Saw lots of reviews saying "not for tourists" Rubbish, never laughed so much in an afternoon. Locals made us feel really welcome, especially Brian. It's a no nonsense, cash bar. Definitely be back next time I'm in St. John's.
What an experience! Granted, we specifically went for Trad Music Night. Amazing for folks who like the traditional Jiggs, Reels, and Waltz. Kelly Russel was there and he is a true Giant of Trad Music with several published book, one of which I had already purchased from Reids Music. I did not know that he would be there but was glad to have met him. He was a strong presence in the group of about 9 or 10 musicians playing a variety of instruments including fiddle, tin pipes, accordion, concertina, Lute, guitar. There may have been others but one thing for sure, the people playing them were all good and knew the music by heart. Choice of songs was in a circle with each musician calling out a tune, and then off they went, sometimes at breakneck speeds. Everyone was drinking Stout and not much of a beer selection, IMO. No food that I'm aware of. It is funny, but we had asked a local friend to come with us and the response was "well, that is kind of a sketchy area". Having lived in Chi area and worked in S Chicago, I was not exactly sure what "sketchy" meant in Newfoundland terms. I did go to the bar and was waiting for a beer when a guy with tats, a big black eye, and missing a bunch of teeth staggered into me and I had to steady him. I suppose that was "sketchy", not the best neighborhood, outside folks smoking pot and doing drugs. But IMO, not scary at all. Trad Music Nights is on Saturdays at 8pm when we were there. If you are a Trad Music Fan, this is the place to be. I believe that Quidi Vidi also has some Trad Music on Sunday afternoons, perhaps even some of the same players but this is a jam session supreme, not a performance which is special in today's world.