Reviews
The quintessential Irish Pub. A landmark, an icon and a must visit when in DC.
Kelly's has played host to history and will forever be a part of the DC fabric. The staff is absolutely amazing, the location perfect, the company always interesting, and the memories last a lifetime.
The walls of Kelly's are adorned with police patches and reflections of it's rich history and the part it has played as the best pub in the area.
Just steps from Union Station and the Capital, you never know who you will bump into; everyone from locals to tourists, Congressional staffers to elected officials, everyone goes to Kelly's.
5
7 years ago (21-05-2018)
Working in an industry dedicated to Customer Service, it was surprising to find one worthy of compliant to 'bad customer service.'
A group and I stopped by after a conference on a Sunday night. Unfortunately a lot of bars and pubs were closing or closed when we left the conference, save for Kelly. When we arrived, a waitress and Bartender gave us bewildered tones and expressions, which may or may not have stemmed from us returning to our hotel rooms to dress down into comfortable clothing before going back out. The waitress and bartender promptly told us last call was at 1:30, and the bar was due to close at 2:00, no problem as we only wanted one to two drinks to cool down, and had more than enough time to do so.
We were given passive aggressiveness to leave and drink faster before the clock stroke quarter past, while other patrons were entering from the same conference in their work clothes. They were given immediate attention and were not told of last call.
When the hour hit 1:30, we all asked for our checks, to which the bartender gave us with a sigh of relief, and told us he'd give us 10 minutes to finish any last drinks. Fair enough since the listed hours were for 2:00.
As we finishing when more people from our conference showed up in their business attire. They were told that it was last call, with little to no force, and eventually given two beers and four whiskeys despite the prior warnings towards us. Mind you, the other patrons were still there with less than a sip on their drinks and ordering more, with no rush to leave. The bartender then looked at us and told us to leave, with less than 3 minutes elapsing, to make room for our other conference goers.
We ended up leaving, much to our and the rest of our parties distain.
Overall, I call tell why this bar had the lower reviews of neighboring bars, despite their later hours. In customer service, you should never treat customers based on their appearance, especially when you don't know their backgrounds.
Hard push; if you're in the District, try not to visit this bar in your 'casual apparel' or the wait staff and bartenders will "forget their matters."
1
7 years ago (26-02-2018)
First of all, service and friendliness were great! Food less so. Perogies look and taste like they're from a box, except I can cook better at home in the oven. "Caramelized onions" on top not like any caramelized onion I've ever had... More like teensy dollops of plain old salsa. Not worth it. I will say the fried Mac and cheese was very tasty, so if you happen to be here, I can recommend that... But I don't recommend coming for the food in the first place.
2
7 years ago (30-03-2018)
Guinness on tap, and a variety of fried foods to accompany it with. They have a good selection of whiskey if you're into that too.
Service was good, a little slow at the start but food was delivered quickly and plates cleared efficiently.
4
7 years ago (24-04-2018)
Good food good staff and cold beer great atmosphere recommend it to anyone best place I've been in.
5
7 years ago (11-05-2018)