Finn MacCool’s

This place is a pretty popular Barrack’s Row bar that packs its rooms with Cap Hill staffers and all the Marines that are stationed at 8^th & I across the street. It gets awfully busy Friday nights after the Evening parade in the summer but the staff can handle it.
They have a great selection of brew there, and the chow isn’t too shabby either. Theres an upstairs with a shuffleboard, and I swear, I’m going to buy one of those things for my place. So much fun. Service from ordering food and at the bar are both spot on.
I think the highlight of this place is one of the fellas that work here. You’ll see him screaming at the television set if his soccer… excuse me, football, team is losing. Hurling obscenities at the boob tube in an Irish accent always makes for a colorful atmosphere.
There are definitely tons of Marines there, so that may and may not be a good thing for you. These are more laid back, not rowdy like the bunch that frequents the Hawk & Dove.

fyi: finn mac’s is closed… permanently
It is now called «Molly Malone’s»

This place has cider on tap.
And if you know me at all, any place with cider on tap is my automatic friend. So Finn MacCool’s congrats on being my friend.
Seriously though this bar is actually way bigger than it looks from the outside, and granted it is probably way more crowded during the day and especially during sports game than on a saturday night when we went most recently, it is still a nice spot to knock back a few cold ones in a relaxed atmosphere with no cover, but still a bouncer to keep out the hoodlums ha ha oh wait, there aren’t really hoodlums in eastern market… damn, well i guess he is there to card. I mean, you can’t underage drink in our nation’s capitol! that just would be absurd ha
The décor is basically like any other pub you would go into, only this place is two stories so there is room to spread out and they sometimes even have live bands playing on the first floor for events and whatnot, and for a spot that is easy to get into and with drinks not being too unreasonably priced, Fin MacCools you became a great fall back friend for any night.

Really fun pre-​gaming place or just a straight up gaming place. A lot of my alum football parties are here so I’ve been on a couple saturdays and its fun but not super different than other bars. This past weekend I came here around noon to party a little before the Nats game and it was a totally different experience.
1.) $ 10 bottomless mimosas and bloody marys (and you can switch between the two… they are huge and very tasty)
2.) cheap ($ 10-​ish) pitchers of the beer-​flavored water variety **cough**millerlite**
3.) Brunch til 3 pm
4.) select $ 5 apps (chicken strips WITH fries, irish nachos, taquitos)
5.) Lots of Tvs (we had soccer, badminton, baseball going on)
6.) Really nice servers – on top of all the refills, and there were a lot.
Really fun time which made the longish walk to Navy yard more entertaining. I will def be back here, the bloody marys are SOOO good.

We’ve been here twice, once for dinner and once for lunch. It’s really an interesting place, with loads of exposed brick (although I’ve only been downstairs so I haven’t seen the shuffleboard or darts or anything).
I love me some grilled cheese and Finn MacCool’s comes with not one but THREE types of cheese (I’m trying not to think of the cholesterol)! You can also add on tomato, bacon, or guacamole for a few cents more. The fries are good, I thought they might be baked since they weren’t super greasy… or maybe my grease comparison meter was just off after eating all that cheese. I’ve also had their chicken strips, which aren’t bad. They have lots of evening specials and my friends say their burgers and fish and chips are pretty good. I wish they had some lunchtime specials as well and we’d probably come more often!
Service has always been very attentive and friendly. When we came for dinner we met some friends who brought their five year old daughter. I wouldn’t recommend bringing kids but they were pretty accommodating, even bringing her juice out in a little plastic Budweiser cup.

Great, *great* hangout place. Super-​friendly bartenders, cozy atmosphere, and my #1 place to go for St. Patrick’s Day. There’s an upstairs lounge if the first floor gets too noisy. Nice, but not extensive, selection of brews.
The patrons are also friendly, which is not always the case in DC. Nice hangout-​and-​drink environment.
The food on St. Patrick’s Day ’08 was NOT good, though. I got the corned beef and cabbage. The cabbage was brown and had a strong metallic flavor. Eeeeyaaacchh. (Note that I have not tried anything else on the menu.) The beer and the friendly company made up for it, though.

Fin MacCool’s is a decent bar. You can go there with an old friend, or bring a date there — the atmosphere is casual. I noticed that there were a lot of men there. Hm. Small table seating and a large bar area ensures plenty of room to move around. There is also bench seating along the walls, opposing tables-​and-​chairs: for that sit-​beside-​your-​honey canoodling, should opportunity present. There’s also an upstairs bar area; a private reception was up there when I peeked in.
Overall, I like Fin MacCool’s. They have Dogfish Head beer (WONDERFUL local brew from Milton, DE) on tap. That’s why this otherwise-​average bar gets an additional star.

