Clearly I came on an off night with Samantha G. and James O. if comparing it to my friends' reviews. Here was my encounter with Ireland's Four Courts....
We came here for karaoke. Samantha and James arrived earlier than I did and secured us seats at the bar. This is where we ended up sitting for the next 3.5 hours hanging out when it was just a few folks to until we left where there were hoards of drunk college kids.
The karaoke was great. We had a lot of fun with a lot of great music option.. That was about as good as it got with Four Courts. I was not thrilled with the food. In fact, it tasted like crap. James took a bit and his face didn't disagree with me. I had to send back my mac and cheese, switched it for their potato soup only to find something really flavorless and overpriced. So I went from crap flavor to no flavor at all. Lose/lose situation.
To make matters worse, a lot of kids were hovering over Samantha and I. They would put their beers on the bar between us where my almost full beer got swiped by mistake. It took me asking the manager to replace it for the bartender to give me a new one. Originally he refused since it wasn't his problem. Oh that made me really hot. Did I mention that I had beer spilled on me 3 times? Yeah....
Just a really horrible experience that makes me not want to return. I don't think I will return either. I've got better Irish bars to check out than here.
Solid bar for drinking and bar scene, and they play soccer games (particularly EPL) on the weekends too if you're into that. Don't expect it to be cheap but it's not really too bad cost-wise.
Half-off appetizers before 8 are tempting. Some of them are good though nothing is spectacular. Stay away from the sliders though, those really aren't good.
After seeing a few adverts for family night and endless St Patty's day fanfare we decided it was time for Irish food at Four Courts. The atmosphere and service was really great but "mooshada" is the best description I could put together for the food.
Whether mooshada translates to 'very tired' or just 'mush' the corned beef was definitely the former. The fish and chips were both. Not fresh, not crisp, not inspired: neither of us finished even half of our dishes. I ended up peeling off most of the soggy breading to reveal an almost laughably small amount of fish hidden deep within, The wife cleared off the mashed potatoes but the corned beef was just not worth the effort. Still hungry I confirmed the Corned Beef was nearly inedible.
On the lighter side our server was quite possibly the nicest person to have waited on us ever, and the fireplace next to our table added a nice warm feeling to the room. We wanted to stay for dessert and coffee in the comfortable open dining room, but after the food and a glance at the dessert menu we were eager to move along.
I visited for a Guiness a few nights later and the bartender poured us some proper imperial pints and the price was definitely fair.
Based on the service, atmosphere, and drinks, we might give the food a try again. Maybe the cook just wasn't feeling al-dente!
Ireland's Four Courts is your standard Irish pub. Â Nothing incredibly special but will suffice if you're looking for decent bar food and a drink.
Came in with a group on a Saturday night and they had a live one man guitar playing musician performing. Â He was good but great, played a few sets of different songs.
Food was decent, standard bar grub, I tried the chicken tenders and chilli cheese fries, also good but not great. Â Drinks were good, several beers on tap and in the bottle. Â What I do like about Four Courts is they have a variety of shots on the menu for you to try. Â All affordable.
Service was decent, one thing that annoyed me is the waitress pulled that move that I hate, her shift ended while my group was still enjoying our evening and she asked us to close out our check so she could leave, I get it you need to leave but it is highly annoying to have to pay a check when you aren't ready to leave and then have to start a new check with a different waiter. Â Not horrible but slightly annoying.
Decent bar worth a visit to drink and socialize and watch a game but not a must go to.
I had the buffet on a Sunday a couple weekends ago and found it to be really average. There was a good amount of people, so I guess it's popular but I'm guessing it's because the price was decent for a buffet. My favorite things were the potato hash and smoked salmon. Lots of people were getting waffles, but I didn't have a chance to try that, so maybe that's really worth it!
Review Source:I love this place! I consider it my neighborhood bar. Good drink specials and selection. Good wings (not *great,* but good enough to satisfy my craving for them, and better than a lot of other competitors). Staff is friendly and attentive. Best of all: no room reservation fee! I've hosted a few events here and will keep coming back. These people are the best.
Review Source:Located in Arlington, this Irish neighborhood bar was perfect-walking distance from where we were staying, cheap beers, live music and a cool vibe.
After a fantastic meal in DC, we headed back to Arlington and finished the evening here at 4 Courts.
The bartender was friendly, the patrons were a great mix of the local crowd and the live music played a lot of covers.
