Rula Bula

Guinness is probably rivaled only by U2 as Ireland’s most popular export. Sales of the dark brew have been declining recently in the beer’s home country, but they seem to be growing in the United States, due in part of a campaign by the brewer to disseminate the “Irish Pub Concept” on this side of the Atlantic. Since 2000, Downtown Tempe has been home to one of these Guinness-centric pubs on Mill Avenue, just a block south of the Mill Avenue / Third Street station. Rula Bula occupies two storefronts in the historic Andre Building, once a saddlery. The dining room is in the space labeled "Boxty Restaurant," but all customers should enter through the door under the yellow Rula Bula sign, regardless of whether the bar or the restaurant is the intended destination. There is also a patio in the back of the pub. This tends to be where happy hour and late night crowds gather since it’s the only place where smoking is permitted.

The interior of the restaurant is a little more sedate and has a more authentic feel. Many traditional pubs are made of myriad small rooms that may have been added on to one another over the years. Contemporary building codes make this difficult in Tempe, so Rula Bula attempts to suggest an authentic pub atmosphere with a big room designed to look like several smaller rooms. Variations in flooring, as well as partitions of wood and stained glass, break up the interior space. Guinness posters from all eras decorate the walls, most of the furniture is imported from Ireland, and Irish music -- both traditional and contemporary -- is heard over the speakers.

The bar features a variety of Irish and other beers on tap. Of course, Guinness takes center stage, and is available both on its own and also as a component in hybrids like black-and-tans. The draft selections include other favorites like Harp and Strongbow cider. Behind the bar, the pints are poured with the back-and-forth motions on the tap needed to create the right head on the beer. There are plenty of whiskeys and a reasonably good wine selection for the beer-averse. Unfortunately, there are also some decidedly frat-boy drink specials like Red Bull and vodka. Those drinks and the scene surrounding them can be ignored until later in the evening when Rula Bula becomes more bar than restaurant.

The food menu is by no means 100% authentic Irish; quesadillas, for example, are not part of the pub tradition, even Rula Bula names its version after Captain Jon Riley of Mexican-American War fame. Nevertheless, the majority of menu items bear at least some resemblance to traditional pub food. That means fish and chips, available in both lunch and dinner portions, above all else. The fried fish is moist but not overly greasy, the chips are round one rather than French fries, and of course the usual condiments, Heinz ketchup and malt vinegar, adorn every table.Other dishes from Ireland and the British isles include bangers and mash, boxty, and shepherd's pie, available in both meat and vegetarian versions. In a concession to American tastes, however, beef is used instead of lamb in the shepherd's pie. As with most pub grub, all dishes are good but not necessarily transcendent. Flavors are simple and straightforward. There’s not a lot of delicacy or nuance to the food, and those qualities are probably not expected. The potato-and-leek soup, for example, is not a puree, but instead a broth full of big potato chunks and diced leeks in abundance.

For subtler, lighter fare emphasizing seafood, look toward the section of the menu entitled “New Irish Cuisine.” This is the zone for dishes based on salmon, trout, and shrimp, along with a few red meat items. These entrees tend to feature more intricate sauces than traditional pub fare; most are served with potatoes, though, and therefore never depart too much from the familiar. Most are also accompanied by a vegetable of the day, which can include interesting selections like a blend of carrots and parsnips or Brussels sprouts with walnuts.

The dining room at Rula Bula is fine for well-behaved kids during normal meal times. There are high chairs, and the mildly flavored food should work for finicky eaters. After 9 PM, Rula Bula makes the transition to 21 and over only. The pub is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and some sort of entertainment is featured every night except Sunday and Monday. On Tuesdays, it’s open mike night. Wednesday is the day for the inevitable trivia contest that all pubs seem to offer. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, there’s live music. Some of the acts have an Irish influence and sound; others, like local reggae favorite Walt Richardson, seem more a stretch in terms of authenticity, but still manage to work in an intimate pub environment. No matter what the entertainment, it's worthwhile to raise a glass and toast “slainte” to a pub tradition, albeit a tradition less than a decade old, on Mill Avenue.

401 S Mill Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85281 | Map
480-929-9500
http://www.rulabula.com/