D’arcy McGee’s

Our first meal in Ireland after arriving fresh off the plane at Dublin. Driving on the left side of the road for the first hour we were in Ireland was disorienting and stressful enough. All rental cars are manual transmission unless you are willing to pay an extra $ 400, so our first bouts with driving left us stalled on hills and shimmying into ditches on a tight 2 lane highway when a car was approaching from the opposite direction. What an adventure, when we arrived in Arklow what we needed was a great meal.
Arklow is a small and quaint town with maybe 1,000 people living in it, and during daylight hours you will not see a soul walking downtown. Looking at all the pubs on the strip, I began to question if I was in The Truman Show and these food items were for display only.
When we walked into Darcy’s, there was maybe 4 people in the joint, we double-​checked to see if it was open. The first item of business was ordering a pint of Guinness. Touristy? Sure, but I’d rather have a Guinness mustache than a milk mustache anyday.
The waitress handed us our menu and it was typical Irish pub food that you would get in the states, but with the addition of panini’s and pasta. The casserole with Guinness was sold out so I opted for the lasagna based on a waitress recommendation. We also ordered another pasta dish, the roast beef, and a panini.
All were great and tasted as you would expect from an Irish pub, which means warm and hearty. My lasagna had a layer of cheese on top that was maybe an inch thick. It might have been cheddar and it was overdone, but it was quite cracking. They paired lasagna with french fries, which would be a no-​no in the states where we typically include a salad or soup with pasta.
If you are in Arklow I’d recommend stopping by.

Arklow is a small enough town, where during the day you hardly see anyone! None of the cafes are ever that packed and the shops seem to just tick over without anything really interesting happen. The sun goes down and all of a sudden everyone seems to just appear!
A popular spot would be the likes of Sally O’Briens, also on the main street, where the moment 10pm hits suddenly becomes packed! Anyone who’s read any of my previous reviews will know that I’m not mad on places where you have to enter mosh-​pit conditions just to get a drink and can hardly have a conversation over the sheer noise of everyone around you. This is why when I discovered Darcy McGee’s I was so happy!!!
Tucked away just off the main street, you’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it. The locals I’ve met claimed that it’s «expensive» but in reality, the difference in price is only by about 10 or 20 cent on average. I know there’s a recession going on but you shouldn’t blacklist a place for being expensive unless they’re asking for you to re-​mortgage your house every time you want a beer.
Anyway, that evening I had gone to dinner with my girlfriend and we fancied having a quick drink before heading home. I mentioned Darcy McGee’s to her and that I’d love to just have a drink there to check it out. So, Eh… We went to Darcy McGee’s…
For starters, walking into the place you feel like you’re entering some sort of secret club. The décor is very cosy, the seats comfortable and most of all, it was spotless! Seriously, I’ve always noticed that while the majority of pubs are clean there’s a sort of untidiness about them. This place was clean, tidy and very well presented. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable.
[side note] I don’t know about you guys, but it really bugs me when you go to a pub and the staff give you a «Hot Fuzz» response when you ask them what wine they sell… «We’ve got red… Or… White!» [/​side note]
We ordered a bottle of wine and it was cheaper than we expected, circling around the € 15 mark. We headed out to the smoking area and enjoyed an evening engaging in the time-​old Irish pastime of getting slightly less sober while solving the world’s problems without actually doing anything about it.
Wow, this is a long review… I love this place. I love the atmosphere, the friendly staff, the comfy chairs, the excellent smoking area etc. etc. etc. If you’re in Arklow any time soon, go here!