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Categories: Bars, Breakfast & Brunch, Irish [Edit]
2051 Wilson Blvd
Awesome Food. The chicken club is to die for and they serve a great Guinness. The Irish ex-pat bartenders are also a big treat. Management is great as well, as they are sure to stop out and greet patrons whenever possible. One star is deducted for the one miserable bar tender who could moonlight as a serial killer. Could also use some more females there. Two thumbs up from the Chicken Connoisseur.
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I like the atmosphere. I think Trivia night is fun- but I have to say that I hate coming on Friday or Saturday nights. Its too busy. It's smoked filled (the last time I was there people were actually smoking cigars -I didn't know that was allowed in bars). And there are nothing but drunk frat type guys and ditzy drunk women. I like it when its not so crowded and you get the local flair about it. Most of the bartenders seem nice, but the service isn't as good as it used to be a year or so ago.
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Let's start Round 4, the Celebrity Lesbians round. Ooooh, this is what you came for, isn't it? Yeah, that's a nice category.
This was the blaring announcement that served as my introduction to trivia night at Ireland's Four Courts. Unfortunately, things did not improve much. The questions were not challenging, the announcer was crass and annoying, the drinks were watered down, and the music between rounds was too loud.
However, our server was great, and our burgers (which were fine but nothing special) came in a flash, as the kitchen rush had passed. Teams are limited to four people, which lends some parity to the challenge. And, we managed to snag a table even though we arrived late. But, we're still looking for the perfect trivia night fit. Yikes!
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The happy hour specials run from 4-8 I believe and include beer specials as well as half off appetizers. Not a bad place to go if you are looking to get a few drinks and some beer after work.
I would avoid the calamari as it wasn't very good at all, but everything else i've had there is pretty enjoyable. Note if you get the 5 layer dip you get way to many chips, but if you order the crab dip you get little bread...so order both at the happy hour and you'll be all set! My tip to the yelpers out there!
They have Sam Adams on tap and with the arrival of Oktoberfest I'm sure i'll be making an appearance in the near future to down a few pints.
Some nights they have live music which can be hit or miss. Don't know his name but one guy who plays guitar there is pretty good...might not know all the words but he knows a lot of songs.
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The food here was excellent and they had a great selection of beer. However, the service was absolutely horrible especially for a Tuesday night. It took them forever to bring our check. And for me, service outweighs the food or beer any day so I doubt I will be revisiting.
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Bar is ok.....service is bleak
Food is just allright. Portions aren't great for what you pay.
It tries to be an authentic Irish Tavern.....but the inhospitable nature of the staff and the weak quality food hold it back.
I go there because it's near my home and is a light casual atmosphere. (It's also RED SOX NATION, the only reason it gets a 3 instead of a 2) Good place to meet up with friends. It doesn't have a whole lot of similar competition in the area, except for Kitty O'Shea's, which is good, but really small..
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I was surprise that it wasn't that crowd before 10pm. We saw few groups of single ladies that was sitting around for happy hour/dinner, food is OK, but not the greatest food. Definitely will go back because didn't get the chance to listen to the live band and talk to any ladies...
This bar is dangerously close to my house, but that's not the only reason I frequent it so often. My buddies and I regularly meet here on Wednesday night for the $0.45 wings and $3 Miller/Yuengling happy hour. They have live music a lot of nights which is hit or miss.
I don't eat much of the food; usually only come here for the drinks. But the wings I mentioned are tasty and the Guinness stew (the Thursday special) is delicious.
The main bar can get pretty smoky, but the back bar is non-smoking, which is good for those of us who don't smoke. For whatever reason, weeknights seem to be more crowded here than weekends; I've been here before on Saturday when the place is almost dead.
Most of the staff are very friendly, and I appreciate that after only a few visits, several of the of the bartenders remember my face and name. Rest assured, I'll be coming back here as a regular.
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I was in Arlington for a wedding and we stopped here for brunch on Sunday morning on the way out of town. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they were the Arlington home of Red Sox Nation.
Brunch was good, especially the omelette station. Drink service was quick (we stuck to coffee and juices) and the place looked clean and well maintained. Next time we are in VA we'll stop by for a pint of Guinness.
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Another neighborhood bar in Courthouse that I would frequent when I lived a couple of blocks away, and one of my favorites.
Four Courts has a good beer selection with all of your pub favorites, including Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks, etc. They have a solid menu as well, including traditional Irish fare: fish and chips, shepherds pie, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish lamb stew. Good stuff and very filling, especially on a cold winter day.
I like that they put a shot menu on the table. Often times we would stop by planning on just relaxing and having a couple of pints, but some evil liquid concoction would catch our eye. It's always fun to buy a shot for you buddy that involves tequila, bourbon, scotch, and whiskey.
