As a visitor to the Alexandria area, my friend recommended that we go to O'Connell's for Saturday night drinks. The first thing I found appealing about the place was its festive fall decor. I couldn't help but think, 'wow, someone put a lot of effort into this."
O'Connell's has two bars on the first floor and restaurant seating on the first and second floors. There's a nice fireplace area nearest the stage on the first floor but I couldn't see it in action. The playlist was all about the 80s and I loved every minute. The bartenders are authentic Irishmen, Liam and Paul. Very friendly guys who know how to take care of you. The customers that come here - at least when we went - range from twenty somethings to sixty somethings, mostly all are white.
They have live music everynight. We caught a little segment of a local cover artist who was pretty good. I came back the next evening to look for my lost umbrella (that was stolen) and the musician that night was playing Van Morrison in tune with irish theme of the place!!
This is our favorite place in old town!!! Every time we go there we always get a seat.... The Guinness burger is to die for along with the Irish egg rolls!!! Not to mention they pour a mean pint there!!!! Shepard's pie is one of the best I have had in a while, although it may bit gamey for some!
Review Source:It's a very solid Irish pub. Here's the rundown:
1) The atmosphere is great- inside gives off a nice old world vibe, the rooftop adds a great choice.
2) the food isn't revolutionary, but what Irish-inspired food is? It's hearty and feels nice when it's cold out.
3) The beer list isn't huge, but it has good variety that covers all the bases.
4) Gary, who took care of us during my last visit, was EXTREMELY nice. He definitely added a lot to a really nice evening.
I'll definitely be back for drinks and m
Come for the booze. Â Drink. Â A lot. Â Then, consider ordering something off the food menu. Â Do not reverse this order of business.
I've been coming to O'Connell's for years; it's got a great atmosphere and friendly staff. Â
It's a shame about the food: when it first opened, there was an excellent chef, then he quit, and the food was just okay. Â I haven't eaten there in a while, and my fiancee and I visited on a Saturday night for a drink and a few nibbles. Â The staff is still great, but what slop! Â
We ordered wings, the soup of the day (chicken noodle), and the crab and spinach dip. Â The wings were dry and flavorless and, randomly, there were other bits of things that must have fallen in the fryer, like carrots; the chicken noodle soup was canned broth (it tasted just like the kind in Campbell's Chicken n Stars), chopped up carrots and chicken breast and....spaghetti...I guess that's a noodle, right? The crab and spinach dip was just kind of icky and the crab was definitely canned.
The kitchen needs to step it up considering what they're charging, but they do land-office business there, so I doubt that will happen. Â It's a shame.
This is an Irish bar for sure. Â If you want to watch sports at the bar, go somewhere else. Â No TVs at the bar. Â The bartender was very friendly and provided good service. Â This area is North Old Town Alexandria and has a lot of shots and restaurants. Â I had the fish and chips (waffle sweet potato fries) which was very good. Â A limited draft beer selection if you are a beer snob but a great place to eat, drink and listen to Irish music. The front bar is small but the back bar is very big. Â I would go again.
Review Source:This place is a lot bigger than it seems. Its bar on top of bar on top of bar!
We stopped here for a pint on our jaunt down King St. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting and like most Irish bars, theirs lots of things to see here. I loved the old fireplaces throughout as well.
We decided to sit at the second bar up (the bar at the heart of the place) and were served immediately. They have a good beer/cider selection and an even better whisky selection. We werent hungry at this point in out jaunt, but their food looked and smelled delicious. Im very excited to come back and try it.
We visited all the Irish bars on King St, this was by far our favorite.
My husband & I spent our last night in Alexandria here. We had a blast. The bartender was awesome & they had a great  selection of beer. I told him the type of beer I liked & her recommended and awesome beer. We shared the shepards pie they brought us each out a small dish already split for us. It was delicious! Not greasy like they usually are. Ingredients tasted fresh.
The bartender continued to recommended different beers and Wiskeys for my husband.
They had a few men sitting by the fireplace playing Irish music.
We will definitely go back to this place.
O Connell's is a upscale Irish pub that boast four bars throughout this location. Each bar has its own feel( it really is like 4 bars in 1) Â Whenever I have someone visiting in town I always take them here. The decor is warm and inviting, And the owner had all of the wood-taken from castles, churches, and even an apothecary- shipped over from Ireland
My go to meal here is the Dublin Deli Combo sandwich with succulent corned beef, turkey, Irish ham , and American ham.  But what makes this sandwich is its  warm pretzel bread and melted cheese...and let's just say that you will need a nap after this one, for it is really filling. Their scotch eggs are nestled in a fried crust on eggy good ness as well
Some pretty cool bartender and staff. I always enjoy running into Andrea, Lee, and Jolene for some top notch service
Overall: Irish pub with a decent beer menu, tasty food & good service.
