Introduction to my Scrapbook series & health update to start Scrapbook series: Starting a new Yelp series: Scrapbook series, stuff from Scrapbooks of my now 15 years living in the DC area. I'll have various # of reviews per year. I moved to Alexandria from Arizona on Saturday, October 15, 2011. As a 27 year old at the time and being new to town, I wanted to check out the bar scene in various places like DC, Clarendon, other areas of Arlington, & the city I lived in Alexandria, more specifically Old Town. My scrapbook series of reviews will likely go into 2027 (but I'll get some done from 8/31 to whenever things get bad for me) as I may not be getting much if any Yelp reviews done in October-November time range due to high dose chemo with stem cell replacement. You never imagine what life throws your way. Sure, I had various issues when I was kid, teen, & in 20's, but pails in comparison to 40's for me. In the 20's, job situation was unstable, dating/women drama, etc. But you never imagine that at 15 year anniversary of being in DC area having to do high dose chemo. My experience at Murphy's in October 2011 & beyond: When I lived in Alexandria, this was my #1 favorite & go to bar. I liked a good Irish pub over some club or some generic bar, although I enjoyed some of those to in my 20's. Murphy's staff was cordial here, and beer was good. They had some music at times and could be crowded on a weekend. My 1st weekend in the DC area was October 15-16, 2011, I was busy with moving & settling in and starting job on that Monday. Following weekend I explored DC amongst other fun things. On the 3rd weekend, Friday, October 28, 2011, I explored the Old Town Alexandria bar scene and stumbled across Murphy's Irish Pub. It was also Halloween weekend and there were some people in costumes. I got a chick's phone #. Her name was Adele, like the singer. Tried to get a date with her but never panned out as she claimed to be busy with whatever else. I went to Murphy's a few other times and always enjoyed. I included pic of the October 2011 receipt from my scrapbook. I'm going to take a pic of each thing from scrapbook as that'll take more time, but I had to include the first thing at the very least. All the stuff in for the 2011-2017 living in Virginia era businesses included are just receipts. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - From my Scrapbook, the original October 2011 receipt showing $4.51 price of beer at Murphy's - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Stopped in late on a Monday night and this was the only place on King Street with live music still going. Exactly what I needed after a long day. The band was great and the atmosphere had that classic dive-bar Irish pub vibe lively, a little loud, and full of personality. Food was just okay, but honestly I wasn't expecting much and that wasn't why I came in. The music, the crowd, and the overall energy made it worth the stop. If you're looking for a laid-back spot with live music and a good old-school pub feel, this place hits the mark. Glad I stopped in. read more

I was looking forward to Irish Stew and a beer with soda bread. The stew was good but a small portion. The soda bread was not good IMO. The beer and atmosphere get a five review though. Great looking pub with awesome character. Our server was great and attentive. read more

See all

Been here a few times. I seem to get a Reuben every time. They're very good! 10/10 They also often have wonderful live music! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Reuben - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Amazing drinks, hearty food choices, outstanding customer service. The pub is truly a resemblance of an Irish pub so nice long bar with tables throughout. The winter seasonal drinks are a must try. The Irish hot chocolate is warm and delectable. The Irish egg rolls were such a comfort food appetizer. It's like taking an Irish dish and stuffing it in an egg roll. *Kid friendly restaurant read more

See all

Food was okay. We had dinner outside last night and the service was terrible. She was not friendly at all. Lots of attitude and she helped herself to a 40% cash tip and didn't give me a receipt so I can't even expense it. read more

I climbed the stairs of Murphy's Irish Pub not quite sure what to expect and ended up having the most delightful night at my very first storytelling event. While each storyteller took the stage and spun their tales of secrets, I happily devoured a plate of Old Bay wings (perfectly seasoned!) and the apple, cranberry, and walnut salad, which was fresh, crisp, and exactly what I needed. And let's not forget the margaritas--yes, at an Irish pub! It was happy hour, the drinks were flowing, and the price was right. And I got to hear some really good stories. Murphy's, I'll be back for more wings, laughs, and happy hour cheer. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Storyteller event at Murphy's! - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub is clearly a popular spot in Old Town. It was already packed early in the evening, and it was pretty high-energy complete with live music adding a fun touch to the atmosphere. That said, it was also uncomfortably loud for my taste, definitely not a relaxed pub vibe which I was hoping for. I also had a strange moment of confusion with the upstairs bar when I asked if it was open, I was told I couldn't go up because there was an event. Minutes later, someone else said I could go upstairs and when I did, there were only about five people there and clearly no event happening. That inconsistency was a little disconcerting... On the positive side, the service was friendly and attentive, and it seems like a great place for regulars or groups looking for a lively night out. But overall, it just wasn't the right fit for me. read more

