First, the food was horrible. My fries were cold and my burger was extremely raw even though I asked for it to be well done. Second, the service was terrible. They were not even a quarter-full and yet our server was slow and rude. I will never be going here again unless I end up liking food that makes me feel sick and subpar service.
Review Source:They have my name on caller ID. Â For some people, achieving that level of intimacy with a bar would be a bad thing. To me, it merely signifies that the food is good enough that I order it frequently, and the service is quality. Either that or the bartenders use it to screen my calls...in which case, I wouldn't blame them.
For those that have been following my reviews, you know I am a sucker for all things Irish. And this bar is no exception. I love the coat of arms above the bar, the green tin ceilings, and the classic photos from St Paul in the 1940's . It looks like a 70 year old leprechaun puked a blessing on this bar.
They have good burgers and sandwiches at a decent price, but I haven't been adventurous enough to dive deeper into the menu and try their walleye or other entrees. The bloodies are fantastic. **Almost** as good as mine...but not quite.
I have seen a couple of good bands here, and would recommend this as a venue over places like Station 4 or Fine Line, where you are herded in and out of a holding space with no personality and more hipsters than I have energy to deal with.
The bartenders are good looking and treat you like family, but are never overbearing. And the O'Gara's bus has taken me to my fair share of Twins, Vikings, and Wild games. Seriously, it is the best option there is: grab a bloody Mary, get it to-go, and ride the free bus down there.
OGara's is a neighborhood, nay CITY-wide institution.
The establishment owners are extremely courteous, and really give back to the community (i've heard this has been going on for generations).
There's even a story about how they used to plow a direct path from a house in the neighborhood to their door, since the old man who lived there walked there to lunch every day in the winter.
Now that's just old-school Saint Paul classiness.
This is not a bar you go to for ironic bingo (VFW), and it doesnt have a hip bike rack packed with fixies out front, or a cicerone who has a finely waxed mustache.
This IS your dads bar.
In a good way.
The also have surprisingly good bloody marys in the shanty.
Bonus points:
- Check out the Snoopy wall (Charle's M Schultz' Dad's barbershop used to reside there), or
- the excellent belt driven fans by the bar.
I went for a Red Bull event (judge me all you want) this past weekend for a Crashed Ice viewing party/Kinect game championship. That's right, I was in a video game tournament. My friend and I thought we had a chance to win to get to Quebec after placing at the pre-party a few weeks ago... we got too drunk, didn't win, but that's a different story. Fun fact: O'Gara's was the first bar in the Twin Cities to sign a contract with Red Bull, hence the event being here.
The event was in the basement which was a fairly nice spot for a larger, private event. Large bar, lots of tables (no chairs though). Bartenders seemed unhappy to be there. The drinks were super pricey, which is my biggest concern for a place like this. Rail drinks were $6 each? This is a bar on Snelling, keep in mind. The drinks were pretty strong, but that's still super pricey. They also had free food (SCORE!), which was okay. Wings and meatballs were good, especially for being served from a chafing dish, which can make things really dry sometimes, especially meat.
I don't think they made a good enough impression on me that I'd be back (except maybe on St Patrick's Day, heard it's fun there). The upstairs looked pretty nice (like a bougie version of the Local... ) and would be a good place to watch a game.
i don't love O'gara's as much as others.  I have had to go here on numerous occassions and they get a lot of traffic because they are in a high-profile location and a large bar that has a pretty decent layout and atmosphere.  They work out some deals with the local colleges sport-teams and sometimes cut them a deal when they need a room and appetizers for a crowd  which is really nice to help support the community. i love the old ceiling fans and I actually like the bar what I don't like is the crowd it attracts.  If you try to go for happy hour...their is often old business men or wanna-be business men at the bar talking smack...this place feels really old school sometimes..
Review Source:O'Gara;s is a neighborhood institution -- what more do you want to say? Irish pub, neighborhood establishment, friendly people and down-to-earth vibe. It's an excellent place to grab a beer or watch a game with friends. They definitely support their local teams -- one of the best things they do is provide a shuttle bus to all Vikings and Twins home games. We've done it a few times and found it to be a great and reliable way to get to and from the game Ample parking and a deal on the weekends with the bank across the street for overflow.
Review Source:it was ok..... Service at the bar was "ok" at best, nothing better then opening a tab for 10 people and being ignored... But the drunk guy at the end flirting with the bartender.. Yup.. he needs another cocktail.
Bathrooms, dirty, smelly,
Service... not great
the music was good and did make me feel less ticked abou the cover charge.
There isn't much to this place. Ogara's is a bar. It's a great neighborhood bar, with a decent beer selection, including local options, and better-than-average bar food (ya, lots of meat between buns and fried food).
