Review: Tigín Irish Pub & Restaurant in St. Louis

In the thick of a cold, hard winter night there are certainly worse places to be than nuzzled up to a warm hearth with a stiff drink in hand, surrounded by friends. Such would be my case when, on a Saturday night, I pushed through the doors of Tigín, a snug little Irish pub that proved a welcome spot to hang my coat and down a few pints.

Any notions of pretension were wonderfully dashed by a passing waitress. Nearly every table full, I asked whether I should seat myself. "This is a pub, sweetie," she smiled. "You sit wherever the hell you want." You couldn't ask for a better way to sum a place up.

Being that Tigín is the latest spawn of a national chain of Irish pubs/restaurants, it's easy to assume it to be nothing more than a cookie-cutter, prefabricated, perpetual ode to St. Patty’s day. Happily, this is not the case. The pub, the newest addition to the string of downtown watering holes along Washington Avenue, is a pleasant departure from the norm. When you opt to spend the better part of a college semester tramping through pub after pub from Dublin over to Galway, Oxford up to Edinburgh, it becomes almost second nature to pick up on the subtle touches that make for an authentic public house.

Tigín mirrors these deftly. You'd be hard-pressed to find a place that hits as close to mark on this side of the Atlantic.

The bar itself, torn from a pub in Ireland and reconstructed here in the STL, is a gorgeous mass of aged wood, out of which sprouts more than a dozen tall, ornate taps. The selection is adequate, but not overly impressive: Stella Artois, Bass, Harp, Smithwick's, Boddingtons, Hoegaarden, Boulevard Wheat, Newcastle Brown Ale. My first round was the old standby and proper measuring stick for any pub: the Guinness pint. After the obligatory wait for the initial head to settle, the bartender pulled a nice-looking finish and handed over a cold, dark beauty that went down smoothly and ended with a perfect layer of froth hugging the inside of the glass – a sign of a solid pour. Interesting sidenote: Tigín mixes its own gases for the draft selections. These are served up for roughly $6 per pint. Scotch and whiskey selection is again adequate – drams of these start at $7.50.

Tigín, a Gaelic term for "small cottage," is adorned with authentic odds and ends, vintage jugs, and household items from the old country. The walls are covered with black-and-white stills of early 20th-century scenes from places like the Aran Islands. Space at the bar is minimal. Much better to find a seat for yourself and friends in one of the cozy nooks scattered throughout. The wait staff is attentive and an absolute delight to be around. Don't hesitate to ask about pint selection.

What kills me, though, is the location of this joint. The bar is built into the Hampton Inn, all by its lonesome on the corner all the way down on Washington and Fourth (parking is a serious headache). As such, the crowd, you can tell, teems with middle aged out-of-towners and convention-goers. But there is a nice mix of locals of all ages in for a casual night, a good pint, maybe even a shepherd's pie.

Another complaint would be the music. Rather than pipe in traditional Irish folk tunes and/or drinking songs, the management instead cues up a mix of pop hits – essentially adding an inappropriate element to an otherwise fantastic atmosphere (there's something sacrilegious about listening to Rihanna while drinking a tumbler of Jameson). It’s a plus, though, that Tigín offers coverage of international rugby, soccer and other Gaelic sports. If you're so inclined, this would the perfect venue to catch a match.

There are still a few bugs to work out, but overall the folks behind Tigín have done a solid job offering the downtown scene an Old World pub worthy of praise from even the most discerning hooligan. And, sorry, but if you think you're too cool to hang out at what's essentially a hotel bar, you definitely haven't considered the inherent advantages.

STL AFTER DARK
Check it: The authentically Irish bar.
Hipster or Hoosier: Hampton Inn guests, soccer hooligans, Guinness enthusiasts.
Suds or ’tinis: The fruit of the barley served up cold in pint form.
Where: Tigín Irish Pub & Restaurant, 333 Washington Ave., 314.241.8666
When: Sun. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Fri. and Sat. – 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.