I was hungry and bored on a Sunday afternoon. I was already in Shockoe Slip doing some stuff for the free walking tour of Richmond, VA and I came across Sine’s Irish Pub. Looked like a good place to grab some grub, a beer, and watch some World Cup soccer.
So I walked in through the patio and had a seat at the bar. There were not many people inside save for a couple of blokes, a friendly couple in from Northern Virginia, and a group of friends enjoying the football (soccer) matches. There were quite a few people sitting in the outdoor area.
The bartender, Sierra, quickly gave me a beer menu… followed by a food menu; a bartender with the right priorities.
The pub has a large selection of local micro-brews. I opted for the Hardywood RVA IPA. It is apparently brewed partially using hops donated by the Richmond area community. The beer itself was good. It was a bit sweeter than I prefer for an IPA and the hops weren’t overpowering. I like very hoppy beers; this one was about a 7 on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least, 10 being the most which is a scale subjective to my taste, I guess).
As for food, I ordered the Reuben. The Reubens here are made of cooked corned beef brisket, not sliced deli meat. It had a good balance of all the ingredients and, the most important part, is that the bread wasn’t so fried that it cut the roof of my mouth, but not so soggy that it fell apart when I tried to eat it. Reuben’s are, by far, one of my favorite foods and this one did not disappoint.
For my side, I opted for the asparagus. The other options were fresh fried crisps (potato chips) or chips (french fries). I figured that my heart would appreciate the break after eating a greasy Reuben. The asparagus was perfectly crispy and very well spiced with the standard pepper, salt, garlic, and onion.
I ended up talking to the couple from Northern Virginia for a while, and desired another drink. I lamented to Sierra (the bartender) that I wanted another drink, but another beer was out of my budget… after which she revealed their $1 Mimosas. Four Mimosas, 4 new friends, and a soccer half later, I was full, tipsy, and ready to walk off the buzz before heading home.
As for the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant, they were what you would expect of an Irish Pub. Woodbased fixtures and furniture, well polished. According to the website, a lot of the furniture and fixtures were made in Ireland. Judging by the weight of the bar stools they are of a quality wood. Also of note is that the walls weren’t cluttered with memorabilia, which is a major plus to me.
Overall, it was sort of a standard Irish Pub. friendly staff, friendly patrons, good food, and a good selection of craft beer. I don’t write about restaurants that I don’t like so you know that this place meets The Tour Guys’ criteria for the official stamp of approval.
FYI: This is somewhat local. It has one other restaurant which is in Arlington, Virginia.