Anyone longing for an escape to the rolling green hills of Ireland, but can't afford the time or expense of the trip, can take refuge in Ri Ra Irish Pub uptown. The pub offers a taste of Irish culture without breaking the bank.
The pub has a lavish entrance behind its black and gold exterior. Directly inside is a grand staircase that creaks and breathes under the weight of patrons. Rich mahogany paneling butts up to thick crown molding and the walls sport gold-framed paintings of old soldiers. Gold details on the ceilings are accented by oversized iron chandeliers that look as if their sheer size would pull the plaster down on bar goers. High-top tables, some with green leather benches, line one side of the establishment and are broken up by a rustic rock fireplace. Irish music plays in the background.
In the dark bar on a recent night, one feature that stood out to me was the statue of a priest behind and slightly above the bar. Arms outstretched and bathed in multicolored light reflected from liquor bottles, he gazed down on the bartender and patrons perched on stools at the busy bar.
This was my second time to Ri Ra. I had been told the bar had one of the best lunches in town, so I stopped by; the menu includes Shepherd's pie and hearty sausages (the bar serves food late into the night). By late afternoon, businessmen flooded bar stools for an after-work pint.
Later in the week took friends along to check out the evening crowd. At night, Ri Ra caters to an eclectic blend of young and old, but most are there for the same reason - a cold Guinness.
Ri Ra Irish Pub
208 North Tryon St.
Charlotte, N.C., 28202
704-333-28202
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32 comments:
I think you meant stared, not "starred."
I think you're also correct that to really review it, you should've tried the traditional eats of an Irish pub, it's what makes it an Irish pub.
I do enjoy your writing, but the blog, in general, is almost negligible. These places are new to you because you just from graduated college and started your life here, but many of them are places people in Charlotte have been going for years. I guess it's better for those who are just getting familiar with the scene or looking to branch out from their norm?
It would be great to see some bars on here that are a little more unique, like Comet Grill and Moosehead. Those are true Charlotte establishments.
*just graduated from
Gotta get out of the Downtown/University rut. If those 2 areas were all I knew of the Charlotte bar scene, I would've packed my bags years ago.
I just love wanna-be editors who leave lame comments that include grammatical errors. Get a life...The CO is not going to hire you.
Agreed on commenting on errors - appreciate the correction of the error only to make an error in your comment.
*nice*
Why isn't there any review of the food? All the writer says is what she ordered. I would love to see SOME type of constructive criticism in these reviews...apparently all the bars reviewed so far are just fantastic. Nothing negative to say. How can you trust a review like that?
The statue of that "priest" - would it be St. Patrick?
1000-1 the author has no clue the "Priest" she mentions in the article is a depiction of St. Patrick..."recent grad" from Appie says it all...
IDEA: get an adult to read these things over before you post them. St. Patrick is pretty recognizable and synonymous with Ireland, you know.
Unfortunately, I would have to agree with the first comment that being new to town limits your viewpoint on these establishments that many locals are passionate about. Charlotte is blessed to have a wide variety of unique neighborhoods, each with their own culture and personality and it can take time living here to appreciate each of them.
In this article, you beautifully described the interior of RiRas, but you failed to point out that the it was built in Ireland and then reassembled here in Charlotte. Another key part of this bar's history was that it suffered a devastating fire in 2009 and was closed for 9 months. Many pieces of the interior were restored by the co-owner himself, Ciaran Sheehan.
It was also overlooked that many of the employees at RiRa are Irish! I am sure their stories of what led them to Charlotte would provide a great human interest angle.
Finally, as others have pointed out, you failed to focus on the food served here and the accompanying sandwich bar, which is the main draw for lunch on weekdays in Uptown.
Sadly, the editor of this blog should have a better understanding of the Charlotte restaurant/bar industry and recognize that an elementary blog about "who's in the crowd" and "bar fights" is not what readers are looking for.
Bri said it best. A blog about Charlotte establishments is best written by someone with a little better knowledge of the area, and reporting in general.
At least the first commenter has sense enough to correct his or her grammatical errors. I understand that many people type faster than they think, but those commenting aren't getting paid and published for doing it. Not to mention the person told her they enjoyed the blog as a whole.
C'mon... the priest gazing down... this is some kind of joke, right?
A little too much fluff and not enough what people really want to know. Girl, please tell me that you did know it was St Patrick????!!!
So the name of this blog is really "30 White Yuppie Bars in 30 Days" then, is it?
I think TGI Friday's is the subject of tomorrow's blog...
I wish I could be as mediocre at my job as the author is at her's...
Can't wait for her to hit the Cabaret and Paper Doll.....
To everyone who keeps suggesting Moosehead. Please don't.
It's one of the few places in this town I can tolerate, along with that one up by UNCC with the Saucers on the wall.
A "COLD" Guinness?? REALLY?? I sure hope not.....
Uh, remind me... how many years has Ri Ra been there? If we don't know about it yet, we haven't been looking!
Its a chain!
If I were this chick I would call App State and ask for a refund or a do-over.
Imagine a statue of a priest wearing green in an Irish bar. What are the chances?!
Things I know about Ri Ra after reading this writeup:
1. There's a priest statue
2. Businessmen have lunch there
3. They have Guinness
Superb writing!
These reviews are some of the worst writing I've ever seen, but the comments sections are pure gold. Keep 'em coming!
Gotta love anonymous morons leaving anonymous moron like comments. Hey, I can do it too!
Oy vey. A priest statue.
The blog is irrelevant. The comments are amazing.
The Observer is letting me down. Thank goodness the CO still has great writers like Tommy Tomlinson.
The blog sucks, but this chick is kind of nice looking. At least she has ONE thing going for her.
Holy St. Patrick I just went to this amazing new Irish Pub called Bennigan's. I had a shot that you dropped this shot glass of Bailey's & something called Jameson's into a Guinness. This will be the next "new thing"
I've noticed that all your photos seem to have a "hazey" look to them. I think you need to clean the lens on your camera, probably a smudge or finger print on it. Just a tip.
Hmm the Charlotte John blog is probably more entertaining. Same idea..but a little different take.
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