By Jon Palmer, News Staff
Since 2002, Conor Larkin’s Grill & Tap has kept the beer flowing on Huntington Avenue, and caters largely to Northeastern students due to its prime location diagonally across from Krentzman Quadrangle. The bar’s entrance is a door below street-level, under a small black awning and old-school “lovely day for a Guiness” sign. Wooden floors and tables add to a cozy atmosphere, one that senior sociology major Logan Kirkpatrick said made it her favorite campus-area bar for the past two years.
“It’s the environment that makes it great,” said Kirkpatrick. “It’s laid-back – you can go dressed up or you can go in sweatpants, and you know that you’re still dressed for the occasion.”
Conor’s serves large food portions, and offers a daily happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with pub fare favorites for $4.95. Tuesday night trivia and weekend brunch are highlights of the week. The bar is also the home of the Husky Burger Challenge: four Cajun-style, eight-ounce patties topped with eight slices of bacon and a basket of cajun fries. Finish it in 30 minutes to win a t-shirt and koozie. They also offer their “shot of the week” on a shot ski – a ski with four shot glasses attached. Four people tilt the ski back, with sometimes humorous results.
“What’s funny is when you get one really tall person and one really short person doing it,” Kirkpatrick said. “When everyone is [drunk], the shortest person is usually the one that ends up pouring the shot all over themselves.”
Kirkpatrick said it is tradition among many students to go to Conor’s after class, difficult tests, or final exams. She said the main reason she keeps coming back is the friendly staff who, in her opinion, along with the food menu, put the bar above other campus watering holes.
“At Punters, your feet stick to the floor, and there’s no staff to talk to,” she said, “and people only go to Our House because they are open an hour later. Conor’s is a place you feel you can go any time of day. It’s close, the food is great, and the staff makes you feel welcome.”