Food: Our most recent stop to O'Connell's included a pretty greasy (in a good way) option. My husband and I split an order of nachos and a couple beers outside on a nice Saturday afternoon. (we're obviously having a very hard time adjusting to our new city haha)
The nacho toppings are piled on crispy homemade chips - and they're actually crispy! I was expecting them to be kind of soggy but was pleasantly surprised. Other menu options are pretty typical of an irish pub (bangers & mash, fish & chips, shepherd's pie) but every looks great - bonus points for presentation.
Service/Atmosphere: The inside is dark and kind of cavernous (much like many restaurants in Old Town) but it's covered from top to bottom in hardwood so it's pretty comfortable and cozy. I think I'll be more of a fan once it gets cooler. For now, outside is great!
Daniel O'Connell's is a fun place to sit around and drink with your friends, but it gets crowded on weekend nights as it is really one of the few places to go drinking in Alexandria. Â I have never eaten here, but I would as I love pub food. Â I have definitely been day drinking here on a number of occasions. Â
It is a nice Irish pub and I like the ambiance and decor over Murphy's, the other pub in Old Town. Â I was also disappointed that they only have magners cider.
Not only does this place have FANTASTIC food and a GREAT staff, but they are also the awesomest place in old town! There is so much old furniture and just cool things inside. There is a lot of space in there and on a busy Friday night we got right in! There are also four bars spread throughout it and they have all the Irish classics!!!
If I lived in old town I'd be here literally ALL OF THE TIME!
My girlfriend and I love this place to the point that we make sure we plan a trip here for lunch at least once any time friends or family come to visit. Â The ribs are pretty incredible. Â My girlfriend and I usually fight over which one of us gets to order them each time we go there, with the promise that the loser gets at least one =) Â My only problem is that they are only available as an appetizer and not as a 1/2 or a full rack. Â Their alfredo chicken is also really good. Â There roast beef sliders are incredible! Â They have these homemade potatochip / fries things that are good, however, I think they'd be better if they were served hot!
Review Source:"Meh" my bf and i wanted to try this place with the nice patio outside. We went inside and asked, the server who didnt greet us was rude and didnt seem like she wanted to help.
Pros : nothing really
Cons : food is not all that, staff was not welcoming , and the price isnt worth it. Slow service.
My boyfriend and I were in Old Town late on a Sunday two weeks ago, wanting to walk around and get some food. Â We arrived later than we intended and everything was closing down. Â Hungry, we got on our smartphones and looked up places that might stay open past 11 on Sundays. Â O'Connell's came up and it was right next to where we were. Â The place was laid out interestingly and the staff was surprisingly helpful for the hour. Â The place wasn't very crowded and the prices weren't super cheap but decent. Â We ordered the seafood shepherd's pie and the Jameson wings. Â Both were absolutely delicious. Â We will be coming back.
Review Source:I have actually never been to O'Connell's before 10 PM as it is mostly known as one of the best bars in old town. It always has a small but good selection of beers and the bar food menu is great with portions big enough to share with a few people. It is a fun place to meet up with friends as it has a few different bars and seating areas inside (although the upstairs isn't always open). Looks, feels, and tastes like your average Irish pub but with a younger crowd. Go there for St. Patrick's day, they have a band and attentive bartenders even with the huge crowd. You won't be dissapointed!
Review Source:I would give it 0 stars if I could.
Wednesday I was in the Old Town area strolling around planning to have a dinner date with myself before meeting others for happy hour. It was hot as the dickens but I still wanted to sit outside and people watch while sipping on some Riesling and reading my Harry Potter book from my Kindle.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
I walked into the public bar area where it said to seat yourself. As I wanted to sit outside I waited to get the bartender's attention to let him know so he could let the server know. I waited at the bar for 5 minutes without getting acknowledged. After getting the bar keep's attention and requesting a menu. He gruffly nodded at me like it was going above and beyond his call of duty to assist me. It was around 3pm so it wasn't really busy. I'm in the service industry, there were no bar tickets pouring in that were requiring his immediate attention. A female server with blonde hair finally got me a menu. She didn't greet me, ask me anything, or seemed to even want my business. As I sat at a booth inside for 20 minutes I finally got up and walked around looking for said server. I was convinced she actually didn't exist and I hallucinated her. I must've got the menu myself somehow because I never saw the chick again. I asked a couple who was sitting there enjoying their ice cold frothy beers (jealous) if anyone worked here. They replied they thought they did. I didn't want to stick around another 20 minutes to find out. After all, I was hot and thirsty, the worst combination to find me in.
