Dining Out Boston

I unexpectedly visited Galway yesterday.

At least that's what it felt like upon stepping into James' Gate Restaurant & Pub, an anything-but-faux Irish pub in Jamaica Plain.

The windowless, urine-colored exterior belies the quaint, compartmentalized bar and restaurant inside, where simple wooden tables are crowded around a darkened hearth. If the random Irish road signs and Guinness advertisements don't make you reminisce about the Emerald Isle, then the affordable Irish pub grub surely will.

Pints of Guinness, Harp, and Magner's Cider ($4.25) sufficiently wet our whistles and we scanned the worn black leather menus for appealing nourishment. James's Gate is quite famous for its appetizer/entree plates of mussels, but there was plenty else to tempt us, like the fries with curry sauce, loaded nachos and the buffalo chicken wings or tenders ($5-8). (I didn't say everything was Irish).

After a round of tantalizing, dripping chicken tenders served with skimpy sides of celery, carrots, and bleu cheese dressing, our entrees were plunked before us. The plate presentation was surprising orderly and austere, given that it would have seemed appropriate for the food to be served in an actual cast-iron pot. My bangers and mash ($9) was squashed island of creamy mashed red-bliss potatoes speckled with swollen peas and surrounded by a sea of pork drip gravy. The bangers, though lacking a bit in circumference and looking too much like Jimmy Deans, were wonderfully hearty, and devoid of those slimey little fat globules that crop up in lesser varieties.

Don't come to Jame's Gate for service, not because it's bad, but rather because there basically isn't any; all food and drink orders are placed at the bar and with the exception of the food runners, it's rare for a staff member to approach your table. For those times you can't stand to be coddled while eating, it's a wonderful thing, as you're free to carouse indefinitely and watch the Red Sox on the over-sized, out-of-place projection screen.

For its straight-forward, delicous bar fare and the charming decor, I give James's Gate high marks. Be warned, however, it's very popular among the locals and even on a Wednesday night all tables are filled by around 7pm. It's a lovely spot to cheer on Big Papi, but the boisterous conversation and resounding scraping of benches against the floor make it a less desirable first-date spot.

The Info
James's Gate Restaurant & Pub
5 McBride St., Jamaica Plain
617-983-2000