Locals Exited About New South Bay Nightlife Option
It’s always great when a new bar opens in an area.
First of all, it gives us patrons another place to go to and as any local will tell you, no matter how much fun you have in your local bars, you need to break out of your routine. Change things up a bit.
And so it is now in Hermosa Beach with Mickey McColigan’s, a NEW bar (not just one reconditioned from a previous location) that, upon the Bar Blogger’s first impression, is fun, friendly and a potential long-term hangout.
Mickey McColigan’s, on Hermosa Ave., and 8th Street across from one of the city’s best local bars Barnacles is, first and foremost. is cozy.
It’s long and narrow, but not New York City long and narrow; there’s enough space for elbow room. It has big booths, wood all about and, from what I was told from a reliable source, a solid reuben sandwich, which this person says is his personal test for an Irish bar’s food.
The best attribute is a design feature that has large windows that open up to the street. In an area that, for reason I always fail to comprehend, has far too patios considering the perfect weather, this is going to be a huge selling point on nice days. Locals are already talking about how they will be hanging out there come summer.
Already, fresh after opening, locals have been flocking to it, and that’s a good sign for the future.
I was pleased to see that, among the dozen taps, it’s not all Irish beers, that I could get a Longboard Lager and there’s a good variety, including Shock Top and Goose Island’s 312. It’s 7 bucks for a beer, and $2 off during Happy Hour from 4-6, but if it’s to compete on weekends with American Junkie’s $3 beers, it’s likely going to have to adjust to the competition.
The bar serves beer, wine and champagne (and mimosas) but no hard alcohol.
There are a few small TVs in the bar area so it’s not your sports bar destination.The owners, tho, have another location that is perfectly suited to sports, Shark’s Cove in Manhattan Beach.
That means it’s going to be more focused on music – the live variety of an acoustic guitar may come later in its life but not now – and casual conversation.
I certainly hope it does bring in music. Mickey McColigan’s has the potential to be the lone true Irish bar in the South Bay. We have the names – Hennessey’s, Patrick Molloy’s – but nothing approaching anything like the awesome Auld Dubliner in Long Beach.
Of course, the nerds of the Hermosa Beach City Council won’t dare allow a full band, and even require the place close at midnight.
Once Mickey McColigan’s has been open for a while and locals have had a chance to warm to it and, like a new girlfriend or boyfriend learn its strengths and weaknesses, then PubClub.com will post a full review.
Cheers!
Ugh. My boyfriend and I just ate dinner here. We shared the beet salad and it was great. My boyfriend ordered guiness stew. He loved it, as did I. But I ordered the veggie burger and it may have been one of the most aweful things I have ever ate. Basically a soggy dogfood sandwich. I was so starving I ate a little over a quarter before I realized something was off. I wasnt aware that a veggie burger could go “bad” because it is meatless. But even my boyfriend said it was weird and off. Neither the bun nor the patty were even really cooked. It was truly terrible. I used to be vegetarian for a long time and have eaten my fair share of veggie burgers. May I suggest maybe not mixing it so much and cooking it longer. It was flavorless with a really paste-like texture. I actually got nauseous on the walk home. Either way, the waitress was a doll and really attentive. Food came out really fast “probably because my boyfriend go pre-made soup and they forgot to cook mine” 🙂 im teasing. Its their first week open and I am understanding. I would be open to revisiting sometime in the future, but not until the horrible memory of that veggie sandwich is out of my head. Should have gone with corn beef and cabbage!