I moved away from the Sunset years ago but I miss this place. I spent two happy New Years there. The food is excellent. However, the thing I miss the most are the cherry bombs! I am a no sugar and frills, gin/beer kind of girl (I also dislike vodka and Smirnoff ice), but my goodness, the cherry bombs are GREAT, when made correctly by staff (usually Brandon).
Review Source:Freaking sliders- some of the best around. Only better is homemade or Fud Ruckers.
General side salad with vinaigrette is SO good! The garlic dressing is def garlic-y so women/men be careful.
BLTA- solid, proportionate. Next time I'm going to request no garlic aioli. Too much for this sando. Reg mayo will be better. Â
Curry fries, everyone is curious about them, they're good, I love curry, and I love fries, but not together.
Service- so friendly, so helpful. Owners are Carolina and Otie. They are Irish and they do a fantastic job at tending bar.
Wednesdays have trivia and Thursdays have karaoke, both are phenomenal.
Atmosphere- hard to beat, good vibe, people sing dance and act a fool without being obnoxious.
When watching major sports games you can usually find a nook to call your own. Not a possibility at Underdogs up the street.
The regulars like soccer and Irish football, so we baseball/football/basketball fans are lucky here.
Restrooms are TINY, and not all that clean.
You know that treehouse you always wanted as a kid? Where you could hang out with your friends, chat, be silly and get up to no good? That's Durty Nellys!
Except with booze....and trivia, and karaoke, and live music.....random out breaks of sing-songs and dance parties....And,well, booze.
Great bartenders, really delicious food, and did I mention booze?? Seriously, it's...what do the kids say these days?...It's "the bomb", it's "hella cool yo", it's "totally rad!" And I kid u not, they serve....great food....(you thought I was gona say booze)
Great place! My local go-to bar in the neighborhood, and they make great burgers and fries at lunch. I'm a fan of the small but homey fireplace on those foggy days in the sunset. Â Best of all- Â the warm, unpretentious, homey vibe of the place, with great staff who recognize regulars and are super friendly with everyone.
Review Source:Durty Nelly's has undergone an ownership change. long time bartender, Odie, has taken over ownership. saw the "perfect pint" guiness claim after i asked him if the guiness was any good. YES! Â Odie showed me the short lines from the beer keg to the tap. long supply lines dilute the brew.
perrused the menu: burgers(lamb too) , fish  & chips, chips, and irish entrees are all in da house..
pour: guiness(6)
-twas a perfect pint,
-even the foam was tasty.
drips:
-irish and chinese people go back to transcontinental railroad days (1863)
railroad connected east and west coast, trip took 6 days instead of 6 months overland.
-reported 1200 chinese deaths(dyanamite and avalanches) and 100+ irish deaths
disputed by Central Pacific historians.
-Odie has a pleasing irish accent.
-bar is small with a few tables and a long bar,
-many flatscreens
-just a few draughts.
-cool ambiance.
Loved Durty Nellies. My wife and I were driving to the airport after a fun weekend and decided to have lunch near Golden Gate Park. Looked on Yelp and found DN. Â It was a Sunday afternoon so it wasn't too crowded but I think we were the only people of the 12 or so in there that didn't have an Irish accent. Â The bartender was great. The food was above average for a pub, got the Nelly burger. Â Very good burger, couldn't get enough of the garlic aioli. Awesome spot.
Review Source:Nifty little spot .. cosy, small ... New food menu looks good - I will try it soon.  I love Trivia night there.  Bartendar very friendly ... One thing, please turn down fire or open window ... it gets so overheated.  Especially when crowded - and a 'crowd' in this small spot is about 20 people.  It was painfully & uncomforatably warm there  last Wednesday.  I melted. Â
Otherwise, great spot .
Legit little place. The food and drinks are cheap, the vibe is good, and real Irish people work there. I ordered an insane ham and cheese sandwich and fries for like $7. Stop in, it's a nice local place, highly recommend. Not sure the nighttime vibe, but I was there in the afternoon and it was relaxed (I'm told it gets a little wild when the sun goes down)
Review Source:I come here for Trivia Nights every Wednesday. It's a good ole time. Never packed, but still really lively. The bartender is very attentive and gets your order quickly. I like that about the place. Drinks are also pretty cheap, so I can get tipsy without hurting my wallet. The food seems good, I've never gotten anything, but it looks decent.
Trivia is cool too. It gets progressively hard each rough though. I like that it's not crowded and that I can hear each question clearly. My team has won second place several times, which is pretty cool too.
I like this place for the ambiance and that it's not too crazy packed, even on a trivia night.
Came here randomly on a walk to the bus today, and I'm so glad we did. The bartender was super sweet and the other patrons were all very friendly locals. We only had time for one drink, and ordered Jameson and gingers. They were made perfectly. We spent about a half hour drinking our drinks and had a great time. I'm sad we weren't able to stay longer, and I look forward to coming back to try the food sometime soon.
