I am usually suspicious about places that pretend they belong somewhere else. So when I saw theAuld Dubliner
just across from the doors of the convention center, I figured it would be some cutesy Irish pub knockoff and I stayed clear.
A lot of the convention-goers soon discovered the Auld Dubliner, and it became the popular lunch spot of our convention. The reviews were all good to great, and I decided I just might be missing something good. I was indeed!
Several of us went for lunch, and I have to admit that although this was a fairly new pub, it looked like an authentic old Irish pub somewhere in Ireland. It was dark, and there was a huge bar with lots of beers on tap (of course Guinness was one of them). Irish music was playing. Even our waiter was a true chap from County Cork and had a great Irish accent. I could almost believe I was in Ireland.
The menu had corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips and Irish stew. I ordered the corned and cabbage and a pint. Some other members tried the Irish stew and one person the fish and chips.
It didn't take long for the place to fill up as sessions at the convention adjourned. This was the popular spot and everyone was waiting for tables. There were only two waitpeople working the whole pub and at that point service got a bit shabby. It was not the wait staff’s fault; they were indeed working their butts off and running between tables, bar and kitchen. It did not seem like they had a very organized system. The management also knew a major convention (5,000 people) was going on across the street, and you would have hoped they would have scheduled their staffing better. At this point, it took a very long time for our food to arrive.
Once it did arrive, it was very good. The corned beef and cabbage was authentic and very tasty. It was like having St. Patrick's Day in June. The Irish stew also looked thick and full of large cubes of beef. The fish and chips were not greasy. We all were very happy with our meals and quickly understood why this place was attracting the crowds.
We finally flagged a server down for our bill and paid it. We handed it to one server and waited for a long time for our change. Finally we asked her for it and she couldn't recall taking it. There was a lot of confusion about where the money or the bill was. It took some scrambling, and she found the bill and our cash and provided us with change and an apology. It just was another example of the disorganization at this cute pub.
This was a favorite hangout. People often went here after sessions for a pint of Guinness. I enjoyed this authentic little pub and hope they work a bit on their service problems.