Brian Ború

After visiting Ireland, I’ve had an intense Irish itch that can only be relieved if I am around the culture. I was on a mission when I returned to the States to find a place that played live Irish music. Brian Boru came to the rescue.
Attended the Sunday Irish Session and loved it. Came with a group of 4, ordered fish and chips (very fresh fish) with a Guinness (great pour) and simply enjoyed the ambience.
I only have one complaint — whoever is washing/​drying the dishes — please please PLEASE change the rag. My Guinness glass smelled like a moldy wet sponge. You know that smell — when the sponge/​rag is old and wet and you definitely need to toss it. Well, they definitely needed to toss whatever sponge/​rag they were using to clean the glasses. We asked the waitress if she could get us new glasses, she sniffed the glass, realized the smell, and apologized. However, the new set of glasses came with the funky smell because they used the same wet smelly rag to clean them. Normally I would drop a star for something like this — I couldn’t enjoy my Guinness (big no no) because of the smell. For the sake of the Irish music, and finishing my Guinness I simply held my breath with each gulp. It worked out fine.
I definitely want to come back to Brian Boru for their Irish Jam session again. I would love it if they served the traditional Irish Breakfast — that would make this place complete for me honestly. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers. I’m looking forward to being a regular here in the summer. The outside patio is quite lovely!

All around good service and food was great! Until I nearly choked to death on a piece of bacon! We had a very attractive young waiter named Justin. He was very excellent and a little persistent on making me get that god damn bacon on my burger as well as trying to steal our food. All around good experience the manmosa was pretty delicious up until my diabetes started to act up! Will be a repeat customer! Ps the glory hole in the bathroom is way to small, will have to readjust that in future renovations!

Me and my buddy went to a show at the Cross Insurance Arena. Not a sip of alcohol in me and the bouncer looked at us and said we were too drunk to enter. Your establishment needs better personal with better judgement.

Stopped in for a pint after the hockey game. Place gets a big rush after events at the arena in sure. Comedy upstairs but we hung out at the downstairs bar.
Our bartender was courteous and didn’t mind making my wife a hot toddy. I enjoyed a Guinness. This was a one and done visit but will stay longer next time.

Show up at 12:30 for brunch on a Sunday and you cannot have corned beef hash because they ran out. Also for brunch the only items that are available are the breakfast and the items that have the little crown next to them. The bloody mary is pure tomato juice, no flavor = you get what you pay for. Also in the winter do not sit upstairs there is no heat except the meager little that rises. DON’T even ask me about our server, I think that she should have called out. Sadly this was my first and will be my last visit.

For an authentic Old Port experience, this non-​Corporate low frills bar is for you. Decent but not amazing beer selection. Drink specials geared towards the 420 type crowd. All-​around laid back, the fries are surprisingly good but don’t be tempted to try the awful gravy. The stew was also surprisingly good. I like the place more off-​season, summer is hot, musty, dank and sticky in a bad way, and Loud somehow deafening even if there are only like ten people in sight. The music, always bad. The service, indifferent to mediocre usually. Can’t beat that location, though, and all this said, I kinda have enough redneck in me to like a never quite clean, working man’s bar like Boru.

This is a great place for a first drink of the night! Live music on the weekends, which makes for a really LOUD bar, but head outside (either ground floor of back deck) for a more relaxed feel.
Recommended cocktails:
Russian tour bus
the grateful dead
I’m truthfully not exactly sure what either of these contain, but they’re both delicious and highly alcoholic.
This is simply a great meeting point for a group of friends. No frills here, this is an Irish pub. Worth a visit in the evening to see and be seen.
Smaller bathrooms, not very clean.

Brian Ború, named after the famous Irish king, is pretty cool.
Not my favorite bar in town but definitely a standard and better than most so-​called «Irish Bars.» Hard to miss, the bar is painted red and is decorated with a huge Guinness beer toucan. Two floors and outdoor areas, but the place still gets busy. My favorite part is that you can find the occasional celtic band jamming out or just casually gather with some friends. The dress code is informal. Full bar. If you’re looking for a truly QUICK drink and it’s not too busy this spot can accommodate since the bar is steps away from the door. In fact, this summer I’ve been in a handful of times on my way to the Maine State Pier just to grab that fast pre-​concert drink.

Beer selection was mediocre. There was a party at the time upstairs so I wasn’t able to check out the entire joint. Will go back. Definitely worth a second look.

Great local pub, excellent selection of typical Irish libations as well as local beers. Refreshing change from the many Old Port bars that seem to be geared toward the young crowd. Full spectrum of patrons makes it fun and interesting. Food is excellent, staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The fact that local brewers can be seen here when they go out for a pint speaks volumes. Happy hour specials daily.

Pretty typical American Irish bar: Guinness on tap, Irish decorations everywhere. Once you walk in you can either head directly upstairs (usually more space to stretch out) or deal with the maddening crowds downstairs. The upstairs bar is usually open, but every once in a while you need to lug a few pints up the stairs, which gets harder and harder the deeper into the night it gets. The seating on either floor are picnic tables.
Props for the outside roof bar and the cool red paint job on the outside. Was one of the staple bars I would go on a typical weekend night during college. My 37 year old sensibilities would never tolerate the crush of 22-​year olds they get on a Saturday night, however.
The highlight for me is the music. They usually have really decent local bands playing upstairs throughout the week. They also have Irish musicians playing on… Sundays?

