Murphy's Grand Irish Pub, Alexandria, VA

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub in Alexandria is a classic Irish pub. You know, the kind you can find almost anywhere in the world and when you find it you'll feel at home. It reminded me of a pub in Dublin where I knocked back a few pints. We stopped there because we found a coupon in a travel guide when we went to Alexandria offering 'buy one entree, get a second free'. That seemed like a nice idea, accompanied by the fact that two of the restaurants I wanted to eat at were closed between lunch and dinner.

The visit to Murphy's turned out to be a good idea. First of all it was very hot outside and the air conditioning cooled us off right away. Second there were several large screen TVs all turned to the Olympic women's soccer finals with the USA in, a rematch against Japan for the loss in the World Cup. Can there be a better place to watch a football match (soccer game) than an Irish pub? I can't think of any and the cheering during the game added that much more atmosphere. 

I ordered the Murphy Burger at $7.75. It was quite good with Canadian bacon (the proper Irish method is to use rashers, but they are hard to find here in the US and the concept is similar), provolone cheese melted and slightly charred on a fresh sesame bun. It came with fried potato disks. Teresa ordered the Reuben at $9.50. It had lean corned beef that was still moist and flavorful with the right amount of sauerkraut and cheese. Good food at reasonable prices. 

The service was good, Kim was very attentive and helpful, and they have a fairly good beer selection. I stuck with a Guinness for the first round (it is an Irish place) and found it to be served more like one might find in Ireland being slightly warmer than American tastes. My second was a Smithwich's.