Love their queso dip, but the rest of their Mexican cuisine is a bit bland for my taste. Mexican food is supposed to be savory when mild and REALLY spicy when hot. I was a bit disappointed when the food came out "blah." I'd recommend the place for appetizers and drinks. They also make a mean Margarita!
Review Source:Good food and good drinks. Pricy for what you get. Â It would have been 4 stars if the mexican side of the menu had more options. Â I think mexican and 100 different yummy things come to mind and here you can find about 7 of those options. Â With that being said I ordered the enchiladas verdes and they were good, very, very small for about $9.00 but good.
Review Source:I reserve a 5-star rating for perfection. Â There very few establishments I've been to that I felt deserving of a perfect score so the ratings boil down to a number of variables. But the simple math for Garcia Brogan's goes something like this: great staff + great layout/atmosphere + good, reasonably-priced drinks and good food = 4 star rating.
Some nights, the staff get absolutely swamped but being the tight unit they are, I've never had to wait long for a cold drink to wash down a yummy chimichanga or taco. Â This bar isn't perfect but if you're looking for a good pub to catch a game and grab a bite in downtown Lowell, this is the spot!
Came here last night on a Saturday and it was great. Â
The female waitstaff were all extremely hot.. which was awesome. Â I like the whole Hooters look without the slutty outfits.. i'm a little more high-class than that... so it was perfect for me. Â They weren't playing any music because there was a Bruins game on t.v which kind of sucked and as I was about to leave, they started playing live music which also sucked (as I'm about to leave, not that they sucked). Â Everywhere I looked there were hot college girls, the ratio was in favor of guys which was a giant plus. Â
Now onto the service. Â The 3 guys at the bar were all awesome at their jobs, very accommodating and pleasant in demeanor. Â I ordered the steak tacos which were amazing! Â For the side, I ordered the calamari rings which ... I have to admit were really bad. Â At 9.99 I was expecting something a little better but at least the serving was big but still.. it wasn't tasty. Â
So to sum it up...
Atmosphere was awesome, very nice vibe throughout the whole place
Prices were good. Â Had a few beers each and food that only came up to 48$
The clientele was awesome, the girls were all cute for the most part and the staff was awesome.
Overall I would highly recommend Garcia Brogans for a nice night out with friends.
Nice place and they were very willing to turn the game way down in the dining room for us, and our waitress was great, but the Mexican food that we had was very disappointing.This place couldn't hold a candle to our favorite, Sol Azteca in Newton and Brookline. Wish Garcia Brogan would go there and take some notes, because we live in Lowell and would love to have authentic, excellent Mexican fare close to home. We might go back to GB try their fish, but not for Mexican, unless they make some big changes.
Review Source:Love going here, it is so beautiful inside. Â Drinks are great and bartenders are all very friendly. Â Wait staff has always been very good every time we have gone.
Food is good. Â It could be great.. but it's just good.
Today we got:
Espanaca - really excellent
Shepherds pie- one of my daughters favorite but to me it seemed a bit greasy
Chili - Tasted great, right amount of spices, very chunky however it had pools of grease in it. Â It was as if no one drained the hamburg when it was cooked. Â My 10 year old eats it but it would make me sick to eat a bowl of this.
Jambalaya  -  It was good.  Not the best i have ever had but good.  A lot of the muscles in it were not open so i couldn't eat them.  The ones i did eat were not cleaned very well.  The chicken in it was a bit dry but the seasoning in it was good.
In the past I have had fish tacos and a beef mexican dish that i can't remember the name, that i liked much better than the jambalaya. Â
Three stars states A-OK and that is accurate.
I have been here many times, sometimes for lunch sometimes just for drinks. Â the food that i have tried is so so. Â the fish and chips used to be really good but then something changed and now they are not so good (soggy batter and possibly not fresh fish) Â this is a good place to go for drinks. Â good atmosphere inside and the outdoor seating is good too.
Review Source:Went here a couple of times on the weekends with some friends, it's a lively place especially when there are guest DJs or bands. If you like LOUD places then this is the perfect place for you. If you like quiet, more relaxing dinner...then I'd say no. This place is separated into two area. Irish & Mexican. Both side have bars, but the Mexican side is more spacious and it has more seating. They sometime turn that area into a dance floor. I have the pleasure of witnessing some guy trying to be slick by making a move on some girls dancing. He was ignored by all. His dance moves didn't impressed any of them I guess. Then there are some older guys there trying to talk to you. It can be an uncomfortable space when these kind of events are going on. Anyways onto the food, I had the Cajun chicken sandwich and I must say it was delicious. I also had burgers there and it was good too. Nothing to complain about. Overall, it's a good spot to hang out with your buddies on the weekend for some dancing and some free mini concerts. YUP.
