Like Yelpers before me have noted, this is a traditional Irish pub with lots of Anglo-speakers for…read morethose who feel more comfortable conversing in this language. The space is quite tight but it makes for a fun time with all the people merrily eating, drinking, laughing, talking (or even arguing about controversial topics), and watching sports matches (during my time here, our group watched with some interest a rugby game).
I didn't eat anything here nor did I drink anything other than water but I was in the company of others who drank beer and whiskey. While I don't know much about these, the people with me have extensive experience in drinking their preferred poisons and everyone was extremely pleased with the selection and prices. As some of you know, AT is an avid whiskey/whisky enjoyer and he found the choices to be fairly impressive--enough so to try two different types.
Regarding food, it seems that things may have changed because I found the food menu to be quite large, including bar/pub usual suspects (burgers, steak and fries, brownies, etc.). Many groups were there eating full meals, so don't worry about not being able to get stuff to soak up some of that alcohol that you'll be throwing back.
I was tempted because I saw the names scrawled on a blackboard as I walked from the front door to the back area, but I didn't end up ordering coffee drinks. This could be an option for those who don't share in the love of booze but want to still come hang out.
Friendly service by the two people serving our party, one guy running like mad between all the tables in the back section and a female bartender. Fast delivery of whatever you order, which is nice.
Compared to some other pubs that I have tried, this place may not quite compare but I give it an additional star for being entirely smoke-free! Yes, this was an amazing discovery for me, because it seems that while Parisian restaurants do not permit smoking indoors, they usually have a patio area where people are puffing 2 packs per minute. On top of that, the front doors are usually left open, to allow the free movement of servers running back and forth from the kitchen and the outside. This means that you may as well sit with the smokers, because all of the smoke and smell waft inside. With my asthma, this made for some slightly unpleasant dining experiences. Rest assured that you will not encounter any cigarette smell or effect from frequenting O'Brien's, which makes it awesome in my book.