Hennessy’s Irish Pub is practically right around the corner from my temporary Mérida home, so I knew I had to give it a try. One of the things I miss most about city living (and by city living, I mean being in Ottawa), is being able to walk to a pub. I lived across the street from The Dunvegan, but my favourite was the Winston Churchill, quite a distance away in front of the National Art Gallery. Many a night did I stumble home through some of Ottawa’s rougher streets, perfectly safe because it was my territory. Despite its promising name, Hennessy’s definitely won’t be my regular watering hole in Mérida, I’m sad to say.

This is an upscale pub, not a cozy one at all, and the menu is expensive.

I skipped the international beers at $60+ (Guinness was $85) and went for a XX Oscuro at the Mérida price of just over $30. I really find the price of beer at bars and restaurants disappointing and know that finding the deals will be high on my list when I live here. This was my first XX Oscuro and like XX Lager and Amber, it did not disappoint!

My “bien cocido” (well cooked) hamburger was insanely huge and came with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and fried onions. I think they forgot the BBQ sauce, but I didn’t miss it. It was served with McCain-style seasoned potato wedges and Heinz ketchup. I ate the whole thing. 🙁 All that walking sure works up an appetite! The burger was absolutely amazing, but, at $135, wouldn’t be a habit I’d get into! Funny how I think that’s a really fair price for a high quality burger in Canada, though! 🙂

I enjoyed reading this sign about Guinness. This is the first beer I ever drank in any sort of voluminous capacity. The ad claims that Guinness is very healthy and nourishing… What’s surprising about this stout is that while it’s known for being a heavy beer, the kind you can stick a spoon in and have it stand upright, it actually has fewer calories than most other beers!

My menu and service were all in Spanish, but there were no Mexican customers in the pub tonight (granted, it was early for them). Instead, it was all expats. The music was the grating pop stuff out of the States and the football (soccer) game was in English. I won’t learn to appreciate a place like this until I go to Eastern Europe this summer and finally go somewhere that the language is completely foreign to me. I might not be anywhere near fluent in Spanish, but I can get through my day here and do what I need to do without an excruciating amount of mental exertion. A place like Hennessy’s must be an oasis for those folks whose Spanish is much more limited, or even practically non-existent. I’m certain that if I was in, say, Bangkok, I would be very excited to find it. But since I’m not, La negrita remains my best prospect for my Mérida watering hole.

Now, to see if I can beat Hennessy’s burger. I have a feeling it’ll be a tough act to follow!