The place does have good food, especially the burger and fries. It is like Babu's restaurant in Seinfeld. You hope that it does well, but every time you go in or walk by, it is empty

had the burger via takeout a couple weeks ago for the first time, on a recomendation. not bad, need to try it there though as it was overcooked byt the time i got it home (a classic faut with eating that way)

funny this thread should resurface today since i went there for the first time this weekend after noticing they had martini specials on friday & saturday nights and realizing i'd never even heard of this place.

my boyfriend and i first stopped by very late night on friday night just to check the place out, and we liked the drinks so much we made a pit stop there again before going out on saturday. i wish the prices of the bar eats were a little cheaper, but they are comparable with the other places we eat and hang out with similar vibes (iron monkey, the merchant). we split a veggie burger & fries, very generous portion, thought the fries were especially great. the bartender on saturday was fabulous- super friendly, made our drinks meticulously, made us feel very welcome. a great change of pace from the usual 'tude we get from the servers at some of the other bars/restaurants we frequent. we are night owls and love that this place didn't kick us out just after 2am like a lot of the other JC bars seem to do... we'll definitely be going there again!

Whenever I get dinner at O'Connells, there is never more than 5 people in the place. I am curious how a place in that location stays in business.

When I patronized the place with family, we had a 2.5 year old with us. We asked if we could be seated upstairs out of consideration for others. The waitress was most accommodating. We were the first to be seated upstairs that evening. The service was pleasant and attentive, nice atmosphere and the food was quite good.

I was at O'Connell"s this saturday. The place was very quiet. My husband and I had some friends over from out of town. We wanted to sit upstairs,because it seemed to be more private, but the server downtown stairs said that the upstairs had two parties going on, well, when I went to uset he bathroom upstairs, the bartender on the upper level, looked like she wasn't very busy at all. I just think the communication amoungst the staff is not very good. The food however was medicore for it's price. The drinks were fairly priced. Basically, I'd call in advance to reserve a spot upstairs if I were to go there again, because the staff doesn't seem to know what's going on. I was also shocked by the fact that they don't have a host. But it's still a new place

Finally tried O'Connell's last week. First off, the place felt forgotten with tables arranged sparsely and not lots of customers. It took one of the waitresses some time to seat us. Our waiter, a nice but inarticulate young man, warned me off the burger as "nothing to rave about" and said that the Shepherd's Pie was too big. In spite of his admonition, I ordered the Pie, since it was one of the only affordable things on the menu. My wife ordered a steak (28 bucks!). The Shepherd's Pie was mostly potato with a thin membrane of chopped meat underneath. It was, indeed, large however. My wife's steak was fine but way too expensive.

My advice to O'Connell's: lower your prices by a third and focus on classic pub food, and do it well.

I have been there on numerous occassions both in the restaurant and the bar, and each time found that the food and service was great. The servers were very attentive to me and the group I was with. The prices to me seem to be very reasonable considering the quality of the food that you are receiving, and can not be compared to the mexican restaraunt next store. I do know that they have Shephards Pie and Fish N Chips, I've had them both while sitting at the bar. (Definently worth trying!)

It is a new restaraunt, so I am sure that they are going to have some gliches here and there, but for most part, they're on the money!

I ate there twice. First time service and food was excellent. Second time, service and food were mediocre. Have not been back since.

Is this the same restaurant that has the early bird special prix fixe menu on weekends? If it is I ate there on a Sunday, and the food was great.

I agree with the scatterbrained service. The food was delish and the decor is one of the best in jc. The restrooms are also very clean. The prices are probably driven up because it is a relatively large space. I wonder what their rent is.

I've almost gone in there a few times, but the two or three times we've reconsidered after looking over the prices on the menu compared to other places that I know are worth the price. Its tough being a new restaurant, especially with a high price tag. If its good food it would probably be worth the price, but since I haven't eaten there, I don't know if it does.

I've been there three times. The food has been good each time, but the service was very poor on the first visit. It all comes down to the waitresses. The first waitress was hopelessly inept. She mixed up orders, was slow and didn't have much inclination to make things right. Servers on subsequent visits were great.

Great food, excellent service, awesome prices on drinks, great bartenders. Love the spot and the owner Patrick is just a sweet irishman. You can tell he is very driven. Food there is decently priced and very impressive, very tastey, presentation is very classy, and well, tasty. I wish them luck.