I've only been here once, visiting from Seattle, but I really enjoyed my experience at Kells Irish…read morePub. The vibe was fun and welcoming, and it felt like a great place to hang out with friends. The spicy margaritas were definitely a highlight--$12 and really good, though they may have been a daily special. Either way, they were worth it. Overall, it was a great stop during our time in Portland and a fun place to relax with my besties.

I always want to like it more than I do. I always want to come in, look at the lovely downtown pub…read more(I don't bother with 21st Street), and say "you know what, it's about on par with anything I've seen in Boston, Hoboken, New York, Philly, Baltimore, or Chicago." I want to say it's on par with the better Northwest offerings like the Irish Heather in Vancouver, The Irish Times in Victoria, or Murphy's in Seattle. But I can't. Because every time I'm here I'm just reminded of all the things it isn't. The menu looks somewhat right on paper, but it's little things like the spice and bake on the sausage rolls, the fact that they won't give you curry and chips without ordering the whole chicken entree ordeal, the somewhat dry and mealy burger. Then there are the drinks: There's a Guinness on, but the Magners is in the bottle. And then there's the whole brewpub element that was introduced a few years ago that baffles me. There are so many breweries in town, and so many quality Irish breweries, that I have no idea why you'd brew a middling beer lineup of your own AND make an Irish stout and red, of all things. But the most disappointing part of The Kells is that it's all the worst parts of the pubs in cities I just mentioned without containing any of their finer points. Stripped of history, taplist, menu, and other comforts, it's just a place where suburbanites come into the city, get loud for a few hours, pay their few quid, and leave without doing much else in the area. Compared to the Leaky Roof, T.C. O'Leary's or the city's English pubs like the Rose and Thistle or Moon and Sixpence, The Kells seems detatched and at arm's length from anything. that might resemble a community. I've heard they've done (double-decker English) buses to Timbers and Thorns matches, and I hear they're basically propping up the city's St. Patrick's Day festivities, but there's something artificial to it. It's a shame. I know the founders came from Belfast and I know the family is still very much involved, but although the staff is always pleasant when I come in, there's very little about the place that makes me want to return. It doesn't repel me, but a pub should draw me in more than this one does.

Beautiful spot with equally delicious food!…read more I had a very sudden craving for an Irish breakfast and they were among the first results when I googled "closest Irish breakfast to me". The group I was with shared plates off the brunch menu so we could try a variety. My favorites were the Irish breakfast, sausage roll, and the Shepard's pie. The food was simple which highlighted the natural flavors of everything, especially the mushrooms and the different ways the sausage was utilized throughout the meal. All the flavors complimented each other very well. GOOD BREAD!

Came in around 10pm on a Friday and was surprised to find it very quiet with only a few other…read moreparties. That was perfect for us as we were just looking for a beer and a snack, where almost everything is closed by 10pm. They brew their own beers, but they do carry Guinness. That hit the spot and their Irish lager was great as well. The pleasant surprise was the curry fries - plenty of sauce and chicken on crisp fries. I would get it again for sure.

The food is always great and the staff is always friendly. It's my go to place! The fish tacos are…read moremy favorite.

I stopped by for a brief lunch and was surprised by how great this small restaurant was. They had…read morelots of sitting and TVs if you're wanting to watch sports. More sitting than you would expect from the outside. The service was good, better than a normal bar but the food is where I was shocked. Although it's a bit pricer than some pubs this food was good. The menu is extensive with lots of seafood options but I had the Clancy's burger. It was very juicy and yummy. It will become a common stop when I'm in the area no doubt.

Great pour of Guinness! Excellent Bangers and Mash…read more Wonderful Crème Brule! All around top notch experience!

Craving spice bag. Paddy's is supposed to have the only one in Portland. Bartender wasn't sure if…read morethey were serving it. Got it done. Good service. Cool spot. Spice bag unfortunately did not fully live up to the name. Was not seasoned. Curry sauce was delicious. Good chicken.

This is a cute little Irish Pub right on Highway 30 in St. Helens. It's a little hard to spot, but…read moreit's in the little strip mall right next to the Texaco station. Inside is nice and clean with a cozy bar and 3 flat screen TVs. For entertainment there is a virtual jukebox as well as a Bose Bluetooth speaker where you can connect your phone and play your own playlist! They also have free wi-fi and a charging station. The tables all have decks of cards and there are other games, like Cornhole, available. There is Keno and Platinum Series Video Poker. Now, about the food! yum! I got the corned beef and cabbage and you get a HUGE plate of food. Everything is cooked fresh on-site and it shows! Corned beef was really good and the veggies were cooked just right. Much better than having to make it at home! They have a well-stocked bar and Guinness on tap. Prices are very reasonable. Bathrooms are large and clean. Everything is wheelchair accessible. Let's support this local business in St Helens!

Awesome food. Small menu but everything was so tasty.... They sell out of the corned beef but if…read moreyou can catch it it's amazing with enough food to share for only $9 dollars! The pub has an Irish theme and has cards to use and video lottery.

Small Irish pub, with a small, but delicious food menu to match. The Guinness Stew was fantastic,…read moreand the Rueben sandwich was good. Irish beers, along with some local craft beers on tap, and an extensive Irish whiskey menu as well. Service was friendly & quick. My only recommendation is they should add some acoustic tiles on the ceiling to help with the noise, as it was very loud for such a small space.

