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Citysearch Audience Winner 2001
Gourmet Irish food does exist, its just nestled within the checkered-tablecloth Italian ghetto of North Beach. While O'Reilly's is a slamming Irish pub by night, afternoons and evenings find San Franciscans and visitors eating smoked salmon boxty(a thick potato pancake), cottage pie, or excellent fish and chips at sidewalk tables or inside the warm cobblestoned pub. Brunch is a treat with options like the traditional breakfast with gammon or the sweet, sweet yum of raspberry oatmeal pancakes.
O'Reilly's Irish Pub and Restaurant
"A wee bit of Ireland landed in North Beach last year, and we're the lucky winners.... More than just a place to quench your thirst, O'Reilly's elevates pub food to new heights."
Clubs, Bars & Drinks, North Beach Now
— June 1996
by Guinness World-Wide Awards
O'Reilly's Pub and Restaurant faithful to tradition
"Of course, some would argue that Irish food is sacred — either leave it the way it is or don't eat it. But anyone who has been to O'Reilly's will attest to the authentic, rib-sticking character of Doyle's creations, including the steak and kidney pie ($12) and the cottage pie ($8.50) with ground beef, cheese and a thick topping of mashed potatoes.... As with the beer, the food will help to chase away any lingering blues. The fish fry ($8.95) has a flavor not unlike what you'd find at Stars Cafe on its better days."
— Michael Bauer, Chronicle Food Editor
Datebook, San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, September 29, 1996
Beanish and Crawford
S.F. Weekly Award
Major Cities Category
O'Reilly's Irish Pub and Restaurant
O'Reilly's Irish Pub and Restaurant
"Lamb stew in classic Celtic fashion had unbrowned meat and a pale but hearty potato-thickened gravy."
"Outstanding was the juicy, coarse-ground meat of the cottage pie, a beef version of the more familiar shepherd's pie."
"We were delighted by both the other classics and the feast's more ambitious fare, and especially the superlative baked goods; I'd come back for breakfast, if only I ate breakfast. I thought, being an Irish pub in California," said our guest, "the food would be spiced up for local tastes, but they really respected the basic nature of our cuisine. I feel I've really eaten Irish food here."
"The left side of the dinner menu offers Celtic classics (fresh oysters, Col-cannon, Irish stew, et al.) and hearty pub grub (huge burgers, fish with double-fried "chips"). The right half lists fancier fare (pastas, rack of lamb, seafood), reflecting not only California tastes, but the rising foodiness of the homeland"
— Naomi Wise, San Francisco Weekly, March 1999
"Or you could skip the Beats and Little Italy altogether and walk over to a relatively new North Beach institution, O'Reilly's, quite possibly the best Irish pub outside of the Emerald Isle. With its cobblestone floor and old street lamp imported from Dublin and its beautiful, antique Celtic glass back bar, O'Reilly's feels like Ireland, which is precisely the point. Immigrant owner Myles O'Reilly has created a home away from home for himself, other immigrants and anyone who has longed to visit Ireland but never had the opportunity.
"I wanted to honor all the great Irish traditions," Myles said over a Guinness, the dark stout that is not so much poured here as it is built. (Some 35 kegs of Guinness are consumed each week here.) Myles has lovingly filled his pub and restaurant with Irish-related books and pictures and a striking mural of the country's great authors, including Shaw, Joyce, Yeats and Beckett.
That sense of tradition extends to the pub's mascot, an enormous Irish wolfhound named Fionn who patrols the premises and welcomes visitors - when the mood strikes. And since the 185-pound Fionn is the size of a small pony, he can pretty much do whatever his mood dictates (which usually involves lying quietly in the corner).
— Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News, May 28, 1999
"Honey Crusted Rack of Lamb or the Double Cut Pork Chop with an Apple Raisin Relish served at dinner are wonderful examples of this new style of Irish cooking."
"Highly recommended is the Chocolate Truffle Cake, a moist, dense cake base with a rich truffle filling topped with creamy chocolate frosting, served on a bed of Cream Anglaise with swirls of Raspberry Puree. A masterpiece."
"As great as dinner and lunch are, my favorite meal at O'Reilly's is the weekend brunch. This is served from 8:00am till 4:00pm, making it a perfect highlight to a relaxing weekend."
"From breakfast through dinner, this hospitable spot encrusted with antiques and Joyceana serves Celtic classics, pub grub, and the urbane New Irish cuisine, all made with fine ingredients and culinary care. Baked goods (breads, puff paste, etc.) are outstanding. Reserve for feast days."
"It's not just the decor that is special at this pub, but also the food. Chef Joseph Ahearne has created a menu that incorporates the traditional Irish pub fare with some new and exciting twists. His Cheeseburger, with its imported Irish White Cheddar Cheese is exquisite."
— The San Francisco Independent, April 1996
Inside O'Reilly's, outfitted with with a gorgeous wooden bar and stained glass from Ireland, pints of Murphy's Irish Stout are poured and baskets of warm Irish soda bread served. Walden lists the best dishes on their well rated brunch menu. We sip the brown thick beer and try to identify the Irish literary heroes painted on the back wall.
— GraceAnn Waldon, San Francisco Chronicle
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