Ireland’s Four Fields

Hoity toity toity. $ 6 for a bloody pint? And what in the name a’ all that’s good and holy are «Irish Nachos»? Well, they’ve got Killians Irish Red on tap which isn’t any manner of Irish beer (it’s brewed stateside by the Coors Brewing Company) but I do like a spot a’ Killians on a warm evening. The bloody Guinness is served cold which is an affront to the Holy Church and the Pope himself! The bartender was a wee lass with a nice smile and the savin’ grace of the evening!
Leprechauns stole me hat.

I’ve been here a couple of times and love it! Free darts, reasonably priced beers and lively atmosphere. Particularly last time we went — apparently it was supposed to be their last night and they had booked a special performer — Governor O’Malley! He went up on stage with a group of guys and sang/​played guitar to a bunch of fun songs.
Not every day do you get to see the governor of a state performing on a banjo at the bar. That was really exciting. AND their lease actually was extended for another 6 months so Four Fields is still around! Go there and enjoy it while you can.

This was always one of my favorite Irish Pubs in DC. It has a great atmosphere and great food (as pub food goes). While bar music is always hit or miss, in my experience the bands that play here tend to be towards the top of the curve. Some nights it is packed and loud, some it is pretty quiet. I did meet my wife there, so I could be biased.

I think the only restaurant that I’ve been to that was worse than this was a pizza joint in London. I ended up here after reading a blurb in the paper fearing that a good, independent Irish pub would be replaced by the dreaded McFadden’s. We encountered horrible service, and even worse food. It cost $ 35 ($ 35!!) for a fish and chips, a ruben (with bland, pre-​sliced meat) and a beer. Oh plus the $ 2.50 each they charged us for asking for soda water from the bar. Seriously?
This place going out of business does a favor to the reputation of Cleveland Park’s dining scene. I, for one, bow to welcome McFadden’s. Hell, even McDonald’s.

Go here for the ambiance and the bar. Don’t go here for the food.
I went to the restaurant over the Memorial Day weekend with a group and were surprised that the place was empty on a Friday afternoon. We had bought tickets for the theatre down the block and were killing time at the restaurant. We ordered a variety of meals and seeing that they had a Reuben on the menu and we were in an Irish restaurant, I figured it would be a good bet. I was wrong.
The reuben was made with, what tasted like, corned beef from a package. Like the kind you get at the grocery store. It was flavorless and tough and just was bad. It seemed that the rest of the party was not impressed with their food either.
Since we were the only people in the restaurant, besides the regulars at the bar, we decided to kill some more time to utilize the game room. We were able to play darts and foosball for about an hour at no additional cost. For me, that is what made the restaurant worthwhile.
They have outdoor seating and it seems like they have some activities to draw the customers into the restaurant. I would go back for trivia night or to play some games. I would not go back for the food.

It’s a perfectly mediocre Irish bar. I was here on a sunday night recently to catch up with an old colleague and watch the nba finals… for this, it was relatively perfect. Decent beer (though not cheap), good TV viewing, ¾ full bar, overall good crowd.
On the flip side, I was here once last december on a thursday night with the same friend, and the place had issues. Early in the evening, no crowd and two old guys at the corner were asleep at the bar (literally). They looked like regulars and were harmless — I guess they were there to add authenticity. Around 9 pm last year’s graduating classes from St. Albans and NCS roll in, there to do jaeger shots, play quarters and talk about how awesome freshman year at Hamilton is.
You shouldn’t set out to go here, but it’s not the worst place to have a beer or two.

The food isn’t as good as Nanny’s across the street, but the space is bigger and they have outdoor seating. They have a decent beer selection and passable bar fare.
I come here for the trivia night.

This place is fine. The food isn’t as good as Nanny’s across the street and the service is just as slow. However, the trivia is fun and I like the staff. Plus, it’s big and roomy.
On the other hand, it’s less homey feeling than Nanny O’Brien’s and Nanny’s has a better beer selection.

After not being able to find a table at Zoo Bar, we were faced with the question of where to go to pound some brewdogs. Deciding that since we were already on the side of the road of Ireland’s Four Fields, we would choose there over Cleveland Park Bar and Grill. Upon entering, I noticed the spacious surroundings, Irish flair on the wall, and a small room with darts in the back. There are several large TVs showing sports. We sat down at a large table in front of the stage. Being a Saturday night, they had an Irishman singing contemporary hits, not really the Danny Boy songs usually found in Irish pubs.
The waitress was somewhat attentive, but very stone faced. She did not look to be enjoying her shift, and it affected her service. The real issue was when the check came. I’m fairly used to DC pricing at bars, but $ 7 for a Shocktop seems excessive for a rundown Irish bar. Nanny O’Briens across the street seems to be a far better value, probably explaining the line to get in, while Four Fields was not at capacity.
I’ll look to other options next time in Cleveland Park. Ireland’s Four Fields is definitely the worst of the local options.

