I was a little wary, given the other reviews on here, so I went in expecting the worst. It was a Wednesday night in March, which I'm sure helped the service, compared to a summer Saturday. So the place was busy, but not SLAMMED.
My lady friend and I sat at the bar and got our drinks quickly. I ordered food, and took note of the time to see how long it took, since that was another frequent issue mentioned. Strangely, my food arrived within two or three minutes, which is oddly quick for any place. Maybe I got someone else's order. My chicken fingers and fries were tasty, but nothing mind-blowing. A bit pricey for mediocre pub fare, but not outrageous.
Yes, they put a shamrock on the top of the Guinness. I'm on a mission to find the best pint of Guinness in Portland, and this one was good. Bonus style points for the shamrock.
Seeing the issues with credit card charges in other reviews, I got cash beforehand to avoid the whole situation.
Went expecting the worst, and was pleasantly surprised.
My husband and I went on a recent cold damp Saturday afternoon for lunch. Â We were served quickly and the Stellas were good. Â We ordered soup, which was fine.
We ordered sandwiches. Â At one point a waitress came by with what looked like my food, and she was confused as to where it should go. Â She asked the bartender who also did not know. Â So they brought the food to the back of the restaurant where they set the dirty plates. Â I looked up a few minutes later and saw a waitress eating french fries, presumably from the plate they just put there. Â A few minutes later our waitress came down frantic and I heard her asking other waitstaff "Where is it?" Â Then she ran back upstairs. Â A few minutes later another waitress brought our food. Â I am absolutely convinced that the food they gave me had been in the back of the restaurant and then back upstairs and then brought to me with my husband's food. Â (There is a back staircase). Â It was only luke warm. Â It was a sandwich served with au jus. Â With all the traveling the sandwich made the au jus was spilled all over the platet, hence the sandwich and the french fries were all soggy. Â I couldn't eat it. Â With so many good restaurants in Portland, we will never go back or recommend this place.
Thanks
Like other PORTLAND LOCALS have said; this place is not the 1st choice for people who actually live here.
My friends and I randomly decided to go in (craving Guinness and live music) after dinner. It was raining so an "Irish bar" seemed fitting. It was the after dinner crowd so it was only about 10pm. We were served promptly and found a seat. I opted to open a tab...big mistake.
The second round about an hour later took TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES. There was a bar back who completely ignored me and didn't have the capability to close a tab. I think there was only one bar tender on the side of the bar we were on and he was completely frazzled and impersonal.
I checked my online banking two days later. There appeared to be two charges from Bull Feeneys. Mind you, I had TWO Guinness (@ $5.50 a piece) and I'm seeing a pending card of $11 and a pending charge for $13.
I called to question it. Whoever answered was very dismissive and rude about the whole thing. Apparently the "credit card company" puts a minimum of $20 authorization for using cards/opening tabs. "It'll be released in 3 days...did you leave a $2 tip? Yeah. We hold the money to make sure your charge goes through."
I'm in my late twenties and I work in the financial department of a huge company. I'm not a young kid trying to avoid paying a tab. As a professional; I deserve to be treated with respect when calling about a financial policy that was not displayed or mentioned in the bar prior to charging my debit card.
If you must go here; prepare yourself to listen to horrible acoustic covers of 90s one hit wonders, wait nearly half an hour for an on tap beer then be charged double for said beer two days later. It's your call.
My fiance and I stopped here on the way home from a wedding in western Maine. We put enough money in our parking meter for an hour and fifteen minutes (5 quarters). We parked on Exchange Street, no more than a 5 minute walk from Bull Feeney's. We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks and food. The food took 50 minutes to come out. they are damn lucky the food was hot and so good, or I would have raised a huge stink. We got back to our meter just in time. I had a chicken sandwich and my love had a burger. They were above average and delicious.
Review Source:Cold drizzly afternoon and looking for the comfort of some good old pub food. Not many people inside at lunch time especially with a cruise ship in town. Fish and chips is the order for the group. WHAT, your out of fish? The waitress apologetically explains that a delivery of fish is expected at any time...I can see the truck down the road. We decided to wait, nothing like freshly caught fish! Nice recovery...we received our food in quick order. Server was friendly and seated quickly with our order of beer. Food was actually good...fish lightly battered and fresh, french fries a bit soggy, good tasty slaw. Price was fair for both the food and beer. Might try somewhere else next time I'm in town.