First of all, GREAT fish and chips. Perfectly cooked, and oh so tasty. I even had the better part of my wife's second fillet. We also shared a bread pudding for dessert. Good, but didn't stand out. No problem, we came for the fish and chips. I do wish the Cole slaw portion was a little bigger. All in all, definitely a do again. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Great fish and chips - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This is o r of the ho to places in Old Town. Great fish and Chips. Great draught and an amazing vibe with great people.

The best old Irish Pub. Been coming back for years. If you want a pint and enjoy an Irish dish, this is the true Pub atmosphere!!! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Grandson Cayden joined Nana & Papa for the ultimate Pub Experience...minus the Guinness!!! - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Murphy's is one of our usual stops when visiting the Alexandria area. The food is good and staff quite enjoyable. A variety of choices make it a choice for lunch or dinner. I recommend a visit for some Irish fare. read more

The food was mid to good level. Some of it is good, and some of it is bad or mid. The service although was pretty good. They were kind and nice to us. I like how it is decorated and the Irish vibe. The place is a little bit loud so I don't recommend bringing a small child or someone sensitive to sound. read more

Every time we go this pub is amazing! Great vibes, great people, great doors- definitely recommend!

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub; is very solid. I have been here a few times and always had a tasty pint of Guinness. Friendly service. Filling food. Good price points. If you want to relax and enjoy an adult beverage; Murphy's is my go-to place. Nice variety of beers. Always cold and tasty. As you walk in the front door, there is an entrance to the upstairs bar/restaurant and the main bar. The main bar is 40/50 feet long. Plenty of bar seats and tables. If you're looking for sports on TV. You may be out of luck depending on where you sit. Let's say you want to watch March Madness your choice of games may be small since there is one small TV behind the bar and two or so TVs in the main dining room. Which are not ideally placed. The upstairs bar may have a few more TVs. Overall, Murphy's Grand Irish Pub does a great job. Service good. Beer cold. Lots of regulars. Large food portions. Easy on the pocket. Good for groups. Outdoor seating. What else can I say; have fun... read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Nice....... - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Steph was absolutely amazing.! The food was great. Aesthetics are great but the staff is what makes this place special. Tiffany, the manager, was fantastic. If you're in old town, you must come here! read more

Murphys pub is a great place to go for real fish and chips. They used to have a tenderloin sandwich that was really good but last time I was there it was not on the menu. read more

Wow! Only downside was we found this place on our last night in Alexandria/DC. Luiza was our bartender, and never let the glasses get empty too long! Great music with the "O' McPub Band"! We only had drinks (since we sadly ate across the street before we discovered this gem), but, when we return in a couple months it'll be food, "happy hour" & more! DON'T pass this place up! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Fantastic service. Cold beer. Guinness burger was one of the best things I've ever had. Not a real burger, Irish style Salisbury steak over potatoes w brown mushroom gravy. read more

Murphy's in Alexandria, VA is hands-down one of the best spots in Old Town! Claudia is an amazing bartender--friendly, fast, and made some of the best drinks I've had in a long time. Lauren, our waitress, went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. The service was top-notch from start to finish. Can't wait to come back! In honor of Police Week, a heartfelt thank you to all who serve and protect--especially remembering Officer Brian Jones for his dedication and sacrifice. Your service will never be forgotten. read more

See all

Best brunch deal in the DMV!!!! $14 steak and eggs, which was cooked perfectly. I have never had a bad meal, but brunch is the best deal. Great staff and great food! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Steak and eggs Sunday brunch - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Went for St Pattys day celebration and it was fun. Super packed but a grand old time. The drinks are reasonably priced, bartenders are friendly and the live music is top tier!! Don't miss out if you're in old town! read more

