O'Reilly's Pub. Indianapolis, IN

36 South Pennsylvania Street

Guinness Tag: $6.00 | Overall Rating: 6.60

Today's Dedicated Pint: The McNutts

O'Reilly's Irish Pub of Indianapolis' Curb Appeal

You don't find many people giving Indianapolis much love and to be frank, I don't necessarily get it. I've always had a sweet spot for the Crossroads of America and it has some really fun pockets to it, especially if you're going duckpin bowling. Every city has its blemishes and does Indy rank at the top of the Totem Pole for me? No, but it's definitely better than a few other midland cities such as Columbus, OH for example. Anyway, let's chat about the Irish Pub that rests along Pennsylvania Street in the heart of downtown, called O'Reilly's.

If you're heading to or coming back from a Pacers/Fever basketball game then you'll probably pass O'Reilly's, as it sits right across the street from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. We stumbled through the area as the Pacers were hosting the Knicks during the 2025 NBA Conference Finals and sure enough, Pat McAfee was hosting a show on ESPN essentially right out the window from our barstool, it was pretty neat!

O'Reilly's curb appeal has seen better days, but I'm sure it was in its prime about 19 years ago when they opened their doors. When you walk in, you'll notice that it surely appeals to the sports crowd, as there is a plethora of sports decor and TVs all over the place. Some of the signage is pretty unique, but my favorite thing about the Pub's interior is how they mixed the green painted plaster with the exposed brick wall. The colors really pop here. The furniture throughout the place is nicely worn in and comfy, and the bathrooms are kind of what you'd expect: a bit small, a bit polished, and a bit sticky.

When you snag a stool at the bar and look around, for me it feels like something is missing. I'm not sure if it's the amount of space between the bar counter and the liquor shelves, or how the bar seems to be tucked in the back corner of the place, or what, but something kept telling me that the place was incomplete. The bar counter itself is also pretty ugly, made out of that Laminate type of material. Don't get me wrong, I do like just about everything in here. The layout works, the ceiling tiles are worthy of a look, the light fixtures are better than most, and the Crown Moulding is splendid. With all that being said, it's still a "run of the mill" place.

It was incredibly silent the entire visit (about an hour), no music, no TV sound, just the small chatter within the 6 of us at the bar. The patrons are friendly and we had a nice conversation with a local city lawyer who was missing a front tooth. The owner of the place, Joel, came over and talked to us about baseball (he's a White Sox fan). Nice guy.

They pour their Guinness in a 16oz glass which sucks, and the pour itself is average at best. They offer everything you want with their draft beer selections, but their whiskey choices are a bit depressing. I don't typically eat anything wherever I go unless I'm either really hungry, or the place is apparently known for their Reuben. You don't need food to be a good Irish Pub. Although, I can say that my Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and fries here at O'Reilly's scratched me where I itched. If you're looking for an inexpensive snack during the day, then I'll gladly recommend their food.

At the end of the shift, it's obvious that O'Reilly's gets incredibly slammed during the evening, especially when a basketball game is going on. You can find plastic darts and a pool table for when it's not super crowded, and of course; you're going to be surrounded by loud sports fans and light beer. It does a fun job of mixing Ireland with American sports and as much as I'd like to give it a higher rating, I just can't. Kind of like the city of Indianapolis; it's not bad, it's just nowhere near the top.

Thanks for the fun conversations, Joel. Good luck! Slainte.