There is also usually good live music at Four Courts. They frequently feature performers that play fun Irish/English drinking songs that are fun to get involved with. Another plus is that the way the pub is split up into two sections. If you don't want to have to yell over the music in order to chat with friends, you can just go to the other side where there is a second bar and the music is much quieter.
The only place I've found Four Courts to be lacking is that the service can be hit or miss. The bar tenders have nearly always been excellent. Friendly, quick, and pouring strong drinks and tall pints. The wait staff is usually good as well although there have been a few times where service has been a bit slow. Where I've actually run into the most problems is with the host/hostess staff. There have been several occasions where they have been obnoxious and rude and acted indignant when we've made such outrageous requests as to sit on the non smoking side or that four of us sit together and not be forced to split into two groups of two.
Other then the snotty hosts and hostess, Four Courts is a great time.
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Like many others, if given the opportunity to give half stars, it would be a 3.5. Others seem to be rounding down, but I'm rounding up because this is one of my regular local bars. My rating is based on the bar alone, I'd have to give it a two or three for food.
The good: Decent crowd most nights, but particularly weekends. Low turnover amongst the bar staff, so if you go with any regularity, they will get to know you and you'll get pretty good service even when crowded. It feels pretty much like a real Irish pub as far as decor goes, and much of the staff are Irish ex-pats.
The bad: Can be smoky, especially since the smoking ban in DC took effect, the die hard district bar smokers seem to like Four Courts. On nights they have live music, it can be loud, and annoying. They occasionally have decent talent, but more often it is a one man cover act slaughtering the classics. Head to the back bar on those nights!
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Pros: the food isn't that bad - avoid the appetizers and desserts though. I've only ordered the Guinness stew and the cheeseburgers. Plus the ambiance is OK and it's right by the courthouse metro stop.
Cons: The service has always been awful - all 6 times I've been here - and 4 of those times have not been crowded at all. Extremely slow and mixing up orders. Horrible. The staff looks like their miserable (you don't have to be happy as chipmunks but please...a smile would be sort of nice.) The price is definitely NOT worth what you get. I've only been here once for drinks on a Saturday night, and there's no where to sit unless you're ordering food at table.
Definitely wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
UPDATE 4/28/08 - worst food poisoning ever. Head on down to Four Courts if you want to worship the porecelain gods. :(
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I went here on the Sunday evening after the DC St. Patrick's Day parade expecting the typical St. Pat's revelry, but was a little disappointed that they seemed to be planning on that for Monday and the Sunday evening was just a regular Sunday evening. They did have live music, which started off a little rough, but got better as the evening went on. They do pour a proper pint and they serve Powers Irish Whiskey. I do wish there was no smoking though. I have grown accustomed to avoiding the smoke smell on the clothes and all and really like it that way. Still a very good Irish bar.
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3.5? I liked the place, I did. But nothing stood out to me, really. The burger I got was good enough (although the ciabatta bread was very tasty) and definitely cheap (can't beat $6 for a half a pound of ground up, dead cow), but nothing special, really. The service was decent enough, and he kept my water full even after we'd stopped actually buying anything, but the beers took a bit to come out. It was a bit busy for trivia, though. The trivia was fun, and a good mix of difficulties. It's certainly worth going to.
My, how Four Courts has grown over the years. When I first moved to DC, it was half the size it is now. It was my neighborhood Irish bar and is a good time with good drinks and often live music.
But the reason why I'm writing this review is because of their Irish pub fare. It's actually really good! Probably a million calories, but the pot pie was delicious, comforting, buttery, flaky, and yum. I've had a few other items off the Irish menu that were just as good.
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I go to this bar about once per year. Not because I try to avoid it, but as a Virginia bar, I just don't make it out there often. The four courts is a good friend's neighborhood bar, so on his birthday, I will journey out, even transferring on the metro, to knock back a couple drinks and enjoy life.
So, this past time, we ended up closing down the bar and we all had a great time. The patrons, those who were not with our party, all seem to be pretty nice. The bartenders are super friendly, too. They have no problem pouring us shots of Jim Beam (drink of champions!) and laughing at us, too.
I haven't had the food, so can only comment on the bar. I see why people enjoy this place!
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Here's the thing, this place seems nice enough if you ever want to hang out in a bar in Virginia. The layout is kind of cool and really spacious, though with all that space they still manage to have fairly small tables and booths....
If you can ignore the band/people/whoever it was ruining Tainted Love it seems like it would be a cool place to hang out if you live in VA. It definitely had the vibe of a place the locals would frequent.
So what's the downside?
The service.
The bouncer lets people without IDs in and then instructs the waitress that people in the party are "underage," when in fact they are of age but simply did not have their IDs at the time. One of the ID-less patrons allowed in by the bouncer knowing very well they had no ID, drinks what was literally just cranberry juice and for some reason water is accused by an angry and hostile waitress of drinking "underage" and is forced to leave.
