Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub

Kells Irish Restaurant & PubKells Irish Restaurant & Pub
Kells Irish Restaurant & PubKells Irish Restaurant & Pub
Bar, Eatery

112 SW 2nd Ave
Portland, Oregon, 97204-3507
United States

(503) 227-4057 | map
kellsirish.com

Monday - Thursday 11:30am - 1:00am
Friday: 11:30am - 2:00am
Saturday: 7:00am - 2:00am
Sunday: 7:00am - 1:00am
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.81
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
27
pDev:
14.17%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by djbreezy:
Photo of djbreezy
Reviewed by djbreezy from Washington

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
I'll start by saying that I don't go here for beer. I don't really think that's where Kells shines. The music on the weekends, and a pub full of people getting piss drunk, is really what gives me my fondest memories.

Although I've been here on the weekdays, the irish music on the weekends, and the lively people, all there to have a good time, make this place a great hangout if you're in the mood.

It's typically very busy on the weekends, and a bit more subdued on the weekdays.

The cigar room downstairs is pretty awesome. It has a good vibe, and it's not musty hot down there. The wi-fi signal even works, which is a good look on the management.

The dining room has a nice atmosphere, and is a bit more relaxing than the bar.
Mar 14, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of eatsluggs
Rated by eatsluggs from Florida

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.25
Relaxed. Not crowded. Be a bit tipsy.
Aug 08, 2020
 
Rated: 2.7 by South2NW from Oregon

Feb 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4.21 by Geoffq from California

Jun 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by chrisjws from California

Apr 27, 2015
Photo of jtcnashua
Rated by jtcnashua from New Hampshire

4.63/5  rDev +21.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Great Irish Pub feel, great beer and wiskey and scotch selection and a cigar room to boot. Nice Kells Smoked Porter to go with a cigar.
Apr 14, 2015
Photo of dpkpr
Rated by dpkpr from Texas

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.25
This is my favorite Irish pub in the U.S. The fish and chips are great. If you are lucky, there will be a surprise serenade by bagpipes.
Jan 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.49 by kamikazeokami from Oregon

Dec 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by NWbyNW_Brew from Washington

Nov 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Weaselbob74 from Illinois

Jul 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by jackmax from Washington

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by tylerstravis from Colorado

Jun 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by VanKieft from Oregon

Mar 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Braz from Washington

Jan 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by fitius5150 from Oregon

Dec 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Adamnimmo from Oregon

Nov 30, 2013
Photo of KDawg
Reviewed by KDawg from Illinois

3.54/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
I came here to watch the Germany/Greece game when I was visiting Portland.

My feelings on the atmosphere are definitely influenced by the good sized crowd. But, it was a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

The quality was decent but nothing amazing. They had a couple of good brews on tap with a lot of irish bar standbys like harp and guiness.

The service was really nice and easy to get a hold of. Even with a packed crowd for the game the bartenders were usually available.

The beers were very reasonably priced as well. This is more a place for me to come back and watch a match at then go out of my way to visit regularly when in town.
Jul 10, 2012
Photo of zhanson88
Reviewed by zhanson88 from California

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
Decided to come here for dinner on a whim while on a trip to Portland. I was not disappointed.

Atmosphere: This was a really cool place. It seemed just a touch (emphasis on a touch) more upscale than a normal pub setting which was interesting. They had some guys come in and do an Irish music show, which was very cool. Good atmosphere.

Quality: The food especially was extremely high quality. No complaints here.

Service: Pretty decent service. It was busy as hell on this particular evening so it wasn't great.

Selection: I'd call it an average selection. They had a couple higher quality craft brews but nothing outrageous. I drank quite a few Ninkasi Total Domination IPAs, which was the highlight of their menu for me.

Food: The food was super. I had the Shepard's Pie and it was amazing. I would come back to Kells just to eat that again. The girlfriend had fish and chips which she thought were very good.

Overall, I'd call the food and atmosphere the highlight more so than the beer. But it was a good place that I would come back to again.
Jul 05, 2011
Photo of welldigger888
Reviewed by welldigger888 from South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4.5
2nd trip to this irish pub, both were great experiences. The atmosphere here was outstanding, old feeling bar, I think 1903. The decor was nice and true to irish pub, the place felt as if it has seen some things.

The quality of the food was very good, as were the beers.

Service was prompt and friendly, and the staff seemed knowledgeable about the food and beers both local and imported.

The only complaint I have was the selection of beer.

The food that we ordered was outstanding.

We ordered during happy hour, so our prices were REAL GOOD. $3 for irish nachos, gorganzola cheese dip & hummus which all had good soda bread fruit crackers pitas & the like.
May 08, 2011
Photo of PurpleCloud
Reviewed by PurpleCloud from Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Went to Kell's with a coworker on a trip to Portland, Oregon. We stopped by Kell's for a couple of drinks but ended up eating dinner and staying for more than a couple of drinks!