Review Source:It's a cool bar that serves some Mexican-type and some Irish-type food. Go somewhere else if your looking for either. The food is uneven, for example we had a steak appetizer that was kick ass. But the mex meal was just so-so. That said, it is a cool place with good drinks and a mixed crowd, which is good. Just don't go with high expectations of it being a food place.
Review Source:Food:
We came here on Monday for the 25 cent wings. The flavors were BBQ, Buffalo, Plain, and Spicy. Surprisingly, there is no minimum for the order. The wings weren't spectacular, you'll get a mix of crunchy wings and soggy wings. They can start tasting bland pretty quickly. Be cautious not to order too much because you can't take it home (!)
Atmosphere:
It is a beautiful atmosphere both inside and outside. It has a rustic Olive Garden feel to it. Their TVs could use some captioning because you can't really hear it over the Top-40 music.
Staff:
The staff are pretty busy, so it might be hard to get a hold of the right server (especially if you're in the less busy room). Don't be afraid to flag down another server to grab your server.
Final Thoughts:
I would come back here to try out the different foods, and maybe a few drinks - not soon though. I wasn't impressed by anything extraordinary.
I have a love-hate relationship with this place ... a number of people have agreed with their feelings for this place.
The place? Fantastic! The inside is cool, different, great atmosphere. The patio is awesome with lounge chairs and a huge TV to watch the games on.
Great drink selections, good margaritas. Nice staff, although we waited forever one night for our menus first, then for to order drinks. After that, it was smooth sailing.
The food? Â Terrible! We had high hopes for this place. We'll give it another few trips before we completely write it off, but to date we have only tried one thing I'd consider eating again. Everything else was really bad. The salsa they give at the tables tastes like thick, heavy tomato sauce with some onion thrown in.
For some drinks and watch the game, maybe some apps? Oh, most definitely. For a great meal? Â Absolutely not. After a few trips, maybe my next one will be better
Went in for a friends birthday on a friday night. Â The crowd was of all ages. Â I saw some of my college professors there which i found funny. Â There was a live band playing which was fine to sit and listen to. Â People that were drunk enough tried dancing and that provided even better entertainment. Â I liked that they had a seperate bar area away from where the band was playing. Â The decor was nice and they had an outdoor area. Â i didnt drink or eat anything as we arrived late. Â i would try this place again. It's not "party central" like some other places downtown but it seemed like a good hang out spot.
Review Source:I selected this place as my friend's birthday dinner as my co-workers talked this place was great for groups. Â
The food selections is fairly limited as it has mexican and irish fare. Â No fusion at all. Â It was just mexican or irish. Â A few of the guys at the table made a request for a fusion dish which the kitchen was a little weary to do, but they actually did it. Â Needless to say, they actually put up with the antics of some of the guys from my table. Â
The food itself was ok. Â I was not impressed by any of the dishes. Â Though I think the mexican food was better than the irish food, but that could be because I like my spices. Â
The service was amazing, as we had a fairly large party. Â She was very pleasant and helped us with our selection of food and drinks. Â Our food came out quickly. Â
For a Saturday night, I was surprised that it was very quiet. Â I was expected more people around, but it was fairly dead. Â
I would come again and give this place another try.
We went there for the first time. our waitress Hannah was attentive without being intrusive. she was also funny and charming! we spoke with the manager briefly who made sure our meal was excellent. the music was live, the food was fresh and tasty, the atmosphere was a social ambiance! i would go again!
Review Source:We went to Garcia Brogan's on a Friday night with another couple and will definitely be back! The service and our waitress was fantastic - she was attentive and our appetizers and meals were quick! We had the fajitas, steak tips, and chicken sandwich and everyone was happy with their meals! Great for a night out with friends :)
Review Source:Pleasantly surprised by Garcia Brogans- I was here to meet up with friends due to the convenience of the location, more so than the fair reviews of the food...however, I completely wolfed down my house salad of fresh greens and had generous helpings of shared appetizers (spinach queso dip with chips, huge portion of fried calamari). Â And 2 margaritas- not the best I've had, but decent. Â OK, so the menu items are a weird mix..but for bar & pub fare, it works. Â Not looking for authenticity here, but good value w/ large portions at fair prices for snack and bar food.