When the owner is approached about the situation he is unsure of what to say or do stating that VA law makes it illegal for him to serve alcohol to someone "underage" (no duh) but misses the point entirely about the bouncer at his bar allowing ID-less patrons in to begin with as well as the fact that the hostility, anger, and rudeness of the waitress was completely inappropriate, uncalled for, and nonconstructive.
I don't think I've ever eaten food at an Irish place and thought "that hit the spot". Four Courts doesn't buck that trend but atleast the menu doesn't break your bank. I'd give the food a 2 and the bar a 3.5.
This pub would be our local if only we could get into the place and actually drink. I get that you lot here in Virginia like to smoke in your pubs but after spending the last 10 years on the West coast I don't miss the smelly habit. So, when the non smoking bar is closed, we don't stick around. When we have had the chance to stay, I must admit that the pub grub is good and the pints are pulled properly. We will forge on and keep trying to embrace you Four Courts.
$5.95 is a steal for the juicy burger available (at a discount) at Ireland's Four Courts on Monday nights. This meaty treat comes on a fresh ciabatta bun and despite being great value Ireland's Four Courts doesn't skimp a bit when it comes to its quality.
Even on busy quiz nights (Mondays), service is steady and attentive though the staff, thankfully, never hovers.
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Monday night is Trivia Night at the Four Courts, and also $5.95 burger night, so what more could you ask for? By 7pm, this place is busy, with the trivia folks trying to snag a good table early on, and people wandering in for a quiet Guinness about to realize that there's nothing quiet about Trivia Night.
Despite the craziness, the staff are very courteous and attentive, and go about their business in a very efficient manner. Through the whole evening, nobody's drink was empty before the waitress wandered by asking us if we wanted another.
The menu looked fairly comprehensive, although I didn't pay too much attention as I was aiming for the burger anyway. So a burger with cheddar and bacon and... in case you don't know me, I have a thing for wanting a fried egg on my burger - there are a couple of places in the city that have this on the menu, but if they don't, it is something that I ask for - every place in DC has so far refused. In true form though, I ask here too, and to my surprise, "Yes, I think that's something we've done before, no problem" - there was much jubilation and dancing on the tables and renditions of Danny Boy... OK, maybe not, but there was definite happiness.
The burger arrived, and I have to say this (and not purely because there was an egg on it), but the burger was up there in the top 3 burgers I've had in bars/restaurants. It was served on a ciabatta roll, which I love burgers to be served on, the egg was over-medium, which is the perfect way to cook an egg for a burger if you haven't been told how to cook it (over-easy for me - that bad boy should be dripping down your fingers!), the burger was juicily delicious, and there was just the right amount of cheese and bacon - bravo Four Courts!
With burger in stomach, and the Guinness flowing, it made for a fun trivia night, with team-names like "Touched By An Uncle" and "Harry Potter Spoiler - Harry Gets Syphilis", you can tell the sort of crowd that it attracts.
So, Sir Richard, this seems like a 5-star review, why only 4? Very good question, whoever that was. As the burger came out, I commented that just for letting me have the egg, how could I give the place anything but 5-stars.
The check...
Yep, the check can often ruin a good night, and it can also lose you a nice big red Yelp-star. The check arrives, my burger is $5.95, the extra toppings of cheese and bacon are $0.95 each, and the egg is... $2.95!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the exclamations, but I would have used BIG font if it would let me. 3 bucks for a freakin' egg - are you kidding me??? Did the chef have to lay the damn thing himself??? I was dumbfounded - and in fact, this morning, I'm still dumbfounded - so much so that I went to the fridge just now, and I think I'm going to sell my eggs on Ebay so I can afford a nice overseas trip, or a new car...
Well Four Courts, thanks for being the first place in DC that has taken me up on the burger-egg challenge, but the shock at how much you charge for cooking one egg means that I sadly won't be returning for a repeat performance... (and I won't be trying brunch too soon either, as I'm guessing I'll have to remortgage my home first...)
***UPDATE***
We returned for another Quiz Night, and I decided to try the burger routine again - straight up, burger, cheese bacon and egg - the waitress didn't even flinch, and neither did the check - no fried egg to be seen. So this now means my egg is averaging at $1.47 over the two trips - one more good trip, and I might find where I put that star.
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I've been to Four Courts a couple of times, and I've got nothing to complain about! (which is a big deal, for me, for a bar in...... VIRGINIA.)
So, aside from the unfortunate geographic location of the place, I would definitely make it a regular watering hole if I lived around here. The average Saturday night is great, sometimes they have an Irish band which is always a lot of fun. I've met some random people here who've all been "good stock."
