O’Neills Earls Court is a spacious Irish themed chain pub. It doesn’t break any rules as far as originality goes, but it does offer a solid evening’s drinking and eating.

The Venue
O’Neills Earls Court is an Irish theme bar, but rather than attempt to replicate an actual Irish pub it tries to link itself to the Emerald Isle through associated references. Therefore, its walls are festooned with photos of everything from Irish scenery to Bono, as well as fiddles and other knick-knacks. Less than subliminal messages such as Craic and Guinness are painted everywhere you look.

If you are happy to go to a pub that is highly commercial and far from authentic then this is rather pleasant. The main room is large with plenty of seating and there is even a snug with comfy armchairs, sofas and a fireplace. Sadly, there is no real fire in it as you would often find in Ireland. The interior is painted in the warm colours of blood red, mustard yellow and bottle green. There are fruit machines, a quiz machine and a TV, which regularly shows live sport.

The Atmosphere
O’Neills Earls Court is very popular with the after work crowd so its clientele are pretty mixed. Even when its busy the size of the place means that there is little need for jostling and overall the atmosphere buzzes. When sporting events are shown the place becomes rowdier but you can always hide in the snug. The staff are very friendly and polite.

The Food
One of the best reasons to go to O’Neills is the good quality pub food that offers excellent value for money and comes in large and hearty portions. Its varied menu is a cut above that offered by other chains. The Taste of Ireland range is a bargain at £3.50 a dish. You can choose from Celtic fare such as Irish stew or sausages and colcannon. The latter features deliciously creamy mash with cabbage and spring onions and is served with onion gravy. The accompanying sausages are sufficiently meaty and great for soaking up a pint or two.

The main menu has a range of Favourites, which include steak and Guinness pie, lamb shank and burger with chips. O’Neills sources some products from Ireland including mussels direct from Bantry Bay and Bewley’s coffee from Dublin. Prices are very reasonable, ranging from £6-£9. Side dishes, at £2.00 each, include onion rings and garlic ciabatta bread. A Pickers and Starters menu allows you to choose from a range of thirteen dishes at £2.75 each or have a combination of four for £8.95. The nachos and chips are pretty standard but the potato wedges come with an interesting but slightly too salty mushroom sauce.

The vegetarian selection has an above average goats cheese salad with a round of nicely grilled chevre topped with caramelised onion chutney. The salad leaves are straight from a bag but the green beans are deliciously crunchy. A light and crispy treat, accompanied by a pleasingly open-textured soda bread, which costs £5.95. Sandwiches with chips on the side are on offer at £4-£5 with the selection ranging from tuna melt to Irish rump steak, but oddly nothing as simple as a cheese sandwich. You may well not have room for dessert but if you do the somewhat limited menu includes apple pie and waffles. The truffle torte is an especially rich chocolate cake covered in chocolate mousse and a hot chocolate sauce served with Irish cream liqueur ice cream. This boozy, warm and gooey treat will cost you £3.25.

The Drink
O’Neills Earls Court boasts a special chilling technique for its beers, which makes them refreshingly cool on the pallet. Irish essentials such as Guinness and smooth, creamy Caffreys are on tap. Other beers hail from the continent such as Amstel and Peroni whilst Becks and Budweiser come by the bottle. Cider lovers will no doubt be pleased to see both Magners and Bulmers behind the bar or might well be tempted by Brothers Pear Cider with or without strawberry.

The wine list is largely New World but then this is Earls Court. With a choice of six reds and seven whites, a small glass will set you back £2.50-£3.25 with a large glass at around £4.50. Bottles range from £7.95 to £11.95 unless you demand some bubbles in which case a bottle of Champagne will cost you up to £30.00. Helpfully, the wine list includes a unit count so you can keep an eye on your intake. Otherwise you could cut out the booze altogether and try a refreshing fruit spritzer of which the pomegranate and raspberry is a good choice.

The Last Word
As chain pubs go O’Neills is better than average and the Earls Court branch is no exception. A great for a value for money night out.

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