As you enter this friendly Irish pub, buttery smells from the popcorn machine approach your nostrils. Three gray-haired men sit around a young lady at the curved bar; one man, sporting a tidy shirt tucked in over his slight beer belly, tells a joke over the sounds of CNN and pool balls ricocheting. The girl throws her head back in laughter, after taking a gulp from her pint filled with the $2.50 beer-of-the-month. Although you can come here for just a drink and some conversation, it also offers up all the standard Irish pub fare (think fish 'n' chips and ribs), with most entrees chalking in under $10.

Though the space used to be a Chinese restaurant, it now has all the trappings you'd expect from a bar…except, perhaps, the tucked away bookshelf. Comfy seats sit in front of a stone fireplace and games play on one of the three TVs.

Despite the bar's relative youth, it's hard to imagine the space being anything other than an Irish neighborhood bar. From the Cubs flags hung across the room to the vintage sports equipment tacked across the walls, the room exudes a distinct "settled feeling" that usually only comes with time. Of course, there are hints of modernity, like a martini list complete with newfangled drinks like the Very Berry Martini ($9.95), with Effen Black cherry, Chambord and cranberry juice.

Centerstage Reviewer: Maude Standish