So I recently moved to Chapel Hill and I decided to check out the only Irish Pub while I was walking down the infamous Franklin St. As I walked in, I was greeted by a nice and outgoing hostess and I decided to take a seat at the bar versus being seated at a table. I started talking with this really sweet bartender named Chelsea; I asked for a beer recommendation and she was really helpful and knowledgeable about the local beers that were on tap. Her first choice was a local beer called Red Oak, I was given a sample and immediately fell in love with it. When it came to ordering food, I spoke with her again and she steered me towards the wings! My eyes went straight towards the blackened parmesan flavor and I got them EXTRA crispy. I loved them but I had to save the rest for my entree.
After I finished I wanted to see what their Balsamic Chicken was all about. I replaced the goat cheese with feta cheese and wow it was great. The entree also came with a side of spinach and it was very filling. My only complaint was that I didn't save enough room to try their homemade Guinness Tiramisu that the bartender was raving about.
I had come in for a late dinner, so by the time my meal was finished, it was getting into late night, and the bar really picked up. The DJ played a great mix of old and new songs, with some really interesting transitions. I left Fitzgeralds around midnight, but was very tempted to stay. The bar and crowd had such a great vibe and the bartenders were just as helpful and efficient with their late night drinks; Chelsea and the other bartenders that came in for their shift were great with the crowds and high volume, which just made me even more impressed with Fitzgeralds.
Overall, it was a great experience and I plan on going back in to not only try the dessert I missed out on, but to take advantage of the daily specials they were advertising. Half off EVERYTHING on Thursdays?! I can't wait.
Left The Crunkleton with some friends and one of them wanted to pop into Fitzgeralds. When were approaching I noticed a line to get in, which made me giggle. We waited in line with all the pre 20 something's with fake IDs and I begged to leave. Once we got inside it was my worst nightmare come to life. A dark, hot/humid room with music so loud you can't even yell to be heard. Not only was the music loud but it was bad and not even ironically. The "DJ" was playing songs from the 90s that were not even good when released.
I don't know. Maybe it's because I never went to college that I do not understand the 1 dollar PBR (which has its moments) bar. Or that I'd rather hang out with people than be deaf the next morning from NOW 4, but this was not my spot.
I've gotten two more burgers since my initial review. Â Overall, the quality's improved - the fries were noticeably better, and service was a bit faster. Â The Shillaleigh (however you spell it) had some quite good corned beef on it. Â If this trend continues, Fizgerald's will shape up to be a great place.
Review Source:I was in town on business and stumbled across this place in search of somewhere to watch the game and grab a bite to eat. Â I was quickly greeded as I walked through the door and I asked to be seated at the bar. Â Let me just say that this place has TONS of TV's and they are HUGE!! Â I wish there was a setup this good where I live currently and I bet that it's packed during college basketball and football seasons. Â The decor was Irish-American Pub meets sports bar and everything was very clean and nicely decorated. Â The beer selection was awesome and they feature lots of great beers on tap.
The bartender was extremely helpful, gave me a good run down of the menu, and provided very fast service. Â I started off with the Hot Wings and was pleasantly surprised by how large and flavorful they were! I'm a bit of a wing snob and I would not hesitate to order these again.
For my entree I ordered the burger per the bartenders recommendation. Â It arrived quickly after I finished my appetizer and was hot, juicy, and cooked perfectly. Â I couldn't tell you the last time I had a burger that I didn't regret ordering afterwards, but this place will not leave you disappointed!!! Â The meat was flavorful and tender with a fresh, warm bun. Â The fries were hot, fresh, and not over salted like most places tend to do.
I highly recommend giving this place a try and I will definitely be visiting again next time I'm in town!!
In short:
It's basically Kildares with:
- better food (appetizers; fried mozzarella, fried pickles were really, really good)
-worse "DJ". The owner was DJing the night I went, and I understand its awkward for a restaurant to "also" be a club, but at 9pm you had to scream to be heard across the table. And please don't expect club quality mixing or anything even at 1am, yes they have "Videos" playing along on the TV's, but its basically stop/start off an ipod genre mixing and song selection ("Fresh prince of Bel Air" theme song into Lonely Island into Sweet Caroline type thing). Also they removed the club lights, so you just dance to the light of the NBA Finals (bc they also want to be a sports bar). And since it's the owner Djing he's also screaming in the mic about specials and what's going on tomorrow and SINGING ALONG with the songs, I kid you not. It's like a bad wedding.