A great spot for grabbing a drink with friends, but probably not a spot I would pick in meeting your in-laws for the first time and introducing them to the life their only daughter can look forward to for the rest of her life. (no experience with that, but I'm sure someone on Yelp is looking for that spot)
Continuing the quest for amazing beef tips! Â I've been to O'Gara's on Saint Patrick's Day (bad idea in the evening, btw) and after getting a rail vodka Sprite, I've decided to stay away from mixed drinks at this location.
I wanted to give this place a second try. Â This time I got a Woodchuck - tis the season! Â When I saw beef tips on the menu, I was even more excited, until they came out. Â Granted, I ordered them well, but I would expect a little bit more in portion size for it being an appetizer. Â I don't think they would have shrank that much...
Moral of the story, a better place for non-mixed drinks.
never order anything from o'garah's that you dont ask first how much it is, or they will screw you on rail shots, and pour as little as possible.  i paid 750 for a  half shot of  plain cheap no name  vodka! wtf! if that wasnt bad enough i had to wait for a server, get my own table, chair. i feel like we were screwed. i wanted to see a show and ended up getting screwed. never again will i order anything from this bar!
HOWEVER THE NEW COMEDY OPEN MIC NIGHT IS AWESOME. JUST AVOID THE SHOTS AND STICK TO THE SPECIALS AND ASK FIRST!
Came here for St. Patricks Day in the afternoon and they were definitely set up with everything to make it a successful afternoon. There were barely any lines to get beer or food, the Brats with sauerkraut not necessarily Irish fare, but obviously with 500+ people in the parking lot/ patio 4 star pub fare is not going to happen. Drink prices weren't terrible and the one man band on stage was actually really good. Only bad experience was some guy bumped into me and was a douche and got in my face but whatever any bar has a "that guy". His friend did come over, apologize and bought me another beer so can't really complain.
Review Source:A group of us ate here after seeing a show in their backroom. The service was decent and so was the food. I had the 'Snelling burger.' The burger was decent but nothing memorable. I liked that they had the option of ordering tater tots. But I was disappointed that they only gave me about 8 tots.
I really liked the history on the back of the menu....One interesting tidbit is that Charles Shultz's (creator of Peanuts) dad used to have a barbershop in the same spot.
I do have to give them a bonus star for being generous. The show I went to was a fundraiser. OGara's generously provided their venue/sound person/staff without charge to have the fundraiser.
Not impressed with the food.
I dined here on a Saturday night with my boyfriend. First of all, the service was terrible. I swear we waited over 30 minutes to get our bill.
I ordered the fish & chips with a (gross) salad. Maybe I'm just picky, but a salad should be green, not white. If i'm eating a salad I damn well better be getting some nutrients out of it! Only one more complaint, my fish tasted fishy. The boyfriend's sandwich was good, but he's not nearly as picky as me. Which is also why he finished my salad :)
It's definitely very dark inside, but I think it fits the bar food theme quite well.
One MAJOR plus, they have a thing on the door in the bathroom that allows you to open the door with your foot, instead of putting your hand on the nasty nasty handle!
I would definitely return to O'Gara's to drink but defiantly not to eat.
A group of about 15 needed an impromptu private room and they were able to set us up with no wait. There seems to be 2 party rooms. Jen's right about it being too dark, at least have more light in a private room. Parties usually want to SEE something. On Friday night they have an excellent fish and chips, not an all you can eat. Four nicely fried pieces should do the trick, not greasy at all. The chowder is extremely thick. I had their version of a patty melt. They serve it on sourdough which makes it better than most. A very tender medium well served with an unnecessary 1000 island, it's better alone. The bathroom tiles are cool with green shamrock looks scattered throughout. They offer overflow parking at the bank.
Review Source:O'Gara's has great atmosphere, but overall I feel the price of food isn't reflected in it's quality. It's a greasy spoon that offers mom and pop burgers and mainly american food - I don't see the irish part in this place. Both myself and my husband got sick from eating here due to it's low quality and grease content. I'd pass on this place from now on.
Review Source:This review is for the O'Gara's Garage, where the bands play. Â First off, it shouldn't be called "The Garage", it should be called "The Wallet Dump". Â It should be called O'Gara's Wallet Dump because that's what you do there, you dump out your wallet and give your money to O'Gara's for little more than some music.
First and foremost, they charge you seven bucks. Â Personally, i find that to be a little ridiculous considering that if none of the people showed up to listen to the music, no one would be buying drinjks there.