The space is very large- one side is a large bar (the Irish side) and the other is a restaurant cantina (Mexican side). Â Sitting on the cantina side, I think I would have preferred the coy bar side, but whatever.
Definitely a 3.5 star place, with an extra 0.5 star for convenience. Â Parking available on street just steps outside, or in the secure parking deck that the restaurant is connected to.
My husband and I went to Garcia Brogan's last night for dinner. From experience, when a restaurant tries to offer 2 types of cuisine I usually am a skeptical diner. In this case I was doubtful that an Irish/Mexican restaurant had much to offer. I mean, how in god's name can this work?
To my shock and amazement, the food was frickin awesome. Our waitress Mariann was friendly and kept offering me samples of food, which is always a plus. Got to taste the beef stew which I swear I could have died happy after eating. I ended up getting the burrito relleno which was perfect. The marinade, the portion, everything about it was pure bliss. The guac was awesome as well, could have eaten a gallon of it. My husband opted for Irish cuisine and to my surprise it was equally as good as the Mexican.
While Garcia Brogan's is not the greatest restaurant I have ever been to, the fact that it far surpassed my expectations, did an exceptional job at tackling two cuisines, and had amazing service is why it deserves a 5 star review.
i know this place is good for kicking back and getting some drinks and snacks. but i would definitely recommend actually sitting down and having dinner here because the food is actually pretty good (contrary to what other yelpers have to say)
I ordered the veracruzana. they put this really delicious tomato sauce on top that gives it soo much flavor. my fish was cooked to perfection. kudos to the chef, which after talking with our waiter, i hear is new and changing up a lot of the flavors! so ask  your waiter what the chef's specialties are and they'll let you know the real goods. none of this bar food stuff.
bar food is bar food. period. venture out, open up the menu, and order some of the specials they've got. trust me..its worth it!
Came here b/c a friend told me about their chicken wings, but it wasn't on the menu!!! Therefore, It's not really a solid 4, more like a 3.0-3.5
Now, just had dinner here and it was better than expected (especially since some of the reviews were horrific).
1) I actually liked their free chips and salsa (you must add a little hot sauce)
2) We were waiting on a 3rd friend, but the service was attentive, but the place was low key for a Tuesday night. Yet, there were a few tables and a full bar.
3) Mmmm.. the Calamari (Huge portions) and Sweet Plantains (and the sides were just a few) . Nevertheless, excellent
4) My friends loved their dinner, but I would not recommend getting my Chicken Caesar wrap. it's nothing special, but it did come with steak fries.
5) Fish Tacos (Since, I've been living in California- I don't think it can compare, but it will do for Lowell)
6) My other friend had some carne asada. The dinner portions are pretty huge, so I think I might have shared something with all of our other sides.
It's a nice place in a gentrified area. I haven't been back to Lowell for a whie, but I am glad they are trying to revitalize it. Even though there is no parking, there is always street parking and a garage.
Sure, I'll come back again and I'll try their drinks this time.
First of all I need to say that this is simply based on the food in this place. The bar, and the after hours part of their biz is another matter and is fantastic.
We got seated outside in a small dining area just off the side. Three people fit nicely and the ambiance, even on the outside was nice. It was clean, quiet, and friendly.
The food was just not good. Not bad, just not good. I got enchiladas with fried plaintains, started off with chips and salsa. The chips and salsa were a fine prediction of what was to come. They were bland and tasteless, just like the salsa. I actually found myself wishing for Chilis salsa. Boo for that. When the food came I got a little more excited, as it looked great. I was soon disappointed by a mushy bit of tasteless nothing. Again, not bad it just tasted like they forgot all the seasoning. It was as light as any Mexican food I've ever had, but it left me feeling unsatisfied.
If you're looking for food, this place is not worth it at all. However, if you want to have a few drinks, they have some of the best mixed drinks in the multiverse.
If you're just looking for a place to grab a few drinks, this might be a decent place. Â The atmosphere is nice, and they have trivia nights, karaoke, etc. Â The food, however, is pretty underwhelming. Â I recently gave them another chance after a horrible first experience. Â Most recently I had the fish tacos. Â The tortillas were so thin that they pretty much crumbled into a mushy fish mess as soon as I picked them up. Â There was a pretty small amount of fish on the tortillas, which were piled high with lettuce so as to make it less noticeable. Â And the guacamole was mediocre at best, tasting way too strongly of lime. Â For mexican food in Lowell, Mr. Jalepeno is your best bet these days. Â I won't be going here again.