A perfect way to round off our evening.
This place is totally over rated and not Irish. No one wants to fight like an Irishman in here and the only thing reminiscent of Irish Bar in this place is the lights are dim to mask the dirty floors. You'll know because everytime you touch something in the bar you would think you dunked your hand in maple syrup - sticky.
Review Source:Pros: the service is always wonderful here. Â Bartenders and servers are always upbeat, knowledgeable and on the spot to the point where they manage to take care of your needs and never make you feel overwhelmed with constant interruptions and checks on your table. Â Happy hour and daily specials are also great, highlight on the 60 cent wings, which are surprisingly good for an Irish pub. Â It's also a very large space, so it rarely feels overly crowded (except I would assume St Patrick's Day, obviously). Â If one section is loud and overly boisterous, there always seems to be another section with space and relative peace. Â Therefore, it's a good place to meet up with friends in this neighborhood.
Cons: the rest of the food is just OK. Â The true test of an Irish pub in my eyes is the Shepherd's Pie. Â It should be large, hearty, rich and flavorful. Â IFC's Shepherd's Pie is small, and much less rich and hearty than I've had at other Irish pubs in the region. Â But still, it is good enough to fill a craving in a pinch, being the only Irish pub in this neighborhood. Â Another con here is the price of Guinness. Â $7 is really pushing it for a pint, and makes it less enjoyable, and that goes for any pub.
That said, the pros do tend to outweigh the cons at a place like this. Â I always appreciate good service, and it's convenient to meet up with friends here. Â Someone can always find something decent at an Irish pub to eat and drink. Â I'll just have to order one fewer pint that I normally would due to the cost.
We stopped in to Ireland's Four Courts on a weekday evening on a recent trip to Arlington/DC for drinks and an appetizer before dinner.
Since it was such a nice evening, we sat outside. We had a couple of beers that were part of the happy hour special and the five layer dip (all apps were half price during happy hour). The five layer dip was as you would expect, nothing spectacular, but pretty good.
The service was quick and attentive, despite it being very busy. A good place to have a couple of drinks.
Any place that you can get your own mug on the wall is my kind of joint. Â Very cool bar, great service and the food was awesome. Â I couldn't stop stuffing my pie-hole with the cheese fries. Â Met up with some buddies for drinks and brought the kiddo. Â I would say not a kid-friendly joint, this is more of a drinks after work place based on the crowd. Â We were definitely the only ones with a kid there. Â Parking sucks - whatever is available on the street.
Review Source:After my previous review and claim of never coming back... the owner wrote an apologetic email and asked hat I return to give it another shot.
You know...... when someone reaches out like that... it at least shows they care enough to warrant a second chance... so I gave it to them!
Sitting down at the bar, this time I was happily greeted by a gentleman with an Irish accent... poured a proper pint of Guinness... chatted up a couple regulars drinking from their own mugs hanging on the wall... and even tried out their cottage pie that was fairly decent (though I would have liked some soda bread with it).
The music was still weird for the atmosphere they seem to be shooting for... but this was a MUCH better experience - enough for me to say, "The place is okay!"
Will I rush back again? Â No... but at least now I won't completely avoid the place if it comes up, as a suggestion, while working in the area...
Four Courts is one of those places I could review, could not review, doesn't make a difference. Â
A few of my friends live right around the corner and love it love it love it. Â They also love that it shows all the soccer games. Â Do I care about soccer? No. Â Do i care about having a half way decent time while they care about the soccer on tv? Â Yes. Â Sometimes I go and wait for the game to be over, and if it is a Friday night the older guy to start playing his guitar. Â Man is good. Â He can play (and sing) a mix of traditional Irish songs and more typical bar songs.
The food is pretty decent, above average bar food with enough options for everyone. Â I haven't been for any meal other than dinner but I've heard brunch is good.
Overall, it is a pretty low-key bar and the service reflects that, not to say they aren't all friendly because I'm yet to run into an unfriendly staff person. Â
Between RiRa the Irish pub in Clarendon and here, I'd go with Four Courts (unless you like an Irish pub that becomes a crammed dance floor playing nothing but the hits tehe).
Meh.
There's no compelling reason to come to Ireland's Four Courts. There's also no compelling reason to avoid it. It's fine, just nothing special.
In fact, the last time I came during happy hour and the specials were hardly special - drank three beers and ate no food and still wound up paying $20 with tip.