A fairly standard Irish pub in almost every way out in Barrack’s Row/​Eastern Market. There’s not a lot to say here so I’ll be brief:
1. It’s a great place to engage friends and maybe some Marines in a game of Shuffleboard.
2. They have a very respectable beer selection including staples (Guinness, Harp, and Smithwicks) as well as some American surprises (Anchor Steam Christmas?!, Boont Amber, Magic Hat, etc.)
Could be 4 stars if I tried the food and it worked out. But I haven’t yet.

It’s best to come to Finn MacCool’s during happy hour. Food (well, the appetizers) and drinks are cheap.
Round up your friends and share a pitcher of beer. One nice thing about Finn is that they’ll let you sample a beer if you’re not familiar with a brand. In fact, I think this was the first time I had even heard of this.
Their food… not bad. If you’re sharing appetizers with friends, be sure to ask for plates. Otherwise, you’ll be holding on to your meatless wings with no place to put them down.
Friendly wait-​staff. Clean restrooms. Can’t complain.

3.5 stars. This is a pub and you can’t beat the ½ price fish & chips night. It is a large portion of fish and fried perfectly. Will be back to try their other daily specials. Service was also very good although we were there in the early evening so it wasn’t too crowded yet.

Finn’s used to be a four– or five-​star place, but has slipped over the past few years. Part of the 8^th St. miracle that took place a couple of years ago, Finns came out of the gate strong: good drink selection, competent staff, amazing atmosphere, and a surprisingly good menu. It was more a neighborhood place, keeping in mind that south Capitol Hill includes the Marine Barracks. Things were good, and the baked brie (I know, I know, at an «Irish Pub») was to die for.
Now, it retains a fraction of what it once was. A big vinyl sign announcing drink specials looks terribly out of place in contrast to the wood paneling and mahogany bar. A large screen to watch football against the wall brings in a lot of yelling to a place that has the perfect surroundings for downing a couple of beers in quiet.
The food prices have gone up, and a lot of the best stuff has been dropped off the menu (brie, I miss you), but the drink selection is still pretty good. When they started out, they had a hard time hanging on to wait staff, and the service is still one of the weakest parts of the whole show. In fact, the bussers/​expeditors are the best part of the staff, which is a management problem that sorely needs addressing.
This has the potential to be a five-​star place. If they get a nice, curated juke box and focus a bit on the staffing and the food – which is standard pub fare in pretty big portions – they could get back up where they belong. They still have one of the prettiest bars in DC, and nice and long, too. Worth the drop-​in if you’re in the area, but not a destination place anymore.

Very clean and modern… in a very nice part of town where finding parking is possible. Plenty of flat screen tvs and has a bit of an Irish pub but it looks a little too squeaky new.
I tried the Shephard’s Pie even though their special was fish ‘n chips that day. It was a little too salty but it was interesting. The fish ‘n chips just looked pretty standard. It would have been nice if these dishes came with a nice side salad.
Overall, I would come here again. Good place to grab a drink with friends.

I only seem to find myself here on low/​off-​nights, which from the stories of drunken frat boys and military guys, is a good thing.
When the place isn’t completely packed, of course it’s a lot of fun. The locals and regulars that do make their way here on a Sunday night or late Tuesday are a relaxed bunch just looking for a good drink and better conversation. The bartender was friendly and drew a shamrock in my Guinness and a Harp in my date’s.
The upstairs has free darts and an excellent shuffleboard table, as well as pool and foosball, at a minimal cost. I also went to a scotch tasting upstairs one time that was well-​run by a representative from Johnny Walker. There are TV’s scattered throughout the pub for game watching.
I’ve always had a great time here, so that’s enough in my mind to give it a generous 5 stars.

Great atmosphere and fun place to hang out. Can get quite crowded though. This place does have live music, but due to the size of the place, it kind of ruins that atmosphere. Plenty of Flat Screens and a Big screen to stay in touch with sports. Food is okay, except for the Wings and the Corned Beef Reuben, those are outtasight!
They do have soccer matches on their screens, so that’s a plus!
Most nights, the staff is friendly and attentive… mostly.

In terms of atmosphere, this is pretty much your standard Irish pub. However, the food may be the best I’ve had in an Irish pub. The Fish and Chips are truly great. They would only be second to Eamonn’s in Alexandria, but it would be a close second. Also try the Chicken Salad sandwich. I don’t normally like Chicken Salad, and I loved it.