Review Source:The best thing about this place is it's location. The space is well constructed with plenty of room and is kept clean and welcoming. The pub/cantina combo is a little strange, but that's not a bad thing. Thankfully they've managed to stay open for awhile and seem to have a decent crowd now and again. Drinks are standard, nothing super fancy, and ditto for the food. Every now and again there's a crazy special, like pork loin stuffed with spinach and cheese, and that's what you should get. Â For some reason I love the buffalo chicken tenders. Nachos and salsa are only average. Â Staff is usually super friendly.
Definitely worth a visit or two.
Went here with some friends for dinner and was unimpressed.
The location and the layout/design of the restaurant are great. The split between the Mexican side and the Irish side is kind of gimmicky, but it works for the place. There was live music when I was there and they were pretty good and not overpoweringly loud.
The drink selections were nothing special, but the 2 margaritas I had were both well done. The chips and salsa were kind of bland and seemed like they were just generic store bought ones. For my meal I had the Chicken Enchiladas and I ordered 2 different sauces. I had one with mole and the other with verde. The mole sauce was pretty bad. It was super sweet most of the time, but then had bursts of an overpowering cinnamon flavor other times. The verde sauce was pretty mild and tasted like it was made by Old El Paso or some other cheap grocery store brand. It came out with black beans which were fine, but I realized that the waitress never asked me what kind of beans I wanted.
Needless to say if I return it will be to just stop in for a drink as the bar looks nice and the drinks were good. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the food if you do go.
I'm basing this on food alone. The drinks were decent. I got the chimichanga, it looked like it was going to be good but then it sucked kind of a lot. The chicken inside was completely unseasoned. Whatever else was in there was just flavorless mush. I was hungry and only ate less than half of it because it was kind of gross.
The place is nice inside, though. Nice change of pace from the average divey Lowell bar, so I'd go back here maybe just for drinks.
Stopped by on Sat night to see what the fuzz was all about, and I have to say, I was not disappointed with what I saw. What a nice, open and clean looking pub/lounge/cantina. The place is all kinds of cool with a cantina on the Mex side and a pub on the Irish side. There was a band playing which wasn't bad. Had a plethora of alcoholic beverages including, sangrias, margaritas and of course Guinesses. 4 stars on the atmosphere, cool factor, look and drinks. Didn't have any food, but it smelled terrific. Great addition to the Lowell scene. Will visit often. Oh and 25 cent wings on Sunday during football season and for Monday night football.
Review Source:Eh. Â I was there with three other people and nobody's food was any good. Â We all had Mexican dishes. Â The place was nice and clean, and with a little more tweaking the menu could be okay. Â It seemed like the Mexican food did the bare minimum to be classified as Mexican food and nothing was very flavorful or spicy. Â With some new recipes this place would be worth checking out again but for now I'd head somewhere else for decent food.
Review Source:This place is a great addition to downtown Lowell. I have been there several times and each time has improved. The food is always cooked to order and to perfection: burgers, steak tips and chicken on salad. The homemade chips and salsa were delicious as well as the drinks. It's always packed when I'm there so the service could be better, but it's going to take a little while to get it down. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants good Mexican food, Irish food and a nice atmosphere. Go check it out!
Review Source:Let me start by saying the service was great!!!
Our server, Megan, went way out of her way to make our dining experience a pleasant one.
Next, the place is brand new and very nicely done, it is modern and functional. Nice large flat-screen TVs adorn the restaurant and bars.
The prices were very reasonable (dinner for 4 with some drinks, under$80.00).
Unfortunately the food (Both Mexican and non-Mexican) was not that good, may be just a 2 may be a 3 out of 5. Waited long time, though the place was not that busy, and when we got the food it was warm not hot. Other places in Lowell (e.g., Mr. Jalapenos) have much better Mexican food.
The one bright spot was the salsa and chips, they were great!
I was excited to try this newcomer to a growing downtown Lowell dining scene. Â And I anticipate that this rating might change as time goes on. Â To call this establishment new is an understatement! Â They are still putting the finishing touches on the place, and are awaiting their "official" grand opening in the near future.
The "good": Â
A beautiful space! Â They really did a nice job with the build out, which is encouraging, because it means management is really committed to the project.
The Location! Â I know, a lot of people are commenting about the "colorful" neighborhood. Â But I think they are very shortsighted. Â Jackson Street is growing rapidly as a residential haven, and with the courthouse due to go up at the end of the street, I again see this as a very wise investment in the future.