I used to live just a few blocks from 4 Courts and I miss being able to walk there. I've been here more times than I can count for dinner or post race beer (if you want a fun 4 mile race, check out the 4 Courts 4) but my most recent visit was for a post-hike brunch. A group of 9 of us ended up here after another nearby restaurant wouldn't let us push two tables together to accommodate our group.
Our waitress was incredibly friendly. She brought us several pitchers of water and kept the coffee topped off. I was the only one out of our group of nine to not order the buffet. I did check it out, however, and it is really quite impressive. Essentially everything that is on the menu is available on the buffet so if you have a big appetite, the buffet is a good choice. I simply went with two eggs, which are served with a choice of meat and Irish potatoes. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/DHyTfpWOfORnISTE8nx8cA?select=22xZcgGJYCxAUa2NosQ5mg#NV38kZ4tXSpEuFnK92l62w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> I ordered my eggs poached and was pleased to receive eggs that had creamy, runny yolks. My bloody mary was good but lacked spice. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/DHyTfpWOfORnISTE8nx8cA?select=22xZcgGJYCxAUa2NosQ5mg#22xZcgGJYCxAUa2NosQ5mg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> Â
I was honestly surprised at how good the brunch was at 4 Courts but it will most certainly be on my list of brunch suggestions from now on.
This review is for the bar and not the food.
This is everything you want an Irish pub to be. Decent beer selection, but I was ordering bourbon that night. They make a good old-fashioned, though some will wince at their use of both orange and cherries as garnish (I guess some don't like their whiskey drinks to look like fruit salad). However, it tasted excellent, and wasn't watered down too much like most old-fashioned's I order around DC. The Manhattan I ordered was also excellent. I'm not sure if the bartender thought it was still happy hour (which it clearly wasn't) or if this place is bizarrely cheap for cocktails, but my drinks averaged $5 each.
Its also a great place to watch a game. I went for the Olympics, and my only complaint is there's no sound or subtitles but that's understandable. I'm a Red Sox fan, so this place being an official Red Sox Nation bar is a plus in my book. There are 4 or 5 large TVs, all very visible from the bar.
The food sure looked great, but all I got was the Four Courts Fries. They were cheese fries with bacon. They also had Pub Nachos, which I would recommend over these fries since they seemed lacking something like sour cream of something to balance the cheesiness.
I'm sad to be moving into DC soon or else I'd probably stop by regularly. They have cups on the wall I assume for regulars. I'd love to my own cup on the wall of this place.
I can't believe I haven't written a review for this place yet. Â When it comes to getting a cheap quality brunch in Arlington Four Courts has the lock on it. Â I've been here a few times with some other Yelpers and we've always come back.
Aside from the Steak and Eggs, all of the entree items are 10.95 or less, and the buffet on Sunday for $14.95 is a pretty good deal it's a pretty solid spread.
This past Saturday I went with the Hogan's Breakfast Sandwich.. "A gooey ham and Dubliner cheddar sandwich topped with béchamel and a fried egg. Served with O'Brien potatoes."  It was freaking delicious and I actually wished I was really hungover from the night before as it would have been the cure all.  However, I was not, so clearly I need to go out and get silly one evening on the weekend and go back. Â
The service is also pretty solid too, our server was quick and on the ball, had no problems splitting up the check, and there was always Guinness in my glass. Â When I showed up a bit early when meeting my friends I also had a cup of a coffee at the bar while reading a book, which I was able to do in peace. Â
For cheap, quick, and friendly, Four Courts is the spot to go.
Do you know what is even more nerve-wrecking than going to a high school reunion? Â Being somebody's date to their high school reunion. Â Arlington's Four Courts was the host of this very awkward night. While my gregrious boyfriend slashie fiance was busy high fiving his childhood friends and rehashing the glory days, I propped myself at the bar where the knowing bartenders poured curiously strong drinks and ignored the "one free drink per person" rule. Â For this, I thank you! Â Â
Catering included a few trays of the sorriest looking sandwiches I have ever seen and surprisingly good buffalo chicken bites which were especially welcome towards the ends of the night. Â
The reunion was held in a private room but I did take a few minutes to observe the other going ons on the other side of the restaurant and saw a bunch of people in brown flip flops grooving to the likes of Del Amitri and John Mayer. Â Not super Irish but who doesn't dig "Roll to Me"?
