I know i'll be in the minority on this one, but I have to say, I expected something different out of the ambience at Durty Nelly's.
Call me crazy but when I heard that the woodwork for this bar was all being done in Ireland and then shipped out to Halifax I had a far different image from what Durty Nelly's has churned out. I pictured wood stained the colour of guiness, a kindly older gentleman polishing glassware and the faint aroma of pipe smoke. (I know, I know, you can't smoke in pubs anymore but still!) Instead, the interior of Durty Nelly's has more of a new west coast feel to it. What i'd expect out of an Olympic venue up at Whistler.
Needless to say, I was prepared to put preconceived notions aside a month ago when I went to Durty Nelly's with Mark and his family for his Dad's birthday.
First of all, I know that Durty Nelly's has gone out of its way to hire servers with very little experience in order that they be able to train them themselves. I find this an odd notion. Why do the work that someone else has already gone to the trouble of doing and hire the experienced servers and then familiarize them with your particular protocol? I say this for the following reasons: Several minor occurrences took place over the course of the meal which a more experienced server would have been unlikely to overlook: 1) I ordered a bottle of Keith's and was brought a pint instead. If our server didn't hear me properly, why not just ask: pint or bottle? (so easy and avoids errors) 2) We had to ask repeatedly for water refills and 3) Mark's little sister's meal went almost untouched she was so unimpressed with it. I was amazed that our server hadn't noticed this when she came around on her 'quality check.' Some people don't want to complain about their food, but if you catch something like that, you can set the situation right and guarantee repeat clientele. All such easy steps to take...
Aside from the Shrimp, Crab and Spin dip, everyone else was reasonably impressed with the Durty Nelly's Burger, Pan-friend Haddock and the Kilkenny battered fish and chips. I was feeling unadventurous so just went with the Torpedo Shrimp, which were good.
I should also mention the lack of anything resembling a healthy choice. ie- two salad options and not a lot else. At least lull me into a false sense of security with SOMETHING I can believe isn't terrible for me. Durty Nelly's also refers to their in house fries as "Fat Chips." Just in case you thought they were going to be good for you...
Overall, I would recommend heading to Durty Nelly's for a pint and an appy as opposed to dinner. The house Nachos which we all shared were pretty darn good!
The bathrooms are very nice as well with tv's for your viewing pleasure. read more