07/19/09

Good food, rude service (see a trend?)

by heatherderick

My family (a party of 5) had lunch at Kell's today while at Pike's Place market. Most of our entrees were good although the soup of the day (Turkey and vegetable soup) was oddly spicy, like they were trying to add oomph to an otherwise boring soup. What really ruined our meal was the wait/host staff. Our waitress was clearly annoyed by those in our party who were struggling to decide on there meals and beverages, barely smiled and was generally aloof. The hostess completely cleared our table while we were still sitting there socializing-basically saying hurry up and go without saying it. This seems to be a trend with Kell's and we will likely not be back.

• Pros: Wonderful pasties! Good beer selection
• Cons: Aloof staff who try to rush you out of the place!

04/24/09

Best Lamb

by OutlawPaganIrish

I went here on my Birthday and had the Lamb and Irish coffee. It was superb and served with a smile. Awesome place. My date had bangers & Mash and it was correct in all it's splendor. :)

Note: why can't we say ( r a c k ?!) I had the R A C K of Lamb, but the filter won't let it through. Curious.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: None

06/22/08

this restaurant is a joke!

by berg9201

I went to this restaurant with two other people. We were able to get seated promptly on a nice Saturday night and also were able to get a patio seating. However, the service was extremely slow even though there were not that many customers. The restaurant was half full. The waitress took her sweet ol' time to get us our beverages and did not even ask us if we want any water. All the other restaurants I've been to always serve water regardless. I ordered corned beef and my friends had the lamb special and crab stuffed sole special. The food came out 1 hour later because they ran out and had to thaw the fish (according to the waitress). The food was fine but small portions with huge price. And I don't know what other people are talking about. There really is not much view since it's blocked by another restaurant's patio!

05/16/08

TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!

by vodkavixen04

The service at this restaurant is absolutly horrible. I went in with my boyfriend and we approached the bar and asked if we could sit outside since the weather was nice. The bartender told us to go ahead and someone would be right with us... in front of two servers.

We sat outside for 20 minutes before we were even acknowledged by the wait staff. During this time another man came and sat at a close by dirty table, the table was cleaned in front of him and he got a drink before anyone even said hello to us. Another couple behind us left, again the table was snatched before anyone cleaned it, and the ladies were served drinks and given menus while we sat there.

This entire time-- we are sitting directly in front of the door into the restaurant in plain view of servers and the bartender. As we were about to leave one of the ladies asked if we had been "helped" yet... although there are no dishes, drinks, or menus on our table. Upon request we were brought drinks and a menu... the server never came back. As another server was passing we grabbed her and ordered apps... as we saw our previous waitress in street cloths walking out the back door, her shift ended and she never brought us any food!!!! (the second server took an another 15 minutes to bring two beers which were both on tap!!) The only reason this bar gets 2 stars is because the location/view from the patio is great in warm weather, and we really like that its in post alley. The Oyster half's I had for apps were also really good. Other then that... THE SERVICE SU**S!!!!

• Pros: good location, good view of the water
• Cons: absolutly terrible service

09/17/07

Good food, good place to go for bar crowds

by andrachel

If you enjoy good food, get there pasties (pronounced pah sties, unlike the things that cover your b00bs!) We stopped in there at the beginning of our night of bar hopping, and it is a busy place. Don't come here late in the evening if you're looking for a quiet neighborhood bar.

The whole bar was hoppin, people (meaning our crowd of 10-15) were in the middle of the bar signing to the music....fun times.

If you go in a large group, they designate a server to you right away and she takes care of you the whole night. Staff is great, and we made lots of friends - so the place is great too!

• Pros: food, people, service - bathrooms were pretty clean!
• Cons: parking (it's pike place!), cover - but it's only $5 and keeps the crowd to a minimum

09/13/07

Nice interior, too loud

by malsquad

I came here with a group of 4 a few fridays ago - it was average at best. I had high hopes, as one of the girls we were with is Irish and raves about the place. It was crowded, but we found an empty table pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it was right next to the stage (and speaker), so we could barely converse with one another. Our waitress did come and take orders pretty quickly, but as it got more crowded it took forever to get her back over. In addition, as the night wore on, the place was getting more and more crowded, and the speakers were getting louder and louder. There were only two real saving graces: 1. A band called the Corner Bhoys performed. They were okay, but one of them was called Liam Gallagher, and yes, they did "Wonderwall"; and 2. There were two cute girls in the corner whom we attempted to guess their age. Fun.

• Pros: Nice looking, Liam Gallagher
• Cons: Too loud, service a bit slow

07/21/07

RUDE TO LOYAL CUSTOMERS

by wwelch25

Staff very rude to customers. Do not make paying customers feel welcome. Act superior to customers.

• Cons: RUDE, ARROGANT STAFF

07/07/07

Do Not Eat Here

by berger_bar

If you're after Irish cuisine, don't eat at this place. It's not quality food, it seems pre-packed from a freezer and is completely overpriced for what it is. The pasties they make do not exist in Ireland. The soda bread is not bad but you'll need plenty of Guinness at $5.50 to wash it down. Be sure to order 10 minutes in advance though, as it'll take that long for them to get it to you.

Do not think about having just a pint of stout outside - you won't be allowed. You see, even though you might spend $22 on 4 pints, that's just not enough for these people. They want you to buy Irish stew from a packet for $10. So you'll be forced inside by management, like the poor woman who was humiliated in front of us. I then heard the waitress who showed us to our seats being reprimanded for "costing us 2 tables outside". Quite breathtaking treatment. Not very Irish at all.....

• Pros: Decent Guinness (most of the time)
• Cons: Sneers from mangement if you don't spend enough

06/14/07

AVOID - Unprofessional and Rude

by jy99258

The bartenders at this establishment did not conduct themselves in a professional and polite manner. Not only did they use profanity when they spoke with me, but also spoke to me in a way that attempted to demoralize me. I had no prior alcohol consumption before entering this establishment, so I was not inebriated before consulting with them.

When I attempted to close my tab, the bill was wrong. But again the bartenders were very rude and said, "Why are you wasting my time. You are a waste of space here." He went on to say that neither he nor the first bartender would re-make my drinks because they didn't want to serve me. I proceeded downstairs to speak with the manager but nothing could be done.

Avoid this place at all costs

• Cons: Unprofessional and Rude Service

03/15/07

Feels like Ireland to me

by mnes1969

Kells is a great place for socializing. Good beer, good food, love the pasties(I think chicken's the best). The staff are usually friendly. You can have a lot of fun here, people not too stuffy. St. Patrick's Day is very busy, but they have an upstairs room now with views of the water. I grew up in Ireland, the Kells owners grew up in Ireland...... this IS an Irish pub.

• Pros: Beer, people, atmosphere, not a chain restaurant
• Cons: Parking not always easy