Went there for din last night and thought the service was kinda slow. . .
Also got the fish tacos and have to say I wasn't overly impressed - and the chips that they come w/ were pretty stale as well.
The apps were good - some green beans and small slider burgers were all pretty nice - but maybe order something besides the fish tacos - not awesome at all.
Well. Â I have to say I've lived in Eagan almost 5 years now and I've until today resisted going to this joint because, well...I really don't like chain restaurants all that much. Â I tried Jakes next door a couple years ago and was completely turned off by poor food and service that I just assumed Houlihan's was also guilty by association (they are right next to each other). Â
So my GF came here once on a girls nite out and reported it was decent. Â She's been trying to get me to come here ever since. Â I was craving a burger today so I finally caved. Â Glad I did!
First, the burger. Â I just got their basic build your own burger with cheddar cheese. Â I ordered it cooked medium. Â IT CAME MEDIUM! Â good god that never happens in MN!! Â Burger was good. Â Kinda expensive but this is something I could definitely partake in a few times a year. Â Â
Fries were good too. Â
GF got a 62 burger, i think. Â It had a fried mushroom (which is also on their app menu) on it and spinach. Â She liked it. Â
We got spinach dip from the app menu. Â It was spectacular. Â Top 2 spinach dips I've had in a restaurant, ever. Â Serious. Â We both gobbled that stuff up so fast the waitress probably thought we were starved for a week. Â You gotta try it. Â It comes with some triangular shaped cracker things with cilantro and sour cream...omg so good. Â
To quote a famous philandering ex-governor/actor/bodybuilder/terminator: Â I'LL BE BACK!
They consistently execute quality food. We eat here often, and order a variety of items. The goat cheese artichoke poppers are heavenly, the stuffed chicken decadent, the pot roast and meatloaf high quality, and the steak is quite tasty. We would prefer if the vegetables were cooked a little longer, they always have more crunch than we like. The corned beef and cabbage special this weekend was served with a wonderful creamy horseradish sauce that really transformed the food.
We miss the enchiladas which are no longer part of the menu.
We stopped through a week ago for a late lunch around 2pm. Â If it's cold outside and I come here I usually get the Pot Roast and that's exactly what I did. Â It was as satisfying as I expected, good creamy mashed potatoes, tender meat, and great gravy. Â Our group also split some calamari which was also good but not a very big portion, the dipping sauce is a nice tangy kind of ranchy bleu cheese goodness. Â Service has never been a factor in the visits I have made and it was again good on this experience.
This location is nice in the summer since it has a big patio that backs up to the man made pond which is shared by Jakes City Grille and BWW.  The thing I like most about dining in this  area is that if one restaurant is busy just walk down to the next one, hell I take my little light up vibrating thing with me while I check the waits.
We used to go here quite often, mainly for the happy hour. The patio is nice and so is the inside. The menu is so old and tired. They seem to concentrate on cute, klitchy, little marketing slogans, rather than on good menu selection. The "small plates" are not a very good value when you can eat 3 of them. They have a few really nice servers that we have had in the past, but, as someone else mentioned, the bartenders are not very friendly at all. They seem to have issues with the tap beer lines also, like flat beer, or the leftovers of another kind of beer in the line mixed with the new keg. There are too many other places with better food and better value.
Review Source:I only go here when they have their 2-4-1's for their, otherwise overpriced, drinks during  happy hour. All tap beers, house wines, and rails & calls are included (happy hour is all day on Sundays) I have eaten here a few times and the food is decent.  But I usually get the appetizers if I eat here. They have a decent patio, too.  T
The bartenders are not too friendly, and are only mildly attentive. They also shut down before their listed closing time and will tell you it's last call, basically suggesting for you to leave. But the happy hour brings us back.
Houlihans reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh Blue like mucho reminder. The bar area, decor and even the booths are the same then I realize Houlihans has been around much longer so they may have been copied which is a good thing if you are being copied because that just means you are being liked.
I always order a outrageous amount of small plates because they tell you 2 plates feeds one person but to be honest it feeds more maybe 1.5 people. I love their spinach salads, the fries are great, and the wings are bombdigity!
The pitchers seem a little smaller than the average restaurant but thats just fine with me because its usually just my boyfriend and I where we want more than one glass of white sangria (sooo good btw) but can never finish a whole pitcher between the two of us without getting full to early, The smaller size makes it much easier to proportion our food out.
The service seems to be alright depending on who you get that day the fellow that works late nights in the bar area is super while the one lady I got during a dinner rush was not so much!
The first time I went to Houlihan's was around the dinner hour and it was definitely not my type of atmosphere. Â A couple weeks after that, I came back during the lunch rush and it was a completely different experience.
I was impressed my second time around by the friendliness of the wait staff. Â It was the weekend before Mother's Day and they were greeting their regular customers with hugs and kind words. Â I was pleasantly surprised to see this!