Review Source:Craving a burger lunch in a cozy pub, we made our way to Durty Nelly's. Upon entering, we were greeted with a friendly hello by the bartender. She was welcoming and helpful and handed us a couple of menus letting us know that she could come around to us if we wanted to have a seat at one of the booths, or we could order at the bar. We opted to save her the trouble of walking around to us and ordered directly - a couple Guinnesses, a burger and a grilled BBQ chicken sandwich (requested without the bun).
I was impressed there were *five* TV's - three were above the bar, one above the back of the pub, and one above the front area - I figure they're gearing up for the Big Game tomorrow.
Our food came out in good time - the burger tasted fresh and delicious and came with a decent amount of fries. My grilled BBQ chicken sandwich also came with fries and was crisp, tender and lovely. Good sauce.
This pub has a convivial, locals vibe where folks of a broad range of ages (over 21) mix and mingle. When we arrived in the early afternoon, there were a small handful of patrons and a nice crowd gathered shortly after.
Durty Nellys - a pub with good food, drinks and merriment!
If you're curious about who Durty Nelly was in Irish lore: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.durtynellys.ca%2Fwho-was-durty-nelly.php&s=e5ed94ac17107fb67a82477ec8955a8248cd7c242ec077c3811320ab920b42ab" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.durtynellys.c…</a>
So... if you put "Full Breakfast" or "white and black pudding" on a menu, I'm probably going to wind up there. I had my eye on this place for a while so I was super happy when my friend suggested that we go here for dinner one night.
It's a loud and rowdy bar, which you think I'd shy away from but they're jolly and kind (talking about the customers here) and the bartenders were great. I somehow decided to go with the curry chicken with fries, which I enjoyed with my glass of red wine. I think we all enjoyed our meals and drinks -- so pair that with good service and it's good all around.
Guinness served in a proper pint glass by a real irish person. This is a crowded but enthusiastic place to watch a giants or niners game on the weekends. The beer selection is limited, but this is more than made up for by the lively crowd and tasty fried food.
I came here for a friend's birthday to chill and it was the perfect environment to have a few drinks and catch up after a few months.
As a Briton I was a little unsure about this Irish pub, since most of the pubs back home that call themselves that are just using it as a way to weasel out of doing good food or drink. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover an actual, honest to God pub just like they have back home. If you read the part of the menu "Nelly's Favourites" you wouldn't be able to tell you weren't in Ireland or Britain enjoying a meal at your local.
However, I came here on a friend's recommendation for the burger. I had Nelly's Burger which was fantastic, with good meat and garlic mayo and real bacon. The fries are pretty damn good and the half pint I had went well with my breakfast.
The reason I'm going to say four stars is twofold. Firstly the real pub atmosphere extends to the restrooms (toilets), which are as disgusting as the toilets back home would be. Given I wanted to wash my hands after the burger this was unwelcome. Secondly, the service was somewhat impersonal, with a bored-looking barmaid serving somewhat begrudgingly.
The business has just put up signs announcing new management, so I don't know how long this review will hold true. Hopefully it does for a while yet!
Needed a place to catch up with a buddy, we decided to skip the typical boba thing that is prevalent on Irving in favor of a cold beer. Knowing of only one place in the area, I walked over to meet my friend in front of Durty Nelly's, a staple dive in the Sunset.
I got my regular, a snakebite, which didn't seem that common or popular in this bar as the bartender had to confirm with me that I wanted the Guinness and cider version. I know some like it made with different brews, but this version is definitely my favorite. Luckily they had some cider available and I could kick back with my favorite cold one and do some catching up and talk shop.
The bartender was super friendly and it's a fun place to hang out and enjoy a beer during downtimes, but not the quietest place once things pick up. Prices are reasonable though there are certainly better deals. It's a welcoming place at most hours so I'd definitely recommend it for a good time. Stop by for a pint!
Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
Came here on St. Patty's Day. It was the first Irish Pub we've been in. I was with two of the most obnoxious, awful human beings this city has produced. We even placed bets on who would get beat up first. Ironically, the only person we (and when I say we, I actually just mean Obnoxious Friend #1) pissed off was the only other Asian guy in the bar.
Anyways, lively, friendly crowd that just want to have fun. It had all the characteristics of an Irish Pub that I've imagined, WITH FISH 'N' CHIPS!
Not going to lie though, I was a little disappointed by the fact that a big, angry drunken Irishmen didn't beat up any of my friends. I guess there's always next year...
It's refreshing to walk into a bar and automatically want to cozy up in their welcoming booth seating, situated right by their charming fire place (which was unlit at the time). Durty Nelly's is a real pub  - bursting with character and hospitality. There are no loud garish TVs mounted on the wall here. The place has a rustic feel about it and is decorated accordingly. The place isn't dim or dismal - and instead the lighting is warm and refreshing. The bartender is genuine and personable.
