Kildare's and pub question in general (Scranton, Carbondale: spring break, hotel, home) - Northeastern Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania (PA) -Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area - City-Data Forum

donnahonesdale · 06-14-2009, 12:38 PM

My husband and I are not drinkers ---I enjoy a good glass of wine and maybe a beer once in a while. We like "pub" type food and atmosphere though. Thing is, places like Kildare's--are they primarily for the college age to hang and get wasted and well pretty much act like a bunch of idiots on spring break?
Are there any places in the area that are just nice places to get some good eats and a drink that are for GROWN-ups? A little beyond going to a diner. Not pick up places or scanky in nature---UGH! I have passed by a LOT of places like that....ewwww!
In NYC there were good places on every street. Hard working people just going out to hang, not get wasted, maybe enjoy some good company, KWIM? Truth is, we have been so out of the "let's go out and hang out" loop since we have been raising 4 kids for 17 years :0)! Any ideas???

TIA

poconosmama · 06-14-2009, 01:01 PM

We like Pocono Brewing Company once in a while, they have a great assortment of beers to try!

SteelCityRising · 06-14-2009, 01:11 PM

Kildare's isn't bad at all. My parents and I dined on their rooftop patio the day before I moved to Virginia, and besides a few business professionals who were probably on their lunch hours we were the only ones there. It was a great place to enjoy some al fresco dining in the heart of the city. Our only complaint is that service was PAINFULLY slow and awful. The food was okay, but I've had better.

scrantonluna · 06-14-2009, 01:45 PM

I wouldn't have any qualms about Kiladares. Obviously, like any bar or pub in the
city, after 9 pm on a Frinday night you're going to get a lot of younger people
coming in, but it's more of a busy atmosphere than a college frat atmosphere.

The food at KIldares was about the same as it's former location. I had a burger
which was cooked as I requested it, and the beer was cold, so I found nothing
wrong with the place. Service on their roof top is the same as any other location
with a novelty like that, it's always a little slower, but you're up there for a
reason. Relax a little.

SteelCityRising · 06-14-2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

Service on their roof top is the same as any other location with a novelty like that, it's always a little slower, but you're up there for a reason. Relax a little.

My parents each ordered salads, and I ordered a burger. After receiving our food about 45 minutes after ordering I dove into my burger because I was famished, but my parents couldn't eat their salads because we hadn't been giving any silverware. The waitress said she'd be "right back" with forks, but it wasn't until roughly 12 minutes later that she finally returned, at which point I was nearly finished with my own meal. It took 15 minutes between the waitress grabbing our empty glasses to return with drink refills, which is totally unacceptable when you're dining outside on a hot day.

It would be nice to "relax a little" if you had a view of anything from up there. Sitting at a table you just look around at nothing, really. You can look at the ugly industrial sites (Chamberlain) behind Lackawanna Avenue or the parking garage for the Hilton. The only "nice" thing to look at is the Radisson. It would be nice to have a TRUE rooftop dining experience in Scranton so you could sit in the evenings ten stories up in the air and look out at the "Electric City" sign lit up at night and at the adjacent high-rises whlie a band plays nearby. Kildare's falls short of that sort of "unique urban dining experience" classification.

For above-average prices I expected better than just "average" food and below-average service. I'd go back the next time I'm in NEPA if my friends wanted to go there (after all I DO love to support the downtown), but I wasn't "impressed" by Kildare's.

scrantonluna · 06-14-2009, 03:01 PM

I agree that there's no excuse for that kind of service. All that I can offer is
that my experience was much better. Certainly better than Cooper's deck,
where you have a limited menu and you are better off to order one of their
buckets of beer if you hope to have more than one during your meal.

Paul, while I'm sure that I can be chided for having lofty goals, I think the
type of "unique urban dining experience" you describe will never come to
Scranton. I think you've been watching too much 'Sex in the City' lately.
Haha.

For even all of our sophistication of the local 'upper crust,' we still enjoy
drinking a can of beer on the roof of a parking garage. While some may
cringe at that thought, it's certainly Scranton, and it's charming in a way
that only home can be.

I advocate making Scranton better, but I don't consciously try to push it
too far from what it is.

Kildares is an alternative to Coopers when you want some fresh
air with your meal. Nothing more, nothing less.

donnahonesdale · 06-14-2009, 05:27 PM

Hmmm? Anything outside of Scranton that could be a good place? I think my NY snobbery could get in the way at times :0), but the truth is I don't expect NY in Scranton. I have to admit, we would not be ones to have a beer on a parking garage roof. Just not our "way" of being homey.

We would not go on a Fri or Sat night---we are not crazy enough to think one would get a totally different crowd at that point.

I see places like The Wanye Hotel, The Half-Way house, but have never been.

BLUEDIAMOND64 · 06-14-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donnahonesdale

Hmmm? Anything outside of Scranton that could be a good place? I think my NY snobbery could get in the way at times :0), but the truth is I don't expect NY in Scranton. I have to admit, we would not be ones to have a beer on a parking garage roof. Just not our "way" of being homey.

We would not go on a Fri or Sat night---we are not crazy enough to think one would get a totally different crowd at that point.

I see places like The Wanye Hotel, The Half-Way house, but have never been.

Similar postion, not hang out type of drinkers. And, if you know PA laws, the SP is tough on drunk driving. We do not hang out on a regular basis. We have a select group of friends that come over or we go out once in awhile. We belong to a car club, and do things with our friends at the marina. It takes awhile to find people here you can connect with, you might make some misjudgements along the way and that is normal. The Wayne Hotel is nice. Never been there in the evening. If you have a bunch of people, try Lukans in Honesdale.

scrantonluna · 06-14-2009, 06:21 PM

I've wanted to go to the Wayne Hotel for months now but it's a
drive and I'm never just 'up there' around dinner time.
I hear it's good.

kinpa · 06-14-2009, 08:30 PM

The French Manor in south sterling just outside of Newfoundland-- nice experience and food. We went to the Blu Wasabi on the Scranton Carbondale hywy. Really great food and urban experience- go during the week or late night on the weekend-- Scranton Folks dont realise kids dont belong there.
The food isnt great but some of the restaurants on Lake Wallenpaupck are fun to go to. Just so/so food. The boathouse has great apps! Earharts is expensive but they have really bad food and even worse wait staff. Coras in Hawley has nice sandwiches for lunch-- but they have nice local entertainment also on Sat. nights. Milford has nice pub food and peope on weekends.