Gaelic Alley Irish Pub — Restaurant in Kannapolis

I travel to Charlotte for work every few months and always build in an extra day or two to visit this pub! This a little gem hidden in the heart of downtown Kannapolis by the train station. The owners did a great job making this as authentic as the pubs I’ve been to around Ireland. The staff is always very friendly and seem to know their drinks. They even have an Irish barman from Galway that has been there since they opened. Try and come when he works on Saturday evenings….so fun to chat with him about everything Irish. They have all the usual Irish favorites on draft including Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Magners. They have a pretty impressive collection of Irish whisky, bourbon and any thing under the sun. But their cocktails!!! They have owners with cocktail knowledge so their seasonal menu never disappoints along with their staples. Unfortunately they don’t have food so either eat before you go or you can bring in outside food.

Pro tip- if this is your first time come early or on an off time so you walk around and check it out, get a seat at the bar and chat up the bartenders. It’s also fun when it’s busy but first timers should see all the special touches to appreciate first!!

From my first visit I have always felt like the staff, regulars and owners are starting to recognize my face and treat me like I’m in my own...

I was very excited when this place opened up. I love a good local pub. However, the four or five times we’ve been in, only once did we get half-way prompt service. We often are waiting by the door to be seated for 3-5 minutes. One visit we sat outside (told the host) and went 15 minutes without service. I went in to the bar to just get drinks directly, and the bartender was very short with me “you have a server that comes outside.” Okayyy- another 5 minutes until we’re acknowledged, only after another group sits down outside. It’s pretty typical to be waiting 10-15 minutes for drinks and service.

Our last visit we waited a few minutes to be seated (inside, in plain view) and after 10 minutes of sitting down, not even being greeted despite seeing 2 different servers walking by and the bartender making eye contact, we just left.

Sitting outside isn’t much of an option if a food truck is there. The Brazilian one they had last weekend had a generator that was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think.

I think we’ll stick to the Kannapolis breweries. The drinks are delicious but overpriced, service has yet to impress us, and the last couple of times the music has been painfully loud. I wish this business well; based on how routinely busy it is, clearly some people have different and better...

The App State Cabarrus County Alumni Chapter worked with Kelly Schmidt to host a handful of viewing parties for App State Football this past Fall. Kelly and her staff were extremely accommodating by putting the game on several TVs as well as ensuring we had a waitress so we didn't have to miss any part of the game to run down to the bar. Service was attentive and the drinks delicious. There was one game where Gaelic Alley went above and beyond setting up tents on the rooftop patio to ensure we had plenty of room to watch the game and wouldn't get wet on a rainy day. Each viewing party had great turnouts and everyone enjoyed themselves; just wish App could have won at least one of the games we watched from Gaelic Alley! Thanks again for everything Kelly and Gaelic Alley; we...