Pretty above-average Irish bar in a bar-packed part of DC. My only gripe is that they hoard tables with reservations for hours, and there really isn't enough seating - and that's at 4pm, before the floodgates of office drones arrive. Still, the food and drink are good, and the service is pretty fantastic. The interior is old and wooden, with the bar behind the counter littered with green flair and a wide variety of liquor. The tables and booths are weathered, thin and wooden, and the ceilings are high. The chalk boards, blue-collar interior and friendly but sarcastic staff demeanor suggest a dive, but the lighting is fairly bright. Not a bad stop-off at any time, really. read more

Definite Dive Bar feel to this place. Waking in reminded me of all the bars I frequented in college. Sticky floor, leaking ceiling and all. However, I didn't have any drinks here just food. The good-kids eat free all summer. We were there with our three kids and they all ate free. A bonus for sure. I got fish tacos which were actually really good. My husband got the corned beef and cabbage and it was as good as his Irish father used to make. Served with mustard just like we are growing up. Our server was very nice and attentive. read more

Oooh, sorry Kelly's - would love to give you more. After getting into DC, was famished and sought a pub to get a bite and a drink. Walked into the Dubliner next door first and it smelled like last night's stale frat party so we hit this up. At Kelly's, the barman was far more interested in the TV than the customers and seemed not only disinterested but downright annoyed that we showed up on his lull. It was dead. It was a dive with all that busy mayhem going on all over the bar. Eyesore. Discomfort. The food came quickly but it was comparable to dog food. Maybe as a Philadelphian, you expect more from a sandwich but as hungry as I was, i should have been easy to please. Didn't eat it and walked out hungry. The barman warmed up a bit toward the end and talked to us about Philly/DC sports (McNabb - hockey, etc.). Okay, 1.5 stars. Just the same, I would hit up Capitol Brew Pub across the street. That was my first instinct and I should've gone with that. read more

I work next door and "the I.T." is a go-to spot, for better or worse. The beer selection has gotten markedly better (Guinness and Harp are good, but I don't always want to drink/pay for it, and the rest of their beer was piss). They've added Sam and some others. The food is not good. If you're desperate, a chicken sandwich or something would suffice, but I recommend going elsewhere (if you can find anything in this neighborhood). A caveat: We have been here dozens of times, usually as a fairly large and sometimes very large group, and they have never once helped us out with the tab. That's unfortunate. read more

Kelly's Irish Times is about as close to a true Irish Pub that you are going to get in the States. Voted one of the best bars in the Country this place really is an institution. The owner, Brendan, is an awesome guy and his staff is awesome. Most of them have been with him for well over a decade. Cool atmosphere with occasional live music, good food, great drinks, solid prices. It can't be beat.... it is also walking distance to Union Station. Anyone who gives this place less than 4 or 5 stars is really judging the bar for something that it isn't trying to be... Awesome spot! read more

This place needs to be on Restaurant: Impossible on the Food Network. As a Yelper, I take everything I read with a grain of salt. But there are certain things that are NOT up for interpretations, such as how gross it is to see Kelly's waitress stuff the restaurant's bill folder in the back of her, inside her pants, and she is wearing tights. The people working here are either miserable in their personal lives, or they're just plain bigots. If you are not Black or White, expect to be treated like you don't belong there and they couldn't give an ounce of s**t. Attitude and rudeness are what is on the menu here. This place was dead when we were there. The waiter didn't even come to take orders from the tables, so the group had to go up to the bartender to order everything. Later, as more people left our group and the restaurant was still empty, except for a new group of people who sat near the window next to us. The waiter (white guy with balding head) "had to" walk past our group, brushing us aside, telling us we now had to turn our chairs around to make room for his travel, so that he can walk to the new group of people. Meanwhile, he will walk back to the bar and kitchen the path of least resistance, which is the straight path from the table by the window to the entry way and to the bar/back of restaurant. This was not the only occasion when they have served attitude. Again, we are not sure if it is racism or just pure unprofessionalism. We will never come back to this run-down establishment, even if they paid us. read more