Overall, an okay place to spend an awkward Saturday night!
I would give this place a 3.5 star rating although YELP doesn't have those.
My mom and I decided to take my dad here for Fathers Day brunch. We made reservations for 10am. We got there a little early and they were able to seat us, which was nice. We had the option of sitting outside or inside. We opted for the inside.
They have a brunch buffet on Sundays for $15. Good quality of foods and the price is one of the best I've seen in the Nova area. Juice also comes with the brunch with no extra fee (orange and cranberry) If you are into the whole 'Sunday Funday' trend they have Happy Hour from 10AM to 8pm on Sunday..I think it was 3 dollar miller lites and 4 dollar Peronis.
After awhile of sitting inside it got very chilly, they have all the fans on in the building so if you're coming on a Sunday I would say bring a light jacket. The only downside was that the buffet wasn't 100% ready at 10, it was around 10:10 am that everything was laid out. Which isn't the end of the world. I also had some black 'things' floating in my water which was strange.
If I lived in the Arlington area I would come here more often, I just don't see myself driving or taking the metro all the time to come here.
True to my prediction, GM Dave contacted me to apologize for the disappointing customer service experienced. He offered very kindly to make amends. I in turn offered this to my friend who was slighted.
Thank you, Dave for being what management is supposed to be and making sure your customers are treated respectfully.
At the risk of writing a 4-star review which apparently makes me like 67% of other yelpers, I submit my thoughts of 4 Courts. Â And more specifically the trivia evening.
Another Yelper suggested that trivia would be a good time and so I trekked over after work to the other side of the river. Â My first thought was that they pour a decent Guinness for $5 and my second was that it was fairly smoky. Â About 10 minutes later, I noticed they had a non-smoking side, because I, Graham, am a dumbass.
Several Guinness later and trivia was ready to begin. Â The team had myself, Kendall and Mike T. We were down one person, but I felt confident that with Mike there, this wouldn't be a problem, for Mike is like the Yoda of trivia. Â Schneider is to 70's TV handymen what Mike is to Arlington County Monday Night trivia. Â He taught me things last night. Â
* The pros don't shout answers. Â They write them down.
* You can throw out "bogies" by yelling out obviously incorrect answers. Â For example when they asked for the name of a good band, I yelled out Nickelback
* Mike showed me why he eats the chicken tenders. Â The wings and the trivia forms are not a good combination.
* He made me appreciate ragtime, again.
* There's a difference between "Sounds Cool" and "I'm In," and last night I learned when I should make those important decisions. Â
* And lastly, he showed me how to love.
All in all it was a good time. Â Kendall had some clutch answers and also showed me that she can write backwards, which was quite cool. Â I just drank and enjoyed the evening. Â
Next time I think we should do on the District side. Somewhere crawling distance from my house, preferably.
Four Courts was on my bad side before I even arrived. Â I had received a frantic text from Alicia C. when she arrived because they were telling her that reservations were required. Â Seriously NoVa? What's with your ridiculous reservation requirements? Â I told her just to plead and usually that works.
I guess it did because when I arrived a few minutes later we had a table and managed to snag ourselves another one. Â I had some sort of unremarkable and definitely unmemorable burger and the place was too crowded for my tastes. Â Over 50 teams and only a few speakers made it difficult to hear (not helped by the super loud people sitting next to us) and the rounds were all just general knowledge. I enjoy when they have specific themes because then you can kind of know who might be the go to person for that round. Â We all have our areas and mine definitely doesn't involve just general knowledge. Presidential history and current events are more up my alley!
Anyway, back to Four Courts. Â It just was a huge meh experience. Â Too many teams led to no score updates, took too long in general and there were a lot of cutthroat teams that would do anything to win. I'm more about just having fun, so I guess this wasn't really my scene.
2.5 stars
Came here for the trivia night with yelpers. Little did we know, the night we chose to come was their trivia finals (complete with trophies and everything). When greeted at the door, the hostess asked if we had a reservation. (Reservation? for trivia? seriously?) Well... we didn't have one... but luckily Kevin and I were able to grab a 4-top while waiting for others to get there. Eventually we were also able to snag another table when the guy sitting next to us finished his meal. But the place was ridiculously packed... with somewhere along the lines of 40+ teams! Needless to say it was a long night (I was just glad they didn't do score updates after every round!).
