Everyone loves a good dive bar, the carefree atmosphere, the peeling paint, the bartender who doesn’t know how to make a proper Manhattan or know the year for their second rate boxed wine. Often times these bars have less than stellar ratings, but you have to learn to read between the lines. Just because the bathroom is not plated in 14K gold, doesn’t mean they don’t fry up amazing chicken wings or a crazy bartender whose antics will keep you laughing all night. Dive bars  are a place where you can relax, feel comfortable and spend the afternoon, watching sports or chatting with friends. That is why we created Speakeasy Sunday to highlight those ugly stepsister venues,  the places you should go, the hidden gems who don’t have a  stick up their butt.

I love Indian food;  people who don’t are just weird. Ok, it can be really spicy, so maybe not weird, but definitely missing out. With my belly full of spicy happiness, I can now sit back and recommend this unexpected jewel in San Francisco. We started off Julie and Sean’s combo birthday with zero plans as usual. We consulted Thrillist to find the best place to eat within walking distance from our hotel.

What we discovered was a combination Irish pub and Indian restaurant, called Kennedy’s Irish Pub and Curry House on Columbus Ave, only a few blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf. The name itself is intriguing enough for a visit. When we found out they served $4 PBR tall boys, we were in. This interesting open floor plan has a typical Irish pub on one side and a random arcade game room on the other, but in the center of the bar is an out of place white linen restaurant which operates as a separate entity. You order your drinks at the bar and then bring them over to your table while contemplating how to carb up for the night without hitting full food coma.

We ordered our usual Indian spread of chicken tikka masala, veggie samosas and more than enough garlic naan for a party double our size! Everything was so delicious and we were unable to finish the generous portions. It was heartbreaking not taking the leftovers but we didn’t want to be the people bar-hopping with the strong smelling food and no one wanted to be in charge of more than our own coat.

The service was wonderful and the yummy Indian meal was at such a fair price that we put this restaurant at the top of our “can’t wait to return” list. It was the perfect place to carb up before starting our dive bar crawl.

~By: Amanda

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Kennedy’s Irish Pub and Curry House:  1040 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94133 +1 415 441 8855 www.kennedyscurry.com