So I have been to the bar multiple times in the day & I decided to go there on a Saturday night and sat at the bar for an HOUR AND WAS Not acknowledged ONCE by who I was told was the owner. He didn't come say hello, didn't check how we were doing NOR DID HE (being the bar tender) come to take our order. If anything I would recommend going during the day when the staff is more.. diverse. read more

As a WAKA kickball afficionado, I'm biased. But this place is my kind of bar. Great beer selection (Smithwicks on tap, yes please!) and the servers and bartenders know their stuff. I don't need my wait staff to be best friends with me, I just need them to do their jobs promptly and competently. Even the overly aggressive bouncer who was probably cute from the football team in high school 30 years ago and is taking out his anger on people. Love the basement set up too, flip cup and the punching/head butt machine. Manage your expectations folks: This place is a greasy, bad ass Irish pub. That's all it purports to be and it does it extremely well. read more

Big, lively bar conveniently close to union. Everything is cheap, and the food is decent ... Not amazing, but decent and fair for the price. Live music some nights. Plenty of vegetarian but no vegan options that I could see. Service is usually very good, but the do have a few people that just don't care unless you're constantly upping their tips by buying drink after drink. Most servers and bartenders, however, are friendly and attentive to everyone. read more

Kelly's Irish Times - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A total dive, but somehow I wind up here all the time. The food is greasy, not that great, but the beers are cheap and the scene is fun. Do not wear nice clothes, and the bathrooms are literally the WORST. However, there is a certain charm and ambiance to all that grit. Good for happy hour. I've heard rumors of the "schwerve" (whatever that means) in the basement late night....but I haven't ventured into that mess yet. read more

The service here is spotty unless you sit at a bar. Beer prices are pretty steep, but so are most in the area. Food is excellent. No complaints there. Atmosphere is cool and unique. Just don't come on weekend nights during school year, Catholic U co-eds will ruin it for you. read more

$1 off draughts before 6pm. No toppings on the $2 a pop sliders. Good tater tots. Inexpensive. Inattentive. Unmemorable. read more

Stopped in here on a Sunday morning to watch the Manchester United v Tottenham game before hopping my train at Union Station. It was early lunch time and the day before St. Paddy's Day so I would guess it was a tab more crowded than usual but the space is large. My sister and I cozied up the bar and asked if they had the game which they graciously change for us. I ordered a Sams Boston and nursed it through the second half. The bartender was also very welcoming, nice, and funny. read more

Kelly's Irish Times - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Cozy little spot near the bus station. Decent beer on tap and the food/menu looked decent. This place has been around awhile. Take a look around and check out all of the quirks and such. Neat place. We would return. read more

Guinness beef stew was so good. Everyone else enjoyed their food...chicken tenders, pork BBQ and French dip. Service was good.

I knew this place would be good, because of the "People Love Us On YELP" sticker on the front door. The food here is EXCELLENT and the overall atmosphere is very chill. The waiter who handled our 7 person group was awesome. He got all of our orders perfect without writing anything down. Good food, good service, good atmosphere. Go here. read more

Randomly dropped by here for Lunch on a Sunday after picking up a friend from Union Station. Pros: -Pretty good food for an Irish Pub! -w00t! Guinness on tap! reasonably priced! -decent selection of local and irish beers. -all the TVs having some form of Futboll going on (I watched team USA pwd Jamacia). -cool dive bar decor, the bar looks like a shrine of unidentified patches and trinkets. Cons: -strange, old, rotty smell inside! -relatively pricy for what food + drink, no happy hour on 4pm on a sunday? sheesh! -old flimsy chairs and tables. I was not here for a bar night out, but would probably come back here again to eat or drink, if I am in the area, to check it out! read more