This place was a good time!!! Their drinks are so good and their baileys chocolate cake is amazing. Such a fun little spot read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

BLUF: same as it ever was here. Food was pretty good, not great. Service lacked in places. Went with a group of people for Restaurant Week, which had fixed price meals. Between us we ordered duck confit, filet mignon, and rockfish as entrees. Soup (clam chowder) and house salad were the apps. The soup was okay, definitely needed seasoning, and was served warm rather than hot. The filet's were okay, but pretty chewy for filet mignon cut, although the béarnaise sauce on them was quite good. The salad was your typical house salad, and if you get one go ahead and ask for an extra serving of dressing because most everyone needed one. The rockfish was cooked well, but could have been better seasoned. It wasn't very flavorful. The duck confit was actually quite good. The filets came with mixed vegetables, which were very good, and mashed potatoes, also pretty tasty owing mostly to the gravy on them. For dessert there was a choice of apple crisp or Jameson cake, which is a sponge cake with Jameson sauce. The cake was kinda dry, but the sauce was very good. There just wasn't very much of it. The apple crisp was, well, apple crisp. Not bad, not great, and also not very warm. Now, as to service. Not the best. Our waiter was either new or a bit overwhelmed (they were pretty busy, to be fair). We had to wait a while for water refills, and he had to come back several times during the evening to ask us to confirm our orders. One filet, ordered medium rare, came out pretty much blue, so had to be sent back. The odd thing here is that the waiter kept insisting to us that he put the order in correctly, and for some reason he didn't understand that we weren't questioning whether he did or didn't, we just wanted it fixed. The Jameson cake portions were pretty inconsistent, with two of us getting decent size squares of cake and two of us with narrow slivers that looked kind of like they were using up the leftover edge of the cake. read more

Better than average Irish Pub! I visited the day after St. Patrick's Day, so they may have been just a little off. There was a little cleaning that still needed to be done. But, the service was great. The beer was cold, and the food was tasty. I'd come back for sure! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Would like to say I tried the food but the service was so bad we never even got water. Came in on 3/27/25 in the evening after the home opener of the Nationals game about 10 pm. Band was playing. Sat at a table near the back, then quickly saw another open one near the bar. Nope...already take we were told by the waitress. So we sat at the one nearest the kitchen. The waitress gave us menus. Clearly the "taken" table was the workers table, as the wait staff were sitting there, checking their phones and hanging out. We, on the other hand, sat for 25 minutes waiting for service with menus in hand...no one ever came up...no one ever acknowledged us...even the first waitress we talked to ignored us. Literally every wait staff member walked by us at least 4 times, looked at us and never approached the table. Unbelievable. I'm patient...worked as a server. The customer service sucked. Rude...avoid...the reviews about the poor service are all true. read more

The food is amazing I don't care what you get it's good. We've had near everything on the menu and I can't complain. We came after promotion ceremony and let me tell you once we got to the door we were seated and our waitress was outstanding. The music was really nice as always when we've came. It's certainly makes you feel welcomed! It is a place to go if in town to enjoy local Irish food , good Irish music and local fun. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Irish spring rolls - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Dear Murphy's Irish Pub Team, I hope this message finds you well. I want to sincerely apologize for my recent oyster consumption during happy hour, where I indulged in 36 oysters. I understand this led to the unfortunate decision to raise the prices from $0.50 to $0.75 each. I never intended to cause any inconvenience or impact your pricing. I appreciate your understanding and hope to continue enjoying your wonderful offerings without further disruptions. Thank you for your great service and delicious oysters! Warm regards, Mickey PS Thank you for hosting Rugby afternoons. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - "For he that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother" -Bill Gates - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Super cute Irish pub! Weight staff is super friendly decent menu selection, and live music! Food was good. The fish sandwich was awesome. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - French Dip Sandwich - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

There's 2 Murphy's. Both are great but for different reasons. At lunch time, it's family friendly with great food and very affordable prices, especially compared to the rest of Old Town. Staff is very friendly, and the food comes out quickly. Lots of Irish themed decor, along with pictures honoring our military and first responders. In the evening, it's not family friendly, but is a great place to knock back a few pints and listen to live music. Slainte! read more

