Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub

Downtown / Financial District, San Francisco –

A wee bit of clover in an area of town known more for dollar signs and day-trading than Gaelic watering holes, Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub provides a mellow retreat to sip some Guinness during the week, and a raging – and distinctly non-Irish – dance scene on weekends.

Lured in by the deep blue façade and traditional Celtic signage, wandering tourists and office types on lunch park it on the tiny sidewalk patio or grab a checkered-clothed table just inside, where they wolf down baked brie and Ballycastle sausage rolls that epitomize the basic pub grub on offer.

The red leather booths that line the narrow, sparsely decorated main room host lots of businessmen and yuppies during weekday Happy Hour, while late evenings mark the convergence of a much younger audience, most of whom migrate straight to the basement when it opens on Fridays and Saturdays.

The downstairs evokes notions of a speakeasy with a Hibernian twist, highlighted by old photographs of Irish soccer players tacked on the exposed brick walls and cozy nooks that fill up quickly with first-daters looking for an intimate spot – an intimacy that becomes impossible once loud Top 40 and house music cultivates a college gathering that’s far more frat party than Finnegans Wake.

A mix of old-school taproom and fresh-out-of-school stomping ground, Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub may not ring with authenticity, but it’s great for casual drinks in the early hours and unabashed sweating on the (definitely not River) dance floor.