Had the chance to visit and dine at this Irish pub in Carlsbad while visiting a game studio located upstairs above the bar. Â Truly unique design with architectural Irish character with shingled roof and brick and mortar exterior. Â Inside is an aged mahogany bar, dark wooden plank flooring and metal bar stools.
Ordered the corned beef sandwich with fries which was delicious. Â Staff was friendly and attentive and would come back to sample some beers.
Ah yes O'sullivan's. Gotta love a good traditional Irish pub. Great atmosphere on the weekend nights. Couple of compliments; the bar tenders actually know how to pour a good black and tan, great tap selection for an pub. Dislikes I have; this is not an insult nor a complaint just an observation. This bar has far more of a military presence than any other I have been to in Carlsbad. Again not a bad thing at all, just things can get a little rowdy and feisty at times. But hey San Diego is all about that ;)
Review Source:First time visitor on Thursday, May 9th, 2013. I went to see Forkroot perform, and they were awesome!! Three piece band that plays Irish, Jazz, Bluegrass type music, with a violin, accordian, banjo, and mandolin.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that O'Sullivan's serves Kilkenny Irish Beer. It is one of my Top 3 favorite beers, and is hard to find. The only other place closest to Carlsbad that sells it, is Dublin Square, down in the Gaslamp District.
The staff was very friendly and smiling, and was quick to help the customers, unlike the other bar across the street (that rhymes with Fennessey's). I will definitely come back to this place more often.
Thanks for the great service and awesome music, O'Sullivan's!
I don't go out in Carlsbad much, but this place is pretty cool. The live music they had was awesome. Forget the name of the band, but apparently they are there every Saturday night. They did covers of Rage, Toadies, Flogging Molly, and Drop Kick Murphys. AWESOME.
Bartender was nice. Place has a good, chill vibe. They close at midnight though, so plan to go somewhere else afterwards...
Oh, O'Sullivan's... I remember you in better times. Â I remember coming here, looking forward to fire pits and Irish music and potato soup and Guinness. Â I remember when you were a great hang-out spot. Â I remember when you were called Tom Giblin's instead of O'Sullivan's.
Unfortunately your days as a decent pub are over. Â You are now full of middle-aged creepers who think they've still got game, your Irish bands do versions of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven instead of anything traditional (and they do those versions badly at that). Â The wait staff is inattentive. Â The service is slow.
I will just file this place away and remember the better times. Â I won't be coming back anymore. Â Too many other good places out there to reminisce about the ones that used to be good.
Live music on Friday night is great! But I have no idea about the food because our group of 8 never got a table even though we were "next on the list" for almost 2 hours! And, other people kept getting seated at smaller tables. But we were there with friends and knew the band, so we stood and drank and had a good time listening to the music. Then we went to Pizza Port just before they closed and had fantastic pizza! Probably won't go back based on the lack of service--the hostess, Cindy, didn't make any effort to take care of us.
Review Source:We had the beef stew, the fish and chips, and the Shepard pie. The Shepard pie was good, and it came with a side of vegetables. The fish and chips and tarter sauce was very good, the fish tasted freshly cooked. The atmosphere was good. My only real complaint was the pricing; it is a little expensive. My Shepard's pie and my one beer costed me $22 dollars with tax.
Review Source:Just returned from dinner here. I had corn beef and cabbage, the best I remember anywhere. Two giant slabs of juicy, well-seasoned corn beef, half a boiled cabbage, some potatoes and carrots. It's a bargain at its usual price, and a steal at the $11.95 early bird. Wifey had the patty melt, their Wednesday night special, and it made her smile. It came with cole slaw sweet and creamy, the way I like it (fries also were an option). Because the place is a bar, it's a bit noisy, but the fact everyone seemed to be having fun ameliorated that. Eight elderly women at a nearby table were laughing and joyfully celebrating a birthday, and sang the birthday song at least twice. Next time -- which will be soon -- I plan to try the shepherd's pie.
Review Source:The bouncer is fun and from Haiti and thought I was born in 84! Woooo! But he also thought I was Italian... so not sure how accurate he is.
Have fun on their Trivia Nights on Tuesday. Â If you and your friends like music trivia, this can be a fun thing to do with a group. The Dj is fun.
I think the food is ok for bar food, but I was on a pretty strict vegan food program and the only thing I could attempt to eat was the Veggie burger, which I am really glad was on there. It was ok... and for that it was kind of overpriced. Â But still glad they had it!
Very cool place. Â It's in a basement setting but nice and cozy and your traditional Irish Pub. Â The outside deck is nice because a TV faces out to the back patio. Â
We had the corn beef boxty and the shepherds pie and neither disappointed. Â I had the snake bite (half harp and half cider) and that was delicious as well.
