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"I really do believe this is as good as it gets, for an Irish pub in the US. Not that I have experienced a true Irish pub, but I felt like…" read more »
Came here the night before halloween with some friends and had a blast. It looked like they were doing karoeke but I was drunk so I could be wrong.
Pros:were hot bartenders, fun atmosphere, and great drinks.
Cons: Little more crowded then I like but it might have been juse for Halloween.
The prices are nice, they have a Jagermeister machine to keep the alcohol at the right temperature, and they have dollar beers on Thursday nights. Besides that, I still have a few issues with the bar. The crowd is a bunch of rowdy early twenties men who do not seem to be up to any good. Their are a lot of Peninsula "tools" that come here. My biggest issue though is once the bouncer would not let me in because he thought I had a fake ID. He handed me my ID back and told me to leave. I have been 21 for nearly two years and I have never had an issue considering that my ID is real. Finn McCool's is just not a comfortable, laid back bar.
Don't let the name Finn McCool fool you, with drinks called the hyphy bomb, it's not an authentic Irish pub in here. What they do have is a good divey vibe, with a good mix of locals of all ages. They also have 4 different kinds of $2 Warsteiner beers, cheap enough to try one of each.
They also have a grill over here that bumps this joint an extra star, Yamo's. You can find typical bar food like jalapeno poppers ($5.54), buffalo wings, and fried pickle chips. They also have some dishes I haven't found anywhere else on El Camino like shepherds fries (fries x shepherds pie), sloppy joes, and the beast that I want to try next. "THE BIG ONE", which is 2 pounds of Angus beef on a giant sweet Hawaiian bun with cheddar cheese, lettuce, pickles, and chipotle aioli. It's about to be man vs. food time.
Finn McCool's is one of the best dive bars in the San Bruno/Millbrae/Burlingame general locale.
Everytime I'm back in town I make it a point to stop by with some friends over cheap drinks. Even during regular times this place has in my opinion, very fair prices for drinks.
I've never honestly tried the food, but based on these review I'm definitely going to in the future.
I enjoy coming to this place because having grown up here for 15+ years of my life before going to college, I quite often see people I know here which is a welcome sight when I'm visiting home on vacation time.
The drinks are always pretty cheap and STRONG. I like the heavy hand on the mixed drinks they have. The beer selection is pretty good. I don't think I've had a bad pint here. I typically get Stella or just opt for cheap domestic. I mean honestly most of the time when I'm at Finn McCools I'm looking to get trashed.
It just kind of sucks that this bar is in Millbrae, because the cops set up DUI traps all the time around the area. Millbrae is definitely THE riskiest place to leave if you think you're over BAC and liable for a DUI.
That's real talk advice there from experience, LOL
Anyway, Friday is a down night like everybody says. A girl I was hitting on once at Finn's had the perfect 650 drinking schedule made up... something like Finn McCool's on Wednesdays... I think it was Burlingame Bar & Grill on Thursday, SF on Friday, and some other joint on Saturday. Alcoholics, seriously.
Come to Finn McCool's on Wednesday and Thursday nights for Tommy Boy Karaoke, he is entertaining, has every song you can think of and $ beer nights!.
We live in the building behind this place, and on certain days there are large numbers of people spilling out both the front and back entrances, so we decided to give it a try.
It was ok. Friday is apparently one of their down nights (due to big events on Thurs [karaoke] and Sat [live DJs]), so the place was all but empty. They have several big, attractive screens turned to different sports channels, and an electronic jukebox. The selection of beers was just ok. They have some interesting cocktails--though the Slutty Shirley we got tasted EXACTLY like Robitussin. Ick.
There was a female bartender working who was really funny and nice. If I'd remembered to get her name, I'd give her props. Alas...
We might go back on a busier night.
This place has been voted the best new restaurant on the Penninsula and best pub.
I wouldn't go that far but is is a good place with good people.
