Friday 8th of July 2011 01:58:00 PM

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This Irish Pub has been going strong for nearly 13 years now, outlasting dozens of 6th Street bars by catering to a different, more sophisticated crowd. Their tagline reads "6th Street. For Grown Ups" and it appears to be true. The pub is beautiful inside, and kept extremely clean--something that stands out in this neighborhood. There is live music every night and no cover charge ever.

The food is surprisingly good, much more than typical pub grub, with the Fish & Chips, Black Bean Queso and the Isaac Newton Sandwich (Grilled cheese on Texas Toast with sliced green apple and bacon) as real standouts.

They are pretty manic about beer line and glassware cleanliness, and beer freshness, and they pour a Guinness the way an Irish pub should. The tap selection is somewhat limited, though it has expanded in recent years and more local craft brews have been added. There are now 16 taps, with 4 traditional Irish offerings, but 7 Texas brews round out the list, including 512 Pecan Porter, Independence Pale Ale, Live Oak Hefeweizen, Thirsty Goat Amber & Buckethead IPA, Real Ale Fireman's #4 and of course Shiner Bock. They offer a Beer Sampler with three 7-ounce tasters of any beers for $5.75.

The servers are pleasant and attentive--they seem to enjoy themselves, and are fairly beer knowledgeable. There are tables in back away from the band if you want to talk, or up front if you want to listen. Plenty of HDTVs for sports, and they feature a Patriots Fan Club for displaced New Englanders during NFL season, and they are Austin's official Notre Dame pub.

Wednesday 13th of February 2008 05:13:58 PM

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I get to Austin for business and I’m always on the lookout for a good place to grab a beer. I took the boss here and he liked it, so extra points for me.

BD Riley’s has the Irish Pub look down pat. Nice use of color (Yellow ceiling & light orange walls) lots of dark wood, worn floors and Irish Memorabilia. It does have a bit of a Texas twist, which I liked. I also like that the windows opened up to the street, those tables next to them are a great place to watch the folks on 6th street.

They have a limited draft selection. While they offer 10 choices, nothing really to exciting for folks like us. They also have about 15 bottle choices. I had a Boddingtons, a Fat Tire & a Smithicks.

The service was efficient and friendly. They had a nice size crowd for happy hour; I would have liked to be there when they had entertainment.

Well worth a stop for a pint or two!