Off the beaten tourist track, this little pub is a great place to get a pint. It's cute on the outside and the inside is reminiscent of the pubs we visited in Ireland and the UK. We usually stop in here when we're in Carlsbad, and there always seems to be a lot of locals - which we consider a good sign!
We usually just pop in for some adult beverages, but since it was close to dinner, we opted to try some of their Irish fayre. "Traditional" pub food has been Americanized: the Irish Stew is made with beef, not lamb, as is Shepherds Pie (I believe it is called Cottage Pie when made with ground beef) - but lamb can be pricey so the beef substitute is understandable.
The 'Shepherds Pie' was tasty with a well seasoned gravy and nice assortment of veggies, although I'm pretty sure they were canned and not fresh which was disappointing.  It was a good-sized portion, too. The sautéed salmon was very flavorful and cooked perfectly.
If you are looking for gourmet food, there are plenty of other places nearby. This is pub food and what we ordered was good. Service was attentive. We'll return the next time we are in the area.
This is quickly becoming our regular place. We go for work happy hours, Friday nights for live music, and pub trivia Tuesdays. The people are nice and there are lots of Irish people who work there, which gives it lots of street cred among all the other pubs that think serving Guinness gives them a claim to being "Irish." Love the variety of domestic and Irish beers, the whiskey selection, and the general vastness of the available liquor. As far as food, the dinner entrees are great but the apps are just ok. For us, the drinks, the people, and the ambiance make up for it.
Pro Tips:
1. Reserve a table if you're coming for pub trivia. Everyone else does and there's rarely room for teams of more than 2 people to walk in.
2. Thursday is Irish folk music night. Singing along is encouraged.
3. Wednesday nights are the quietest if you just want to sit by the fire with your honey, a nice stout and a Shepard's pie or Boxty.
This place is okay.
Hubs and I ordered what sounded amazing to each of us, but were not really impressed. They have shoe string fries, so that's pretty awesome.
Cheap beers (about $4 for 20oz Ranger on Friday) and okay food deserves at least a 3. Also, I believe they have bottomless mimosas for the cheapest price I've seen in SD county, so that's honorable. Too bad their website doesn't confirm my suspicions.
Go there with mediocre hopes for food and beverages.
I came in for lunch on a week day with my wife. We ordered the shepherd's pie and the corned beef with cabbage. The shepherd's pie was downright nasty. We both agreed that the filling was just mixed veggies from a can! The corned beef was a bit better, but overall extremely underwhelming.
If you come in the evening for the drinks, the band, and the ambiance, you may have a different experience. But if you're coming for the food, skip it. You can get better almost anywhere else.
Ok, this irish pub is by far my number 1. Never thought id say it but yes, me being a fillipino and actually enjoying a setting that makes me stick out like a sore thumb it was a great time up in this joint!
I noticed walking in that i was the only brown person there (not to be racist) hence the 'irish pub'. but what also threw me off even more was that even the workers and ppl there all had a heavy irish accent too! haha i knew this was gonna be great.
I sat at the bar and my bartender at that time was very nice and quick to service, i overhead a band setting up to play and of course to stay true to 'irish pub' they played some irish ass music...i guess it was cool cause i never been to an irish concert haha but to tell you the truth, their music was making me even more tipsyyyyy (2 thumbs up) lol
I ordered chips curry too, and this food plus whatever drink you may get id recommend having this to curve your hunger:)
Their happy hour is by far the best in carlsbad. The best time to go would be Sunday cause all day starting at 4 its happy hr:)
I enjoyed the whole atmosphere and would continue to drink here, i just hope that they would have a juke box to cancel out the irish music.
I really liked this place! I came on a Tuesday night so it was pretty quiet compared to what people were saying a Friday night would be like.
My waiter Christain (I think that is his name, I am horrible with names) was really cool and attentive and recommended a great drink (Washington apple).
I loved the atmosphere here and love that they were playing a trivia game. I would definitely come back!!
PLUS ONE MR. DENNIS O'SULLIVAN!
Dennis (owner) has really done a great job of slowly but surely turning this into a place that we love to frequent. The service here is amazing, the food is comforting, and the patio really is the place to be on a Saturday afternoon.
To Dennis and his staff - Go raibh maith agat [thank you]!
I've been here a handful of times, but I'm surprised I hadn't reviewed it up to this point. Â
The only unfortunate part about this place is it's ALWAYS busy. Â Great for business and great for a lively atmosphere, but getting around is a bit difficult. Â Thankfully, the wait staff is quite attentive so as to alleviate unnecessary trips to and from the bar.
I just popped in recently with a pair of friends for a late dinner and some drinks. Â A great time was had by all and the food was excellent. Â
It's a shame (but probably a good thing) that I'm not around the corner from this spot as I'd be here on a regular basis. Â Keep up the excellent work!
