Irish Pub Poseurs in Philly

It’s been awhile between posts, loyal readers; it seems that ol’ Paddy doesn’t get out much these days. I’ve picked the low-hanging fruit in my area, so it looks like I need to expand my horizons and plan some road trips. Anyway, I was in old city Philadelphia for a birthday party the other night. The festivities were happening in a dark club with overpriced drinks and lots of neon lights. Not my scene, to say the least. I don’t feel any more hip and sophisticated paying $12 for Jameson. Not 12 year-old or Gold label, by the way, just run-of-the-mill Jameson. I decided to step out and check out some nearby places that call themselves Irish pubs.

I went into The Plough and The Stars on 2nd street. The place looks like someone turned an old bank into a bar and didn’t put much effort into it. The interior was pretty sparse, with some tables and a bar against the wall. The décor was minimal and not remotely Irish. The place looked pretty generic. The bartender was very friendly and rattled off the bar’s (extensive) Irish whiskey selection without missing a beat. It didn’t seem like a bad place to enjoy a cocktail, but The Plough and The Stars is definitely not an Irish pub.

I headed over to Brownie’s, which seemed more promising. It has a big flag hanging out front with a green shamrock emblazoned on it. Inside, the bar has the casual look of a corner sports bar; dark wood bar, pool table, sports memorabilia on the walls. There wasn’t much to designate the place as an Irish pub, no real décor to speak of. The bar selection was pretty weak, with only 4 Irish whiskies on offer. Brownie’s is the kind of so-called Irish pub that bothers me; it’s just a sports bar that tries to become an Irish pub by putting up a few shamrocks. They need to exert more effort in order to be credible.

The bottom line is that neither of these places qualifies as an Irish pub. They both may be perfectly suitable watering holes, but if you seek some good craic, go elsewhere.