Review Source:When we went the place was packed with mostly college kids. Not that his is a bad thing, hey, its a pub - but it seems to attrach the younger crowd - so be ready for a lot of noise, loud music and being bashed now and then while you're trying to eat. There are tables upstairs and downstairs but always crowded so you could get jostled. The food was ok, I've had better in Maine. Â The fiance got the Shepard's Pie and he almost barfed - it had lamb and was gamey as heck.
Review Source:After three years in Portland, I visited Bull Feeney's for the second (and last) time to celebrate a friends birthday. It was a Wednesday evening, and the place wasn't that crowded, which was puzzling due to the slow service and harried attitude of the bartender. Overall, I had a nice time there, but more due to the birthday party, then the staff, the ridiculously weak drinks, or the trying to hard atmosphere.
When I checked my bank account two days later, I no longer had any nice feelings about Bull Feeney's left. They charge a "pre authorization fee" for opening a tab, and then charge you for your tab. When I called and spoke with a manager, he said there was nothing he could do, and it should work itself out on its own in a few days....... So, what about the fact it sent my account into overdraft and earned me overdraft fees? What about the fact I can't access my money now? Thanks Bull Feeney's, but I'm kinda hungry and had thought I was going to the grocery store today.
The manager had a very defensive attitude about the situation. I would assume this is a phone call he gets a lot. But considering part of his job is customer service, a simple "I'm sorry" (which he never said) would have gone a long way. I brought up that they don't have to swipe your card initially (what causes a pre-authorization fee) and could enter tab names in manually, keeping the card to swipe when closing out (citing over a decade bartending/managing experience) and he dismissed it as "we have to process a lot of credit cards".
That's cool. They are set in their ways of being dismissive of the fact that they are disrupting their customers lives. I'm set on never going back.
I went here on my first night in town. Â I thought it was ok. Â Good beer selection and they actually match the beer with its correct glass (something i fell in love with in Ireland that I don't find many bars do). Â Guinness, some micro brews and PBR pounders, a little something for everyone.
Now, the food...perhaps I didn't take enough time with the menu, but I would have liked a few more sandwich options for being a pub. Â Most "Irish pubs" usually have a Reuben on the menu (not sure if it's authentic Irish fare or not) but there was no such item on their menu. Â I had the lamb burger with goat cheese and it was tasty. Â I got the sweet potato and regular fry mix, they were ok. Â I was recommended the lobster stew but didn't see it on the menu ( I didn't ask either) my husband got a small plate of chicken tenders but they have no BBQ sauce for dipping. Just buffalo or honey mustard. Â
Over all it was ok, wouldn't mind trying it again, but I'm not raving about it yet. Trying to keep an open mind and definitely want to check out this happy hour with bacon and cheese:)
Okay, so this is something that I like to accentuate with every review falling into a pub/bar category. I get disheartened to see bad reviews of places like this based on outlandish criteria. Bull Feeney's is a pub/bar and as such they do a few things particularly well, which is pour a proper pint of Guiness. Trust me, that is an important skill for a pub to possess! They have a nice assortment of irish/english imports and regular domestic favorites on tap as well a micro brew or two. Their food, and this is important to keep in mind, is great...if you're ordering bar staples: chowder, stew, burgers, ie; simple meat and potatoes comfort food. Stick to what they are going to knock out of the park the best. If you order something wild and fruity to drink or something exotic on the food menu then you're setting yourself up for disappointment from the get go and then giving this place a bad name because you chose to step outside the lines.
The bar is cozy and there are plenty of spots to perch yourself for intimate conversation or quiet people watching. They have an extensive collection of top shelf single malt scotch as well as a wide assortment of Irish whiskey and bar booze.
Bull Feeney's is and always has been a favorite place of mine in Portland and they always will be so long as they keep the comfort food and a properly poured Guiness coming!
We've enjoyed Bull Feeney's twice now. It's a fairly typical Irish pub in appearance but the food is exceptionally good. The fish and chips are especially delicious.
My only complaints are that the menu is not updated to reflect the beers currently available on tap, and they wouldn't accept our passports as valid ID, which is something I've never run into before.