Which leads me to my second point, the drinks suck!! Â They serve you your beer or mixed drink in The Wallet Dump in a tiny little plastic cup. Â It's like the size of two little dixies cups and yet they still charge you five bucks. Â If i have to pay seven bucks just to get in, they shouldn't be charging me an arm and a leg for a drink in a double dixie cup. Â
Three, they don't take credit cards in The Wallet Dump. Â Nope, you have to use their ATM and pay them more money if you want to buy drinks in The Wallet Dump. Â Last time i was there the ATM wasn't even working and i had to go to the bank across the street. Â
The funny thing is you can get around all this by just getting a normal sized drink you can purchase with your credit card at the normal part of O'Gara's. Â So this begs the question, why are you treated like such a douche in The Garage when they expect you to pay seven bucks more just to get into the place?
I usually only go here to hang out with
my friend Ashely that lives close by.
I think the main draw to this place is her...and that is it.
If I were to say my favorite things about this place....
it would be her sweet sweet shapely curvacious booty.
Ashely got back!!!!
Hee hee :)
It's an irish sort of sports bar
with some police/fire fighter stuff on the walls.
Sweeeeeeeet.....
Decent happy hour.
Dim lighting, which I like.
The booths are kinda sweet.
Nice woodwork and bar.
Too bad they went in the direction of sports pub.
Glad I got to work with this bar- I hosted the Twin Cities Bacon Takedown here- and it was awesome. The owners couldn't have been nicer - and clientèle was incredibly friendly and supportive. It's a great local bar- with the added benefit of an amazing amount of space, and a huge concert venue in the back! If I was a local, that would be my regular. There's a ton of history here - Charles Shulz, the Irish angle, the PD and FD are obviously tight with the place- it's got a real cool honesty and friendliness about it- and certainly no pretense.  And I'll definitely be back!
Review Source:Our friend's band was playing at O'Gara's Garage yesterday so we went early and had some dinner. Â I had a buffalo chicken wrap that was mediocre so...not completely impressed with the food. Â We had some drinks in the dinning room while we waited for the garage to open so we could go listen to the bands. Â
This bar is huge, I don't even think I saw the whole thing and I took some time to explore it. Â It would look a lot better if they did something nice with their floors, but I guess it was fine.
When the garage opened I was a bit sad that the bar was cash only. Â No good. Â However, the redeeming factor was how lively the crowd was. Â The Garage looks a little retro and it was an exciting environment once people started arriving. Â I got to dance! Â Hooray.
We Drove by and decided to give it a try. Â We are less than impressed. Â Our waitress looked like she was completely burned out and her service level clearly demonstrated that.
  I ordered the "walleye sandwich" with american cheese and seasoned tots, bringing the total to the $12 range.  The walleye was completely browned and overcooked and the sandwich bun was way too much bread.
  My better half ordered the Ruben, which she said was good.  On a side note, any pubs/bars that serve the local brew (Leinenkugel) for $12 a pitcher should be shot; especially after lunch.  If anything they should discount alcohol during that time since most patrons are on their working lunch hour.
  We are still looking for a great Irish pub in the St. Paul area similar to Kennelley's in Houston.
I haven't been to O'Gara's in a while, but stopped in for the start of a bachelor party this past Thursday and had a good time. Â In the past I had only been in on weekends and based on that experience tended to avoid the place. Â
It's a typical Irish pub, they have some decent pours and lots of wood. Â During off nights they have drink and food specials. Â On Thursday I had a few $3 Summit EPAs, not bad. Â I ate a Snelling Avenue burger that provided a great alcohol base for the night, it came with fries and was about $9.
I've seen some good bands in the garage on several occasions as well. Â They also have a few conference rooms and don't charge a fee, so it'd be a good place for party.
Good service. Usually room to sit at the bar, and the booths look nice, well lighted, comfy. Sports on the TVs make it a pretty good place to watch a game (though not up there with Joe Sensors or anything like that). It was a bit on the steep side but the mixed drink I got was STRONG. It's great for a group, just a fun relaxed atmosphere.
No discount/free thing on your birthday. :(
And one thing: it looked like a leprechaun threw up the bathroom! I'm fine with themes, but it was ridiculous! But it was clean, so I guess I can't complain too much. :)
I lived a stone's throw away from O'Gara's for abut seven years during and after college. Â Sure it was cool when I was underage and could sneak in with my upperclassmen teammates. Â Sure it's kind of cool when St. Patrick's day rolls around and they have a full week of Irish flavored debauchery (25 cent beers, and the all-important beer tent). Â Sure the garage is kind of cool in that they have live music that doesn't completely suck, from time-to-time. Â
But in the end, O'Gara's was consistently disappointing.
The food and alcohol is drastically overpriced.
