Jason F.
Yelp
There's something very quaint about Johnny Foley's Irish House, a warm and welcoming tavern and restaurant located in the heart of San Francisco's Union Square shopping and hotel district. Located on the corner of O' Farrell and Cyril Magnin Streets in a multi-story residential building that was fully remodeled over eight years ago to welcome a Holiday Inn Express, whose entrance is now to the left of the entrance of Johnny Foley's, which only helps to both welcome out-of-towners to the neighborhood and modernize the exterior of the tavern. Johnny Foley's has been here in the heart of the city for decades, which makes it the perfect place for any lover of draft beer and the food that goes with it to enjoy together. We brought me here on a recent weeknight evening was that fact that I was with a friend enjoying a theatre show nearby and we were both looking for places to eat afterwards and they suggested we head to Johnny Foley's for some bites and libations and I was in agreement to take a long brisk walk through the streets of San Francisco and wait for them to open. We learned due to the change over the past few years in all of our lives Johnny Foley's once was open seven days a week from morning till late night, and now will still open until very late at night they are now open starting at 5 p.m. and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Luckily we arrived just in time for them to open to a crowd of fans as there were both locals, business workers and convention attendees ready to get feasted by a traditional Irish tavern.
Since there was plenty of room at their bar, we managed to get a seat at their corner bar towards the rear of the restaurant. What sets Johnny Foley's apart from many other similar bars is the amount of space the interior of their dining room has, which is accentuated by the room dividers made of dark oak wood and beautiful stained glass that serves to break up the table areas from that of the bar areas. The drink menu at Johnny Foley's is separated into categories including Craft Cocktails, Mocktails, Non-alcoholic beers, drafts beers, bottled beers and hard seltzers, wines, and the food menu is separated into categories including Appetizers, Salads, Sides, Pub Favorites, Burgers & Sandwiches, Main Courses and Desserts. To drink I ordered their James Joyce Southside Cocktail, which had Sipsmith gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, fresh mint and topped with club soda, and my friend ordered a draft beer. We also decided to order a meal, and I ordered their Mussels in Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce with Bacon, Garlic and Parsley, and for an extra fee I also ordered French Fries to be added to the dish, and my friend ordered their Foley's Fish & Chips, Fresh Cod in Lager Batter which was served with Mushy Peas, Lemons and House-Made Tartare Sauce.
The hard-working bartending crew lead by Devin made out drinks in no time, with my James Joyce cocktail originally tasted super sweet and thankfully was muddled down when all of the ice in the drink melted down. It was like Johnny Foley's version of a mojito which was named after Dublin, Ireland's most famous Southsider as his writing helped revolutionize fiction writing. But the food was the real star at Johnny Foley's during my visit as the clams were hearty and the broth that they were cooked in was filled with a lot of warmth and flavor and the fries helped to sop up not only all of that juice but also help sober me up! And it was interesting that with both my Mussels and Fries and my friend's Fish and Chips entrées, they use steak fries rather than shoestring fries, which made our meal even heartier. No meal is complete without dessert, and my friend who has dined here before, highly recommended their Irish Soda Bread & Butter Pudding served with Caramel & Bailey's Custard Sauce, and when we asked for extra sauce they were more than accommodating, as this dessert combined warm bread and cold custard together perfectly. Our bill was a little over 111 dollars, considering my friend had two drinks and I had one cocktail and with the amount of food we ordered their prices are in line with what other restaurants in the area are offering. At Johnny Foley's, their lovely owner Mary was greeting guests who had come from all over the world, including Ireland itself, which goes to show if this San Francisco institution is good enough for the actual people who come from the Emerald Isle, then consider them lucky enough for you!