I lived about 5 minutes from this place while it was going through its change from a dive to a nice place.
Guinness is the best thing on tap. Actually, I would venture to say that they have the best Guinness on the Peninsula.
They have gotten new ownership since I used to go there so it is tough to say how good it is now.
They have the Bay Area Regular, Pub Quiz on Wednesdays. A fun time if you are there alone or with friends.
A nice place to stop, though not really a place for great craft beer.
Update: Shortly after posting this review I actually got a message from the new owner so I need to correct a couple of things.
First off, they don't have the Pub Quiz anymore, but are thinking about starting it back up on Tuesday nights, I hope they do, it is a good time.
When I used to go there, the food was a little more formal, now they feature a little more traditional pub grub.
All in all I plan to get back there next time I am up in the Bay Area.
went in last thursday with the bf and his buddy for dollar beer night. the place was packed which was kinda lame b/c karaoke took up hella of the places to stand.
we had a good time though. sang some tim and faith. got pretty hammered. the bouncers were super nice. the bathroom was clean and stocked which always scores big points in my book.
leah and i went in last night and this weird cover band was playing the crowd was a little older than thursday and we kept commenting on how thats going to be us in like 10 years.
all in all we had a really good time and will be back.
This place isn't really an Irish pub at all, but it is a pretty serviceable dive bar, with a pretty standard beer selection a wide selection of mixed drinks with funny names.
What really makes this place stand out, though, is Zamo's in the back. It's some of the best food I've ever had in a bar. The garlic fries were fresh, crispy, and evenly spiced except for the liberal sprinkling of minced garlic.
The potato chips were fresh out of the frier, paper-thin, deliriously crispy, and perfectly spiced. I had the cherry pork sliders, and they're everything other reviewers claim and more. My brother had the hamburger sliders, which are slathered with chipotle aoli. Chipotle aoli--need I say more?
This place is pretty cool actually now that I think about it. Thursday nights are good because it is dollar beers. If those beers were not Bud Light and Bud my life would be much better. All the people that work there are cool except one bouncer who acts like he is the coolest guy in the world.
Hahaha theres something about a buncha lil asian kids walkin into an Irish Pub. The Weird looks, the awkward glances, the increased level of high pitched volume. hahah.
Sure we were there on a Tuesday Night, bar full of almost-middled aged men, but you know what they made the night. Their awesome selection in music off the digital jukebox. (thanks MIKE!) Their shameless flirting with far younger beauties.
As far as entertainment, the digital jukebox Rocks, and they got Dice all the ghetto fabulous games you can play with dice! As for as the decor they got some cool, old-school bar ambiance going on, with some modern ammenities. PHOTO HUNT AT THE BAR! god i can play that for hours (drunk anyway). Drinks were alright, and were decently priced. Only place i've seen with a Jello Shot special. Intriguing.. yes? Visit it if you're not afraid of mingling with the local regulars.
Finn's is definitely a favorite dive bar of mine, but it has gotten SO unpredictable lately. One Wednesday it's packed and the next one it's dead. Now I'm all for having a mellow bar full of friends, but when there's 3 people taking turns singing karaoke it's slightly reminiscent of drinking in grandma's basement during high school...
That being said, this is a fun little place. The bartender, Elena, is such a sweet heart and makes *strong* drinks, the bathroom door finally locks again, and if you come in before nine there's pretty good pub grub to be had. More often than not there's a game or three up on the TVs, but heads up, Wednesdays & Thursdays are karaoke nights, so if you want to watch the end of a Sharks game without a Britney Spears wannabe yowling in the background, steer clear.
Upscale restaurant tasting, hip/young bar/lounge atmosphere feeling, wrapped in an 70s looking pub. I think there are identity problems here, but don't complain cause the place is great. The food is exquisite and seriously begs the question of what in tarnation is a chef of that caliber doing cooking at a beat down irish pub. The service was good. The bartenders attentive and the owners are usually around mixing it up with the crowd. The owners are recently new to the place, but they are great. The crowd is a mix of a lot of old usuals who have staked claim to their watering hole, but a young mix of people start to trickle in and bring the noise. So have some dinner and stay and socialize. Great place to meet if you got friends in the south bay and the city.