The place has cleaned up quite a bit when the new management came to it. Ive been here for kickball, and non-kickball times. Each time my food has been tasty and hot and my beers always cold. I will say, kickball nights are rowdy. If you want to avoid 20-30 somethings reliving their college days, avoid wednesday and thursday nights. If you want to relive yours, then show up then, play some flipcup against them and make them buy you beer. It'll happen. But non-kickball nights the bar is pretty decent. A good amount of TVs for sports, a good selection of cold beers, and food that is cooked to order, seasoned well, and if you give them special instructions, they rarely mess that up. At least to me, they've never messed it up. The downstairs, though it has been cleaned up and painted, is still a basement. This is where the kickball kids get stoopid. So avoid it and you'll be fine. Do not go here during cop week. Unless you are a cop. There is nothing but drunken law enforcers, from across the country gathered here, which is really cool, until they've had too much to drink, and think they can do anything they want, to whomever they want. (yes ladies n gents, they are equal opportunity) Avoid the drunken policemen, toting firearms at all costs. Beyond kickball and cop week, this is one of my three favorite watering holes in the district. And there are many between where I live in NW, and this bar, but because the service has always been great, the grub, and beer good as well, and the characters who frequent this place interesting, this is one of the best bars in DC. Try the ruben. read more

Pretty cheap booze. Tall boy PBR and shot of whiskey for $6 is a good deal. Soft pretzel with cheese and mustard for $7. No real complaints about the food, but my beef is with staffing levels. I was here on inauguration day and there was just one guy working the floor that I saw. The guy was so overwhelmed that poor service was inevitable. Management should pony up and get a few extra servers. read more

Kelly's Irish Times - Not bad for $6 - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I uses Yelp to compare both Irish bars. I went to this one. I asked the guy there if it was open seating at the tables. He said since it was only me I'd have to sit at the bar. What if I wanted a table? So I sat at the bar. The area I sat in was where they put all their glassware. So it was cramped. It took almost 4 minutes to get someone to acknowledge me. The older man at the bar recommended a beer. Smithwicks was actually very good. That was the extent of out entire conversation while I was there. The crab soup was very spicy, but tasty. Not for everyone. I enjoyed it. I had a second beer. The customer service definitely lacked. The only time he checked up on me was if the beer suggeated was good. He didn't hand me my soup. He put it to the side. I had to get it. This was due to the glasses being ON the bar. The tattooed bald guy and the old guy never Checked up on me if I needed anything else when the soup came. Not a very friendly staff at all, and trust me, I've been to many bars in my life. There was no "Wow" moment in this place. The only reason I give it 2 stars is because I enjoyed the beer he suggested. The customer service itself merits one star. I probably won't be back for a very long time. It seemed like it was a chore to take care of me. I will the the Irish bar next door next time. read more

For what it is, it's good. An old, storied pub in an unconventional spot in DC, but somehow always buzzing. I've been a few times, always to drink. The selection and service is good, but the atmosphere is what makes it special. No frills here - just a cozy, grungy charm. I don't love the basement section, though. Would recommend the main floor. read more

It just wasn't that great. In all fairness, shouldn't come to an Irish pub and order a Bloody Mary (probably), but it was on their signature cocktail list. And it was gross. Tasted like V8 and vodka. Not a thing signature about it. The bartender didn't even include the lemon and lime it was described to include. Food...I ordered the corned beef sandwich. It was super salty and the au jus was...forgettable. The fries were delicious though! Last...a family with the rowdiest kids came in midway through my visit. So, though everyone looked at these loud and mannerless kids like "wth"...I think we could say the establishment is kid-welcoming. May be an attraction for any parents looking to kill two birds with one stone... read more

I only had Jameson here and they poured generously. They do serve Irish food here but I haven't had any yet. This is a law enforcement and EMS/Fire friendly pub!! Great atmosphere and great staff. read more

My social running club visited Kelly's after our run on Thursday. The Irish themed bar has a nice downstairs area and had $10 pitchers that we all enjoyed. What really impressed me was that I left my card there from the night before and when i called theyw ere very pleasant and helpful. I got my card back without the typical snotty attitude that one gets often when returning the next day to retrieve an errant credit card. read more

