Blarney Stone

Horrible. This place is creepy and empty cuz it sucks. The smell of shit and pee throughout match the attitudes of the bartender and feminazi manager. They are super rude and disrespectful. Bartender can’t make basic drinks and is ugly. They’re like the failing bar owners you see on Bar Rescue that refuse to be see reality while being complete assholes. Stay away if you’re smart. Imagine Paddy’s Pub… But without the fun.

This is a fun neighborhood bar. I used to go to the Newsroom a lot and since it changed hands, the hole in the wall/​old charm is gone. The old owners also own the Blarney Stone, so I thought I would check it out.
The daytime bartender, Sarah, was very friendly. I didn’t know what I wanted and she was nice enough to make me something special she had concocted on her own. It was fruity and strong, which was just what I needed. After that I switched to some cold beers and hung out with the friendly people sitting at the bar. Everyone was really laid back and we had some good conversation.
At 6, the nighttime bartender came in (John) and he was equally fun. He jumped right into the conversation and it was like hanging with old friends. Eventually, a local band came in to play. I was about to leave and spare my ears, but the singer, Rory, was surprisingly good. He played some great 70’s and 80’s covers and well as some original material. I ended up staying later than I had planned, really enjoying myself.
All in all, if you are looking for a good, local bar, not too fancy and with cheap drinks– I would recommend this place. I will be going back for sure!

Even some dive bar fans could be put off by this place, it’s not for the meek. It’s by my house so I stop by from time to time to play some keno and knock back some PBR. You will belly up with some drifters and hobos that might throw a crazy look every now and again but it adds to experience. The owner Al and bartender KC know how to keep them in line for the most part and appreciate common folk business. But theres also a couple asshole bartenders that blow. So long story short… maybe pack a shank and have fun!

Hole in the wall shot and a beer type bar.
I made this my home base during the St Patrick’s Day parade.
For a $ 2 cover I got access to clean bathrooms, warmth and friendly staff,
They also had limited drink specials and apparently a band was going to play later in the day.
The doorman took our cover and let us wander in and out at will.
Friendly bar staff let us bring in food from outside, as they don’t serve food there.
It’s not fancy, but friendly goes a long way.

This bar used to be ok when Chuck was the bartender/​part owner. Now it is horrible. its dirty, expensive and a very unsavory crowd hangs out there. you are risking a lot going in here — there are some really nasty people hanging around, trying to get a free drink, or thinking about robbing you.

I’d never been to the Blarney Stone, I’d heard of the place & knew I’d seen the sign before but didn’t know where, so when a friend called & said I should come down & join them there I had to embarrass myself & ask where it was. Oddly enough it’s just at the other end of the block from Chez Charlies a bar I’ve visited many times. These two establishments being less than a block apart in proximity are worlds apart in spirit. Charlies is what hipsters refer to as a «dive bar» but the Blarney Stone is TRULY a dive bar. The distinction between the two is the «hip» crowd has come along, for whatever reason, and revived a dying establishment. Filling the place with new life while also scaring away all the sad barflies that used to sit at the bar early in the day & just drink all day. The new replaces the old & everyone can feel like they’re cool because they dig dive bars when all that’s happened is they’ve replaced the characters that made the place a dive to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer hanging with my own kind but you begin to realize after a while that what makes most places «dives» isn’t the décor… most place’s décor isn’t that much different than another, it’s the dedicated, seldom sober clientele. Sure, cleanliness is an element that distinguishes a dive from a more upscale bar but if you have regular customers that have their routines no amount of cleaning is gonna impress anyone.
OK, so I make a visit to the Stone. First off, I’m greeted by several people standing outside because this little area in front is the smoker appointed smoking area. Seeing several people I’m friends with out front we hang there for a few minutes socializing. A few people pass by, a young guy crosses Broadway to bum a cigarette from anyone he can find to give him one, and, before we even walk in, this guy comes out excited & asks if we saw the guy that came out & headed east. No-​one had, & he proceeds to tell us that this guy knocked some guy in the head while he was in the bathroom & snagged his wallet. The police are called & our witness is recognized by the policeman to be in a jazz band the cop had seen a few day earlier. The ambulance arrives & treats our victim. The bar settles back to normal & everything is cool. Safety isn’t really an issue here so much as don’t drink so much that you might make an easy mark for someone passing through. The police weren’t fortunate enough to have caught our wallet thief but at least they were cool enough to recognize a guy for something positive.
The current activity at the Blarney Stone is on Tuesday nights. Someone has apparently understood that they need newer customers at this bar. They now have performances by some of the local garage rock talent. Hosted by The Conquerors, the plan is to have performances by, what is often referred to as the incestuous midtown rock talent. All of these performers have the potential to be the next great band out of Kansas City. While the band you saw two weeks ago may no longer exist, those musicians will most likely perform again in another incantation & it’ll probably start out here. The attraction is that here, you will get to see them at their grittiest & rawest. Who wouldn’t love to say they «saw these guys before they even had a name» when a band finally makes a name for themselves.
I guess what I’m getting at is perhaps, with this young blood on Tuesday nights, this’ll turn into the new «cool» dive bar that everyone’s going to. Two stars for now but if Tuesday’s catch on it could be so much more…

I love dive bars. Especially ones within walking distance of my house. This one, however, is not on my list of must returns. The drinks were expensive for the atmosphere. The bathrooms had a nasty stench much more potent than is dive bar normal. I liked the selection on the jukebox a lot, though. I probably would not return there if my friends didn’t like to go there so much. Pool tables, a dart board and mega-​touch machine provide some entertainment value.

Do you like bathrooms without doors? Do you like getting robbed in the parking lot? Do you like a limited variety of beers and liquors? Then you must love the Blarney Stone!
This place used to be as well known as Chez Charlies for its dart leagues, but the new owner thought it best to piss away all the history of this place and remove all the old dart league championship plaques and paint the walls some clearance aisle green.
In all seriousness, a good friend of mine got robbed at gunpoint here. And the mens room really has no door. It’s tucked away in a corner in the back, but still, this place is bar, not a prison cell.
No food. No great drink specials. No good. Only two doors down is Chez Charlies, a bar that has not forgotten its roots and still has ’45’s in its juke box. I don’t like this place. The only thing Irish about it is its name. You’d be better off buying beer at Gomer’s across the street and drinking at home.