Bridie McKenna's: User Reviews

I went there with some buddies of mine. Good fish n chips..and they have BARQS root beer which is a plus!

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The first few weeks after the pub opened there was a crush of people trying to get in to eat. There were very long waits. For those who were disappointed I would suggest that you return and try the place again. The back room of the pub is now opened with tables for lunch and dinner and the outdoor patio is opened as well - it is very nice. Because there are now more seats the wait is much shorter.

We have eaten at the pub several times and I like most everything on the pub part of the menu. I don't think there is anything on the pub part of the menu for more than $12. I have not tried the salmon, rack of lamb any of the higher priced items yet. At least two of the owners are Irish and the items on the pub part of the menu are authentic. In particular, the lamb stew is excellent.

The kids menu is very good and a bargain given the large portion sizes. The kids burger looked to be about 1/2 LB and came with fries, pop and ice cream for just $6. I have yet to have enough room for any dessert that is not served in a pint glass.

The bar staff pour a perfect Guinness, which takes a few minutes but is well worth the wait. For those who can't wait 3 minutes for their 2nd beer I suggest that you order your 2nd pint before you finish your first.

I was told that the front part of the bar was designed and built in Ireland. The woodwork and other details make the place seem like it has been around for a while. There are several flat screen TVs and a good combiniation of soccer and baseball was on the last time I was there. In particular I liked the music over the sound system as it was a good combination of current Irish bands and some older trad music as well.

Those looking for a friendly Northshore pub that pours and honest pint finally have a place to go.

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I can't wait to go back to Bridie McKennas. The atmosphere is so welcoming in great part due to the charisma of the owner who greeted us and chatted with us for quite some time. The outdoor patio is absolutely beautiful with flowers and cafe tables. And the food was terrific! We will definitely be back very soon.

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Great Menu, great food, great bar, great atmosphere, great value! I had a totally enjoyable evening at Bridie's, socializing at the bar and eating dinner in the library room. The menu had so many items I wanted to order that I decided I must come back with a group so we can sample more of the fantastic appetizers and entrees offered. I ended up going with the special fish of the day, highly recommended by the friendly waitress. The amberjack with lobster sauce topped with two large shrimps, served atop fingerling potatoes and spinach was tender and tasty, followed by a classic Irish dessert of warm caramel pudding which was very good. Two of the owners, both Irish, were very attentive to customers all evening, and add authentic hospitality to the comfortable environment. The restaurant-pub is beautifully done--you can tell a lot went into making this an authentic Irish pub and in very good taste for the North Shore clientele. The live music was really good, added to the fun without overwhelming conversation. Dinnertime was busy but no wait, and by 9 p.m. an after-dinner stream of people livened the place on a Friday evening. Best of all, the food is a great value. I will be back, often.

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What a great place....all the great beers, the food is good but the service is pretty poor. They'll get it, I hope. Expect to wait if anyone else but one of the owners is behind the bar........Worth the visit, though, if you're not in a hurry, it's a great place to hang out.....if you're looking to be pampered....go somewhere else.

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Have been to Bridie McKenna's on a few occasions since they opened. The atmosphere has been friendly and warm. We were pleasantly surprised at the high quality of ingredients as well as the fine preparation of the food. The shepherd's pie was flavorful and all the ingredients were fresh, not frozen or pre-prepared. It was so delicious! The white shrimp beer battered appetizer was tasty, fish and chips were also very good. The corned beef and cabbage was great and was about the leanest corned beef I have ever had. In addition to the cabbage, the corned beef was served with steamed parsnip spears and fingerlet potatoes - perfectly done. The mac and cheese was great. Overall, the food has been wonderful. There are some kinks to be worked on in the coordination of the service, however, we feel very comfortable there and will definitely go back. Keep up the good work!

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After calling the pub (earlier in the week) and being told they did not take reservations a group of 6 friends drove from Gurnee to spend a girl's night at Bridie McKenna's.
The place is beautiful and I have been there before and really enjoyed the food and the beer! This night though, the place was hopping and we were told by the hostess that "we aren't taking names for tables anymore until we get 'caught up'" HUH? there were six of us, we were hungry and ready for a good beer. Gee if you would tell us to wait an hour for a table that we could handle. But to tell us flat out - no we're not taking your name...case closed , that was totally unacceptable. Understandably we were rather ticked off.
Thankfully there is a lovely little Italian Restaurant, Washington Gardens, right next door, where the service, owner and food could not have been better (you can read my review there). The 6 of us had had a great evening with great food!
Honestly I would think twice about taking the trek to Bridie McKenna's again. I guess for the 'locals' it may be worth the odds and maybe that's OK for Bridie McKenna's but I doubt I will be recommending it to people anymore - that's just bad business!
(BTW I had to rate food and value to submit this post but frankly for this visit there is no rating ! since we never made it past the 'hostess')

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We went to the sunday brunch. The sign said 10am open, at 10:30 they BARELY had it together. Decor is overdone Irish kitsch but it's just the thing the week before st. paddy's. In July...not so much.
Food was good-great pastries! Mediocure prime rib, garbage oatmeal. Oatmeal should not taste and have the mouth feel of snot! $15 per person isn't out of line with the top buffets but a touch high when Walker bros is down the street and does better dishes for less.
We'll try it again once they've been open for a few more sundays.

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I have visited the restaurant several times since they opened. Knowing that it is fairly new, I hope that the restaurant can work out some of the kinks. These are some of the issues that they can easily focus on and correct:
1. Seating - they really need to reconsider the table placements in the library and dart room. Seating is quite cramped in both areas and many customers object to the arrangement when taken to tables. I see people being seated and bumped by customers and wait staff. I have also seen a table placed behind a door keep getting bumped as well. These issues lead to #2.
2. Hostess Desk - they seem unorganized and unresponsive to customer's requests for seating. I have watched them handle objections to customers who reject certain tables. I observed them trying to seat a group of 4 people in the library, pushing 1 square and 1 round table together and quite close to the pathway where someone would get bumped each time another customer would need to pass by. Customers objected (rightly so) and asked to sit at a more comfortable table. They were told "no" that it was a 6 top. Good service "know how" for hostesses should never have tried to seat the 4 at that two top table arrangements discribed above and NEVER should tell a customer no when it comes to a more comfortable table. They were not out of turn by insisting to be moved and did so.

3. Service - Wait service is friendly but get in trouble because the bar does not turn over drink orders quickly enough. The long wait for rounds is unacceptable. Which leads to next issue...

4. Bar - Bar staff seems ill equipped to handle the drink orders from restaurant staff, along with customers waitng for tables. The wait time at the bar is excrutiating. Bar staff does not seem to be able to handle the wait orders, customers and also full-service meals at the bar. They need help
5. Kids- I think that kid friendly restaurants are great but parents seem to let their kids run wild in the place, especially when there are large groups of families.

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We have been to Bridie's a few time already. Really enjoy the setup - the many different rooms make the place very cozy and hospitable, much better than a cavernous setting. It's also nice because younger children don't necessarily need to be near those who just want to watch the game on TV and have a few beers. We have not ventured past the Irish menu (love the fish and chips and chicken curry) but the dinner menu looks very enticing. Service was sometimes a bit slow but this could be expected with a new place. Look forward to becoming a regular at Bridie's.

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