Finn McCool's

I LOVE Irish bars!  I go to a lot of them and usually don't rate them as most are very similar (I may start rating more though).   I love a good Bushmills Black Bush, boiled dinner or shepards pie, and an Irish coffee.    However, my girlfriend and I don't love this bar.

Full disclosure:  We've been to this bar twice.  We stayed and ordered once.  We walked out the second time without ordering as the service is so slow.

Food:
The corned beef and boiled dinner is good.  It's what you would expect and is about average.   The Shepard's pie was also good in my opinion.  My girlfriend didn't like it.  I have to agree it seemed very heavy on one particular spice.  This made it taste different than others we've had (good for some and likely bad to others...your choice).

Drinks:
Overall, the bar did a good job when we finally got drinks (it was a long wait with multiple trips to the bar to get some attention).
Black Bush = Always great.  You can't mess this up.   The serving size was large too.
Jack & Coke = Again, a classic.   Tough to mess up.   Proper size and mix.
Irish Coffee = It was good, not great.   Average size.

Service is SLOW:
The first time we visited the bar it was nearly empty with 2 bartenders and 1 waiter.  We never saw the waiter.  The bartender came from behind the bar to serve us after I walked up to the bar three times (and stood there for a while).   To his credit, he was very nice to us and apologized.   He seemed bothered by a lack of help.   The other bartender (a dark haired guy with mustache and long hair) never payed any attention to the bar.  

The second time we visited the bar it was also not very busy.  Again, we never saw a floor waiter (even thought there are floor tables/booths).   After waiting at the bar for a while we decided to leave.   The female bartender was not moving fast, didn't check the bar, and was talking to other patrons.   The same dark haired bartender didn't seem interested in serving and was moving things around behind the bar.  

The service just seems lousy and slow.   They could easily pick this up and be a good bar.

Bar/Restaurant:
The establishment itself looks good from the street, is open/inviting, had big windows with lots of light, has cool "nook" type bar seating, and lots of room at tables/booths.   It's a good set up on the corner.   It has everything it needs to be a fun place to frequent (besides slow service).

Pricing:
It's about average for Santa Monica and California (not low and not too high).

We'd go back to Finn McCool's if the service improved.   Until then, we'll go down the street for food and drinks.

I can feel the good vibrations all around me. You can't beat live music and a cold beer unless you're a horrible person.

I came, had some beers with some good friends, and tried some of the Irish Fayre. We went with the combo platter which came with Irish Stew, Shepard's Pie, and Chicken Boxty. Everything was okay. I felt all three dishes could have used some salt. Lots of potato so you will get full real fast.

The Fish and Chips were also okay. Really thick on the batter.

I would come back just for drinks and music. The food feels heavy so for me I would stick with appetizers.

Outside of Ireland its self, this is by far my favorite irish pub.  The wood decor was imported from ireland.  Irish owed and operated... Excellent staff that TRULY know how to pour a pint of Guiness. If your lucky to be in the area on some saturdays, they host some of the coolest live bands.  The big screens, always have sports on.  As most Irish pubs do... The food is grub food but not bad at all.  Great place to grab a bite with friends, then grab a few rounds and listen to some music or just people watch.... Sorry Mrs.Finn, been coming here for years and this is my first review.  Please keep up the great service.