The food was meh... got the burger (part of their Monday night specials)... I've had worse, but I've also definitely had better. Bonus points to our waitress who did a pretty good job with keeping everyone happy and drinks full all night. But the place was loud making it hard to hear the questions. Won't be adding this to my list of fav trivia nights.
2.5 stars
Judging on two trivia experiences, IFC is not at the top of my list of places to go. Â They give away some great prizes, but it's far too crowded and loud to get much enjoyment out of it. Â I prefer smaller, more intimate trivia settings, but this one just feels like a giant Bingo hall in the shape of a fake irish pub/restaurant. Â Plus, some of the rounds are absolutely ridiculous and if one team happens to know a lot about musicians stage names vs. real names, then you're pretty much screwed and have very little chance of coming back.
And not to judge a place strictly on trivia alone, the food isn't anything special, and I could get the same drinks anywhere, and definitely cheaper. Â Hummus is really bizarre, and is more like a generic "Mediterranean" flavored salad dressing...with salsa on top. Â What the heck? Â The burgers looked decent, but the fries are ho-hum frozen bagged fries.
The waitstaff that I've had has always been very fast and efficient, but that's not enough to really boost my opinion of Four Court's. Â It's just a very average place to me, but I dock it a half star for being so unjustifiably crowded and cramped. Â Doubt I'll be returning.
2.5 stars
I have been to Ireland's Four Courts numerous times and the #1 thing i can say is that there are far too many people here! Â Every time i'm here the place is packed and loud and crowded. Â Not my cup of tea! Â The only time i enjoyed myself here was an afternoon lunch at 11 on a Sunday when were were the only people in the bar. Â Other than that, its just too loud
Trivia is chaotic and stressful. Â Some of the rounds are absolutely impossible and it takes the fun out of it. Â With fifty some teams, seven rounds of trivia takes 2.5 hours! Â Its a little nuts. Â The place is noisy, its often hard to hear the waitress and apparantly reservations are required. Â Just to answer some questions?
The food i've had here is pretty limited to the hummus, which is grainy and spicy. Â Not how i like it. Â And comes with like two carrots, a cucumber slice and a couple slices of ok pita bread. Â It definitely must be eaten with a spoon by the end. Â
I will say the server we had was really friendly and worked really hard to make sure that our glasses were never empty. Â I think i'm just too old and its too crazy for me to go here on a regular or even semi regular basis
Spent the last 2 Monday nights here for trivia. Overall a very positive experience. I will say, being here on a packed trivia night may or may not be the norm as far as service and food goes. I've only been here a few other times many years ago and don't really remember what it was like.
ATMOSPHERE
Being non-smoking bar gets huge thumbs up from me. I can breathe YAY!!!! The atmosphere has ATMOSPHERE. Feels like a cleaned up version of the British pubs I frequented when living in London. Lots of well worn, wooden tables and chairs packed in - but not so that you feel you are sitting in someone's lap (unless of course you want to be). 2 weeks ago - the din of the crowd before trivia was nearly deafening; this week much more manageable and I would suppose its fine on a normal night. The pub is divided into 2 sections - big bar and a lot of smaller tables to the right (immediately inside the door) and smaller bar with more tables to the left in a section more suited for eating. Fair # of tvs dot the ceiling for the sports inclined.
FOOD (tried over the last 2 visits)
Appetizers (1/2 price apps on Mondays)
Chicken quesadilla - ok this is a bit odd for an Irish pub, but perfectly acceptable bar fare; was ok - not wowzers but fit the bill when hungry and waiting for trivia; nice proportion of chicken to cheese and other ingredients; served with guac and salsa (tasting of the jarred variety) - both acceptable but not fantastic.
5-Layer Dip with tortilla chips - dip is served in an strange "martini" type glass and is completely cold; this is fine for some of the layers but the refried bean layer on the bottom was a bit dense; chips were meh - kind of bland, ok with the dip; over all was ok but probably wouldn't be my first choice again.