For those giving this place less than three stars, you haven't lived here long enough, and /or just visiting. I have lived in this area for 5+ plus years! This bar is my default... for those expecting Michelin Star service at a bar is idiotic... There prices are EXTREMELY fair especially for the current price gouging other restaurants are doing... The food is as expected which is SOLID bar food/entree options, and a GREAT atmosphere! They even opened during the heavy snow we got earlier this year!! To add, their Sunday Brunch are also solid !!! I enjoy coming to this bar and never had issues! The restaurant staff is AMAZING! Please keep it up! read more

Like the food & the fact this business ooozes backing out law enforcement!! We started out with a not so great waiter, but picked up when a quit lil red head started waiting on us. She was attentive and smiled a lot. Something that's not prominent in any Alexandria establishment we've come to. It's quite odd. read more

We've been to Murphy's many times over the years when in Old Town Alexandria. I recommend any of the daily specials.

Great spot in Old town! Definitely a bit of a divey spot but always a good thing in Old Town! They have live music in the weekends and the service here is awesome! I ordered the autumn mule and it was absolutely delicious! read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Autumn mule - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Steph and Tiffany took really god care of me as I was working through a tough time in life. They welcomed me in and made me feel at home in Murphys. Highly recommend!! read more

Came here for a work lunch. My stars are for the service and my drink. Unfortunately I can't find the name of the drink on their website but it was delicious. Like a Shirley temple with alcohol. I ordered the fish and chips (it's a pub, cmon) and while the fish was batter well it was super bland. Other than that service was quick and decent enough. Atmosphere is what you'd expect from a pub, nothing notable or worth writing home about. read more

I'm coming back weekly and you can't stop me. Came in for Tuesday night trivia and had a great time. The host was really good. The host can really make or break a trivia experience. So, he made it for us. The service was a liiiiiitttlllleeeee slow but they were very busy - so it wasn't a problem for us. It was a bummer there was no non-alcoholic wines or mocktails - but the ginger ale was flowing! I got the the meat pie thing, and woowee it was delicious! 10/10. Imma get it with mashed potatoes next time I think. My husband got the burger (half price happy hour special) and really enjoyed it. I checked in on Yelp and there was a coupon for a free Apple crisp and the Apple crisp IS THE STAR OF THE SHOW. Mein Gott, war das lecker (my god it was delicious)! And at the end, instead of a $250 tab it was like $50. Anyway, wish I could do 4.5 stars, but I can't so 4 stars rounded up. read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Apple Crisp get in your belly - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Amazing food, prices, happy hour deals, and vibe. Our server, Robbie, was just as great!! He was super nice, attentive, and made our experience even better! read more

We had a reservation for Christmas Eve and arrived hoping for a warm, festive dinner. Instead, we were greeted by a "seat yourselves" sign and left to wander the restaurant trying to identify our reserved table. Anyone could have taken it. So much for a reservation. Unfortunately, the experience only went downhill from there. The "Hardy" stew arrived looking like gray, flavorless water with a few sad flecks of meat floating among aggressively oversized carrots and potatoes. It bore no resemblance to stew, let alone anything hearty. Thin, bland, and deeply unappetizing. The fish and chips were equally dismal. A meager offering of chips paired with flavorless fish, and the tartar sauce arrived yellow congealed into an unappealing mass that clearly had not been freshly prepared. The bangers and mash were the final insult. The mashed potatoes were stiff and congealed, with a texture closer to paste than food. Absolutely disgusting and inedible. The service was grim, the presentation was embarrassing, and the entire experience suggested a complete lack of care or pride in what was being served. We walked in hoping for a lovely Christmas Eve dinner and left feeling disappointed and deflated. Old Town Alexandria has no shortage of pubs that understand comfort food and hospitality. Murphy's Pub is not one of them. Subpar food, subpar service, and a complete failure to meet even the most basic expectations. read more

Great place to grab a beer and watch some soccer. Beers are always cold. Food is always hot. What more could you ask for? read more

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - Pubs Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia