I came here while in town from a recommendation of the hospital staff where we were working. Â We came here on a Wednesday night and appeared to be the only people there.
After being the NC for a few days I had grown accustomed to the fabulous service. The server here, a young man, looked distressed and bored in his job but he did a fine job.
I ordered the pulled pork and dear God it was the best thing I ever had in my mouth. I dont remember anything else from the night but that. I wasnt expecting to find amazing pulled pork at an Irish join but I did and I will make a point to come back here when I am in town just for that.
Also, we were watching the Stanley cup game here and their tv was accommodating
Stopped into Finnegan's with friends last night for more than just drinks. Â Despite the event going on on Trade St, we were sat right away. Â The restaurant was raucous, which was ok with us, but patrons seeking a quieter experience may have been disappointed.
Our server was. . . meh. . . adequate but odd. Â Hard to describe.
I got the Meatloaf melt with sweet potato fries.  My sandwich was bangin'.  Great flavor  in the thick slices of meatloaf.  Well-buttered and toasted bread.  Well seasoned fries.  I loved it.  May seem weird to rave about a meatloaf sandwich, but I just really enjoyed it.
We had White Gummy Bear shots that were dangerously delicious.
In the past I've gotten food here that I was disappointed with (Nachos with super watery chili).
But this past visit gets a solid 4 stars. Â Thanks Finny's.
I've been to Finnigan's for lunch, brunch and drinks on separate occasions. Â Brunch is reasonably priced with typically good service. Â Lunch was decent--nothing exceptional--with quick service. Â It's a great place to see live music, but can get very crowded, and then service goes downhill fast, even if you're at a table. Â Drinks are cheap and there's a good selection of beer on tap. Â I'll probably be back, especially for the live music!
Review Source:Just traveling through and enjoyed a pint and some grub. Â If you go by at night get ready for a college frat atmosphere and a worried staff. Â
Overall experience was pretty good. Â Food worked out and the bartender, though busy, was pretty cool. Â
Serves food late. Â Be careful in the parking lot of drunks and some scary looking folk if you are alone.
In my world, service makes the experience. Whether partaking in adult libations, having a communal eating experience with friends, or just mozying up to the bar, the attitudes of the employees make or  break the experience. From hostess to waitress to bartenders, the staff at Finnigan's Wake Irish Pub are about the friendliest you will find anywhere. When you're here, you're home.
I was lucky enough to enjoy this gem of an Irish Pub twice in one day. First, while gallery strolling, a bloody mary called my name. Later, a close friend of mine held her wedding there. ( How cool is this... a wedding in jeans, at an Irish Pub! )
Drink: The drinks are cheap, plentiful & I dare say unique - While having all the standard pub classic brews, Finnigan's brings you some of the local feel with the regional micro brews & craft beers. Interestingly, they have featured drinks / shots every day at bargain prices. These are not your typical libations - some of these creations you'll only find here... and that's what adds to the charm.
Food: Rarely does one incorporate the phrase "Good food" in a review of an Irish pub. I have to tell you, I was pleasantly surprised! While I don't partake in anything "meat" - the carnivores in my clan really enjoyed the scotch eggs. Other unique bites shared by my crew were the Sheppards Pie Nachos & the Cheese toasties. I've had fish and chips all over the world. This was the best I've ever had. So many times Irish pubs over cook the fish so you wind up with something resembling bricks from a NYC brownstone. These were incredible - Tender on the inside, perfectly crunchy on the outside - comfort food to the extreme. Other favorites were the Irish Flag Meatloaf & the Wild Salmon. Again, no one made it to dessert, but no one left hungry
Ambiance: It's an Irish Pub.. 'nuff said.
Crowd: During the day, great mix of locals & tourists watching a college or NFL football game - At night, this place just rocks... 5 deep at the bar by 1am - but the bar staff got everyone drinks within minutes.. impressive!
When in Winston Salem, a must try!
I've been to Finnigan's a couple times for drinks on the weekend, but I just recently went for food. Â Their drinks are cheap and strong (mixed drinks for $5) - but the place can often be really crowded which makes for a difficult time getting your order placed. Â I do like the back patio that you can take your drinks to and enjoy the fresh air.
