Pretty solid spot right in the bustling square around city hall. Pretty solid tap list (didn’t look at bottles). Food was solid as well. Came mid-afternoon on a Friday with my family, and it was a comfortable place to have a few lunch beers with kids in two.

A large, popular bar opposite the city hall and government centre. The Kinsale, like the Asgard in Cambridge (owned by the same people), is billed as an Irish pub. Well, it is quite green, with paint effect marble and diddly diddly music in the background although the buzz of conversation usually drowns out the music. It’s quite foody but also a good place to go just for a drink. There are around 20 beers on tap, many of them local or regional, and about 20 bottles. As in so many stateside bars, there are television screens over the bar with sports programmes being shown. I’m not normally very interested in spectator sports, particularly the American variety as they seem so complicated, but when we were last in the Kinsale I was mesmerised by a programme featuring the improbably named Doug Fister and Madison Bumgarner who were about to play in a Giants v. Tigers baseball match. Only in America! (Last visited 25 October 2012).

The Kinsale has a strip mall Irish pub theme in the middle of downtown Boston. Great location for a beer and a bite before a show at the Orpheum. Always plenty of space to sit without being too crowded. Service is good at the bar with attentive (though not always knowledgeable) service. Beers tend to not rotate very much other than by brewer. Food is good with a solid home made veggie burger. Overall the prices and value are good for downtown Boston. My kids love this place too - which makes it a good choice for everyone.

The Kinsale looks like a traditional Irish pub and indeed is decorated as such, but it’s beer selection belies that label. They’ve always got a few good European beers available, along with some of the better East Coast fare. Food is pretty average: more selection than your basic pub fare, but none of it is excellent.

Had 20 taps and an equal micro/macro bottle list. The taps were mostly micro with a few from the area and New England a few from PA and NY as well. The food looked like decent pub grub and the prices were expensive, but that goes with Boston. Place was bit lots of seating and in the center of the city. The bartenders were OK and the place wasn’t very packed for a Sat night, but it is in the financial district. Outside seating and plenty of TV’s inside as well.

Ok bar. Pretty big setup, old wooden interior, which provides the scenery for an Irish pub I suppose. Came a bit early on the day to get the first thirst-quencher. Only drank some moderate hefeweizen.

I often see American bars described as Irish pubs but I’m not entirely sure what that means. Something different to what we think of as an Irish pub across the Atlantic I suspect. The place is busy but I don’t see anyone drinking Guinness. The guy sitting at the bar next to me has just ordered a Chimay from a bartender wearing a Smuttynose T-shirt. There are about 30 whiskies lined up on the bar back but all Scottish as far as i can see. The tap list runs to about 20 craft brews, local and from further afield (although mainly from the East). Obviously there are better specialist beer bars in Boston but not too much in the central downtown area so I found myself popping in here a few times during my 2 month stay. Enough rotation on the taps to mean no repeats - don’t pay too much information to the tap list on their website by the way as it does not seem to be updated regularly. Lively, buzzy atmosphere, especially with the after-work office crowd. Attentive service. Decent food. I usually sat at the bar and generally found myself striking up a conversation with a neighbour. Overall, a useful spot, if not in the top rank.

I think their beer selection is much better than expected from a pub in downtown Boston. Their beer menu is currently online at: http://www.classicirish.com/pdffiles/kinsalebeer-selections.pdf The food is good and their menus are on their website too. They have TVs showing sports and polite waitstaff. When the weather is nice they have seating outside. Definitely more of an after-work Financial crowd.

Nothing too special about it. An Irish pub in a touristy area of Boston. Nothing special about the beer selection either.