You can actually hear yourself speak and while we were too late to try their food menu - their curry chips are lauded as a winning dish. Not too late in the evening  - a beaming bachelorette party stumbled in and even offered up slightly obscene cupcakes to us and the bar staff.  One of those rare moments - where women by far - out-number men at a Sunset pub.
I was on a quest to discover a bar/pub in the area that truly resonated with me - and Durty Nelly's was the true standout. Intimate and unassuming. Pure delight for a mellow Sunday evening.
Trust.
YES THEY HAVE A FIREPLACE.
Do I even need to say anything else? What else could you do on a chilly winter night in the bay besides warm your insides and your outsides with flames and one of the devil's favorite brews.
Your mind will be tickled by the real Irish accents as well. I maintain it gets no better than this.
BUT the curry fries were disappointing. Get something else and enjoy the blaze.
Easily the most random and strange night of my life.
Meet up with 2 friends from decades past. Decide to get a beer. Can't find parking (SHOCKER) in Lower Haight, or anywhere within a 10 block radius. Decide to drive... and just keep driving. Debate getting 40s and drinking them on the beach. Nixed because we're too old. End up parking in the first available spot surrounded by tiny restaurants selling bubble tea and noodle dishes. Eh? Where are we??
Stumble upon a bunch of smokers. Decide we must be at a bar, especially when we see the Irish flag waving in the foggy breeze. What divey-dive of all dives have we here?? So durty it's spelled with a "u"?? How wonderful!! We got a table smack in the middle of the fray and ordered a few brews. A long-haired man in sandals was wailing into the microphone, playing jams on his guitar that included "Purple Rain," "Proud Mary," and John Mellencamp. The crowd was a mix of college girls (high school girls?), sloppy too-old-to-be-frat-boys, PDA couples, and elderly drunks who may or may not come sit at your booth. Some people danced. Some had their dresses accidentally tucked up into their panties after visiting the loo. Others spontaneously bust out with what appeared to be choreographed tap dance moves up and down the length of the bar, even when the guitar player was on a break.
Said friends and I sat in our booth - sometimes pinned in, other times simply afraid to leave - laughing 'til we cried at the show that unfolded before us.
Sometimes a dive is just a dive. And then sometimes it's Durty Nelly's, and you're planning an Anniversary Date for your return.
First time stumbled into this pub on a bored Saturday night and it was crazy experience. Sunset neighborhood has its share of few laid back pubs. But this place came as a complete surprise. The decor is nothing special, dark wood and has a few sitting booths. The crowd is mostly a weird mix of locals - mid-aged regulars, totally wasted drunks and wandering youngsters alike. But the surprising part was the music and the atmosphere. Was so fun to hear the latest club numbers playing in an Irish pub in the far Sunset! It immediately pumped everyone's spirit; Â the crowd went crazy dancing on top of seats,in the floor and everywhere possible! Everyone was just having a good time. Didn't care must about what we drank as came out buzzed and rock and rolling.
The second visit was on St.Patty's Friday and hell , surprised us again! This time there was live music playing. The singer sang a good mix of popular classics to romantic numbers and song requests kept flowing all night. In between breaks were club numbers that got us dancing again! Made random friends, danced with the neighbors sitting beside and got free jagerbomb shots from the bartender, ohooo this place rocks Sunset!
This place has its own crazy nights and if you in on one such night expect a few drunks stumbling around or in their crazy acts, the jolly Irish singing aloud, locals in their dancing shoes and no one here cares about anything else! Just come and have a good time.
I really wanted to like this place. Â I really did. Â The service was good. Â The ambiance was, well, drab, dreary, dull.....and always with that ONE oddball at the bar, that looks as if he didn't take his meds this week.
But after a couple of visits now, I just can't get into it. Â The chicken curry with fries is okay, but when you get a few bites that taste like industrial cleaner, you just wonder wtf is up in the kitchen. Â Maybe I just got spoiled with all those terrific Irish pubs in Northern Virginia. Â Big, clean, great food, ambiance, decor and vibe. Â Not to mention a plethora of draft beer selections.
Oh well, at least I gave it a try. Â Go check it out and decide for yourself.
I try to go back here every time I am in town. And every time I am in town, I scarf down one of their burgers so fast, my friends just stare at me, slack-jawed, that a human can eat that fast. I feel bad though. I eat so fast that I don't have time to really savor the burger.
There is a solution to this though. Drink a couple pints and order another burger.
What do you say when you leave this place??
Top of the morning to ya.... cuz once you get there, you don't want to leave till you close it down in the morning.