NEVER will be back at this place again.
Revised: 5/17/2013
The food quality has really gone downhill- as in it stinks. Crabcakes were "ok"... but well below the norm. Fish and chips were dreadful. Fries were cheap and greased, while fish was undercooked. The bar area is far too loud, and Unappealing. Walked away with a headache and no good memories. No plans to return anytime soon.
8/11/2012: Eating here in the upper deck, listening to bagpipe music and eating some panko crusted crabcakes with a Magner's cider, while the wife enjoys her Caesar salad with a Guinness.
AWESOME!
SEND MORE GUINNESS PLEASE!!!
This is a strong 3 stars for Daniel O'Connell's. Â
I will say that it is oddly layed out but it is to be expected for the classic buildings in Old Town Alexandria. Â It can often feel overcrowded but it's typically just due to the layout. Â
The pub aspect is great with wonderful bartenders and plentiful beer. Â It's hard to go wrong in any pub. Â We did have the nachos (were a little soggy and cool but were full of flavor), the Reuben egg roll (extremely delicious and borderline addictive), and the lamb burger (was not good and was disappointing since I ordered medium rare and it was well well done). Â I wish I had tried the Reuben or stayed with classic Irish fare. Â I will be back though and hope to be able to upgrade the rating a star. Â I agree with Kara N. on a high star bar and low star food.
**** 3 1/2 Stars*****
Decent Irish Pub in Old Town. I've been here a few times now for food and for drinks. It's fairly large inside with 2 floors and a rooftop bar area that is open in the spring and summer months. Food isn't anything special (decent bar food) and decent drinks. The bartenders and staff are friendly.
O'Connell's is not rowdy like Murphy's and the crowd is definitely more relaxed, if that's what you're looking for. The clientele is mixed, but seems to lean towards the older side. They do have live music during the weekend evenings which always livens things up :)
Fusion fun (Irish egg rolls, Irish Nachos) and classic yum (corned beef and cabbage, Shepard's pie) make this place more than your typical Irish pub. Â The food was great, creative, and delicious.
The bar selection is good. Â They have Magner's on tap and all of the typical Irish beers (that would not be served in the same establishment by Irish pub standards). Â
The bartenders are friendly and yes, do talk to the patrons. Â This may be construed as bad service, but this is actually very traditional and indicative of a good pub. Â If you get mad when a bartender chats up his patron and does not fill up your drink the moment it is empty and hits the bar counter, you do not belong in an Irish pub.
Do not go here if you are the least uncomfortable around a lot of people. The service was the slowest service I have ever experience in Old town. I do not know if it was because I wasn't some ditsy college girl or what but I stood at the bar with money in hand trying to get a drink for my wife and I. Then to make matter worse when I received my drinks my wife's vodka and diet coke were horrible. How do you mess up that simple drink and my beer was in a dirty glass. The only place we could find room to sit was upstairs but then you had all the dumb college kids standing all in the walking area bumping up against your table and everything and refusing to move for anything. The music is obnoxiously loud probably to make you forget how horrible of an experience you are having. We had our one drink and left, I am pretty sure I wont be back. I will head back to a better bar down on Strand Ave.
Review Source:I went into the Irish Pub a 2 weeks ago and i wasnt impressed. Â I showed up about 3pm and and ordered a Magners Cider. Â Cider came quick. Â I waited a little bit and ordered the Corned Beef and Cabbage. Â That took a bit to come out and it was served up all fancy and shit. Â Then i waited...beer was empty. Â Bartendars were caught up in conversations with other guests...i guess it wouldnt be so bad if they werent right next to me. Â She poured them a shot, on the house and looked at my empty glass. Â Didnt ask if i wanted another. Â
Now i look through the reviews and see that i should have looked here first. Â The issue i have is that this place has probably the best Irish Atmosphere in town. Â Something really needs to be dont about the service or you are just going to be coming out of pocket.
Service was terrible after our first waiter (who was attentive) clocked out. We couldn't get our new waiter, or anyone for that matter, to give us the time of day after we finished eating. My boyfriend finally got up and went to the bar to order our third round. For our fourth round, we had to flag down someone else's waiter.