Cheese fries with scallions & bacon (served with ramekin of ranch dressing and an optional - at cost - one of curry) - I LOVE THE FRIES HERE (with and without the cheese - as served with the sandwiches); the fries are the right amount of crispy outside and soft tender inside; spend the extra get the curry dipping sauce its good on the fries and even nice if it mixes on your plate a bit with the ranch dressing
Chicken Tenders - these were breaded and not battered; I wasn't much of a fan - 3 very large tenders were served so the 4 of us cut them into more bite sized pieces to share; if you got a fatter piece it was ok and the chicken was juicy - but if you got a thinner piece, the chicken was a tad tough and over cooked
Main Dishes
Fish & Chips - I had 3 pieces about the size of a deck of cards; a bit too long in the fryer (batter was a tad dark) but it wasn't greasy and the cod pieces were uniformly thick so they cooked evenly and were tender; served with fries (more on the fries here below) and small ramekins of tartar sauce (a bit more mayo-y than I would like) and cole slaw - I'm very picky about cole slaw and usually this is an abandoned item on my plate, but I liked this enough to snag the uneaten ramekin from a friends plate tonight - nice peppery flavor that isn't overpowering and cabbage is lightly dressed without being swimming in sauce.
One of my friends opted for the 1/2 price burger special they have on Mondays (served with fries) and the other the Guinness stew. Both seemed to enjoy their dishes, in fact opting for the burger again the 2nd week.
Chicken club sandwich (served with fries - YAY more fries and malt vinegar for me) - I'm not a big eater and found this sandwich quite large (which was good for the $10.50 cost I guess); the chicken on it isn't sliced breast meat or anything - its actual chicken breast with bacon, lettuce, tomato and hard boiled egg; was tasty - I'd probably either end up taking 1/2 home if I had again or opt to try something different
SERVICE
Having only been here for trivia night, I can only comment on the service under those conditions. Wait staff is pretty attentive and the food comes out from the kitchen rather quick. Tonight our "waiter" happened to also be the bartender for the small bar - and still managed to take care of our table (plus he was cute, had an accent - swoon- and very nice). Only issue might be that the busers are a bit over zealous (if you aren't done - but look like you might be - you might have to defend your plate) but I suppose they have to be with such a large crowd or the kitchen will get swamped with dishes to wash.
TRIVIA
Last week we finished in a 3-way tie for 1st (finishing 3rd however due to tie breakers). This week for the 2008 finale we managed 7th (of about 50 or so teams - about 42 teams last week). The game is a mixed bag of very easy trivia, hard trivia and I guess what I would classify as "dumb luck trivia" (guess and pray). Sound system is good so its easy to hear the questions - 5 rounds are fill-in (either general knowledge or on a topic), 1 round of picture trivia, and 1 round of match the items from 2 columns
Basically a great place to come, relax and have a good time with friends.
Let's start Round 4, the Celebrity Lesbians round. Ooooh, this is what you came for, isn't it? Yeah, that's a nice category.
This was the blaring announcement that served as my introduction to trivia night at Ireland's Four Courts. Unfortunately, things did not improve much. The questions were not challenging, the announcer was crass and annoying, the drinks were watered down, and the music between rounds was too loud.
However, our server was great, and our burgers (which were fine but nothing special) came in a flash, as the kitchen rush had passed. Teams are limited to four people, which lends some parity to the challenge. And, we managed to snag a table even though we arrived late. But, we're still looking for the perfect trivia night fit. Yikes!
I go to this bar about once per year. Not because I try to avoid it, but as a Virginia bar, I just don't make it out there often. The four courts is a good friend's neighborhood bar, so on his birthday, I will journey out, even transferring on the metro, to knock back a couple drinks and enjoy life.
So, this past time, we ended up closing down the bar and we all had a great time. The patrons, those who were not with our party, all seem to be pretty nice. The bartenders are super friendly, too. They have no problem pouring us shots of Jim Beam (drink of champions!) and laughing at us, too.
I haven't had the food, so can only comment on the bar. I see why people enjoy this place!
$5.95 is a steal for the juicy burger available (at a discount) at Ireland's Four Courts on Monday nights. This meaty treat comes on a fresh ciabatta bun and despite being great value Ireland's Four Courts doesn't skimp a bit when it comes to its quality.
Even on busy quiz nights (Mondays), service is steady and attentive though the staff, thankfully, never hovers.
I was really surprised at how welcoming everyone was in this pub. Â If you're by yourself (or waiting for a group), they make no hesitation to come up and speak to you and make you feel welcome. Â Four Courts really creates a comfortable and welcoming mood. Â For you soccer fans, they have plasma TVs so you can watch the match(es) of the night.
They have a lot of beer on tap as well as bottles. Â This is one of the only places I've been to where the draught beers are more expensive than the bottled beers. Â Their happy hour special is only a dollar off all beers.
