This was our last stop on a birthday celebration tour of Polaris last night. A very casual, relaxed place. There was a good crowd in the bar and on the patio, but it wasn't crowded by any stretch of the imagination. As other Yelpers have said, the Bartenders are really friendly and they really know their stuff. Service was quick and friendly. Oh and the sidewalk chalk/blackboard bathroom walls is a great idea.
I can't say that I'll be back here often but if I'm in Polaris and need to kill some time I might pop in for a pint.
Bartenders are friendly. I came here on one occasion and of course there was a guy that just wouldn't leave me alone. I was with two other friends but they were drunk and in their state egged the guy on. It was uncomfortable and i assertively told him to go away. I even found his friends and asked them to take him. Â It didnt work and he tried to pick me up but both the male bartenders showed up out of no where and had him out of the bar on seconds... They had been watching to make sure nothing got out of hand. Needless to say, I was happy they were watching and it made me feel safe. I'd go back again for sure. Maybe not with those "friends", though.
Review Source:For some reason Jeff and I used to come to McFlip's all the freakin' time. Yes, we'd drive all the way to Polaris to go to a bar. The only reason was that one of our good friends started bartending here, and so did Jeff's brother for a short time. Not sure why this was their bar of choice, but all of our friends started coming here, so we did too.
That being said, I'm not sure why we bothered anyway. Usually when you have friends working at a bar you come because you can get hooked up with free drinks, stronger drinks, something. Not here. Why? Because, and I'll just say it, the manager is an asshole. My friends that worked here liked him because he gave them jobs, but he was an ass to most people and always had a bad attitude. I never liked him. He acted like he was the most important guy in the world. Douche. And he was such a hard ass that free drinks weren't happening. Ever. And several times when he opened my tab, my credit card was overcharged. It was only for a couple of bucks, but now I don't use my credit card at all or make sure it's a different bartender. I do not trust this guy at all, so be wary. The other service varies, but I've never been that much of a fan of any bartender here. One guy is pretty nice, and there's one girl who's pretty nice as well. Every time I show her my ID she's like, "Hey! We have the same birthday!" even though I've been here a million times. She never remembers and is surprised by it every time. I usually just ordered from my friends if they were working.
Flip's does have some awesome beer specials. They always have $2 Killian's Irish Red, so we usually drink these on every visit. Not my favorite beer, but it works. My absolute favorite night here is Wednesday, because then they have $2 import bottles. This is my night to come and enjoy Heineken! The down side to these specials is we all can't go that crazy. Someone has to drive us all the way back into the city at the end of the night. This location sucks. It's right on Polaris Parkway and it's easy to miss. It's in a strip mall location and it's behind other places - just watch for the Krispy Kreme and it's behind that.
Flip's does have a pretty cool patio in the summer. It's right out front and your view is unfortunately the parking lot. But they have nice tables and chairs out there. Be warned, there is usually some douche who decides to peel off when they drive away to "impress" everyone sitting out on the patio. Idiots. And so about the crowd here...for the most part, when it's not busy, it's fine. You'll see a very mixed crowd of young and old, and it's pretty quiet. But come Saturday night, it gets pretty trashy. Cocky guys show up and skanky girls are all over the place, for some reason dressed up like they were going downtown. Maybe they missed the memo, but Flip's is an Irish pub. There is no dance floor, and it is not the place for that crap. But that manager guy encourages it I think because he likes to let the girls hang all over him. Jeff hates the crowd here because he went to high school in Westerville and a weekend night at Flip's is like a mini high school reunion for him. He's always stuck catching up with people he was hoping never to see again. This must be where all the people that never left Westerville end up on the weekends. Lucky for me my hometown is well out of Flips's range.
Sometimes this can be a good place to watch a game. There is a mediocre pizza place next door and for some games they will order subs and pizza that anyone can eat for free. There are nice TVs all around the bar. And the bar is cool in that you can sit all the way around it. It sits right in the middle of the room and there are tables and chairs around the wall. Flip's isn't all that big, but for the most part it doesn't attract big crowds, likely because of the location. There is a pool table in the back of the bar and a dart board up by the front. Near the pool table is a jukebox. Sometimes people play good rock music, but when the awful crowds start pouring in, expect to hear plenty of that robot-voice rap junk.
I do like the bathrooms. They are almost always clean and even though they only have 3 stalls, there is never a line because they aren't that crowded. A few times they've been out of paper towels, but they do have a really big mirror in here and it's well-lit, so it's great if you need to touch up your makeup.
But now that my friends no longer work here, I have no desire to go to Flips. It's just too far away. Why would I drive all the way to Polaris when I'm surrounded by bars here in the Short North? No reason to. But if you live in the Polaris area, you might as well check it out because it's not all that bad, but I do highly recommend Wednesdays for their $2 import night. Avoid the lame crowds on the weekends.
You know, I really liked this bar. Â I took a friend who was visiting from England though and I think she had a different opinion. Â As I was in a heated debate about something-or-other with another friend, I look over and British friend had not only decided to 'wear her sunglasses at night' but had also begun listening to her ipod. Â Either the laid -back atmosphere Murphy McFlips is known for was a bit 'too' laid back for the Brit or it just wasn't her 'cup of tea'. Â Haha. Â
It's a pretty basic bar similar to one you would find in a small town- perhaps a bit cleaner and more modern- but it has games, tv's, good music (usually more heavy). Â You won't find wet t-shirt contests or dj's here so head downtown if that's your idea of a good time. Â The bar has a great patio with heaps of seating and while I haven't ever been there for an after-work beer I would imagine it is great for it. Â The night life at Polaris is a bit 'eh' and M McFlips is no exception after sundown. Â
As far as service goes, I have always been treated very well there. Â One bartender in particular, Jason I believe, is a really nice guy and knows his stuff.