On the plus side, our lunch of fish & chips and a hamburger was quite tasty. Â The place is easy to find and accessible via public transportation (a must for us).
Had the service been better, we would have stayed for another few rounds and ordered dinner.
We eat out almost every meal, love to watch all manner of sports, love to drink beer and love an Irish pub. We were looking for a new "home" but this probably won't be it.
This was a great find! I'm glad I checked out O'Connell's Restaurant Week menu, it was definitely worth the trip. Very friendly wait staff and quick service, tasty food that came out hot and delicious. Loooved the Irish Cream Pie! Â and the Magners on tap. Â The potato leek soup was tasty, but could use some ham or bacon in my opinion, and the irish egg rolls were delicious! So crispy and the sauce was very tasty
I can't wait to come back and try the brunch menu, it sounded delicious.
The basics: Â Irish pub/restaurant located in Old Town Alexandria
What you need to know: Â extremely poor customer service and barely edible food
My first visit to this Old Town establishment was as exactly as others had reviewed: yummy food, great service, nice atmosphere but subsequent visits have led me to write this less than stellar review. Â On this last visit, we waited and waited and waited for our food. Â When the food finally arrived, my fish and chips were soggy and cold. I picked at my food, growing hungrier by the second. Â Finally, I decided it was not okay to prolong the agony so I was ready for the check and searched for our waitress who had seemingly disappeared. Â Thirty to forty minutes, the bartender came to the rescue. Â For others patronizing this place, if it works for you then great. I will have to pass on this one.
I love a good Irish pub, especially to eat a good breakfast at, but O'Connell's is just alright compared to others that I have been to. Â The restaurant it is decorated like your average Irish pub, but the build out of the inside is what I was very impressed with. Â There are a few different rooms each with a pretty unique vibe to them and also an upstairs area. Â This setup prevents the place from ever feeling overwhelmed or packed with people. Â
The food here is just average and is nothing that I couldn't whip up myself at home. Â I hate paying for something that is just ok. Â The servers don't have much to say about the menu when asked and if you want to change something on the menu, they give you some attitude. Â I would rather eat at iHop for my breakfast than here so I stick to just going to the bar and munching on some small dishes.
I love Irish Pubs (good Irish Pubs) and O'Connell's didn't disappoint. My wife and I are new to the area, having just moved here from Indianapolis and love finding new places. Located in Old Town Alexandria, this pub fits right in to the "old charm" of the neighborhood. The staff is very friendly, the decor is wonderful (dark woods everywhere), the food is very good (but as a Vegan, I would like to see more options). My favorite, and only real option, is the hummus/veggie platter, which, is very good. For $8, you get enough to feed more than one person. They have a great beer selection on tap but I would like to see more local selections. At the time of our visit, there was just one local beer on tap. Also, it would be nice to have wireless connectivity available. This would be a great place to come for a beer and get a bit of work done. Â
Overall, I highly recommend O'Connell's and I am absolutely positive that my wife and I will be back again and again and again. Â The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the lack of Vegan food options and the lack of wireless connectivity.
I was meandering down King Street the other night after running an errand and Daniel O'Connells just seemed very welcoming so I stopped in and took up residence at the bar.
I was there after Happy Hour so I can't vouch for their specials but I got a nice hummus platter with veggies that could have fed 3 people for $8. I also had a draft and bottled beer. The server was good about making recommendations and even let us sample the drafts.
I really liked that they were playing a combination of Irish and Scottish music. They had live Irish after 8 and no cover charge.
I'm not a regular at Daniel O'Connell's  but if I lived in the area I definitely would be! I have stopped here on all of my business trips and order the same thing, the Guinness burger. Truth is, it's not out of this world amazing food but it's comfort food and sometimes that is just what you need.
On my first trip here we got the booth in the front by the bar, very cozy. I was helping someone with a work project and it was a great little spot to plug in our laptops and enjoy some food and drinks. On my 2nd time we sat outside. Service was a bit on the slow side but still a good time.
I'll be back next time I am in town :)
This past Saturday, faced with wonderful weather, we decided to go to Old Town Alexandria. Â After all, we were way overdue for a visit since we hadn't been there in years. Â I came up with a few dinner possibilities and my husband chose Daniel O'Connell's because he wanted bangers and mash.
We arrived here shortly before 5 p.m. and already the place was doing a brisk business. Â At this hour, everyone was seated in the bar. Â We didn't mind as we were given a table that could accommodate 4 people, thus giving us room to spread out.