I met up with some other Yelpers on Monday nights to partake in the pub's $5.95 burger and Pub Trivia night. Â The burger was great (cooked the way you want it) and it came out on a ciabatta roll. Â Moreover, the fries were killer. Â I don't remember restaurant fries being this good. Â If you're a fan of crispy fries, then this is the place to go. Â They're not overly crispy and they have a nice slight pepper kick to them when they come out on the plate. Â
The only problem was that it's $0.95 to add cheese to your burger. Â I mean, a dollar for a cheese slice? Â Come on.
I've been to Four Courts a couple of times, and I've got nothing to complain about! (which is a big deal, for me, for a bar in...... VIRGINIA.)
So, aside from the unfortunate geographic location of the place, I would definitely make it a regular watering hole if I lived around here. The average Saturday night is great, sometimes they have an Irish band which is always a lot of fun. I've met some random people here who've all been "good stock."
The food is good, service is typical of that of an Irish bar (a little bit surly but altogether efficient and accurate). Trivia night was a lot of fun, although much less raucous than other trivia nights I've experienced (all in Atlanta, though, so perhaps no basis for comparison?). Annnnnnnd they've got both Smithwick's and Blue Moon on tap, so both sides of my bi-polar beer drinking self can be happy.
Monday night is Trivia Night at the Four Courts, and also $5.95 burger night, so what more could you ask for? Â By 7pm, this place is busy, with the trivia folks trying to snag a good table early on, and people wandering in for a quiet Guinness about to realize that there's nothing quiet about Trivia Night.
Despite the craziness, the staff are very courteous and attentive, and go about their business in a very efficient manner. Â Through the whole evening, nobody's drink was empty before the waitress wandered by asking us if we wanted another.
The menu looked fairly comprehensive, although I didn't pay too much attention as I was aiming for the burger anyway. Â So a burger with cheddar and bacon and... in case you don't know me, I have a thing for wanting a fried egg on my burger - there are a couple of places in the city that have this on the menu, but if they don't, it is something that I ask for - every place in DC has so far refused. Â In true form though, I ask here too, and to my surprise, "Yes, I think that's something we've done before, no problem" - there was much jubilation and dancing on the tables and renditions of Danny Boy... Â OK, maybe not, but there was definite happiness.
The burger arrived, and I have to say this (and not purely because there was an egg on it), but the burger was up there in the top 3 burgers I've had in bars/restaurants. Â It was served on a ciabatta roll, which I love burgers to be served on, the egg was over-medium, which is the perfect way to cook an egg for a burger if you haven't been told how to cook it (over-easy for me - that bad boy should be dripping down your fingers!), the burger was juicily delicious, and there was just the right amount of cheese and bacon - bravo Four Courts!
With burger in stomach, and the Guinness flowing, it made for a fun trivia night, with team-names like "Touched By An Uncle" and "Harry Potter Spoiler - Harry Gets Syphilis", you can tell the sort of crowd that it attracts.
So, Sir Richard, this seems like a 5-star review, why only 4? Â Very good question, whoever that was. Â As the burger came out, I commented that just for letting me have the egg, how could I give the place anything but 5-stars. Â
The check...
Yep, the check can often ruin a good night, and it can also lose you a nice big red Yelp-star. Â The check arrives, my burger is $5.95, the extra toppings of cheese and bacon are $0.95 each, and the egg is... $2.95!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Â Sorry for the exclamations, but I would have used BIG font if it would let me. Â 3 bucks for a freakin' egg - are you kidding me??? Â Did the chef have to lay the damn thing himself??? Â I was dumbfounded - and in fact, this morning, I'm still dumbfounded - so much so that I went to the fridge just now, and I think I'm going to sell my eggs on Ebay so I can afford a nice overseas trip, or a new car...
Well Four Courts, thanks for being the first place in DC that has taken me up on the burger-egg challenge, but the shock at how much you charge for cooking one egg means that I sadly won't be returning for a repeat performance... (and I won't be trying brunch too soon either, as I'm guessing I'll have to remortgage my home first...)
***UPDATE***
We returned for another Quiz Night, and I decided to try the burger routine again - straight up, burger, cheese bacon and egg - the waitress didn't even flinch, and neither did the check - no fried egg to be seen. Â So this now means my egg is averaging at $1.47 over the two trips - one more good trip, and I might find where I put that star.
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