 Make mine a Jameson's! 
Come, And Have The Craic!
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Recommendation added: 15/06/2006 00:51
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +704)dewberry has been thanked 4 times for this contribution
"After eating our fill in Harry Ramsden's, I spotted a little bar in the lobby of The Regent Palace Hotel which I was keen to investigate for some cold refreshment after drinking my body weight in Irish coffee.
Callaghans Irish Bar is brilliant. We visited at around 6pm, intending to just have a quick drink before getting the tube back to our hotel – and ended up calling a taxi at closing time.
Being a hotel bar, Callaghans is quite small but this just adds to the brilliant atmosphere making it feel really cosy with a genuine Irish feel to it. The prominent display behind the bar is Guinness and Irish whiskey memorabilia, and again this is a nice touch lending some Irish authenticity to the bar – this is helped along by the fact that the majority of the staff are Irish!
This is one of those kinds of pub which tends to fill up and get louder as the evening and night wears on, by 10pm the place is packed and there's a lively buzz in the air. There's usually some form of entertainment available at night, which is either a sporting event shown on large televisions or live bands. There was a fantastic band performing during our visit, the name of them escapes me but they did a cracking version of 'I Predict A Riot' and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the charts soon. While the band was on the atmosphere in Callaghans was great; lots of singing and dancing around the closely packed tables with everyone generally having a good time.
I drank Irish whiskey (what else???) chosen from Callaghans wide selection which included my favourite Jameson whiskey – my partner also kept in the spirit by drinking pints of Guinness like it was going out of fashion! Also available is a selection of 'normal' lagers (Carling, Kroenenberg etc.), spirits and local ales. The prices in Callaghans are competitive with other hotel bars, slightly more expensive than high street pub prices but still easily affordable. We spent around six hours in the bar and it cost just over fifty quid, so while not the cheapest night out you could have it's by no means the dearest either.
You can grab a bite to eat in the bar from a limited but very good menu. I had a hot pork sandwich which was absolutely delicious, served with lots of homemade tasting stuffing and a big dollop of apple sauce. You can also choose from a selection of cold sandwiches, pastries and cakes – my partner ate a cheese salad sandwich and he commented on how tasty the cheese was, and he's a fussy eater so this was indeed a compliment to Callaghans! Food is served right up until fifteen minutes before closing time, so perfect for those munchies which come on as soon as you realise the beer's running out.
The staff in Callaghans are both friendly and professional; they know what they're talking about when it comes to the drinks served in the bar and will happily recommend something if you're not sure what to order. I'd also commend the staff in the bar for their cleanliness; Callaghans was kept clean and tidy right up to closing time with staff repeatedly clearing empty glasses from tables, emptying ashtrays and wiping tables down. The few spillages I saw were immediately mopped up and no area of the bar was left looking untidy.
I wouldn't say Callaghans is particularly good for disabled visitors, the bar gets extremely crowded and space is short anyway so anyone needing a wheelchair would be stuck sitting next to either the exit or the toilet which isn't ideal. If you don't mind sitting in these 'out of the way' places then you'll enjoy the atmosphere - and providing you have someone to fight their way to the bar for you! Children aren't allowed in the bar, which makes sense considering much of the clientele seems to be groups of young lads and it can get rowdy.
The toilets in Callaghans are clean and fresh smelling, and oddly (considering what I said above) fully accessible to disabled visitors with low hand driers and roomy cubicles. This room is obviously checked regularly as when I went in the first time there was tissue blocking one of the sinks and this was gone when I went back into the loos five minutes later to do my lippy.
I wouldn't recommend you visit Callaghans by car, as parking is limited and the route through Central London tedious. If you do decide to drive to the bar follow the signs to Central London, then on to Piccadilly Circus. Turn onto Regent Street and then drive down Glasshouse Street, where the hotel is located. If none of the (few) metered parking spaces are available outside the hotel, then you'll need to turn into Brewer Street and use the NCP car park.
Forget it, go by tube. Simply get off at Piccadilly Circus, walk down Regent Street and turn into Glasshouse Lane. It takes five minutes, honestly, and you'll spend much longer than that hunting down a parking space and navigating the heavy Central London traffic. Alternatively catch one of the many buses from all directions to Piccadilly Circus (believe me, most London buses will eventually end up here!) and walk the same route as above. There are a dozen or so buses which will let you off on Regent Street, including numbers 12, 15 and 23 and the walk to the hotel is then only one minute.
Callaghans Irish Bar
Lobby of The Regent Palace Hotel
Glasshouse Street
Piccadilly Circus
London
W1B 5DN
Tel: 0871 2233819"
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