The Staff! Â Everyone was very pleasant. Â The hostess had a big smile and was very cordial. Â I then sat at the bar (Mexican side) and enjoyed a beer while waiting for my dining companions to arrive. Â The bartender and manager were quite nice. Â And you could easily appreciate how excited they all are to be a part of this. Â When my dining companions arrived, we sat ourselves at a high top on the Irish side, and the waitress was very attentive and pleasant.
The "Room for improvement":
The menu is not bad, but it isn't terribly inspiring. Â There are two sides, the mexican side and the irish side. Â And both sides of the menu basically contain exactly what you would expect- Mexican side has nachos, quesadillas, and a few other apps, then a burrito, a chimichanga, and enchilada, a carne asada, and so on. Â The Irish side has Fish & Chips, Sheperd's Pie, Patty Melt, reuben, and so on. Â It's not that I didn't want to see those things one there (and it would have been odd not to). Â But there wasn't anything that made me go "oh, that sounds interesting (or different, or unique)".
The food we had was, much like the menu, as expected, but nothing remarkable. Â They are still so very new that they are working out the kinks (my friend ordered a sandwich with bacon, it came with no bacon, and the waitress had to check the menu to see if it was supposed to have it. LOL!). Â
And those kinks are nothing I would worry about. Â Heck, the place is so new it very well might be the first time the cook had made that sandwich! Â
I had a chimichanga which was good, but had to be the thickest chimichanga I've ever had. Â It was like a large stuffed burrito. Â That would be fine, but as a result, the outside was fried crispy and hot, but the center was not very warm. Â That sort of thing will likely resolve with some fine tuning and tweaking of the menu and preparation.
Overall impression: Â This is a WONDERFUL establishment, with a great staff, and management that is undoubtedly committed to the project in a very promising location. Â I would not hesitate to go back for a casual meal with friends, and have no doubt it is a great establishment for some revelry and libations (hopefully they plan on getting some live music in there). Â
While the food is not up to the level of some of the other recent additions in the city (Blue Taleh, Village Smokehouse, Centro), neither are the prices!
I expect the food to steadily improve as they fine tune their product, and get more comfortable in their new digs. Â I would suggest anyone curious should check this place out with an open mind. Â
As someone else mentioned: Any business that's willing to make this kind of investment in the neighborhood, and provide that many jobs should be given all the support and encouragement possible. Â If the product needs to improve, give them a chance to do so. Â It has the potential to become something very special!
Conversely to come on here and skewer this place with a horrible rating and say things like "I hope for their sake they clean up their act because I for sure will never dine there again!" is really pathetic. Â I mean, do we WANT local businesses to fail?
Great stuff, great stuff.
A welcome addition to Lowell's "JAM district" Garcia Brogans is everything you could want in an Irish/Mexican Cantina Pub. Â Nooo it's not corned beef quesadilla fusion, though I'd certainly give something like that a try, it's 2 distinctly different seating areas (one with a cozy Irish Pub feel, the other with an open and airy Cantina feel) along with a 2-sided menu with distinctly different options. Â We ordered items off both sides and were thrilled! Â The potato skins were full-bodied and not my style per se, but I won't mark off for something that's my personal preference.
I HIGHLY recommend the Guiness Beef Stew, especially if you're reading this in the winter. Â The chicken fajita quesadilla was also good as the chicken itself was seasoned excellently! Â
Prices were VERY reasonable and I could NOT have been more comfortable in this place, it had only been open literally for minutes when I went and it was very inviting and warm. Â And there's a TON of secure parking as it's next to the parking garage!
It is a HUGE plus to this neighborhood to have such a tastey and delicious addition to the community. Â I will be back again and again and again.
As far as "Mary's" remarks go, I think she might not even know where she was dining because the service I had was impeccable. Â The waiter was perfectly attentive etc. and the manager came by to ask how we're doing. Â I can NOT for the life of me understand people who, IN THIS ECONOMY, run home to flame places that A) are just getting off the ground and getting started and B) EMPLOYING dozens of people. Â If one doesn't know how to review IN CONTEXT, then they really ought not review at all. Â People know it's a brand new place, and people know what that can often mean. Â People who don't understand this shouldn't go to a place in their first week and then crap all over the place on line like that. Â It's not right. Â
Anyway, 5 solid stars from me, new place or not.
Bienvenidos al barrio Garcia Brogan's!!!
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