Sally P.
Yelp
I feel conflicted about how to write a review for Limerick. On the one hand, I've frequented it many times and have loved it, on the other my friend was in real danger.
I went through a period where me and the crew loved to go here after a night of drinking. Or just come late and get smashed. The beer selection is good for college kids and cheapskates- lots of good, mid-range beers for cheap. Whichever special they have that night is usually fine. It's not great, but you don't go here for great drinks, you go to enjoy the faux Irish vibe they have going on, which implies rowdy drunkenness.
On a good night, the vibe is great, cozy but not tame. There's usually one of the same two artists in there, singing and playing guitar. They play alternative acoustic hits and covers, and once everyone's ready to sing, Irish drinking songs. Great fun.
I want to like Limerick but I can't because some guy tried to DATE RAPE MY FRIEND HERE. This isn't the bar's fault, but it is a reflection of their patronage.
On that particular night there was a big group of us at a booth in the back. My friend got up to chat with folks at the bar and to bum a cigarette from someone. The same guy who offered her a cigarette also turned out to be a sleezey, rapey scumbag. He offered to buy her a drink, and as soon as the bartender placed it in front of him he did a bad job of hiding the fact that he was emptying a capsule full of white powder into it. She was not very intoxicated at all and called him on it, to which he replied, "You're really drunk right now." She didn't tell me this until after we'd all left the bar (she didn't want to 'ruin the mood'). I promptly freaked out and never went there again.
I can already hear a potential response of, "Women can get date raped anywhere!! They just have to be aware and know how to keep themselves safe from predators!!" TRUE. BUT. Limerick comes off as a fun, neighborhood pub kind of place, and the fact that a date rapist felt comfortable enough to attempt to spike a drink in front of a crowded bar, and potentially drag an intoxicated woman out of there with him to do date-rapey things to her says a lot about what he thinks he can get away with in that environment. And if it had happened to a friend of yours, how would you feel about it?
There are a lot of places in Atlanta where women can and should go where they can drink safely. I'm sorry that this isn't one of them.
How to rate this? The times I did go I had awesome experiences, so I don't want to hurt Limerick's rating because of a one-off that was horrible. But I'm not going to excuse the establishment because of the "it could happen anywhere" mentality. That would be unsafe and is right up there with telling women they should prevent sexual assault by not wearing sexy clothes.
So... 3 stars, but ladies, WATCH YOUR SHIT.