I have recently been informed that somehow over the past two years I have made a voyage up to the Carlsbad area for two July Birthday parties at O'Sullivans. More specifically, my last one was on Thursday for my friends fiance's bday. I met everyone out on the patio but not before I first had to chug my bacardi sprite courtesy of the crazy performing guitarist informant. Of course, like in any good Irish bar, if the hired help/performer points at you and tells you to do something then you must do it. Being in good spirits and not having any type of beverage at 11:00pm, I obliged.
THis was just the beginning of a bar crawl through Carlsbad for the evening but I must admit O'Sullivans runs a great establishment. Food is tasty, drinks are strong, live performers are always a highlight and the staff is pretty friendly. If you haven't been before you should check it out!
Sitting at the bar for dinner is almost always a compromise in the level of service you can expect. With that said, I don't think rude and unattentive should be the rule. Worse yet, the quality of your meal should not be an issue either. Both were the rule here tonight. The something blue burger tasted like a school lunch and the fish and chips tasted like Gordon's frozen food.
The food and service aside, music and the cool ambiance were refreshing.
This place is a nice Carlsbad drinking spot. Â The interior is loaded with brick, rustic wood, old beer advertisements, stained glass; a nice "change of pace" from the dive bar experience. Â Bonus points for the fireplace/fire pit on cold days. Â Yes, I really love the look and feel of O'Sullivan's!
Can a place just look cozy and get a passing yelp grade? Â Hell NO! Â Once again, the star meter rises because....drum role please...
***The bartenders and servers are incredibly GOOD people***
That will win repeat business every time!!!
They call it quits at 12 AM so I prefer to have a few cold ones during "day drinking" hrs (bouncing LONG before the crowds and early close occur). Â Another day time draw are the various specials they offer (see events calendar) that make this place A-OK in my book
I know some yelpers prefer drinking in the shadows of night so here is the 411:
The outside is charmingly lit in the evenings. Â Also, they offer up some great live music (call for details). Â Actually, now that I think about it, the night scene here is cool too! Â The bar does get a bit crowded as the sun sets. Â The restrooms are in front so you're FORCED to walk right through/around EVERYONE in the bar when "that time" inevitably arrives. Â
When packed this gets old fast (but hey you meet a lot of people).
The pub grub is above-average. Â Personally, I feel you can get a better pub meal down the street at the Cantina (cheaper too) but after a few suds it gets the job done. Â I will admit, they carry a lot of choices on that menu so that's cool, right?
When in Carlsbad it would be a mistake to pass on O'Sullivan's but I would PASS on the corned beef quesadilla!
I give this pub 7 "dodging, dipping, diving, ducking, and dodging" restroom goers ouuta 10
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.osullivanscarlsbad.com%2F&s=0e9b9e94d3e934bdea50d8abba357d2e335449f32f17f471a1f43e805c2b4fcb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.osullivanscar…</a>
I prefer the vibe of this place over Hennessey's any day. Â I've never come across so many people that used the phrase "excuse me" so freely. Â I felt as though I was back home in Jersey at a supermarket.
I was told that this place used to operate under a different name and was much better overall during that time. Â Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to visit so I have no frame of reference for comparison. Â What I do know is that people here are relatively friendly and polite...even on a rainy Saturday night.
What's kind of a downer is the fact that they close at 12a. Â It's bad enough all bars in CA cannot stay open past 2a, so why not stay open until you can't stay open any longer? Â I'm from Jersey, our bars close LATE and in NYC, many don't close until the sun rises.
Anyway, if I'm ever in Carlsbad again, which I'm sure I will be, I'll definitely make my way over to O'Sullivan's.
Even though they close early...
I was so excited to see this Pub as I drove around Carlsbad one night...but little did I know...it was Cougar Central!
A bunch of my friends and I came here on a Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised to see all the rocker type moms and Cougars dancing all over the place. There was a cool metal type band doing covers that night which was entertaining, but other than that...the moms were cool too?
I don't know if I'll be back considering that my friends and I were the youngest people there that night, but who knows we might give it a try...if I ever become a cougar!
Service was super slow on a Sunday, but somewhat nice.
We came for the "authentic" Irish breakfast. Â Although it was close enough, it wasn't on point. Â Food was bland, but a solid effort.
Both our entrees came with cheesy potatoes. Â So we asked the server, she responded with, "ummmm... let me check...."
The last time I checked, she worked at O'Sullivan's and she was our waitress. Â Perhaps, it was amateur hour?
She comes back and said they ran out. Â So, rather than informing your customers, ya just don't serve 'em AND don't mention anything until asked? Â W-O-W. Â So, I had a choice of french fries or mashed potatoes with my breakfast. Â Classy. Â Not.