Our waiter arrived promptly to take our drink orders. Â Instead of ordering a Guinness, my husband got a Stella Artois. Â I asked the waiter for a recommendation for a sweet cocktail and he suggested a lemon drop martini, which I then ordered. Â He was right---it was a sweet, but not too sweet drink, served with a rim of sugar.
We started out with a caprese salad appetizer. Â I'm not sure if we ended up with 2 orders (even though we ordered 1) but we each got a plate with 2 tomato slices and 2 thick mozzarella slices. Â This was a decent caprese. Â All the right ingredients were there but overall, we've had some with better quality tomatoes and mozzarella.
My husband, of course, had what the menu said was "banger and mash". Â When the dish came, it had more than one "banger". Â Instead, it had several small bangers. Â He asked the waiter about that and was told that at one time the dish came with one very big banger but it was recently changed. Â My husband enjoyed his dish yet wasn't wowed by it.
I had the Irish BLT.  It was served on toasted rustic bread (a nice touch).  Instead of bacon, it had rashers in it.  The best description I found of rashers is this --- it is what we call Canadian bacon.  It was a tasty sandwich with generous portions of rashers, lettuce and tomatoes.  This sandwich comes with fries.  The fries were a bit overcooked but still okay.  Overall, a decent meal but again, I wasn't  wowed.
Dinner cost $52 + change before the tip. Â My husband neglected to see if we ended up with 2 caprese salads before paying the bill. Â So, I'm not sure if the cost reflects 1 or 2 capreses.
While we didn't  dislike the place, next time we're in Old Town Alexandria, we will try another restaurant for dinner.
O'Connell's is my go-to lifesaver restaurant. Really I should have Yelped about them before now.
We have taken family, friends from out of town, done dates and company dinners here. The food has always been spot-on, the beer decently priced, the ambiance great, and love the live band.
Today though O'Connell's saved my butt. My company had a big goodbye party for some of our staffers and we first went to 219 where the manager scolded us before giving us our food menu. (You can check out my review on their page). We evacuated before things got worse.
We were desperate and could only migrate so far with a group of 20. I ran into O'Connell's poured out my sob story and guess what? They were pretty packed so they opened a whole section of their restaurant and gave us a private room to party in. The beer came fast and the food was perfect.
I want to thank the hostess for being confronted by my plea and her packed restaurant and still making it work. Thank you to the manager for not scolding us. Thank you to the staff for their patience and not blinking an eye when splitting a huge bill between 20 people. You guys already had a fan but now you have a fan for life!
I went here for a food walking tour. Â The walking tour was an absolute joke; however, Daniel O'Connell's was a pleasant surprise. Â The staff and management were very kind and knew so much about the restaurant. Â The restaurant itself is well decorated and looks exactly like any pub you might wander into in Ireland. Â Sure enough, one of the owners actually has specialized in a career of designing Irish pubs throughout Europe and the US. This place must be the crown jewel! Â The decor even includes centuries old bars flown in from Ireland! Â
I didn't drink here, but I am sure that it is a great place to get a pint of Guinness or any ale.
We sampled some items from the new menu, all of which were delicious.  For those who enjoy a fancy twist on Irish pub fare, you will be delighted by Daniel O'Connell's.  For those who wish to have  a private Irish bar to themselves, you can also rent out one of their upstairs rooms.
Husband and I came here for lunch mid-week and were pretty darn happy with our meal and overall experience.
This place is huge (I felt like I was in a labyrinth of Irish woods), but we were seated in a cozy little nook which made the space feel more manageable.
We both ordered the fish and chips because the waitress sold us on them with the note that they'd gotten rid of the freezer and everything was fresh. They were simply amazing. We're still talking about it.
The plate is huge though - it's totally sharable. The fries were heavenly. The fish was great too. Everything was piping hot and really really tasty. And, I hate that word "tasty," but I couldn't keep saying it was "great." Even though it was.
I want to go back!!
I took my little sis here as part of her introductory tour of Old Town Alexandria. The interior is classic Irish pub with classy Irish waiters. The menu is all greasy bar food, but it's in the higher echelons of greasy bar food. The prices are average for Old Town - maybe $15-20 a person for an entree and a frothy beverage.
If you're not feeling a particular type of cuisine and you're walking by, there's probably something on the menu to satisfy, and the ambiance is great for chilling out.
Side note - if you're interested in going to Ireland and happen to chat up a waiter nicknamed "Jockey" - hit him up for recommendations!
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