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Yep. This is an Irish Bar |
Omaha, NE 68105-1032
(402) 554-5805
While compiling my list of Irish bars to check out before St. Patrick’s Day, I quizzed my insurance guy (and avid HitThatDive reader) Bob Speck about where he would go for a few pints. He suggested I make a trip down to Barrett’s Barleycorn…why didn’t I think of that first? Good call Bob. It was a Saturday night and I figured that I should bring a designated driver too. Knowing that most of my drinking buddies were busy, I graciously asked Ms. HitThatDive to join me…and promptly handed her the keys.
First Impressions: The parking looks like it can be a bit of an issue, but I was able to find a spot on the right side of the building. At first glance, the place seems pretty friendly and pretty busy for early on a Saturday night. Not sure that I would call this a “pub” it’s more like an Irish BAR and grille…but no big deal…looks like a good little place.
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Plenty to choose from |
The Crowd: It’s mostly a younger Creighton-dressed group of people with a few tables of older people here and there. I asked Mrs. HitThatDive how she would sum up the crowd in the place, after looking around for a bit she stated that “it was mostly drunk 20 somethings sitting around with a few intellectual 50 year olds thrown in for good measure.” There were a few hammered/dejected Jays fans sitting at the bar dropping the F bomb like two 11 year olds who just found out they get a huge laugh using the word “boobies” over and over. And, at some point in the evening, a family with a baby in carrier even showed up for dinner and seemed to be regulars. Nice mix of people, but I'm sure as the night goes on, the crowd gets younger and louder.
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Bummed crowd after a Jays loss |
Prices: Keep in mind I was coming to an Irish place so ordering anything but an Irish beer was out of the question, but ouch, each Harp cost us $4.50 a pint…so much for a buzz with two of us drinking from my 20 bucks. I saw only one sign for drink specials and that was for PBR, something I was not in the mood for. Their webiste states they do have drink specials, and I noticed during a quick scan of their Facebook page that they had a good special on 20 ounce Bass and Guinness a month or so ago. Make it a point to ask for specials when you sit down, that's unless you have no issue with nearly five bucks a pint. If you’re a regular here, let me know of any specials that I’m missing so I can update this as needed. Gracias!
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Looking right into the kitchen |
Entertainment: Standard issue dart board, golden tee and a jukebox. In a bit of an oddity, Barrett's was one of two Irish bars I visited on this night that also had an outdoor sand volleyball court. I never really associated Irish bars with beach volleyball, but maybe I just don’t go to the right kind of places.
Restrooms: Small but not too awful. Clean-ish, not too “fragrant” and cleaner than most I have seen lately.
Bartender Chat: I just had to ask about Hopluia and who in the world drinks it? Apparently there is a bit of a myth (or maybe it’s true) that they brew the stuff with a touch of hemp…so I was told that this seems to appeal to the dope smokers in the crowd. A quick Google search did not turn up any proof that this is a true claim, I may need to check Snopes.com next. I don't rate beer either, so here are the reviews from Beer Advocate, it gets a B-B+, so most people that drink it seem to like it…huh?
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Not awful |
Final Thoughts: This is a neat place that seems fine enough for a family to have lunch or for a group of drunken college kids to hang out until two in the morning. They have a separate place called Castle Barrett for parties and big crowds (that I’m assuming will be here for St. Patrick’s Day) so add this one to your list when you're in the mood for an Irish-themed place. I wasn’t wowed by any one aspect, but Mrs. HitThatDive and I both really liked the place and vowed to come back the next time I need a designated driver and we were in the area. HIT THIS DIVE.
DIVE-O-METER
6.5 (Blogger's note, I rarely do this, but after thinking about it...I gave this bar too high a score. So the original 7.5 has been readjusted to a run-of-the-mill score that is more accurate in my book.)
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It did not go to waste![]() |
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