5 words: Happy. Hour. All. Day. Sunday.
Food is good (and cheap for Happy Hour), great atmosphere, and the service is decent. Â Live music at night. Â It's just a good place to unwind and get a beer with friends right in the center of Carlsbad Village. Â I can't really say too much, except that I like it. Â I think I'll come here more often. :)
I've been looking for a new "usual spot" since Oggi's in Escondido closed a while ago and I think I finally found it. Â O'Sullivan's is a great mixture of Food, Drinks, and Entertainment - with decent prices.
The Grub:
I've had the chance to sample most of the menu and so far have only found one dish that I wouldn't order again. Â The appetizers are large enough to be a meal and my two favorites: Fish Tacos & Sliders are well prepared. Â For a really filling experience, I'd suggest the Rasher & Cheese Boxty (Bacon & Cheese) or the Auld Bacon & Cheddar Burger.
The Drinks:
Full bar & large selection of beer on tap. Â Nice...
The Entertainment:
Admittedly, I've only been here on Tuesday nights... which happens to be the same night that Pub Trivia featuring Tom is played (7:30 PM to 9:30ish). Â Pub Trivia f/ Tom is free of charge and tests your team against questions of (generally) common knowledge. Â The categories are limitless and we've encountered such topics as Playboy History and 80's One Hit Wonders. Â Also, even though it's free to play, there is a serious prize ($20 off your tab) if your team wins.
The usual waitresses, Vivian and Valerie, are equally friendly and attentive. Â Don't be surprised if they really do know your name after a few visits. Â All things considered, you wont go wrong spending an evening at O'Sullivans.
Since Tom Giblin's closed, I hadn't returned. Â However, since it was St. Patty's Day, I had a few reasons to return - (1) a galpal, Marie D was dancing her Irish Jig as part of the evening entertainment, (2) celebrating the holiday with my half-Irish buddy, Kurt, a nominal yelper, (3) I'm brown Irish at heart, and (4) I have yet to visit Sully's. All of my expectations were resoundingly met that night!
Although Kurt and I showed up at 5:30p, we waited 40 minutes in line. Â Apparently, there was a lunchtime band and a band scheduled for the evening. Â Everyone in line was caught between the lunchtime and dinner shifts.
The bangers and mash and the corned beef and cabbage started the evening right followed by rounds of Harp and Guinness amidst the green, festive crowd.  You should not be surprised at  how many east coast Irish transplants have settled in San Diego.  Good times.
Marie did a fabulous job. Â Seeing her "Riverdance" was amazing. Â Seeing the crowded pub cheer her and others dance was amazing. Â Seeing others join in the fun and try to dance is ridiculous. Â Music was provided by a live band called The Blokes! Check them out! Â <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badblokes.com%2F&s=a9e406f407073cd0ecb294119bc4f67372a4496178c6d76cc2c656d768868c73" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.badblokes.com/</a>
Even better was seeing the Masshole Marines (decorated by the Bosox caps) belting out Irish tunes with the band and taking their turns dancing. Â Who was that old dude in the giant Leprechaun hat and shorts and kept draggin' the hot chicks out onto the floor? Â Even Marie dragged me out onto the floor and spun me around despite the heavy mix of Guinness and Harp that clouded my faculties. Â Apparently, we spun around like a scene from the Titanic, she said. Â Really? o.O
While I can't say that every night would be like this given St. Patty's, but my last time at Giblins (formerly) was equally as memorable. Â There's live Irish music often. Â Definitely a place to check out, and don't forget to cab it home. Â This is downtown Carlsbad. Â You've been warned.
I reviewed this place as Giblins because I am still bummed out that it changed. But after going to Giblins for many years, and now going to O'Sullivans, I am happy.
The best thing the new owners did was keep the wait staff. These girls rock.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/tom-giblins-irish-pub-and-restaurant-carlsbad#hrid:pTiYr1K5GGuhvEnS3A-yOA">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>
When I caught rumor that Tom Giblin's Irish Pub was closed I was a kinda bummed out. Â Giblin's was a great place to meet friends, have a cool draft and listen to some great Irish Folk music.
However, If you were a fan of Tom Giblin's then you'll be a fan of O'Sullivan's Irish Pub Too. Â Actually, not much has changed except for maybe the mirror behind the bar and the name on the menus. Â When you walk in you're looking at the same tables, chairs and carpet. Â It's pretty much the same crowd, energy and atmosphere that Giblin's was. Â
If you like Irish Music then you're gonna be stoked. Â They also have different kinds of music throughout the month so check their schedule to be sure. Â So even though the name has changed , not much else has. Â It's still a great place to go in downtown Carlsbad!
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
