Unconfirmed rumor of a new Irish pub in Riverside

[David]

Like I said, it's an unconfirmed rumor of a new Irish pub around 5 points. The people that told me said it's a friend of theirs, but they're keeping it pretty tight lipped. Has anyone heard anything else?

[TREE4309]

Oh man...I'm kinda excited already.

[RiversideGator]

If true and if it is authentic, then this is great news!

[Bike Jax]

Heard it is going into the old Kentucky Leather Works location on Lomax.

[Julian]

The Pub is called Steamworks English Pub, i went there yesterday and it was great, they've got an English pub menu with traditional items like scotch eggs, cottage pie,etc and also an American Bar menu. I had the Guinness cheese and bacon dip which was quite good. Pretty much the whole menu is made from scratch including the sausages. The beer selection was decent, though there's no english beers on tap but i'm sure that will change. The atmosphere is typical pub, long bar, a couple of booths and some billiards tables. There's also a space in the back for a DJ or live band, on tuesdays they have rockabilly. All in all i think is a great addition to 5 points and hopefully everyone will support them.

[BridgeTroll]

Location?

[TREE4309]

Heard it is going into the old Kentucky Leather Works location on Lomax.

[Julian]

it's on lomax in between the Scribes Cafe and Sake House, they have large British, Irish and one other flags flying from the awning

[jbm32206]

I'm glad to hear about this, but from what I've read, aside from the food, it doesn't really sound like a traditional English pub....still, I'm sure it'll be well received as a positive addition to the area.

[reednavy]

Enough of these damn pubs and sushi places, we need more diversity. Let's get some Thai food in here as well, and others.

[TREE4309]

Enough of these damn pubs

I like pubs.  What other pubs are around?  Just any bar that serves beer is not a pub to me.  I haven't checked this place out yet, but I will do so sooner than later.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

YES! There arent any Irish pubs in Riverside, I say BRING IT!!!! and pour me a Guinness STAT!

[BridgeTroll]

Laura Capitano review...

The Florida Times-Union

August 1, 2008

An after-dark void is filled in Five Points

By LAURA CAPITANO
The Times-Union


Steamworks opened last month with a clear mission in mind: Give those kids on the Five Points scene somewhere to dance again.

Sure, they can eat there, too, as Steamworks serves British-type fare from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. But Steamworks is more in touch with its nightclub side.

While telling me about the concept behind the dance spot-British pub combo, manager Mike Kennedy spoke fondly of the clubs of yore that inspired Steamworks - The Art Bar and The Milk Bar. The closing of those places, with their preferences for a not-so-mainstream soundtrack, left a perceptible void in after-dark Jacksonville.

Steamworks is reaching for that niche market of the darkly dressed, tattooed set with their distinct, anti-Top 40 tastes. And that crowd is hearing the call. With an 18-and-up policy, the pub skews young and draws from the neighborhood pool of Riverside hipsters. You'll find plenty of extreme hairstyles and goth-inspired fashion statements. The pub has even become the meet-up spot for the Critical Mass midnight bicycling club on Thursday nights.

Even on a modest Tuesday, the bar's rockabilly night, customers fill the bar stools and tables - both the ones for eating and the ones for shooting pool or smashing air hockey pucks. Rockabilly was a cool little theme to behold, with lady bartenders dressed in Bettie Page-meets-Evanescence attire, and some customers dressed the part, too, with muscle shirts, back-pocket bandanas and wallet chains. I even saw a Galaxy 500 parked outside. Music for the night was divided among rockabilly, rock and punk rock.

Steamworks keeps its gaming tables at the front of the space, where the music is quieter; the dance floor and DJ booth await in the back, behind the L-shaped bar and a row of booths.

Not only is the sound different from front to back, but the look is, too. The pub portion follows an orangey-peach color scheme and is well-lit (perhaps a little too well-lit for a nightspot) with about a dozen Tiffany-style lamps. The dance space is dark, with more of an unfinished, warehouse feel. Disco ball? Check.

Thursday and Friday nights feature an indie rock DJ and are the club's biggest dance nights. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays feature "eclectic" music, which the pub describes as "cutting edge, Euro-synth-pop, college rock, old & new wave" sounds. Meaning, you'll probably hear some Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Steamworks serves mostly beer, the cheaper the better as far as its customers are concerned. Oddly, the pub only has a couple of British beers so far, and guests opt more for Natural Light and PBR can specials - both under $2. You can also get a variety of fun soft drinks such as Hawaiian Punch and Stewart's sodas, as well as a couple of cheap wines.

Foodwise, I was disappointed - the Scotch egg was surrounded by dry, bland pork instead of tasty sausage. And you wouldn't think anything could go wrong with cheese-bacon-Guinness dip, but it was watery and weird, and no one in my crew liked it.

But people aren't there for the food. People are there for the cheap beer and decent music, and Steamworks has those covered.

laura.capitano@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4370


http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080108/enc_311460799.shtml

[stephElf]

this is not a pub.... English or Irish... just because it has the word pub in it's name does not make it one

went there last night with some friends after Wall Street... no cover charge on Thursday night but they did
make us wear wrist bands. wtf? is it a club or a pub.  we got there at about 9:30 or so

they did have air hockey which was nice and $4 drafts of shock top served in a plastic pint cup....
other than that, very little beers on draft and no imports

the bathrooms are disgusting

after a while the disco lights in the back room started going for dancing... they serve an array of sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages. basically seems like it is going to be a teen club to be honest.  they also have two small (non-regulation) size coin pool tables

I probably wouldn't mind the place if I was 21 and not expecting a "pub".

Anyone who goes here expecting something like Fly's Tie or how the old London Bridge used to be, is going to be very disappointed.

Still had a good time b/c I was out with my friends, but I won't be back there.

Also as an FYI - credit cards are a $10 minimum but they don't tell you that until AFTER you have walked in the door and ordered 2 $2 beers...

[Jax2024]

The giveaway of a lack of authenticity is the presence of both English and Irish flags.  This should never happen.