** Special rush update** Word through the grapevine is whispering that the chef is leaving! Eat there now before he's gone and we're all crying like little baby marmosets (sp?) longing for their mother that was swallowed whole by a giant anaconda. why? Why? WHY? tear.
** After Labor Day, their kitchen is closed indefinitely. :( Go now!
This review is for the Finn McCool's in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (downtown next to the Sheraton). Yes, this place is part of a chain, albeit a very good one. And Yelp doesn't cover the Great White North.eh?
It's late April in Calgary and it's cold outside with snow on the ground! And with the Stanley Cup playoffs (Sharks vs. Flames) on the telly, this is a great place to be! The food was very good and the draft Guiness and Murphy's beer was tasty. Service was friendly and efficient and the room was full of fun of happy and friendly folks.
It's a good sports dive, but the good beer is expensive.
I walked in and there was pretty loud punk music playing, a group of monster garage type bikers (not the leather types), and some random folks that seemed to be there for karaoke. Acoustically the place is loud.
Drinks are good and strong. When I was there they were doing $4 well drinks served in pints.
What will make me go back is the FOOD. The strange part of this dive-bar isn't the mix of clientele or the karaoke, or that it is a Irish sounding bar with no Irish feel... it is the food. The guy in back knows about food, we were talking about the menu and it sounded like he put a lot of work into making that food good. He also was telling us about future sliders and food they are going to offer. IT sounded great!!
To what I actually ate... the hype of the pork sliders is well worth it and they come with these great chips. The pork had a nice sweet flavor (not too sweet) and the cherries added a bit of tart to it that just worked well. The spinach salad was really tasty but to be honest a little small for me, dressing was delicious. My friend had the fish sliders and he liked them but liked the pork better. The other items on the menu seemed very interesting but mostly deep-fried appetizer, but if the rest of the food was any indication I am sure they are great.
They have a lot of specials
Wed - order sliders and get a drink for a buck. 6 - 9pm
Wed - pint sized well drinks for $4 9-close
Thur. - $1.89 sliders (which I will be back for.
UPDATE
Ahi Sliders.... mmmm they were very good. Light teriyaki, a little daikon and a nice pepper crunch KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
So Lance and I left American Bull Bar down El Camino to come here, hoping for a moderately quiet place. Nope. The DJ'ing here was equally loud. At least there was a crowd here. A drunk crowd.
Exit.
Nice local pub feel with extremely friendly staff. Just don't expect too much from the food.
Drinks came out a bit slow. Got our appetizer before we got our beer. Guiness had separated by the time it was served. Fried calamari tasted like the frozen & fried variety. Fries were good compliment to beer. Shephard's pie was nice and hearty, but a bit too much veggies for our liking. Steak cooked to correct doneness w/ tasty sauce and mashed potatoes, but was such a bad cut that eating it was like performing surgery - took some intricate carving to get to the edible portions.
This is not your traditional Irish pub. It is more like a modern day pub in Ireland with a blending of generations and music styles. There is a solid group of core regulars that frequent the pub, but a younger crowd comes out on the weekend for the music.
Went there on St. Patrick's Day this year and had a blast. The music was a mix of modern and traditional Irish. The food was classic fare and was good. I think a key differentiator was the owners and the staff. They were very attentive and welcoming. Really made it seem like everyone there were friends and we were all enjoying the evening together. That sense of community is hard to foster and I give kudos to the owners for creating it. The place was full up around 6:00pm and everyone there was having a blast!
I plan to revisit the pub soon and be there next St. Patrick's day.
As far as Irish pubs go, I've been to a fair few. And while Finns's isn't the most traditional of them all, it is definitely up there with the most fun to be had. The bartending staff there are just stand up people who are always in the best mood no matter what night you go.