DO NOT go here. Â There are too many nice places in Portland with helpful, acommodating people! Â This is not one of them. Â
I made a reservation at Bull Feeney's after reading the great reviews here. Upon arrival, the waitress seemed like we were bothering her. Â She did not smile. Â In a friendly town like Portland this behavior really sticks out. Â The food was okay. Â The fries were very salty and the steak was chewy and had too much fat on it. Â
When it was time to pay, the waitress broke the bill up per person- which we did not request and made the transaction confusing. Â She also added a 22% gratuity to herself when the menu said 18% for parties of 8 or more. Â The manager was helpful and really seemed as though he wanted to rectify the situation. Â
A few days later, we noticed that those of us that paid by card were mischarged. Â Duplicate transactions went through and for incorrect amounts. Â When the manager was called, he stated, "Well, someone in your party that night smuggled in alchohol..." Â Which DID NOT happen (drinks are cheap enough in Portland (and no covers at many bars) to be stingy like that) and this certainly isn't a reason or excuse for the misappropriation of funds. Â
To sum up, the food is ordinary, the people are unprofessional.
Bull Feeneys has, somehow, bottled up what it means to love to drink beer, be from Maine and enjoy irish pubs all in one bar. Bull Feeneys has been a long time staple of Maine's summer folk for years. The restaurant/bar is two floors, dimly lit with warped wood and an impressive beer selection. It feels a bit more unique than its Gritty's counterpart across the street, and draws an equally fun crowd.
The food, even in the summer, is hardy and delicious boasting items like lamb burgers, shepherds pies, et cetera. Upstairs has live jazz music on a regular basis. The crowd at Bull Feeneys in the winter/spring months is typically young professional to seasoned Mainers, while the summer crowd infests (in the best term of the word) with camp counselors--it's not uncommon to hear an authentic irish/british accent among the crowd. Having been a camp counselor myself, I can attest to counting the days until we made the trek to Portland to crash Bull Feeneys, and European peers have even given it their own seal of authentic approval.
I was invited here by a Downeaster and enjoyed the seafood chowder (or chow'dah) that it changed my chowder standards. Â Everything tasted like it had been thrown from the fishing net into the pot. Â I stole some fries and fried fish from my friends plate. Â Good but not mind blowing. Â
We dined in the upstairs dining room but the downstairs bar area was popping with plenty of young locals and a decent Irish themed band. Â They were no Dropkick Murphys but they could carry a whiskey soaked tune.
This was one of the best bars I've ever been to. Awesome bartender, ridiculous beers and a great feeling instantly. I don't know if you ever walk into a place that you just knew was gonna be great and once you enter its even better than you thought. My man, if you around this place during the day, you need to roll immediately. Dammit I miss this place.
Review Source:after looking at other options for a Saturday night I ended up at Bull Feeney's with 3 friends after asking a local where to get good food and good drinks - we requested to go upstairs and we were glad we did! Â It was pretty quiet up there and we had a great view of outside from our windowside seat but we were later even more entertained when on the other side of upstairs was someone singing classic Irish drinking songs! Â My dirty martini was perfect and the battered fried lobster with sweet potato fries were out of this world. Â I guess we got lucky since our server was pretty attentive and extremely accommodating when a few of us had special requests or questions. Â I will say at one point the music did get a little too loud for conversations so we didn't stay for dessert!
Review Source:I heard, I went, I ate- Â I left.....
In a port town on the water like Portland you would think you could grab some fish and chips pretty much anywhere and have it taste good. Â My Irish ancestors would turn in their graves when presented with this greasy plate of haddock and fries in the dowdy backdrop of Bull Feeney's.
The batter was literally dropping off the fish. Â The fries were swimming in slippery grease. Â The cole slaw was limp and tasteless. Â A glass of wine and a top shelf martini was the only saving grace here. Â And all for the low, low price of $66.00!
I will keep in mind that other entrees are likely more desirable. Â I am also aware that the main reason to come here is to get the drunk on during weekend evenings. Â
Plenty of places to visit on Fore Street. Â That's where I'll be when I'm hungry for a good plate of fish next time around. Â Fail....
I love the atmosphere at Bull Feeney's, as well as the food and beer.
Their shepherd's pie is probably the best I've ever had. Finishing the entire thing is a feat worthy of Hercules.
