Shepherd's pie, bangers and mash with onion gravy and Smithwicks on tap: O'Briens Public House at the Trojan Hotel and Trojan Taproom on Third Street in downtown Troy has nailed it.

Casual and family-friendly in a restored Troy brownstone, Donald and Terry O'Brien's former Lansingburgh public house has been plugged into a Troy landmark after an extensive renovation project that continues on the upper floors. Built in 1829 and operated variously as cafe, bar and hotel since 1897, it opened as the Trojan Hotel and Taproom in 1915 before closing in 2002. Now, 100 years later, O'Briens Public House has brought the building back.

Through the huge storefront windows facing Third Street, the pub offers a welcoming scene. Inside, from the wooden bar and exposed brick walls to the fat-bellied faux woodstove and framed sketches of Irish authors hanging on walls, O'Briens feels old despite the fresh coat of paint and shining balustrade of the entry stairs. To the rear, the original ballroom has been renovated for larger events, and the upper floors are being converted to condos. Meanwhile, with mum in the kitchen and daughter pulling frothy pints behind the bar, the O'Brien family has joined the ranks of restoration enthusiasts revitalizing Troy's downtown dining scene. A stone's throw from Takk House, Lucas Confectionery and the newly opened Peck's Arcade, it's not surprising the O'Briens have plans to reopen the basement Trojan Taproom along the lines of a speakeasy.

Despite Americans' love affair with British and Irish pubs, most incarnations in this country are closer to a bar flavored with some Olde World charm than Britain's smoky, carpeted, dimly lit, brewery-owned pubs of yore. Over the last 20 years, most traditional British pubs have been Euro-polished into gastropubs, the humble banger elevated to near-godly status, menus vying for the lowest carbon footprint. But, despite spiffy new menus served under old roofs, some dating back several hundred years, they remain family-friendly, with play structures in the beer garden and dogs permitted inside.

O'Briens Public House has the hallmarks of a traditional pub. For a truly authentic experience, I popped into O'Briens with family in tow, sitting in the cozy adjacent dining area while my husband ordered a draft Jack Abbey Hopponious IPA from the short selection on tap, including Smithwick's and a dubious raspberry cider, at the bar.

The menu flits from hearty standbys to newer dishes given an Irish twist. O'Briens' shepherd's pie (small $7.99, large $12.99), a 122-year-old family recipe, is great-grandma's homemade dish with saucy gravy, peas and carrots, a thick topping of mashed potato and ground beef with a peppery kick. Having ruled out black or red pepper, we learned this revered family recipe gets its boost from an ample dose of white pepper, which Terry O'Brien proudly claimed is "just as it should be."

Spying sausage, mash and gravy on the menu, my children would not be deterred, and, having eaten it up and down Britain, they make arguably good critics. Available as three sausages ($7.99) or six ($12.99), the onion gravy and smooth mash scored thumbs-up. The slim Irish sausages had flavor, but were not the plump, sizzling, skin-splitting sausages typically served, and the eldest Little Critic knew they were reheated. The excellent Irish bangers sold at Brits R Us on Central Avenue in Colonie could really do this dish justice.

Potato-salmon cakes (small $8.99, large $14.99), an interpretation of a traditional dish, were not salmon cakes at all but simple potato pancakes topped with smoked salmon, capers and dill sour cream. The stuffed portobello mushroom (single $6.99, double $12.99), loaded with sweetly sauteed onions and peppers and topped with cheddar and breadcrumbs, was tasty but too wet and also a small bite. Similarly, the slider with sauteed onions (one for $4.50, two for $8), a seasoned beef patty the size of a flattened golf ball in a minute white bun, vanished in three bites; while delicious, the price seems a little steep. Irish Cheddar Bruschetta ($7.99), four crostini saddled with diced tomatoes, prosciutto and grated Irish cheddar, is the type of easy fare a bartender might whip up when the kitchen is closed. Atop crispy bread, the seasoned, diced tomatoes were suspiciously close to canned, and the hefty pour of balsamic glaze would have been better as a drizzle, but with a beer it's a quick and simple snack.

O'Briens Public House is serving it straight: draft beer, a full bar and unfussy, homemade food in a beautifully restored historic space. For pedestrian-friendly Troy, it has all the makings of a popular haunt, with regulars at the bar and a few families eating in. Stopping in on a couple of occasions, hours and service seemed to be spotty — one Monday night, the kitchen had already closed at 7 p.m. when 8 p.m. was the listed closing time — so it's worth calling ahead. Although the kitchen usually has desserts from Sweet Sue's in Troy, none was available the night we went. I'd love to see a ploughman's lunch or a decent Scotch egg if O'Briens opens for lunch, but for now the occasional family-friendly Sunday brunch is a promising option.

Dinner for two adults and two children — including two beers and wine, a soft drink, three appetizers and four small-plate entrees — came to $105.64 with tax and tip.

Susie Davidson Powell is a freelance writer from East Greenbush. Follow her on Twitter, @SusieDP. To comment on this review, visit the Table Hopping blog, www.blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping.