Ottawa Nightlife: The Heart & Crown

As a former Montrealer, I'd like to say I know Irish pubs. Maybe not as much as those lucky individuals who have traveled to or lived in Ireland, but I still have a pretty decent knowledge of Irish pubs. Montreal is known for it's crazy Irish celebrations and as a results, has a bunch of Irish pubs, of which my favorite is Hurley's (on Crescent between Ste. Catherine and Rene-Levesque).

Hence why I have a few issues with the Heart & Crown. The Heart & Crown has two locations, one in the Market and one on Preston. Last Saturday, I was invited to the one in the Market and told up to show up at 7:45. Now, if you think showing up early bothers me, it doesn't. Pubs are these fabulous creations that can be enjoyed at any time of day, so 7:45 to me seemed a decent time.

The actual reason we had to show up so early is that apparently, at 9 pm, they start carding people and charging cover. Now, that was the first thing that bothered me. Pubs should not charge covers, unless it's St. Patrick's Day. Then you are exempted from that. However, this is a popular occurance at the Heart & Crown, especially Friday and Saturday nights.

Food-wise, it was your typical pub grub. I had some of my friend's french fries, which were crazy salty, but otherwise alright. In terms of beers on tap, they had much more domestic than imported, but they did have my beloved Harp's, so I was happy. Prices were decent. It was $7 for a pint, which makes it a tad bit cheaper than in Montreal.

What really bothered me (other than the cover), was the fact that it turned into a dance club at around 10, 10:30. Imagine sitting in an Irish pub listening to Katy Perry's "Hot & Cold". First off, Ms. Perry is not Irish and secondly, though I like this song, it doesn't really have a place in an Irish pub. Irish pubs should have traditional music or music by Irish musicians, like U2. Listening to hip hop and pop in a Irish pub just doesn't sit well with me.

Overall, the Heart & Crown seems like a very popular place here in Ottawa. Though it did make annoy me on some levels, it was good on others. I would contemplate going again, but perhaps avoiding the dance floor like the plague.