The best night of course being Wednesday Night Karaoke with Tommy Boy, the bay's lead Karaoke DJ. Whether you're there to sing or drink, you will never leave unsatisfied. The girls who work Wednesdays are loads of laughs, not hard on the eyes, and pour the best drinks I've had outside of SF.
Crowd is a great mix of young and old who are there to party, with no drama attached. Overall a great mix of people, all there for one thing.... To drink and be merry! An addicting place for sure!
*UPDATE as of Dec 06**
Change of ownership! The old menu is long gone as is the chef who's moved onto other opportunities. Now, it looks more of a sports bar. It's not my cup of tea but may be yours....
Say you're hankering for some crispy fish n chips and a reasonably cool hangout for a date night on the Peninsula, but you don't want to hang out at a wanna-be trendy places and pay a premium to be seen there....Finn's is under new management we're told, so we checked it out.
Nice dark red walls, tablecloths on the table and comfy bar stools. Best Stella Artois we've had in awhile, and my hubby is Belgian!! Super greasy, fresh and a giant slice of fish arrived with tartar sauce which I hoovered up like there was no tomorrow. In fact, if there is a tomorrow, I'll just buy new pants in a size or two larger....
Go and eat/drink but don't expect wildly warm service. They were a little odd and here's why:
-we were given two corkboard placemats for the meal. when another couple ordered the fish, we were asked to give back one of the mats. what the heck ...they only stocked 2 mats and have 12 different tequilas??
but if you're thirsty and want a quiet place, check it out....
There didn't appear to be food available when we went. But I wouldn't have eaten it even if there had been. What a dive! I felt like I was in a scene from Barfly. The place was full of shouting, staggering, slurring geezers who seemed like they had been drunk since the 70s.
SO and I went down the street to Fiddler's Green afterward, where they poured the Guiness better, food was available, and the atmosphere was a thousand times more pleasant.
Why is this a 5 star establishment? Let me break it down for you.
Liquor-
I generally judge a bar based on their Irish Whiskey selection. I was pleased to see a wide variety including 12 year Jameson, Tullamore Dew and the various Bushmill labels for my Protestant brothers and sisters.
If you're not a whiskey person let me say 1) I'm sorry and 2) it's ok, the owner has a top shelf bar that will meet your drinking needs.
Liquor selection Grade: A+
Beer-
Wide Selection on tap and bottle variety with some great specials throughout the week. The owner has various local beers on tap at times. Ask for a recommendation from the bartender or owner if you want to branch out.
Grade: A+
Food-
This isn't bar food, folks. Order the Pork & Cherry Sliders and tell me it didn't change your life. My hats off to the Owner and the Chef for providing high quality food at a great price.
Grade: A+
Ambiance-
Great music selection for karaoke, flat screens for sports, dice and dominoes for games and a big crowd later in the evenings if you want to socialize. They also have a DJ for those evenings where you want to get down with your bad self.
Grade: A+
Service:
Friendly and attentive staff and an owner who makes sure everyone is having a good time. I can't say anything more than that.
Grade: A+
Wild Card-
Hyphee Bombs. Yeah, it's radioactive green but it's worth a try. If some tool tries to order a jager bomb, slap him in the face and demand hyphee.
Grade: A+
All in all, this is a fantastic bar and the people of Millbrae should be thankful they have it.
just went here last thursday for karaoke. When we first walked in and saw all of the youngins, I was a little worried...but, the crowd ended up beng fun, the bartender poured really good drinks and the KJ sang iron maiden like no other! His list was decent, the sound was so/so and the rotation was pretty small. I would probably come back here again.
