During our recent trip to Kansas City, the weather was almost unbearably hot. Walking around the Plaza area one very hot afternoon, we came across a little Irish pub called O'Dowd's Little Dublin. Cindy suggested that we go in and get a beer. Well, anytime that she suggests to go get a beer, I can't say no.
O'Dowd's is at the corner of Pennsylvania and Nichols Road in the Plaza (see map). Even though the exterior remains true to the Spanish architecture found in the Plaza area, the dark walnut panels on the outside of O'Dowd's immediately gives it a warm, inviting appeal.
O'Dowd's has been in business since 1996. The interior woodwork, cabinets and many of the signs on their walls came from Ireland. It really has an "old country" feel to the place.
Cindy and I both grabbed a beer and headed for one of the window seats looking out into the Plaza. O'Dowd's has a rooftop beer garden that is one of the more popular places to be most of the time. But with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, there was no way we were going to go upstairs and outside the air conditioning to have a beer that would turn warm inside 3 minutes.
We checked out their menu (it was around 4:30 and we weren't going to eat there) and it's typical Irish bar food. But it looked damn good. They have a long list of appetizers and sandwiches, and they also have a number of good Irish entrees including Shepherd's Pie, Irish Stew and corned beef and cabbage.
Their beer selection was wide and varied, but typical of most Irish bars in America. But they did have a large number of Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky to choose from. I thought it would be a great place to come back to for a nightcap.
Our visit was a little tense, however, as a couple seated near us was having a family argument, and it ended with the guy storming out of the bar. As we watched him stomp across the street, the guy had his cell phone to his ear. I remarked to Cindy, "I think he's getting a hold of his divorce lawyer." We felt bad for the lady. She just sat there looking out of the window with tears in her eyes. I almost thought about buying her a drink. But, it was probably best to not get involved.
All in all - other than the marital blow-up we witnessed - O'Dowd's is a neat little place to get a beer and a nice meal. They've opened a second location in far north Kansas City at the new Zona Rosa mall, but I'm sure it doesn't have the warm, comfortable feeling as the original O'Dowd's in the Plaza.
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