Would be three stars if the bathrooms weren't worse than a port-a-john. Jesus, is it so much to NOT have giant holes in the wooden planks they call doors to the stall so you can see something taking a dump? Good lord. And the urinal had a giant crack in the middle of it. Really? I know you don't want to sell out and all, but c'mon. You don't need a full renovation to fix these problems. Its a dive bar. Wings are ok, but all the food is way overpriced. Beer selection is good, 10 or so drafts. The place is pretty dirty and old, but its a dive bar. Happy hour is ok. Atmosphere can be energetic. Is what it is. I'd personally rather go to The Dubliner next door. But for a quick beer, I guess its ok. read more

For a dive bar the food was pretty good! Place has a funny odor to it but nothing to make you lose your appetite. Bathrooms quite small as well, but if you are a beer/liquor lover it's a good spot to chill out in! read more

Kelly's Irish Times - Pic of the place! - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We went last night after an event. Great classic pub environment! Sean is awesome and I had the best Long Island ice tea EVER! Prices are more reasonable than other DC establishments. I will definitely be back! read more

Great spot. I had the pork sandwich (I forget what they called it). So amazing. I would definately go to this place again.

This is a bad bar with bad food and a good location. I never cared enough to rate it until today, when I walked in and the bouncer was clipping his fingernails when he asked for my ID. read more

It's Not a Dive, it's a Neighborhood Pub! I don't know , it must be the Friendliness. The low prices, Real Memorabilia from REAL IRISH AMERICANS , Irish, English, white, black and working class , And this really makes this PUB WORK. The Food is Standard- VERY Bar Standard, Bar food Fish & chips, Hamburgers, coleslaw, Buffalo Wings, Nothing that claims to be Haute Cuisine, and never claimed to be. I've been going to this place since the 80s, It's Still Friendly, Still the Irish Times. The Staff are Always Glad to See you come back , No rush , No Hassle, How was yer' Day. The Building is 100 Years old, Historic . Kevin the Bar tender is one one the Best. I don't care what the reviews say , IT'S A PUB, A GOOD ONE. The same Older Government office workers Eat there every Day at lunch time They are Smiling and never want to leave That tells you something ! read more

One of my most frequent go to spots during my college days at the Catholic University of America (2000-2004)! Yes, it is a dive bar, but, in my opinion a good one! The employees were always great and friendly, and, the beer and music were always awesome!!! And, those tater tots...OMG!!! It was always really fun to sit on their patio (in reasonable enough weather, of course) and do some great people watching...and the background view of the Capitol Building at night could not be beat! read more

Bartender was a total jerk. Not sure what kind of training their give their staff but the guy in the red hat bartending was very rude and our party of close to Fifty people left because of his indifference and attitude. Don't usually give negative reviews but this place deserved it. read more

I will give any Patriots Bar five stars but this one would also get it for the staff alone, all great people and super friendly, great place to grab a beer. read more

i want to like this place. i really, really do. it has all the components of the kind of bar i would like. dirty floors and cheap beer. what sucks is the people. its out of my neighborhood but my best friend and i came here for the sole purpose of stalking this dude she used to date. it was a wednesday in the summer (the day teddy kennedy died) and we were wearing pretty summer dresses, had called off of work the next day and ready to get wasted at an 'irish wake'. we are both quite democratic. we failed to take note that it was apparently KICKBALL NIGHT and no one seemed to care about kennedy. we were literally the only people not in t-shirts and shorts. seriously. out of probably 200 people, the ONLY ones. we did a lap and commited to the downstairs "dance" bar, where we had to ask them to change the lighting because it was flourescent and disgusting. the music was okay (jayz, miley, i wasnt expecting them to play arcade fire or anything) and the bartender bought us 2 pitchers, which was very nice. some lame dude hit on us trying to show us his gucci watch or something and we hated him, but let him sit with us in case the guy we were stalking happened to show up. after a while we decided we were really over it and i was on the verge of blacking out, so we went to the bathroom and this bitchy girl gave us an attitude and asked us why we were there. we were genuinely confused because we already felt out of place so no need to point it out, thanks. and then we realized she had something green stuck on her teeth and pointed it out for her. she ran away mortified. the upstairs bar was more chill. we had a few shots of whiskey with the bartender who was really nice and met some guys in suits. one of them reminded me of a young version of john kerry but he was a douchebag, but i'll probably vote for him at some point in the future. we excused ourselves and i went home and wrote my exboyfriend a letter suggesting we get back together. so horrible lighting, horrible people but free drinks. i'll hang at lucky bar and walk home instead. read more