I have been going every other weekend lately because it it my bf's favorite pub. It has a steady crowd of regulars. Mostly young guys. A few old perverted men who drive away any woman how dares to step foot near the bar top. It's hit and miss. I agree with the previous statement it seems as though I am drinking in Grandmas basement sometimes (well said Tara). It is ran by a very nice guy who works the crowd and the bartop. They have a sweet bartender named Alaina who is friendly and quick. The place gets really ghetto in thursdays though, steer clear unless you have a set of gold teeth and the latest Jordans...
I heard about Finn's here on yelp and went there with an airline friend who had a long layover. We went for Happy hour and stayed for Karaoke. We had a blast. At 1st glance it is a dive bar. No problem with me there, I love a good dive bar! The happy hour drinks were cheap and strong, I mean STRONG! $3 well drinks and $2.00 beers. We did top shelf and still only paid $5 a drink. The bartenders were super cool and did I mention the food. Bar food yes, good bar food, Yes! Try the sliders, so tasty with homemade potato chips YUM! Then around 9 the Karaoke guy Tommy Boy showed up and the the place began to fill up with young rocker types. Rock Karaoke.. nice! Though I usually like my karaoke on the gay side (more variety of songs and singers) it was nice to see straight folks throw down on the mic. Also some mysterious patron kept sending over free drinks for me and my friends. Thanks Sean! Finn McCools a good place to chill in the south bay.
If you are looking for a generic Irish themed public house, then I recommend you go elsewhere. However, if you are in the mood for a friendly and engaging pub...Finn McCool's is your place. With a wide variety of delicious "vittles" and whiskeys this is a little bit of Ireland in downtown Millbrae. Make sure not to miss pub quiz night on Tuesday, where bar patrons compete against one another in a test of miscellaneous and obscure 'knowledge'. In general, the setting is warm and the bartender makes a fantastic (price and taste) black and tan.
A more upscale Irish pub (is that an oxymoron?)...no hint of dive here. The food was impressive...my burger was to die for even if the waiter/bartender gave me hard time for wanting it cooked on the medium-well side. I found it a comfy, quiet place to sit for a beer or two and chat about my fabulous fire-bellied newts.
OBNOXIOUS. Saturday nights are definately avoidable here. You know it's a bad sign when they've got two bouncers out front. Music was so freakin' loud that I was practically making sign language to my friend in order to communicate. Small, overcrowded, lacking in atmoshpere . Actually witnessed the bartender smell that metal cup used for mixed drinks, wrinkle her nose in disgust, then had her fellow bartender smell it for confirmation who made the same face, and still proceeded to mix drinks with the same cup. Catchy name, but it should really read "Finn McSucks".
So, I've been going to Finn's for about a year now and I love it. I have a great time no matter what night of the week it is.
Every Wednesday and Thursday there is the best karaoke in the Bay from TommyBoy Productions. He just updated his song listings with all the latest hits. Thursday night is $1 Bud/Bud Lite from 8p-11p.
The vibe is unlike any other bar I've been to. Everyone is friendly and willing to help you decide what you should order from the bar. The bartenders are always in a great mood and love to see anyone who is ready to have a great time. If there is any drama, there are bouncers to help diffuse the situation.
Everyone who is a regular knows that this is the place to be when you need a friend or just to have a good time.
This review is for Yamo's Grill inside Finn McCool's. I am a friend of the chef but as far as bar food and food in general, he makes some damn good dishes. Try the sliders as they come in many different kinds and you cna mix and mash. The menu is always changing and has way better than normal bar food on there. I would definitely recommend this as a place to eat. And the bar has a lot of activity too and is great people watching.
Yeah, the bar and the atmosphere are pretty cool.
The best things however are, it really is irish-family owned and operated.
And, the food is just extraordinary. 2 chefs, not normal pub food at all.
Eat dinner there at least twice a month. Menu changes with seasons, and going just to eat is well worth the trip.
Burlingame, CA
Category: Sports Bars
Millbrae, CA
Category: Irish
San Bruno, CA
Category: Dive Bars
Burlingame, CA
Category: Nightlife
Burlingame, CA
Category: Sports Bars
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