Ceili's Irish Pub and Restaurant (Richmond)

Where to begin?  Ceili's is a small chain of Irish pubs with locations in the Vancouver and Calgary area.  They just sort of exploded on to the scene without much warning over the past two or three years; though I must say, they're proving highly popular.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about Ceili's.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First of all, I'm uncomfortable with chain bars.  I believe that pubs, like beers, tend to best when they're small and locally owned.  Managers of small places thus have the ability to make each place unique and special.  Chain bars tend to have orders from a head office to make sure everything is exactly a certain way.  Bars, like beers lose something when they're focus grouped to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.  That's not to say there aren't exceptions (The Heather Group), but I don't like an experience that can be duplicated exactly all the world over.  My second big complaint is that it's like someone was trying to make Irish Pub in a can.  From the sign explaining the word "craic" to the large sculpture of the famous Guinness Pelican.  It just feels like someone was trying a bit too hard to distill Irishness into a form that could then be hung on the walls.  And I don't care what anyone says, an Irish pub with a dj is just weird.

However, I don't want to come off as too negative.  The whole point of this website is to create something of a database of places in the city people can go to relax.  Despite a few things that got my back up, Ceili's does have quite a lot going for it.  It's got a great beer list.  It's a little light on the local micros, but has some great imports (Innis & Gunn!) Plus, any place that has more than 15 beers on tap can't be that bad.  The food's also great.  We had delicious nachos that didn't turn into a blob of soggy chips and cheese like they do at so many other places, and I had to restrain myself from stealing the wings from the table next to us.  They smelled so good!  Ceili's also manages to keep its price point reasonable; something which a lot of chain pubs have a problem with.  Anywhere I can get a good pint at a good price is alright in my book.

Overall, I must admit Ceili's isn't really my cup of tea, but it might well be yours, and if it is, I hope you have a good time.

Sláinte.

Ceili's Irish Pub and Restaurant (Richmond)