The food is good, service is typical of that of an Irish bar (a little bit surly but altogether efficient and accurate). Trivia night was a lot of fun, although much less raucous than other trivia nights I've experienced (all in Atlanta, though, so perhaps no basis for comparison?). Annnnnnnd they've got both Smithwick's and Blue Moon on tap, so both sides of my bi-polar beer drinking self can be happy.
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I was really surprised at how welcoming everyone was in this pub. If you're by yourself (or waiting for a group), they make no hesitation to come up and speak to you and make you feel welcome. Four Courts really creates a comfortable and welcoming mood. For you soccer fans, they have plasma TVs so you can watch the match(es) of the night.
They have a lot of beer on tap as well as bottles. This is one of the only places I've been to where the draught beers are more expensive than the bottled beers. Their happy hour special is only a dollar off all beers.
I met up with some other Yelpers on Monday nights to partake in the pub's $5.95 burger and Pub Trivia night. The burger was great (cooked the way you want it) and it came out on a ciabatta roll. Moreover, the fries were killer. I don't remember restaurant fries being this good. If you're a fan of crispy fries, then this is the place to go. They're not overly crispy and they have a nice slight pepper kick to them when they come out on the plate.
The only problem was that it's $0.95 to add cheese to your burger. I mean, a dollar for a cheese slice? Come on.
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It had been years since the last time I ponied up to the bar for a pint but it hadn't changed a bit.
During college, I spent a summer in DC and my buddy and I would cruise over from our lodging arrangement for pints of Caffrey's, a little SportsCenter and good times. Caffrey's is no longer flowing from its taps but everything else is just as I remember. $20 still gets you a solid meal and a couple pints to finish off an evening.
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The pub quiz is the star at ireland's Four Courts. Is this place even open Tuesday thru Sunday?
Seriously, the bar is pretty good. The bartenders are friendly and professional, they've got a decent beer selection, and they usually have a good sports game on the tube.
The food is atrocious, but if you're going to Ireland's Four Courts for the food . . . I don't know what to say. It's not cheap at all, it's not good at all, and the servers are pretty awful.
Go on a Monday night with a handful of friends, order a Smithwicks, and enjoy the pub quiz. Or, go any other night of the week for a beer at the bar. If you're in Clarendon, there are at least 20 better places to eat, so really, why are you eating at Ireland's Four Courts?
Oh, and if you're in the pub quiz, don't cheat. You have to be a real loser to cheat at a pub quiz.
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On a Friday evening, with any decent weather, the Four Courts is overrun with the type of people who, if the bar ran out of Michelob Ultra and was forced to serve nothing but Guinness, would not notice if the Guinness was poured incorrectly. This is not always a bad thing, but I'd suggest those of you who prefer an atmosphere a little less riotous than a Wal-Mart on Black Friday avoid the bar during the after-work happy hour rush.
During the week, Four Courts is a great place to drop by with a handful of friends and have dinner or a drink. The food is pretty standard American-Irish pub fare, with solid fish & chips and a shepherd's pie that's served at just the right temperature.
If you're a fan of soccer, Irish rules football, rugby, or pretty much any Euro sport, you can probably find it playing here on the weekends, although I'm hard pressed to suggest you come here rather than Summer's if your goal is to catch the game.
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Noisy, when there's a soccer game on TV! Good brunch (they'll customize their abbreviated menu, if you ask). Great fresh salsa! Solid food, in general. Spicy Bloody Mary's. Beer (duh)! Convenient location across from Court House METRO on the Orange line. Good meeting place... but hard to follow a group conversation.
Not bad!
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Another quality local Arlington institution. I left town before they finished construction on the space next door they bought to expand the place. This was so necessary since my only real beef with the place was how crowded the bar area was. There were only a few spots you could camp out where you wouldn't get bumped and elbowed by people trying to gain passage all night. Kind of reminiscent of a gauntlet.
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fun, big, lively place - good live 90's cover band on a thursday night - stellar key lime pie - service was nonchalant, and overall, quite middling.
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The food and service are fine, but what keeps me coming back is the atmosphere--always lots of people around just there to hang out and have a good time.
3.5 stars really, but who's counting?
Let me preface this by saying, I am NOT a fan of Irish bars and the accompanying Irish folk songs (live music Tues - Sun) that inevitably get sung by the crowd, but if I had to choose in the DC area, this one would be in my top three. When I first started going there (drinks only, please - and only when outnumbered) it was this tiny little Irish place that really packed them in. They were fortunate enough to be able to purchase the hardware store next to them and expand the space significantly. I feel like the space is somewhat disjointed now, but it makes life much more pleasant when you aren't having the air squeezed out of your lungs regularly from those trying to get by. They serve all the typical Irish fare you would expect, as well as some specials, but I steer clear. The patio out front is always packed, especially during lunch and Sunday brunch. And it is VERY close to the orange line stop in Courthouse.
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Lots of atmosphere and some great medium priced meals.
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