This past weekend I went with a group for drinks and dinner. Â We were doing a "treat yourself" event, so I ordered mac n cheese (one of my favorites!). Â It comes with a side salad, and you have the option to add grilled chicken, bangers, chili, or vegetables to the mac n cheese, but I went with standard mac n cheese. Â A couple people in my group ordered their soup of the day, which was chicken and barley, and then people also had sweet potato fries and the fried chicken meal.
From what my friends said, the chicken and barley soup wasn't great. Â It seemed like it had sat in a pot all day letting the moisture evaporate. Â However, everyone loved the fried chicken and the sweet potato fries were great - and came in a huge basket. Â My mac n cheese was good, but a little bland. Â I think it would have been better with one of their add-ons.
We also ordered Baby Guinness shots while we were there (Patron Café and Irish Cream), which were really good.  Our waitress was great when we kept adding people onto our group - we started with four and by the end of the night we'd pulled two additional tables to ours to fit our group of 14.  However, as it got later and they got busier, she got harder to find to place orders.
What a great neighborhood bar-- friendly service, amazing draft list, and the option of choosing a flight of any four beers for $5. A gem of a place for anybody that loves beer. For die-hard fans, there is also the option of joining a 90-day club which gets your name on the wall once you've frequented the bar for 90 days straight. Can't say anything for the food, having never tried it, but this is a pretty perfect place to belly up to the bar and get a good pint of Murphy's just about any night of the week.
Review Source:We have previously eaten at Finnegan's and enjoyed their food and atmosphere. Â The service has never been great, and today we went in with some friends and it was horrible. Â We sat down, had to go get our own high chairs for the kids even though the hostess said she would get them. Another large party with kids sat down after us and got waited on and had their drinks before anyone even came over to us. Â We finally got up and left after 15 minutes of no service. Â It wasn't even crowded. Â We won't be wasting our time there again!
Review Source:Ate here this past Tuesday with one of my girl friends. Â I'll preface my review by saying I'm not really into pubs; I don't drink much beer, am bored by sports, and prefer to eat something lighter than, say, fish and chips.
It wasn't the best restaurant experience I've ever had, although it wasn't the worst. Â My three stars are largely for our waitress, who was very friendly and attentive; for example, when my friend and I stepped outside for a smoke she popped her head out and asked would we like our coats to be brought outside. Â Service was also prompt; almost too much so, as my entree was brought on nearly on top of my appetizer (which was a fairly basic garden salad).
The wine list was paltry (maybe four reds and four whites), and "healthier" options on the menu were scarce. Â I tried the herb marinated salmon, served on vegetable barley. Â The salmon was a little dry; it was served with a red pepper aioli that wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good either - it didn't taste like much. Â And it didn't mitigate the dryness of the salmon. Â The barley was also very dry (as in, it wasn't served in any kind of sauce), and completely devoid of seasoning! Â The barley itself was cooked perfectly, though, neither dry nor mushy. Â You just can't serve barley by itself though. Â It needs a sauce, or at least some salt.
I realize that no one really goes to a pub for the food, but come on. Â The food has to at least be worth the money. Â $30 for a bad white wine, overcooked salmon, and underseasoned barley? Â Are you serious? Â I can get the same meal, cooked perfectly, in New York City for the SAME PRICE. Â Fuck, I can make it myself for half the price.
Oh well. Â Points for excellent service, no points for the food.
A solid 3 and a half stars for Finnegan's Wake. Â I really like Irish pubs in general and this is pretty-much your typical Irish-American pub with soccer playing on the tv's and Guinness on tap. I have eaten here several times and the food is just so-so, but you really don't go to Irish pubs for the food, now do you?
Recent visit found me and several friends moseying in after the downtown concert series. It took a bit of time before we could get waited on, but once we were, our server was very prompt and helpful. I ordered the fish and chips and thought the fish didn't pack a whole lot of flavor so I had to generously pour on some vinegar to give the F&C a little zing. The fries were plentiful, in fact too plentiful as I came no-where close to eating them all. I would have preferred more of the fish and less of the chips :-)
Overall, a good place to hang out and chill. Cool location, live music , decent food.
