131 W 33rd Street
Price for a Guinness: $11.00 | Overall Rating: 5.80
It was a rather warm and sunny day in the beginning of fall in which you would think the place would be full of happy patrons being on 33rd street in New York City. Perhaps it's the steep prices or the fact that it rates at about a zero on the coziness scale; Feile was empty and lonely all afternoon. One may say it's a bit ironic being that the name of the place quite literally means "festival" in Gaelic.
It's got a very open layout which includes an incredibly long bar top that can seat many. I can say that I was a bit impressed with some of the architecture behind the bar and in a few spots throughout the place.
One area that was clean and tidy was the bathroom, which is always appreciated. If you're going to be well kept in just one spot, let it be the bathroom.
One frustrating thing about sitting at this bar is that the barstools don't have any backrests. For someone like me who enjoys sipping at one spot for an hour or three, a backrest is always appreciated for people like thee. My barstool even had a screw fall loose while I was popping a squat!
The bartender was a nice lady who gave me a rather warm welcome along with a nice farewell, although, she was from Jersey... All kidding aside, she gave me a below average pour of Guinness for $11.00 in exchange. The bar offers a rather marvelous whiskey selection which is a plus, however, you will be opening your wallet if you decide to partake in the favorited spirits.
A frustrating gripe about the place was how cluttered the bar was with dirty rocks glasses. For a place that wasn't even busy it sure was messy and unorganized behind the bar. Not something I'd prefer to stare at when I don't have anyone beside me to chat with. Speaking of staring at things... they do have a handful of TVs and it appears that they enjoy broadcasting the Premier League, the Seattle Seahawks, and Duke basketball. There is also a jukebox on the wall and when nobody is playing any tunes you can expect a Top 100 mix of songs throughout the day.
Of all the places to choose from when wandering around NYC, this is not one of them. It's the opposite of warm and cozy, the hospitality is bare, and the Craic just isn't there. I typically agree with the statement "you get what ya pay for", although that's not the case at Feile.
I wouldn't recommend the place and if you're walking along 33rd street you're better off going to the Celtic Rail or almost anywhere instead. A 5.80 from me!
Slainte!
A huge slainte to everyone who has entered The Drunken Mallard. Each passing day is one day closer until we raise our glasses again!
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