Kitty O'Shea's

Kitty O'Shea's, run by Irishman Danny McFadden, was originally near the Court House Metro station. Billed as "An Irish Sports Bar," it was a destination for weekend soccer viewing and a reliable place to drink on weekends when you didn't feel like dealing with the Clarendon mob scene. But after a legal battle with his landlord resulted in the pub's closure late in 2011, McFadden moved Kitty's into the Murphy's Law bar on Wisconsin Avenue.

Despite the handful of flat screens and the Capitals and D.C. United banners on display - and Sunday's Super Bowl party, with $5 burgers and fries and beers for $3 to $4 - this Kitty O'Shea's is mostly a low-key hangout for neighborhood folks. A sample scene at a weeknight happy hour: About 20 percent of the tables were occupied, with three silver-haired couples and two all-male groups chowing down on burgers and beers. Three people were at the bar: me, an American University grad student with a textbook and a beer, and a friend of the bartender's, joking about how he's in every night.

Outside of a wooden bar, some Guinness taps and the banner of the Civil War's Irish Brigade, the mirrors-and-tiled-floor decor is more fast-food joint than Irish pub. But the fish and chips are good, the huge Angus burger (topped with an Irish whiskey barbecue sauce, cheese and bacon) is delectable, and there's always the Monday night pub quiz. If you want a quiet place to hang out - or just watch the game - Kitty's fits the bill.

-- Fritz Hahn (Feb. 3, 2012)