The services is prompt and friendly. The music is rustic and, along with the brick and wood interior, makes you feel like you've been transported back in time. Have a few pints of what ever is on cask, and you may just develop a brogue.
People have rated this five stars because of the beer on tap and the shamrock on top of the guinness. It's a pub for petes sake they don't make the beer!
I'm rating the food. The service was good. The food was just ok at best. Lots of places to eat in Portland. If you're visiting for just a couple of days don't waste them here.
Went here with the family for my brother's vacation/birthday meal. We chose this Irish Pub as a nice sit down casual place.
Place is set up to be exactly that; a pub, with plenty of space (2 floors if you so desire) to sit and eat.
I got the "Irish Cheesburger" which is a cheeseburger with I forget the cheese, and "rasher" which is kind of like a thick Canadian bacon. I also got the typical fries and a Guiness.
The burger was okay, kinda bland. The "rasher" and the cheese had no strong taste to it. I should've gotten steak fries, as the fries were all too typical restaurant fare with 60% edible and 40% burnt beyond repair.
This was a nice friendly afternoon get together kind of place, but not a place I'd seek out for their food.
Sunday night, early evening, slow everywhere. Pop into Bull Feeney's for a cold Guinness, yum! I was incredibly hungry, so I ordered the horseradish encrusted salmon, only problem is that I don't care for horseradish! They told me they could prepare it without it, so only with dill sauce. When it arrived, it looked amazing and tasted even better! Seriously some of the best salmon I have had. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town.
Review Source:Bull Feeney's was the first stop on my mid-afternoon pub crawl through Portland. Â This place is very cool and very reasonable in terms of prices.
Portland is an Irish city for sure and this pub does not disappoint anyone searching for that fun, Irish flair. Â Try to grab a seat on the second floor, overlooking the street for a gorgeous view of the Old Port. Â The rich wood tones, Irish music, and friendly wait staff make this place a great way to start an afternoon or end a day.
I highly suggest the crab dip that comes with delicious crispy pita chips as an appetizer. Â It's delicious! Â It also washes down well with some Smithwicks beer. Â I happened to come here on a very chilly winter day and was very satisfied with my lamb chili. Â It's a yummy, Irish twist on a classic favorite.
Price summary: Â Well, for 2 people eating, drinking and sharing an appetizer, we were only set back $37.50. Â Not too shabby!
Bull Feeney's is waiting, so get driving!
Not my favorite spot for dinner but the beer was nice and cold.
We were looking for a place to get some good beer and some good lobster. My boyfriend had seen the sign someplace before so we thought we'd give it a shot. We sat downstairs, which might have been our downfall. The server yelled to us from behind the bar to take our order before we'd even been given menus or a beer list. I ended up just walking up to the bar to see what they had on tap. We ended up ordering Sam Adams which is like water to us since we have it all the time but we really didn't see anything else that seemed that interesting. I've been to plenty of Irish pubs before that were similar in style but for some reason, it wasn't working for me at Bull Feeney's.
The menu wasn't bad, but there just wasn't anything on it that moved us. We ended up having our beers and a fondue app and then going else where (J's Oyster) for dinner. The fondue was good and reasonably priced. Maybe we'll go back again for lunch or a snack but not a great spot if its a local Maine, seafoody scene you crave.
Any place where they have a lobster drinking Guinness as their mascot on their sign deserves three stars in my book! We even got some postcards with this rarely seen Guinness poster to take back with us we were so excited!!
In Portland we were on a mission to find lobster in anything possible. This place drew us in because they had a market fresh lobster quesadilla on their menu outside on their door!! And how much fun does a lobster quesadilla sound?? Pretty darn fun, I know. ;-)
We got our drinks, were able to sit in the bar area to order and the service was pretty good, but that quesadilla barely had any lobster in it...i thought maybe I got a bad piece but kelly b, matt j, and jeff all felt the same way. We were robbed of our amazing lobster quesadilla experience!! Well now I know what to make on my own at home, but man was it disappointing, especially after walking around for quite some time trying to find places that had lobster in new and exciting ways...we were craving some lobster and Bull Feeney, you didn't exactly fulfill that craving....And you even had a lobster drinking guinness on your sign!! That would make you think they would put lots of lobster, but maybe all of the lobsters were busy drinking instead ha ha
This place is such a fantastic space! Â We loved the antiques and the cozy atmosphere.