We arrived and did not receive a welcome from any of the employees even though everyone looked up and watched us sit at the bar. After sitting down, it took Phil (the bartender) about 3-5 minutes to acknowledge us. He was engaged in "girl talk" with a regular. He finally approached and asked us what we wanted, and we told him that we did not know as it was our first time and he gave a blank stare, so we just asked for a menu. He did not help us with suggestions and was very uninviting. Later he began engaging us in small talk, but continued to leave the bar unattended. He then began what seemed like a quick clean up, and started spraying some sort of aerosol spray on the counter where cups are lined up to be used for drinks as if he were trying to kill an insect...I guess that spray did not solve the problem, so he went into a drawer to pull out the Hot Shot Bug SPRAY!!! He stood back and sprayed the bar where the cups were again! I couldn't believe my eyes! If you do decide to check this place out after this review...It's a whiskey bar with a pretty decent selection. Enjoy! read more

Kelly's Irish Times - Dive Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is fairly divey. I haven't tried the food so I cannot comment on that. Also, this is a Penn State bar.

Ughhh.. i'm sure they are only in business b/c they are the only walkable legit bar within distance of Union Station.. however paying for $5 Heineken as a happy hour deal sucks major heuvos! Beer selection is super typical--mass production beer only. I've never eaten here, but I just get so upset when there's no happy hour b/c you know you don't really need it just because your clientele are rich A holes that work on the hill. poop. read more

Kelly's Irish Times was a very busy/crazy place during police week. It was a great place for drinks with friends, if, you dont mind your feet sticking to the floor and the smell of vomit. We really had a great tine though and will definitely go back, its a great meeting spot. I definitely recommend it!!! read more

Let me preface this review with the fact that I go here all the time and have not had a reason to write a review until now. Last night, I witnessed one of the doors staff, medium-height white balding guy, assault two of my friends. The first, a petite young woman, had a beer spilled on her by another woman in the bathroom. No big deal. It happens all the time. However, the bouncer blamed my friend even though there was no way he could have seen what happened in the ladies restroom. He walked up to her and asked her something inaudible, left, then came back and grabbed her arm forcefully and drug her out. Once outside he proceeded to lecture and yell at her until she was in tears. Upon his return inside another friend simply asked him what happened, why she was escorted out, and why she was now crying. To this questioning the bouncer proceeded to yell at my friend. He was able to calm him down momentarily with simple reason, even though the bouncer was visibly fuming. After only a few questions the bouncer flipped out again, grabbed my friends beer and tried to push him out the door. All for asking what happened. At this point a number of the other bouncers had come and the authoritarian bouncer left them to sort it out. These two guys were reasonable and allowed my friend to get his things before leaving. My buddy wasn't drunk, he was simply trying to account for our other female friend and didn't do or say anything disrespectful. As I followed my friend and the bouncers back downstairs where his things were, the first bouncer saw him and lunged. It looked to me like he threw a punch at my friend. Then got his hands around my friends neck. My buddy is a former college football player and very easily shook the guy off and put the guy on the ground to protect himself. Got his stuff and left amicably. The point is that this particular bouncer should never be allowed to interact with people in a service capacity. He was not only rude and degrading to my female friend, but he assaulted my other buddy, both for doing absolutely nothing but getting a beer spilled on her and asking why his friend was escorted out. If you go, watch out for that guy and stay out of his cross-hairs, as he has let his authority go to his head. read more

Absolutely the worst place. My friends and I ordered lunch a couple of days ago and I have to say it was terrible all around. I ordered the Reuben and took 2 bites and couldn't even eat the rest. The meat had a nasty fat ring around it and was so rough that I couldn't even find a descent bite in all of the sandwich. The chips tasted like peanut oil. And my friends ordered the beef stew which tasted like leftover gravy. Disgusting that they actually serve this to customers. DO NOT WASTE your money or time here. Never again! read more