If you haven’t been to Sunnyside lately, you might not know about Molly Blooms. It’s a relatively new Irish pub on Queens Boulevard. Its black sign with “Molly Blooms”, a reference to Ulysses, emblazoned in gold is a striking addition to the otherwise drab thoroughfare.

What Molly Blooms is known for is their extensive list of beer. To be honest, their draft inventory isn’t the most impressive I’ve seen, but their bottle list extends for what seems like forever.

I had a Blue Moon last night, served in a tall, narrow, shapely glass. My dining partner ordered a Six Point Sweet Action, which he didn’t favor. Yuengling, his reliable, was unavailable.

ham and gruyere sandwich

Molly Blooms has a humble seating arrangement inside and about eight outdoor tables in their beer garden, where we sat. The indoor decor is colorful and deeply contrasted by its dark furniture. A long bar, always full to the brim, takes up much of the space.

A sandwich board outside proclaims, “Food served all day”. A picture of a hamburger, a sub, and a roasted chicken supposedly depict the array of food available (or not–it’s just a figure of design, perhaps). In fact, Molly Blooms offers a hearty brunch, bolstered by a lumberjack’s Irish breakfast (served all day), and a simple dinner menu with daily specials.

fish and chips

I opted for the Joyce Parisian ham and gruyere sandwich, accompanied by potato wedges. My dining partner ordered the fish and chips, an Irish pub favorite. My sandwich was delectable: thinly sliced ham cradled by melted gruyere and mustard on both interiors of the bread. Yum. The potato wedges were crunchy and potato-y (that’s to say, not too flavorable). I didn’t try the fish and chips, which came with a cup full of mushy peas that my dining partner termed “mashed potato-like” yet tasted nothing like mashed potato. (The starchiness, he contended, resembled mashed potatoes.) He enjoyed the fish and chips, but said they were “pretty standard”. (Check out this more in-depth portrait of the fish and chips at Sunnyside Food.)

We also ordered a “brownie” a la mode for dessert. I use quotation marks because it was, as the waitress explained, a “volcano-like chocolate cake”, not a brownie per se. It was sweet, hot, and delicious, and must have been freshly baked since it took about 20 minutes to arrive.

All said, Molly Blooms is a great place–if you can get a table. Because it’s new and “trendy”, it’s in high demand. Come early and often, as they say.

Molly Blooms

43-13 Queens Boulevard

Sunnyside, NY

Take the 7 train to 40th Street, walk to 43rd and Queens Boulevard – you can’t miss the sandwich board!