I would like to pay homage to Brandon the barkeep. Brandon my cherry bomb makin, cider pouring, last minute food takin Irishman..... if you don't know him then you don't know Durty Nelly's.
BTW- do you now Michael H? XD
Where else can you get a great medium rare steak sandwich and curry chips in the predominantly chinese neighborhood while listening to Irish acoustics in a throng of yelpers where Amanda is downing cherry bombs like it's going out of fashion. Â Here, that's where! And don't forget that in the wee (lil) mens bathroom it is normal to find three grown ass men sharing the space of a closet.
Odd, I don't remember leaving....
"Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name." Â Especially if your name begins with Amanda. Â Thanks to Manda B. for introducing this place to the SBC. Â Our experience was first-rate.... thanks to Brandon. Â Cherry bombs were exploding (in a fun way) and the curry fries were rockin. Â I tasted their steak burger also and it looks, I mean tastes like I'm going to have to come back for more! Â
The few times we stepped foot in this cheery bar, I noticed how cozy yet rowdy this place can be. Â I think we took it to another level when the SBC, EB, and SF collided here just recently. Â Awesome staff, smooth drinks, good food, and great atmosphere would facilitate my return. Â Too bad it's a little too far for me to visit more often.
Holy! This is the best french fries I ever had! Tasty and all freshly made.
Also they have Chicken Curry Fries which also was pretty unique.
The hamburger looks amazing but I haven't had the chance to try it out.
I'm glad to see an Irish Pub in the middle of an Asian-dominated area can pull out food this good and not just pushing out beer and liquor like most pubs I have ever been to.
I came here with several Yelpers, parking could be a problem since this street is filled with old restaurants and banks with no parking structures around, most places in the streets are typical SF homes so either park a block away or so. We managed to get one in front of Coco's Crawfish which is just in front of the pub.
Now I'm not much of a beer or liquor drinker (long story) so I only go for white or red wine and usually some people will look at you in a funny way if you order wine, but Brandon who was behind the bar just pulled out a chilled bottle of Chardonnay and filled my glass every time I hung back at the bar. Three cheers for Brandon! I believe he's known for the Cherry Bomb drinks that Amanda B ordered for all the ladies in our group.
I rarely go to SF for drinks but this place makes me want to come back.....
As long as someone drives me back if I get tipsy. :D
So uh... who's Nelly ?
Aaaaargh.....avast and ahoy there matey!!! I spy Durrrrrrty Nelllllllly's on the horizon. Sorry for the piratitude....I saunter by Durty Nelly's often and a pirate always takes over my brain. An Irish pirate. The crunkest, most smokingest kind.
I got nothing but love for a place where the guy in charge encourages the invasion of Yelpers from several Bay Area counties, helping to whip them into a frenzy with Cherry Bombs and smiling at 'Manda Bear dancing on the bar. You KNOW the regulars were NOT AMUSED. But I'll bet the cash register was.
Now that I know how nice and cozy and friendly this neighborhood watering hole is I'll stop sliding by and stop in when it's....umm.....quieter.
I pick Brendan on my team for whatever...drinking, fighting, even dodge ball...he's one of those cool guys that just gets along with everyone.
When I walked in, I felt like I was transplanted to Farrington's Pub in the Temple Bar district of Dublin. Â I heard lots of "Slainte" and "What's the craic" being tossed around, and that's how I knew it was a traditional Irish pub. Â Irish music also plays at night, adding to the atmosphere of old Dublin. Â I hear the burgers are not to be missed, and I'll be hitting that up on my next trip, along with a dozen pints of the black stuff.
Irish Pub in the middle of Irving's Chinatown...yeah, it fits, and if you have a problem with it, bring it up to Brendan.
Brandon is one of those 6'2" Irish guys that you need in your neighbor community - cool, funny, has great stories, lived in Hawaii, knows all the locals, the locals know him, makes the best Cherry Bombs and Irish Coffee, and looks like he'll bail you out off an Asian street brawl. Â Â
Tonight the Brotherhood had a chance to drink up with Brandon and enjoy his Irish Pub in the middle of Asian town's Irving Street. Â Â We shared our plans for next week's event and has agreed to collaborate with us on the first ever SBC and SF UYE!
Yes... its OFFICIAL - Friday, December 5th, 2008 in San Francisco!
UYE Collision Course: Â SBC & SF at Durty Nelly's!!!
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/events/san-francisco-uye-collision-course-sbc-and-sf-yelp-at-durty-nellys">http://www.yelp.com/even…</a>
A nice place to spend a quiet weekday afternoon with a Guinness, while contemplating thoughts that have no place within such walls:
-How the slightly cracked window let in a refreshingly cool breeze, felt only on the most laid-back of days.
-How the incoming sunlight lit the weathered bar, softly accentuating the wood stripped after years of loving abuse.
-How I was able to use a bathroom twice without having to pretend to rent something from Blockbuster.