Went the other night for an event hosted by American University. We had arrived early and grabbed a table in the corner. Waited 20 minutes for service, not getting any I went to the bar and got two drinks and headed back to the table… hoping someone eventually check and see if we wanted something to eat, as EVERY table around us was getting wait service. After an hour and a half of sitting at the table and being incredibly disappointed that no one was waiting on us, we gave up on the table, mingled with a few people and left. Completely disappointed… probably won’t be back.

Let me say, first, that I’m always happy to see nachos on the menu of a purportedly Irish pub. I think that the plight of the displaced Mexican tribes who so long ago wandered confusedly through the rolling green hills of Éire deserves all the culinary tributes that it can get.
I further applaud the clever fusion of cultures that was represented in nachos comprised of waffle fries, melted Velveeta, and slices of jalapeño pepper of indetermininate vintage and origin. It was as if my plate had been transformed from a mere inanimate, chipped porcelain object into a steaming, congealed, garishly hued-​metaphor for cultural understanding and tolerance.
You could have stopped there. Or at the Guiness Stew that came so thoughtfully accessorized by Irish bread from Brendan Behan’s personal stash, and that led me on a treasure hunt for errant scraps of Campbell’s Soup label. Instead, you outdid yourselves with an ingenious feat of event planning, having booked a local church’s «Theology on Tap» meeting in the main area of the restaurant. Indeed, we had not remotely expected to have our planned evening of profane beer-​drinkery so surreptitiously enhanced by spiritual discourse — particularly having called your restaurant in advance to inquire about any events that night. Please attribute our swift departure to our being overcome with divine inspiration to, well, get the hell out of there. No pun intended, of course.

For Cleveland Park, it’s an ok bar. I came here for trivia recently, and was underwhelmed.
Food: A little on the pricey side for an Irish pub (9 bucks for a veggies and dip appetizer? Really?)
Music: Not great — the same songs were played twice in a 3 hour period. I mean, do you really have nothing else to play?
Trivia: Concept itself is a good one, but lots of people were using iPhones and such which takes the air out of it (at least, for me it does).
Come here if you MUST, but don’t expect to be wowed.

I’ve been here twice, but my experiences have been so terrible I don’t plan on coming back. The first time, I went with a small group. Service was horrible — as an ex-​waitress, this really matters to me — and the food was nothing special.
Second time… whoa boy. Went with a huge group last month. Some of us asked to sit at the bar, while some mosey-​ed over to sit at a table and eat dinner. They wouldn’t let us pay for our drinks (and tip) then sit at the table, even though all we wanted was the one drink, so we had to stay at the bar.
Then, they threw us a 20% group gratuity, even though most of the «group» was at the bar. Only four people sat at the table, received dining service, and ate dinner. How does that qualify for «group» gratuity? The waiter paid no attention to them most of the time, and had to be flagged down whenever my friends wanted to order a beer or get a refill (even though we were one of two tables in the restaurant). Most of the time he forgot to bring them over. Which is why the 20% gratuity got us revved up — even though, as a group of ex-​waiters, we would have tipped heartily anyway. On top of that, although we had asked for separate checks for the bar group and the table group, they not only put all the charges for the two groups together, then somehow things we had not ordered were on the bill! When we inquired, the manager insisted we had ordered it.
All in all, a horrible experience. Our spirits were all dampened, and what was meant as a fun night out turned into a downer. We paid and GTFO.
Also, most people I know who have worked there have quit within weeks, citing a sucky work experience and unpleasant bosses. If you won’t treat your workers right, chances are you won’t treat your customers right. So a hint to management — work on that.

