Laura O.
Yelp
I work in Midtown East, otherwise known as the Land of Nondescript Irish Pubs, and I live in Astoria, which has its fair share of these as well, so I think I could be forgiven for generally glossing over Irish-themed haunts since -at least on the surface- they're pretty much impossible to tell apart. However, I'm traveling to Ireland in a couple of months, which makes me want to culturally prepare myself by eating Irish food. Luckily for me, I noticed this conveniently-located Astoria spot popping up on several "best Irish food in NYC" lists.
We came for brunch around 1 pm on a slightly chilly Saturday in May. The dining area, which is separated from the bar, was totally empty throughout most of our meal, but toward the end some families and regulars started to come in. At least at this time of day, the crowd was on the older side.
The brunch menu is really limited, but you can also choose to order one of their many lunch offerings. Brunch comes with a free mimosa, bellini, or bloody mary, though! I chose to try the Irish breakfast, which, at like $13, is an amazing value (and remember that free drink!). You get a huuuge plate filled with two eggs any style (over easy for me), Irish bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, french or home fries, and toast. All of it was delicious, but I thought the home fries, bacon, and sausage were particularly notable. I don't know that I've ever had Irish bacon, but it reminded me a little of an American/Canadian bacon combo. It was grilled, which added an amazing smokiness. I was not expecting anything special from home fries, but somehow made home fries about as good as they could possibly taste. They were almost... succulent. The bloody mary was small, but nicely spiced, and again, free!
My boyfriend had the steak and eggs, which also comes with fries/home fries and toast. He appreciated that the steak was actually cooked medium, as ordered.
One small criticism is that the bathroom could've been a little cleaner. The sink was kind of clogged, which was a little unsightly.
I would definitely be interested in coming back to try the Irish-style chicken curry, which sounds really different!