I have only been to Finnegan's on two occasions, however, both were pleasant. Who wouldn't love a place that has Guinness listed as an appetizer.
Their outdoor patio is one of my favorites in town. I hung out here on my first night in Winston-Salem two years ago. Â I have an odd appreciation of large patios (see: Fourth Street Filling Station, Mi Pueblo on Stratford), and Finnegan's does not disappoint. On this trip, I had a burger, either veggie or black bean. I cannot recall which, but I do recall that it was melt-in-my-mouth delicious! Another solid choice: the fish and chips.
My second trip here was for a work happy hour. This was a little more drink-focused, and we sat inside as it was the dead of winter. I really appreciate the inside as the bar has a warm, welcome feeling. The drinks weren't cheap, but they weren't completely outrageous like they are at some of the downtown bars. They don't put on the pretentious front that you get at other downtown bars, either (see: Tates, 6th & Vine). The service was friendly and prompt without being overbearing. That really took my by surprise since it was in the middle of a Friday happy hour, and business was not slow.
I also had a terrific experience with the Finnegan's chef's Mac & Cheese at a March for Dimes silent auction. My wife considers herself to be a Mac & Cheese connoisseur, so no matter where we are, if it is available, it must be sampled. I can say that this man makes a mean Mac & Cheese. I am unaware of if they serve this as a side dish at Finnegan's. If not, this should be remedied immediately.
I'm sad to say that I was a former fan of Finnegan's Wake and ate there frequently. However, the veggie burgers are not vegan, as I was previously told, and the staff has stated they cannot let you know for sure what is or is not vegan on their menu. This makes me sad/upset because we were told things like the articake sandwich and veggie burger patty were vegan. Now I don't feel like I can safely eat there and have stopped going back because of this misinformation.
Review Source:I had a GREAT experience here on a Sunday. Â The chef came out to discuss my needs as a vegan, and was totally friendly and accommodating. Â The food was DELICIOUS, and the awesome bartender made great beer recommendations. Â This place really feels like a neighborhood pub of the type I experienced in Scotland. Â Friendly staff, friendly patrons (the guy at the bar made recommendations as we ordered), great food, great beer. Â I wanna go there all the time now!
Review Source:I came here about a year and a half ago only to turn around and leave. Â I was with a large group of people that it didn't seem to be able to accomodate. Â I wish we had asked if there was room, because there probably would've been some. Â Once you pass the restrooms, there's a door to go outside to a wonderfully large patio. Â
We had drinks outside this time around and they were moderately priced, decent sized, and had the right balance of alcohol to mixer. Â Our server was very friendly and didn't mind coming outside when we were the only table there for a while. Â The patio has what looks like could be a makeshift bar for busy days. Â
There were fireflies flying around us which was a plus. Â (I know they have no control over that, but it really made my night.)
I'm puzzled as to why this place doesn't have more reviews. It's pretty popular and attracts a fairly diverse range of people, though there's sure to be a showing from Wake. Winston doesn't have much to offer in the way of Irish pubs, but this is a pretty strong offering. The food is good enough that some people go for the food. The atmosphere is great, though it varies depending depending on the night. It's mostly conducive to conversation aside from the busiest of nights. They have a few tables out front and a wonderful patio out back.
Review Source:Good bar with exceptional pub grub.
The food ain't cheap but it's good. It's priced as a mid-level restaurant, rather than cheap pub food. They have items like Shepards Pie and Fish and Chips as well as sandwiches and burgers. Expect to pay around $50-60 for dinner for two including drinks and an app.
It can get crowded, especially on live music nights, but there is a decent back patio on warmer nights. The smoking ban just went into effect, so that should clear out the smokiness that used to accompany busy nights.
Clientele ranges from late-20's-30's-40's locals to downtown professionals and Wake professors. Not a college bar but a few Wake and NCSA students can be found.
Service can be gruff, but usually satisfactory, depending on how busy of a night.
Good for a pint of Guiness, a soccer game on the tube, and a big plate of chips.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
