Over the river and through the woods

Go through the door, walk down the hallway, turn left, go through the wrought iron gate, down the stairs, turn left, then a quick right, walk straight ahead.  That’s how you get to the restrooms at Kells Irish Pub in North Beach.  The bar, as a whole, doesn’t scream “Sláinte,” but a trip to the restroom does have a certain S&M/dungeoness charm to it.

The Good:  Fairly clean and uncluttered on a Friday post-work-happy-hour get-together night.  The walk does transport you from the raucous sports/Irish bar street level scene to the depths of the dark basement where you’ll not only find the restrooms, but a quiet (at the time) respite from above.

The Bad:  Half the lights weren’t working, had a pungent dirty dishwater smell, and the restroom stall lock (at least the one I was in) was broken.

The Ugly:  The restrooms had more of a dingy nightclub bathroom feel then an Irish pub restroom.

While they do serve up a good pint, the food is decent enough for the hungry, just-getting-off-of-work-so-I-need-a-drink crowd, and the walk to the basement/bathrooms makes me giggle, the aesthetics are a bit lacking.  It is a bit like Puck Fair (one of my favorite Irish pubs in NYC), with it’s basement bar/lounge/restrooms, only not as nice.