January 31, 2013 - O'Malleys - Sylva, NC

As you might have guessed, we did not go to O'Malley's last week. We actually did go, but could not get in due to crowds.We opted to quit circling the parking lot looking for parking spaces, and go to Sazone instead. BUT! we were turned away at the door. US!!! Can  you believe it? I guess it's true... we have no pull anywhere. The waitress told us they were covered up, had started running out of items and were closing. This was at 7:00! Oh well...time to back up and punt. We ended up at El Pacifico and it was OK. We ate, talked and had a good night. 

We decided to plan a little better for O'Malley's. We planned to meet at 5:30 and whoever got there first would grab us a table and fend off any mad looking patrons wanting them to hurry up. It all fell into place and we were able to get a table. Greg and I were a bit late as I had a mishap with my sidewalk on our way out to the car. So, some Neosporin, band aids, body check, liniment and aspirin we were on our way. 

O'Malley's has been in operation for several years. It seems to be quite popular with the WCU students and probably especially so now that they serve beer. They used to have pool tables in the back room, but due to their popularity, my guess is they did away with them as tables make more money. O'Malley's is located right outside of downtown, but is convenient if you can get across the road. They are below the theater and McDonald's and on the same side of the road as such. Their parking lot is very small and as such parking is a big ole' bitch. You can opt to park in the bank lot if they are closed, but from appearances, it looks like folks just circle until something comes open. Kinda like Walmart around Christmas. 

When we arrived, the others had already ordered appetizers. And quite large ones at that. There sat a large platter of Nachos and chips and Hummus and Chips. I love Hummus as does Lisa. I didn't get a photo as it was almost gone. It was good, but tasted like store bought and I wondered it they make their own. I didn't care for the Nachos, just chips too done, and store bought salsa with no taste, some sour cream, cheese and that was pretty much it. Nothing to write home about and really nothing to order again.



Now, O'Malley's is known for their wings and beer. They have specials such as wing night, Karaoke night, live  music night. But, since they pretty much cater to students, the bar food such as wings, cheese sticks, poppers, etc, is main fare. And from the looks of all the little take out food trays coming out of that kitchen, I would say they do a band up job of selling it too. O'Malley's has the feel, look and atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. It is crowded, loud, fast paced, and busy! This is not the place to go if you want a nice, quiet, romantic meal or if you want a working supper. If you want to gather with a bunch of your friends, grab a beer, eat some snack foods, and watch TV, this is it. Basic sports bar, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

We did not order any of the snack foods, except for Rosemary, who ordered garlic wings. They came in a generous portion, were certainly saucy enough and she was generous enough to let us try one. They were tasty.. garlicky with a little bite. Good wings.  \


Pam ordered the Dublin sandwich with homemade chips. There was a generous portion of chips and the sandwich looked good. This is a turkey sandwich souped up a bit  with bacon, mushrooms on marbled rye. According to Pam, it was pretty good. The bread was a bit greasy due to it being buttered before toasting. The chips are fantastic!!! Rippled - my favorite.

The Dublin

I ordered the Philly Steak sandwich without the peppers. It did have onions, no cheese, and was presented on a wheat hoagie. The bread has been nuked as it was soft. The sandwich was pretty good. I agree about the greasiness of it. The meat was tender, not any gristle or fat to speak of. The chips are fantastic! 

Philly Steak

Greg ordered the Build A Burger. He chose Jalapenos, Cheddar, Provolone, Onions, Tomato, Lettuce, Pickle and Mustard. This all came on a Kaiser roll with of course.. homemade chips. My favorite! His portion didn't seem as generous as mine and Pam's. Greg reported his burger was good. The bread was not greasy but dry. The meat was Angus and not cooked too dry.

Build a Burger

 Lisa ordered the half sandwich and soup. She got the Chicken Salad on Marbled Rye and Chili. She did not eat much as she got full on Hummus and Chips/Salsa. So, she had lunch for the next day. Her bread was also greasy, but she reported the Chicken Salad was good. The chili she also reported as very tasty.

Chili and Chicken Salad sandwich

Overall, the food was OK. But you have to remember we were in a sports bar.. and as far as I know.. sports bars are not known for their food. They are known for their bars, beer and large TV's. In that sense, O'Malley's hits the mark. It is certainly a hit for students and young folks. There was a crowd when we got there (which was an hour early) and stayed crowded the entire time we were there and as we headed out. Apparently, it stays that way.

We still had a good time, laughing and visiting. For some reason, we got started on nicknames. I think it all started when we generally asked what names we are glad our parents did not call us. We threw out names like Myrtle, Vergie, Maude.. ..really old timey names that we heard when were growing up. However, we were equally as glad we were not named Heather, Brittany, Tiffany, and those 80's names that were so rampant during that time. But we did really like the sound of Tiffany Lefler. We all thought it had a nice ring to it. I have been doing my part and calling Lisa Tiffany since.

We told a few jokes about names and if I see you, I will tell you the one about the lady finding her twins names out of the free clinic.

We sat there as long as we could and then felt we needed to get out. I don't know about the others, but that place made me feel old....and tired.

Anywho... next week we will be at Rae's in Sylva. This place used to be called The Boneshack a couple of years ago. See you next week at Rae's at 6:30.