Second visit, first since their soft opening. We really enjoy the ambiance, and service is…read morefriendly. They've upped their Reuben game since our first visit, the sandwich was spot on. Curious about their Guinness situation, I thought it was on tap, last night they were pouring directly from 16 oz. cans into glasses. We'll definitely be back, this time we won't let several months go by!

Had to. Literally do not understand how this place is rated 31/2....myself and my partner ordered…read moretwo different meals.....incredible.

Over a year ago I left a glowing review of Katie O'Brien's. NO MORE! I was a steady customer of…read morethis place for 2 years. I enjoyed the community and especially 3 bartenders. I tried to tip adequately, and sometimes a special tip. I brought the staff flowers, gave one bartender two FREE, expensive suede jackets, and other items. I usually frequented KO's prior to 5 PM. Several times I came at night. A few months ago was one of those evenings. I came in to try to cheer myself up, as a few days prior my favorite cousin had died. (It was the 6th death of a loved one I had experienced in just over a year.) FOLKS, I WAS GRIEVING! A guy next to me started to talk politics. I told him politely I did not want to talk politics. He persisted, even stronger. I told him again I was not in the mood to talk politics, as I was grieving! A woman walked by and told him she agreed with him. Then she went to the other end of the bar and got two other people to verbally attack me! In the fragile state of mind I was in, I had a RARE outburst of anger, as I had just come there that night to try and cheer up. I regret shouting at these 4 people, but imagine if you were grieving the loss of a loved one, and were bombarded and mocked for your differing political beliefs. I quickly paid and left, still being mocked and criticized because I did not share the liberal Democrat beliefs of these people! I try to respect the differing politics of people, but not if they mock and ridicule my opinion. There is a word for the attitudes of these 4 people: IT IS CALLED 'BIGOTRY'! Bigotry is the intolerance of people or groups who think differently than you. It is now my opinion if you are not a liberal/Democrat, who are considered a 2nd class citizen at Katie O'Brien's. They are bigoted towards Conservatives and Christians. Last week after not being there for 2 months, I found out from one bartender, little Sammi, that they voted to '86' me! She said, "You told everyone, "F---k You!" NOT SO! I would never had said that to Sammi, as she and Stephanie were my 2 favorite employees! My angry outburst was aimed at the 4 bigots who were verbally attacking me over politics, something I CLEARLY expressed I did not want to talk about as I was grieving! Can you believe this?! I guarantee you these 4 liberals were not 86'd for their horrible behavior towards me! (Apart from this night, I have routinely witnessed a black man who routinely goes in there making all sorts of vulgar comments about women, and I guarantee you he has not been 86'd!) I AM VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE STAFF FOR MAKING THIS DECISION, CONSIDERING TWO YEARS OF VERY MUCH TRYING TO BE NICE TO THEM. They show disloyalty to me, over one bad night, where I was provoked and belittled. I guarantee you if I was a far-left liberal Democrat, I would not have been 86'd from here. As a former businessman, I will tell you that having a bias against people because of their political and/or religious beliefs is not only bigotry, it is a HORRIBLE business model! I cannot recommend this restaurant due to such a lack of loyalty, and for their people slandering me with others. If the slander continues, I will seek legal action against Katie O'Briens. Tell the whole truth, folks!

I would say come here come here for the food but I'd be lying (I ordered their burger with tots and…read moreit was fantastic, exactly what you expected from a burger and the tots were perfect). I would say try the local beers on tap but I'd be lying again (they have 5+ on rotation, maybe all the time idk but tonight they have 5 and the ones I had were fantastic and tried a couple more tasters). If you're going to stay by the water you should come here for two reasons..... 1 )the atmosphere is cool and relaxing with great music from the 70s - early 2000s, and an amazing patio (I came in a Sunday night and it was "slow" [what I expected from a Sunday night]) 2) the bartender is awesome. Not sure what nights he works tho. His name is Pain I think. I was just passing through and had few spots to check out, let him know what I was planning on doing here while I Astoria and let me know what else to see here in Astoria

I wish we had a hidden gem for breakfast like this one in Vancouver. Hell, I wish I could get a…read morebreakfast like this anywhere closer to home. Without a single clue what to do in Astoria (first time visitors), we parked for $10 in the Port of Astoria lot on the west side of town. It was a warm day, and we were hungry, so we took to Marine Drive to look for breakfast and this was the first place we saw. It says they serve it all day. I don't think they have their own lot but street parking doesn't seem to be a premium here. Later on, we discovered that this place also made the vet staff's recommended list which was a happy coincidence. It says on the door that they don't have public restrooms, which they don't, but they do have a men's and women's restroom for customers. Nice ambiance with the nautical theme and some slot machines (is gambling legal in Astoria?). I particularly liked the piece they took from a real ship called Raven and perched a fake raven on it on the wall. Makes the little goth in my heart happy. You order at the bar and the lady who took it wasn't the friendliest. P told me in retrospect that service was slow and she had a bit of an attitude when I asked him whether this place warranted a 4 or 5. I guess she did, but all I noticed was how good the food was! The workers breakfast for $14 is outstanding! The sausage patty is luscious with a nice bite of heat. They make your eggs perfectly and they cook their potatoes skin on in a skillet that leaves the edges with a nice crisp flavorful crust. You need the toast (we both ordered dry wheat) to mop up the egg and eat with the sausage to fill you up. Honestly, haven't had a breakfast where every single element of it was all of great quality. Plus, it's an almost perfect portion of food. I know I want to go back if I can just convince P to ignore the attitude. Another cool local hangout. There was a jolly bunch of older men drinking, laughing and chatting that provided an awesome soundtrack to our visit.