-worse service. This was billed as a big night, "Thirsty Thursday", guess what, I was definitely THIRSTY because it took forever to get a drink, so, good job on that. Plus, when we arrived at 9pm the back section was partitioned off so my large group (invited to the big half-off thirsty Thursday) was told just to wait in the doorway. Instead we just went to main bar on our own and stood awkwardly among all the diners and had a drink. The bartenders are extremely nice though, so I feel sorry for them. This is more of an organizational/management issue.
-same crowd. The reason we quit Kildares was late night was just a ton of cornball dudes wearing running shoes and long socks with pastel shorts out at the bar. Guess what, its the same crowd. That's totally cool if you are there with a large group of your own doing you're own thing, but you still gotta put up with the cornball music.
So, again in short, its basically Kildares with more of an identity crisis.
It's a smidge more brightly lit than Kildare's, but, granted, the meat market is away for the summer...check back in this fall to see how wild the dance club gets...It will probably be one of those classic Chapel Hill institutions which serves as a quasi-classy brunch/lunch/dinner spot during the day, a boozy happy hour bar during the evening, and a black out drunk meat market dance club late nights. The question is: how long will you give it until it shuts down and reopens two months later under new ownership as O'Flannigan's?
Review Source:Rising from the ashes of Kildare's is Fitzgerald's, a place that has made some interesting changes to the space. Â Decor hasn't changed (that's not a surprise, as both are Irish-themed), but the back wall bar now has a wall of TVs (the TVs are also apparently larger), and there's an actual DJ booth in what used to be the karaoke/DJ area. Â I have not been to trivia or karaoke here yet, but I hope the trivia isn't boring, and the karaoke is as awkwardly awesome as before. Â
The service is excellent, though you can tell that they're still working out early kinks. Â In terms of food, I ordered the pickle chips, which were really yummy. Â I haven't had a chance to try any entrees yet, sadly, but I will likely try the Tuesday discount burger soon :)
Sooooo, I was convinced to try it again. Â I started with the mozzarella cheese, which was the highlight of my meal. You can tell it was made from scratch and it was very, very good. Â For dinner I went with the Dublin Broil. Â The meat was cold when I got it. Â Not even the slightest bit warm. Â But it was seasoned well and tasted decent. Â I sent it back (two times in a row I've sent something back here. Â I might send something back twice a year on average) so that I could get it hot. Â The meat they brought me was hot, but very bland. Â Definitely not worth $17. Â For dessert I went with the apple tart. Â According to the menu the dish is baked, other than the ice cream. Â It was cold and bland as well, again not the slightest bit warm. Â And again, a $8 dessert that's completely not worth it. Â I gave them a second chance, but they didn't pull through. Â It would be 1 star if it weren't for the cheese. Â The staff both times have been extremely friendly.
Review Source:I like that this place is not a chain which I've felt lately has too big of a presence on Franklin but other than that I've found the food mediocre especially for the prices. Â For a few dollars more I could actually go to a nice restaurant. As far as a bar goes it is fun and nice to have a pub style place downtown.
I ordered the portabello sliders and it was mostly bun with a small piece of mushroom in the middle. Â The bread was dry and it needed more condiment on it. Â I got 4 pieces for $9.99.
I also had the house salad with chicken which actually was pretty good that i would order again. Â I won't give it a two as I haven't tried enough on the menu but mostly I can't make myself pay $15+ for an entree.
I rarely give 5 stars and I would actually give 6 if yelp had another level. The staff is the most personable staff I have ever met. My wife and I sat at the bar and were greeted by Adam (Great Bartender). Adam recommended the fried mozzarella and it was INCREDIBLE!!
Adam has to take a break, so Tyler took over and was just as hospitable as Adam. We then met one of the owners (Joe), you explained that Fitzgerald's is a locally owned restaurant and not a franchise. Also, their kitchen will be making all of the foods from scratch at the restaurant.
During our dinner and drinks we met the staff trainer (Paul). Paul is an absolute riot. Funny guy and makes sure that the customers are well taken care of. Unfortunately Paul is taking a position in Charlotte at another one of the owner's restaurant, Kennedy's. If you are in Charlotte, stop in and meet Paul (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kennedyscharlotte.com&s=c2321f32f96f688c965f5664e5661e54da1356e9fdc2355d540b0468c109b224" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.kennedyscharl…</a>).
For dinner my wife had the Shepherd's Pie and I had the Fish & Chips. These are two staples of an Irish Pub. If you can't get these right, you don't need to be in business. Well, they nailed it!! Great Irish Fare!!
Oh, and one last note: Adam can pour a perfect Pint of Guinness and the tap is cold. Great experience and we will be back often!!!!
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