My fiance and I went up to Portland this past weekend for a couple of nights. Â Of all the places we visited, this was his favorite by far! Â I need to note that we didn't eat here, we only came for drinks.
The bartenders were friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. Â The great thing about this establishment was the drink specials on Friday nights on draught beer! Â And it was some of the better beer that was on special for $3 a pint. Â Last Friday, the special was good for either Geary's Autumn Ale or Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Â Plus, they currently have Guinness 250 for $2.50 a pint. Â My fiance loved that deal!
We were there around the dinnertime rush and still were able to find two seats at the downstairs bar. Â We also came back later in the evening after going out for sushi. Â There was live music and no cover. Â Plus, the bartenders were still just as awesome all those hours later.
This is a great spot worth checking out!
Bull Feeney's is just one of those places that, for me at least, has been consistently good in service and quality of food. Â They have some seasonal items, and try to introduce new creations every few months, which keeps the menu from getting stale. Â Mostly their menu choices are Irish in nature, with some Maine influence. Â
As another poster reviewed, their lobster stew is excellent and I appreciate it's not available all year long because that suggests they don't use frozen meat during the off-season. Â As my profile noted, my last meal on earth would be lobster stew and Guiness, and I can fully envision that being at Bull Feeney's.
Recommended for your next trip to Portland.
This place can be really fun or really boring. Depends entirely on the crowd which can really vary. But they have great fries and good, strong drinks, but they could stand to be a little bit larger for the price. We are in Portland, ME, here, not NYC.
They also have live music on the weekends which can be nice (depending on the band). They've had some real winners and some that shouldn't be allowed to play instruments at all. It's all the luck of the draw who's playing when you show up!
I was hoping to have some fried clams, but instead we settled for an Irish pub (seriously, I didn't pick this place).
I ordered the lobster stew and a side of the mixed Irish fries with the curry mayo and a horseradish type dip. Â The lobster stew had a creamy sherry base and OMG was it good! Â It was chock full of lobster meat and just had the most wonderful flavor to it. Â The mixed fries were a combination of regular fries and sweet potato fries. Â Not bad. Â The curry mayo was pretty tasty and I could take or leave the horseradish dip.
I didn't really peruse the rest of the menu, but at a quick and cursory glance, I saw the standard Irish fare (of course).
I probably wouldn't return if I were in town again, but that has nothing to do with the restaurant; I'd just be on the hunt for a seafood place.
At Amigo's Restaurant last call ... <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/amigos-mexican-restaurant-portland#hrid:LYzg4YZ6YYznKxbpzhPtVA">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>
dude, it's last call!
but, I'm not done with my drink here.
DUDE!! eff'ing hurry up then! Â I think we have time for one more place.
but, I don't think I can drink anymore.
dude, what are you some kind of eff'ing Mary? Â Let's go, suck it down!
alright, I'm eff'ing hurrying furfucksake.
dude, let's go!!! Â I want to hit Bull Feeney's for one last drink and we got like 15 minutes!!!
Oh crap!!! Â why didn't you say so!! (slams double tall gin and tonic)... let's roll!!!
At Bull Feeney's
gentlemen it's last call... make it quick.
dude, what do you want?
I don't care man let's do a shot or something.
hey man, I'll take a gin and tonic, a guiness and two shots of jameson
dude, we're gonna die... I just know it.
***Note: this is a true account of what happened even though it went nothing like this.***
I don't have much to say about this place as a pub, since I came here for lunch. But I can say that, as a restaurant, this place has got a lot of work to do.
We ordered an Irish stew and an open face crab melt for 2 people. The stew came out lukewarm (I like my food piping hot, especially when it's 32* outside!), chunky with lots of meat and various root vegetables, but tasted kind of bland. The open face crab melt was...tiny, and came out on a huge plate with nothing else on the side (except for a quarter slice of a pickle), which made it look even tinier. You wonder why they serve it open faced; at least if it was close-faced, that would give you an extra slice of bread to fill you up. They don't even serve you fries on the side; that costs extra!
Needless to say, I was still hungry and unsatisfied after we paid our $23 bill. Bleh. And to think, that this place was recommended by one of the locals for lunch!
At least the decor was nice.
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