there. I also had the shepherds pie, which, given i was going to be eating at the Santa Monica Pier music on the beach, was just the perfect size to go with my couple of pints.
The fries are a good filler too. Pub food. No frills (and no distraction from the booze)
Parking: A Parking lot out back, but find free street parking if you can.

Finn’s holds a special place in my heart: Used to come here all the time with the ex and his mates, where one night they all agreed «[we go] together like peanut-​butter and jelly.»
But really, if you’re on Main Street, there’s no other place I’d rather drink. Stellar beers on tap and/​or Tito’s poured with a heavy hand, the pub food here is decent as well.
Ambiance is a hard 12 (on a scale of 1 to 10). Love the energy, cool-​but-​not-​arrogant bartenders and wood everywhere your hand rests. Tourists. Hipsters. Locals. Alcoholics. Heaps of flava’. On the corner.

I was never a fan of this place, as I had only been here when it was a loud, crowded bar scene. I recently came for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and it was pleasantly uncrowded. I didn’t have high hopes for the food, but was really impressed with what I ordered. I had the black bean burger, which they allow you to customize with whatever toppings you’d like and even choose the type of bun. You can choose from several sides that come with it, or you can upgrade to additional side options for an extra $ 2. I ordered it with a side of buffalo cauliflower, which was great, although a bit oily. You never know what you’re going to get when you order a veggie burger, but the black bean burger here is very solid.

Perfection.
The meal that would be my final meal if the governor does not stay my execution.
Fish & Chips, Beer & Whisky, but not just any beer and whisky, Harp and Tullamore Dew.
Perfection.

This was the meeting point for my friend’s bday’s Barcycle outing. It’s a pretty standard Irish pub with all the usual pub accoutrements, like funny Irish signs, plenty of shamrocks, Guinness on tap, etc etc. I only ended up having drinks here so I don’t know what the food is like, but I imagine it’s all the usual pub favorites. Seems like they do a fair amount of business from being the Barcycle headquarters – they were pretty hopping at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon and were even more crowded when we came back a couple of hours later. Looks to be a popular spot on this stretch of Main St.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Your typical Irish pub if that’s what you’re looking for.

I give this place 3.5 stars.
They do have an awesome happy hour which we took advantage of.
As far as the food goes, we ordered happy hour shepards pie and fish & chips.
The pie was pretty much a B class shepeards pie lacking a bit of seasoning in my opinion and tasted kind of microwaved. The fish and chips were decent, the fish tasted fresh from the fryer which was good. They also came with a delicious tartar dipping sauce which was the highlight.
I was there around 6 or so on a Thursday night and sat at the bar. The bar tender was not very attentive, said 3 words total to us and was practicing doing dips on the bar swing door with his co workers… Didn’t seem to enthused to have us and did not make us feel welcome.
Whoever the shorter guy/​Latino bartender needs an attitude adjustment for sure.

This is based on the late night happy hour. Probably the most extensive LNHH I’ve ever seen! There are a whopping 18 items on the menu for $ 5!!! Whaaaaaat?
Running 9-​close, it’s pretty amazing. We ordered the mini-shepherd’s pie (perfect amount for one person), onion rings, grilled cheese, Bacon Finn Skins, and Irish stew. The LNHH runs Sun-​Wed 9pm — close as well as 11 – 7 Weekdays for regular HH. Trust me, it’s worth making plans around. They also have a huge selection of $ 5 beers from tap or bottles. Over 20 kinds too.
The food is cooked right too, the portions are individual portions but plenty for sharing for 2 – 3. Recommended: Shepherd’s Pie, Grilld Cheese, Bacon Finn Skins. We sat at the bar (not sure if HH menu is available at the tables) and the bar server was very attentive to us. It’s a pretty large place, very popular on weekends especially since it’s on Main Street close to the beach. Also they show sports on TVs strategically placed all over. A great place to go and meet friends. But definitely go for the happy hour!

Finn McCool’s was the first bar hopping location that my friends and I went to on my recent birthday. After a dinner at Brick+Mortar, this place is only about two or three blocks away across the street.
As you can probably deduce already, it’s an Irish Pub so make sure you’re ok heading here for the rowdiness. They check your IDs upon entry so after that, you’re good once you’re in. Whatever you do, if you’re at all a light weight like me don’t go for Irish car bomb. That will hurt you hard the next day. I did get their signature drink which was pretty good.
Good service, I heard their happy hours are good, and great drinks. What more can you ask for?