This pub is great for entertainment on Sunday with local irish musicians gathering in the back to jam and play traditional irish folk songs! Any other day it’s truly a locals bar/​pub with sceensters and locals drinking and being load.-
The Food menu is bland and they try to put a twist on your standard irish fare pub food– burgers, fries and all that– but it falls short –greasy and tasteless –that is if you can actually get a server to wait on you — then you scored-​but in my experience — which i’ve tryed several time on differnt days of the week –prepared to wait for a while for your food and drinks unless of course your a frequent flyer of the place … apparently that’s the only way you get anyone to pay attention to you?

Tried the food recently and it was pretty delicious… a mid-​day locally-​made bangers and mash for $ 12, plus a ‘Nutty Irishman’ spiked coffee and a lovely waitress, made for a great afternoon. Come for the Irish Sesiun, tasty Irish pub food, and great pints.

Awesome food, awesome service! We had the Veggie Burger with side salad! Yummy! The blue cheese dressing was so good. If we are ever back in Portland we will definitely hit this place up again.

Triva nights rock or at least they did… I don’t know anymore since I have stopped going
About a year or so ago (before the new guy took over) I went in with some friends for the ustairs triva night. On a whim, I tracked down and assembled a top notch team. Everyone brushed up on a subject: geogaphy, history, anatomy. Your’s truly had just learned the Greek alphabet.
We arrived two hours before trivia was set to start so we could claim a table. Everyone ordered food (5 of us) and ordered lots of drinks.
Half an hour before the start of trivia a blonde girl came up to us and said «you are in our seat». Having been here for trivia before, I know that there is no assigned seating and that tables are first come first serve. The thing that most upset us was how bitchy this girl was acting. We explained to the girl that we had been holding the table for trivia and that we had spent over $ 100 on food and drinks at that point. Restaurant and bar rules are that the table is yours as long as you keep eating and drinking.
Five minutes later a waitress came over and told us that we had to give up the table for the other team!?! If there was an event or something that changed the way things normally work, than we should have been told!
We were rudly and hastily kicked out. I didn’t even get to finish my last beer. By this point the upstairs and downstairs were packed and there was no room for us anywhere.
This place burned all of us and we haven’t been back since, which sucks since we really did enjoy going.
They have good food and drink. The upstairs outside deck allows smoking and is awesome.

Five stars for the awesome waitstaff and the «hangover» was the best bloody mary I’ve ever had (sorry Dad). The value was great: five dollars for a bloody mary with a slider. We ordered the potato skins since I was pretty certain I would fall over from the booze in the «hangover» if I didn’t eat. The skins were yummy and stuffed. The waitress slipped on a step coming up and gave us the survivors that stayed on the plate and a whole new order. Thank you. We enjoyed the upper patio where we could see the harbor and views of Portland. Slightly dirty tables, but who cares when drinks are $ 5.00 with outdoor seating. My only regret, being a light weight and only able to have one «Hangover.»

Bloody Mary’s with sliders for brunch!!! DO IT!
All the food was great. Walked in and got sat immediately while the «popular» breakfast place down the block had a 2 hour wait.

Good food, location and great staff (some are actually Irish!).
Another old favorite that I’m glad is still around.

Great view on the rooftop bar, that’s how we ended up here. Stayed for a few drinks and caught a nice breeze. The upstairs bar had quick service and the prices were reasonable. Local beers on tap as well as the standard domestic and foreign choices. Didn’t try the food but the other reviews seem to give it a thumbs up.

Cool place– hipster vibe. Great location to downtown. Music on the weekends. Upstairs bartender was quick and friendly. The tables are long with bench seating (so you may have to share with other peeps). A group of us ordered appetizers– pulled pork nachos, buffalo wings, and fries. All 3 were yummy! Prices were reasonable. Will definitely be back. :)

What a great spot for brunch. Unlike more hoity toity spots, this Irish pub is very casual, sit anywhere you want, the menu is small but varied.
We started off with the Hangover Destroyer — Strong bloody Mary topped with a cheese slider, for $ 5…pretty awesome.
I had the vegetable breakfast, it was actually quite delicious; fried mushrooms, peppers, over potatoes and topped with 2 perfect eggs, it was extremely filling and tasty.
Everyone seemed to like the place, it was great!

We came here for the irish music and late brunch on Sunday, not knowing what to expect of any of it.
Probably the best burger+fries plate I have ever had, though I honestly recommend sharing, given the portion size.
Drinks are cheap, music is FANTASTIC.
Our waitress was not friendly, but she was ON TOP of everything. She was serving all 50 – 100 people in there, and she got everything spot on (yes, without writing anything down).
Prepare to share your table! This is not an intimate place, this is a pretty rowdy bar, though tons of people brought their kids.