I’ve always wondered why 4Ps (its proper title) is so popular. When I first moved to NW DC, and told people I hadn’t been to the 4Ps, it was treated as some sort of sacrilege. It was like I was telling them I’d never been to the movies. But many visits later, I’ve yet to learn why this place is always so crowded.
Sure, I get some of the appeal. It’s convenient. It’s big, and therefore good for large groups. It’s Irish. Very Irish. 4Ps has the usual suspects for draft beer, but the food is mediocre, and the wait at the bar is usually frustratingly long.
It does have an old-​school jukebox (a huge plus for me), but they stocked it with a bunch of old Irish folk songs. And then, when you do a lot of searching to select a short but killer playlist, the band comes out and they turn off the jukebox, leaving your songs in some netherworld never to return.
And when I say band, let me clarify that this usually means some well-​meaning Gentleman plaintively strumming on his acoustic guitar playing into a microphone turned up way, way too loud, and of course, singing bad Irish folk songs.
They do have a Trivia Night, also usually a big plus, but it’s the worst in the city. They hand out a (admittedly difficult and well-​crafted) questionnaire and well… that’s it. You have 90 minutes to sit there with your table and answer as many as you can. There’s no interactive emcee, no jokes, no different rounds, no score updates, no funny team names. Why they thought it would be a good idea to have Trivia Night resemble taking the bar exam, except with beer and your friends, I don’t know. And if you think that sounds fun, you’ve obviously never taken the bar exam.

Earlier this evening, I would’ve given this place 4 stars based on the last 9 years of coming here.
And then there was tonight.
I can’t even talk about it.
We were playing darts.
There was a racist self-​entitled drunk customer.
And the owner backed him up when he got out of hand.
So henceforth, I will not be coming back.

I love 4 Fields (4 P’s, whatever it is called now) for trivia. I first discovered this place back in 2003 when I was doing an internship in D.C. for a few months. I have compared all subsequent pub/​bar trivia nights I’ve been to to the Four Fields.
I’ll admit the format wouldn’t work in just any location — it is several pages long, really challenging, and not just dumb pop culture stuff. I have been here with a half a dozen college and graduate students and still only gotten half the questions right. Frank, the owner, creates the quizzes each week and there are several varieties of questions, so it really makes your head spin.
Anyway, in addition to thinking the trivia is kick ass, I like the vibe here. You can tell there are a ton of regulars but that never stops Frank from including everyone regardless. I hate those snobby places that only cater to the regulars — this is not one of those places. The beer prices are comparable and there are a ton of tables. Overall, a very friendly place to be!

The best part of 4P’s is that some drunk girl always decide she can Riverdance — and clears the dance floor to prove it. This happens every time, without fail.
But really — 4Ps is awesome. The beer is relatively inexpensive (but they’ve got good stuff for more, if you want it) and the atmosphere can’t be beat — friendly, fun, laid back. They have darts (for free!) & almost always have live music. The food is so-​so, but if you’re just looking for bar food, they’ve got it. Oh, & potatoes. Lotsa potatoes. What did you expect from an Irish joint?!
Also: Anyone who’d choose Nanny O’Brien’s (across the street) over 4P’s is seriously lacking in Irish drinking judgment. 4P’s is the best of the bunch!

3.75 Stars
Ireland’s Four Fields (previously known as Ireland’s Four Provinces, or the 4 Ps), is your quintessential «Irish» pub and the benchmark against which other DC Irish bars are measured.
Guiness in proper Imperial Pint glasses? Check.
Guiness poured properly (double pour)? Check.
Vintage Guiness posters on the walls? Check.
Irish whiskey? Check.
Corned beef and cabbage and fish and chips on the menu? Check. Live «Irish» music? Check.
Darts? Check.
With 17 taps, the draft selection here is better than your average Irish Pub (mostly AHB-​Inbev products.) It won’t rock your world, but it is good fun for a night out with friends. Caveat: although it’s pretty big, it can get pretty crowded and rowdy in here on weekends.

Service is awful. Even if you sit down and order just a pitcher of beer, expect to wait 15 minutes for it to come out. And double that for food.
I’m over places that charge $ 9 for standard bar fare appetizers that are likely not even cooked on site and are merely re-​heated frozen food aisle in the grocery store level kind of food. But eventually I got the munchies and caved in and ordered some «Irish Nachos». Worst purchase ever. The fries were soggy, not crispy, and the cheese on them tasted like Cheez Wiz. Don’t waste your time or money here.
They have a nice large screen for march madness but it is only visible from half of the seating area. Also, they brought out folding chairs and tables, although it seemed as though it was still a normal setup. Very strange. Not a fan. Won’t be back.

My waldorf salad was actually pretty tasty. The dressing tasted like the «wet walnuts» from old school TCBY yogurt. The outdoor patio was nice and relaxed, especially for a Friday night — perhaps Labor Day weekend took people out of the city. The wheat beer was good. Prices were fine. I didn’t like the crowd inside (midwestern all-​white fratty types), and the bathroom was gross-​ish.
I will also note here that Cleveland Park deserves more credit as a nice alternative, for the 30-​something set, to AdMo and lower DuPont. CP had a nice relaxed pace with plenty of stuff open at midnight!