Good food, good service, good prices, Finn Mac Cool’s had all of these. I meet my roommates here for dinner on a Tuesday night, and we sat on the main floor. It wasn’t crowded at all, but that’s probably just because it was a Tuesday night.
After discovering that it was on special for half price, I decided to order the fish & chips. It was really good! And, for only $ 6, it was an absolute bargain!
Conveniently located near the Eastern Market metro station on 8^th St, I would definitely come back to Finn Mac Cool’s.

I too love shuffle board, and Finn Mac Cool’s has a hella huge table. Best part is that it is free. They also have free darts, and pay as you play foosball and pool. Great for hanging out and playing bar games with friends!
Had some food late night there and it was pretty decent for bar food. I had the French dip and the wife had chicken fingers, and both came out very quickly and were quite tasty.
A while ago Finn Mac Cool’s only served Beamish (I think it was this… if not another Irish Stout). I think this was hurting business as everyone seemed to complain that they did not have Guinness, so recently changed their taps over to the nitrogenated brew we all know and love.
Go here for bar games galore, stay for the beer, and don’t be too afraid of the food.

Came here on a friday afternoon for lunch with a few friends. Had the Shepherd’s Pie and all I can say is WOW. I’m no expert on Shepherd’s Pie, but I think this is the best I’ve ever had. This Irish Pub does have Guinness (contrary to what a previous post says) among many, many other beers on tap. I stayed downstairs while I dined, but I did hear that upstairs is a really cool joint. I tried my friend’s Fish and Chips and that was really delicious too.
Highly recommended.

I have been hinting for a place to play shuffleboard (and no, not the cruise ship kind). So, I was delighted to find it when I met some friends for drinks at MacCool’s.
Other than the shuffleboard (on the second floor) there’s also the expected darts. But what I didn’t find when I saddled up to the bar was Guinness. Odd. An Irish Pub without Guinness? But MacCools does have a nice beer selection that includes Sierra Nevada (their seasonal Celebration ale) and a lovely Belgian style beer from a small PA brewery.
I noted a sign for their weekend brunch– served buffet style and accompanied by either mimosas, Bloody Mary’s or Irish Coffee (all bottomless). So, I’ll be heading back for that.
Note to Julie H: I’ll play shuffleboard here with you! But I am not that good at it.

I’ll admit it, one of my favorite bar games is shuffleboard. Nothing goes better together than beer and shuffleboard. Er, and people. I had become so addicted to shuffleboard that I’ve looked into (a) owning my own shuffleboard and (b) trying to find every bar that has shuffleboard in it. Thus, I found Finn macCool’s.
I dragged my friends to this place on a Tuesday after watching the ENTIRE DC bocce ball league walk into the Pour House where I had wanted to go. In contrast with the Pour House, Finn macCool’s was quite empty, but I blame that on the middle of the week timing and the location that’s off Pennsylvania as opposed to on it.
Downstairs and outside seating is aimed at dining — there were a fair amount of people there eating, and they offer daily specials (that night it was fish and chips for $ 7) as well as beer specials. There’s a second bar upstairs with pool tables, foosball, and the coveted shuffleboard. The bar upstairs was closed for the night so we had to go downstairs to get any service, kind of a bummer but nice because it meant that there weren’t people to, uh, compete for the shuffleboard…
The shuffleboard is «championship sized» meaning it’s about 22′ long. I’m used to the 9′ and 14′ versions myself, preferring the 9′ because it’s a little more conducive to talking to the people at the end of the table. A game for 15 minutes or 15 points costs $ 2 but we realized after the first $ 2 that there’s nothing preventing us from playing without paying — we lose the capability to keep score electronically but I’m not necessarily there to keep meticulous score anyway.
We had a pitcher of beer, yuengling, which was good and $ 12 (?). I also had the special — fish & chips — which came with a side of Finn macCool’s special sauce that was sort of a tangy mayo tartar sauce combination. While the sauce was good I really would have liked real tartar sauce or vinegar to go with the fish which was about as tasty as most battered pieces of fish ever are (read: not at all). The pitcher and food only set me back $ 17 so it wasn’t a bad deal…
All in all, I enjoyed my time at Finn macCool’s. I am looking forward to returning, perhaps on a weekend when the upstairs bar is open, but am definitely liking the laid-​back atmosphere and, of course, shuffleboard.
Anyone want to start a shuffleboard league, by the way?