The Irish Bank — Restaurant in San Francisco

This is my first Google review. Sat down for a beer on the patio on a beautiful day. A patron sitting in the patio (a regular, based on how all of the wait staff treated him) lit up a cigarette, no more than 10 feet from the door, and smoked it brazenly, blowing smoke into the patio area as if he were smoking a cigar.

After a woman had to move closer to me, saying that she could not tolerate the smoke either (and also would not be able to eat nor bring her daughters to eat as she had planned), I went inside to ask a server to ask that they request the patron extinguish it. They made a cursory attempt to ask the regular to extinguish it, although he just held it under the table for the remainder of the cigarette.

As the woman could no longer handle the smoke still wafting into the patio area, she left abruptly. I moved to the only other open outdoor table -- seating for 10 or so. I sat at the very end. This was approximately 5pm on a beautiful Friday. While I was finishing my beer, a line formed for the patio, and I saw a number of groups leave in vain because there were no longer any "free" tables.

10 minutes later, when the man lit a second cigarette, I asked the waiter if they were going to enforce the smoking ban on the patio. The waiter said he "just got there" and did nothing. When I still smelled the smoke, this time from across the patio, I finally went inside, despite wanting to enjoy the fresh air of a beautiful day. I asked the manager (owner?) the policy for smoking on the patio. He said smoking it is "at your own risk", despite having signs prominently posted that say no smoking within 25 feet of any entrance (city law). I asked for clarification, and he said that if smokers get caught, that it's up to them to deal with the consequences. I asked if that meant the establishment makes any effort to operate consistent with city law, and he said (rather rudely) that "if we try to get them to put it out, then they just go into the alley and smoke anyway". When I pointed out that that would be perfectly legal and reasonable, so long they were removed from the entrance/patio area, he just walked away. I would not have taken the time to write this if it were not for the utter indifference and rudeness of this manager (owner)?

I would ask this restaurant, why do you condone your patrons breaking the law? Would you serve an inebriated person more alcohol "at their own risk"? What about the risk to the other patrons and employees who have to breathe carcinogenic smoke while they simply wish eat and drink?

IN SUMMARY, avoid this patio if you do not wish to have smoke blown in your face. Avoid the indoors of this establishment if the doors are open and you do not wish to...

Irish restaurants seem to be highly criticized everywhere i go, making me think they are either sub-par on the west coast as a whole and i havent been exposed to anything else... or people are just stupid and snobby for no reason. as far as i can tell, this food is simple, filling, cheap, pub-style food to absorb all the alcohol you are consuming. and for me, that is just fine.

we were strolling around the area deciding on dinner, and the lovely alleyway patio caught my eye. the tables are simple no frills patio tables and the lighting is red at night...making food photography terrible btw :/

i will keep this simple like the food and experience was:

app: blue cheese fries. yum. IF you like blue cheese which is plentiful

irish beef stew: for a warm night it normally wouldnt have been my choice, but i wanted something authentic and several people spoke highly of it so i gave it a go. i liked it a lot...even with a small appetite. i would have liked it a bit chunkier with the veggies but the flavor was good.

black n tan: i just have to get it anytime im at an irish pub. well made :)

dining partner got the reuben and it looked quite tasty.

service was good...food came out quick...busser was VERY enthusiastic and diligent, it was sweet....

The waitress made me pay for the group's tab instead of allowing me to buy drinks individually. I will not be going here any longer and I will convince my coworkers to visit other establishments from now on. The staff was "totally cool" but less than accommodating.

I arrived here with about 6 of my coworkers and more showed up throughout the night. The staff was unwilling to serve me at the bar due to the "table service" we didnt even want. We wanted to buy drinks at the bar and sit and chat at a table like every other bar in the city... No one was even ordering food... we sat in the outside patio and had a few drinks. I guess for them that meant one large tab instead of people ordering their own drinks individually.

When I went to close out my tab, to my surprise i was given a bill for half the table (one other person managed to open a tab separately and was charged for the other half of our group!). I asked if i could instead pay for just the drinks I ordered. No, I must pay the tab of the other members who were still there enjoying themselves.

... The waitress told me to go get cash from my table.

tl:dr; I was forced to pay for everyone instead of my own tab because I had to pay for the...