Kildare’s gives patrons a taste of the Emerald Isle

By Carrie Caine
Collegian Staff
April 5, 2006

With a great location on Main Street in Manayunk and a wide array of meal choices, Kildare’s Irish Pub affords an enjoyable meal at a reasonable cost for college students.

Many La Salle students might be familiar with this nearby establishment for the fun bar atmosphere that it provides, but the meals at this pub have the warm heartiness of Irish cuisine, with thick soups and an array of boxty’s, a traditional dish with different fillings rolled in a potato pancake (not unlike a heavier
version of the French crepe).

While Kildare’s appetizer menu includes a few different tantalizing dips, lots of fish-based dishes and favorites like wings and nachos, the soups here have the same rich thickness as those in Ireland. Rather than having salty broth bases, many of the soups have a heavier texture and a heartier flavor. Kildare’s special, a tomato basil blend, was particularly creamy and delicious.

The restaurant’s salads go far beyond the typical Caesar and house options, with varieties that include warm goat cheese, grilled salmon with citrus mayonnaise and honey-tarragon glazed chicken. In case these aren’t wild enough for your taste buds, you can add on toppings like portabella mushrooms and ale-battered oysters.

Sandwiches here include burgers, crab cakes and grilled tuna. The Irish Ploughman, which has cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, portabella mushroom, tomato, lettuce and herb cream cheese is particularly delicious. Diners can also build their own sandwiches from a number of options, including brie and sun-dried tomato pesto. The chips that come with many of the sandwiches were reminiscent of cardboard, but the fries were crispy and nicely seasoned.

Entrees also include Irish favorites such as bangers (Irish sausages) and mash (potatoes), shepherd’s pie and Guinness beef stew. Many salmon and tuna dishes pepper the menu, but other meats such as a rack of lamb and pork chops are also served. Boxty variations include a Philly cheesesteak with onions, mushrooms and provolone, and salmon with asparagus, red peppers and a mustard sauce.

With two levels and a roomy interior, our table was in a comfortable location with a few other nearby diners, but was in no way crowded, even though we ate there on a Saturday evening. With an interior of almost entirely wood and many of the tables semicircular booths, the restaurant felt warm and inviting. A retirement party in the bar adjacent to our room got a bit noisy at times, but also brought energy to the otherwise quiet restaurant.

The location in Manayunk lists a number of specials, including a 15-minute lunch, happy hours Monday through Friday, and 25-cent wings on Fridays. Additionally, Kildare’s has locations in Media, King of Prussia and West Chester in case you can’t get there in the few remaining weeks of the semester. It’s a pretty great alternative to the standard Applebee’s experience that La Salle students seem to fall back on so much.

cainec1@lasalle.edu