The beer selection is average and what you'd expect from your standard American Irish Pub. Our bartender poured a fantastic black and tan (Harp and Guinness for me!). The food was great. I got a pub burger and french fries (fries were fantastic).

Atmosphere was really good. Great bartender who was knowledgeable in the local brews and could talk baseball as well as I! He recommended some good local Oregon brews, which were all fantastic.

Overall, Kell's was your average Irish Pub from the outside, but offered a comfortable and welcoming interior. Dinner was good, drinks were good, and the service was great. Can't ask for much more in a new city! Stop by and check out Kell's while in Portland. If you get a craving for doughnuts, the world famous Voodoo Doughnuts is about a block away and definitely worth the trip!
Apr 16, 2010
Photo of gxm99
Reviewed by gxm99 from Oregon

2.85/5  rDev -25.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2
Went to Kells recently for the first time in a few years when a couple of coworkers and I went out for a late afternoon pint to celebrate a victory. On the plus side, they're open at 3PM, unlike Baileys. However, I thought the beer selection was quite limited, and heavily geared towards bland/macro brews. At $5.50 a regular pint, I was wondering if we'd stumbled into a tourist trap.
And yes, I am including Guinness in the bland/macro category. I've had 2 in the last month, and I am entirely underwhelmed, especially since bars want a premium price for a low alcohol, not very flavorful beer.

The server said they didn't have Kells Lager anymore, though they had Kilkenny. He couldn't describe Kilkenny other than to say it was on nitro. Since none of the other beers on tap were interesting, I tried the Kilkenny, which was smooth but served much too cold.
Mar 08, 2010
Photo of Magpie14
Reviewed by Magpie14 from Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
A: good vibe inside, brick walls, wooden floors, rustic provincial feel. Bar area is a bit small but comfortable and accommodating

Q: decent amount of beers, nothing to brag about. Tried an true Guinness on tap as well as standard Irish beers...blah blah. Cigars are a nice feature. The best part is catching a EPL or Champions League game on.

S: service was good, lady behind the bar sparked a conversation with me straight-away

F: did not try the grub, but it looked like fairly standard pub affair in a American-Irish tradition.

V: good place to check out but not a regular stop for me.
Nov 16, 2008
Photo of jushoppy2beer
Reviewed by jushoppy2beer from Tennessee

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I heard about this being the number one Irish establishment in the country, and I love Irish pubs, so it was a no brainer that I would visit while in this city. I'm glad I did. I'm not sure it's any better than a lot of Irish pubs around the country, but it is a nice place. Nice Saturday crowd watching the soccer games on the big screen, nice old tavern style atmosphere. The food was quite good, and the service was friendly but a bit slow and a bit confused. The standard Irish beers, but some other great craft brews from the region, including Mt. Hood Smoked Porter, a nice Widmer amber ale, a Broken Halo IPA. I tried 'em all. All were good.
Nov 16, 2008
Photo of GJ40
Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
The interior is aged appropriately and feels very genuine. It has exposed brick walls and high ceilings that create a real sense of open space.

They have 10+ on tap including the typical Irish pub offerings (Guinness, Smithwicks, Bass, etc.) and some locals (Widmer, Rogue, etc.). It's not extensive but it'll do. I had the Irish Breakfast and it was good but at $10, not outstanding.

When I'm in Portland, I really enjoy the local breweries like Rogue, Widmer Brothers and Bridgeport but Kell's is a fun place and great for what it is.
Apr 13, 2008
Photo of guitarmage
Reviewed by guitarmage from Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I picked up a Chimay Blue there and enjoyed it along with a live band who played a fusion of contemporary Irish and classic hits, it was a very nice atmosphere. They also have a big scotch selection if you're into that. I'd look for good bands coming through, it made the night.

I also had a Lagavulin 16 which is one of my favorite scotches, it's a great value. The only food I sampled was the fish and chips, but it was really fresh and hot, good flavor. I wish that had better glassware, I had this short of short highball glass for the Chimay, I should've asked for a wine glass.

Good customer base, friendly folks, laid back, a good break from the dance club Portland scene which is too often sickening.
Feb 08, 2007
Photo of zuggy9
Reviewed by zuggy9 from California

4.55/5  rDev +19.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
This is one of my favorite haunts in Portland, near Voodoo Doughnuts. It's a nicely laid out somewhat modern take on an Irish pub. The atmosphere is roomy and homely, and surprisingly not all that rustic. Everything is clean and the quality is excellent, with very polite and friendly staff who are helpful and informative. The food is outstanding, with options such as sweet potatoes and Northwest salmon fish and chips. An excellent selections of beers on tap and they also have some pretty good music too!
Feb 05, 2007
Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub in Portland, OR
Place rating: 3.81 out of 5 with 27 ratings