The service is consistently mediocre. Â
Oh, and did I mention that this is Norm Coleman and Tim Pawlenty's favorite bar. Â So, if that St. Patty's day green just took on a radioactive hue, I won't blame you.
OG's has skated by as one of the only bars in the area, but as more options begin to emerge (Blue Door, etc.), I sincerely hope that St. Paul will straighten up and tell the far right wing to take a hike. Â I just hope this doesn't adversely affect the Neighborhood Cafe's business, because I friggin' dig that place, and it's open on the late night.
And now you all know that I'm a bleeding-heart liberal.
I lived above O'Gara's in College (Go Macalester!) & it couldn't have been a more perfect place to live during College & during Winter. I mean, it could've been, if I had a dumbwaiter that would shoot me directly onto a barstool from my apartment upstairs.
The beer & food was divine-- high up on the pub food scale.
The staff was rad-- particularly the bouncer who checked my ID on my 21st birthday & said "Ahh, Georgia Peach!" and winked at me-- particularly since he had seen me the week before & my name- at that time- was Ashley & I was from California. (Statute of Limitations is over, City of St. Paul! & it was a real ID, just not real(ly) me.)
The only heart attack I ever had living above O'Gara's was on St. Patrick's day & I thought cannons were being shot off at 5 am. Turns out it was just about a gajillion Guinness kegs being hurled into the joint to prep for the day's debauchery so that's pretty magical.
I am surprised it took me this long to review O'Gara, not that  I am a regular, but have gone here many a Wednesday night. I agree that it is in a fairly convienent location by Snelling and University Ave. I can't comment much on the food, as I usually just grab a beer after class, but last night I did try the potatoe skins. They were pretty yummy and came with a side of this delicious creamy dill dipping sauce. It's a good place to grab a drink and relax. They usually don't seem to be too busy during the week.
Review Source:I enjoy eating at o'gara's,because the food is good,prices are <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Freasonable.it&s=6dacb21fc568dcdc2fcd97b143586e75d60ac36eb16ff44d14f16ffefbbbe0e2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://reasonable.it</a> might be me,but every time i have had dinner there,the service is slow,and the waitresses,seem to have attitude problems.my favorite,is the steak dinner special.brewsy lovers,will enjoy the home-made suds,that are on tap.....they also serve foreign and domestic beers too.weekend nights,seem to draw the biggest crowds.despite my misgivings about the service.i still give this jumpin' joint a solid 4 stars.
Review Source:what a stressful night. I'm not from Minnesota and i got lost while trying to get back to my cousins house. why dont you close the entire freeway except for one lane around 11 at night. when i finally made it to my exit my phone died, no directions i was totally lost. in walk o'gara's, one of those joints where you walk in and the entire bar knows that you aren't from these parts. it was very comforting i like those kind of places where everyone knows everyone. i needed use an outlet to charge my phone. they were very accommodating, had a beer to calm my nerves. was finally feeling good, thank god for o'gara's!! the decor was awesome, it was mellow around 12 but i think it was a monday night so i assume that is normal. had a nice little chat with some of the locals and the bartender who was just adorable! i felt so great after i left that i stopped by the next night!
thank you for helping me find my way in st. paul!!!
Working with a bunch of Irish guys, I got roped into going to yet another Irish pub to celebrate some organizational feat.
Walking in for lunch, it  smelled sorta musty but in a pleasant dive bar sort of way.  Large open spaces with a couple different rooms was perfect for our loud crowd.
I ordered the O'Cheeseburger and O Boy was it good. Â Of course, I felt like my gut was rotting for the next couple of hours as it was a pure grease delight.
Unfortunately, I couldn't drink...you know...a work thing BUT I did see they have flights of beer. Â
I think I need to come back :)
p.s. did I mention that this place has HISTORY?! Â I guess Charles Schultz's Dad (remember him? the Charlie Brown cartoonist?) owned part of the building which used to be a garage. Â Who knew St. Paul had such celebrities?!
O'gara's Irish Pub is a modern bar and grill with old roots.
If you go to the back bar, you can see how it started. Â The shillelagh from Ireland is still hanging over the bar where you can imagine it being placed when they opened and not moved since. Â A reminder of the homeland.
The food here is pretty good but make sure to get your order in before it gets busy, or you may be waiting quite a while.
This is a very versatile space which can accommodate private parties, a concert in the back, and normal bar traffic all at once.
This is a family tradition sorta place for me. My dad use to come try to sneak in when he was a youngun and now we hold a yearly x-mas party there. I also go the garage to listen to bands. Its a roomy location which is nice and when that isn't my cup of tea the old bar area is crowded and the perfect place to chat it up with nice irish boys. :)
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