My waitress, Diane, was completely focused on making my experience a positive one. Â I had just finished up some certification testing and she genuinely seemed engaged in our conversation. Â I give Diane a full 5 stars!
The lunch menu is definitely more reasonably priced, and I was pleasantly surprised  by the steak salad.  The meat was cooked to perfection (again, finding places that do well done done well is a rarity) and the pairing with bleu cheese, bacon, and asparagus was delicious.
Not too much to complain about for my first visit here! I guess if I were to have one, its be that the martini flights could be bigger. But as my friend pointed out, then it would be a regular drink!
I did like that there were menu options for every price range. I tried the Roasted Veggie Flat-bread--- superb! I loved it. I also had the Avocado Chicken egg rolls too! SO GOOD! There wasn't anything bad at our table. Oh my boyfriend ordered the Disco Fries and I have to say, they were really good.
I can't wait to go back and try some more rocking foods and drinks!! Oh and shout out to Jenn V our waitress. She was amazing. She was on top of everything and more importantly actually chatted with us about places to check out and such like that! She's the waitress that is with child if you do decide to maybe get sat in her section :) Â Enjoy the experience!!
Serves the purpose...
We have a group of friends and we always try and meet in Eagan since it is central for many of us. Â It's chain land, but what are you going to do right?
We went on a recent Tuesday night for Happy Hour. Â I noticed you can get a free app if you sign up for the email club, so I did. Â It was worth it.
They also have some 2 for 1s on drinks. Â
We had the lettuce wraps, bruschetta, and wings. Â The lettuce wraps were good, I didn't try the wings, but the bruschetta was excellent! Â It was goat cheese topped with bruschetta with spring mix/balsamic on the side. Â It was tasty and the crostini it came with was a good compliment.
Like I said, it's passable for HH, but I would more than likely not go there for a meal, but the place was packed, so I guess some people would.
Hoolihans never fails to disappoint me. The contemporary bar is a nice break in the suburbs, and it is pretty easy to get tipsy here. Often sitting in the bar makes you eligible for special offers such as discounted appetizers or drink specials. I am a fan of the mixed drinks that are generously poured and served in a small pitcher that is really a nice value. The raw tuna appetizer or salad have never let me down!
Review Source:Houlihan's was a place that early on in dating my wife we visited a lot. Â They used to make a killer margarita and serve a shot of Grand Marnier on the side. Â The food used to be better. Â The place used to be more fun, more a four star sort of joint. Â But years ago, their drinks changed, their menus changed (and changed again, and again, and again, and again) so that now it is just another chain place with little to distinguish it from the rest. Â I don't object to chains, but Houlihan's is now, and has been for a while, just average. Â I only continue to visit as it is a place that I can bring my kids to as well as other adults at the same time. Â Food is average, service is never terrible or awesome, most frequently just above average, or barely below average or just plain average. Â Lately it seems to have gotten more expensive as well. Â I know I'll be back here, but I don't plan on it, and don't look forward to it with any sort of passion - positive, negative or otherwise.
Review Source:I was at Houlihan's for a late dinner and was happy with my meal. We shared fried goat cheese as an appetizer which was awesome, and then my meal was lettuce wraps. The food was ok, but probably my least favorite lettuce wraps I've ever ordered. It was a nice and quiet dinner though with no crowds or huge numbers of people to distract. AGain, I believe this was because we were there at 9pm and not at dinner time. I'd go again, but there are many better restaurants in the area.
Review Source:I had the best experience at Houlihan's. Had Filet Mignon...just about the best I have ever had. Cooked to perfection! My Tuscan salad was so bomb! The service was great too. Brought my husband and step kids. My step daughter embrassed the hell out of me by scooping up her gaucamole and handing it to the waitress. The waitress had a good sense of humor and just laughed and said it was ok. I am sure she told that story later while laughing. She was awesome though. The nachos were good and so were the burritos. Â I would definitely recommend this place to anyone on a first date. The ambiance is what always gets me first. It had all that. Then comes the service and then the food. They had it all in line. Great service! 5 stars baby!
Review Source:The menu is very typical for an american steak house. They have a wide variety with pretty good consistency.
I hit the bar late one night after working for some late night grub. Have to say the 'Small Plates' are creative and not what I'd consider to be typical bar appetizers. We tried the following:
1. Â Naked Chinese Dumpling kabobs with ginger lemongrass pork bites
with peanut sauce . . . A very tasty
2. Â Thai Noodle bowl with ginger-peanut noodles (chilled), cilantro, basil, mint, napa cabbage, sweet & sour carrots with grilled spicy Thai barbequed shrimp . . . C - the shrimp didn't taste fresh:(
3. Â Wild Mushroom and Arugula FlatbreadV with white truffle vinaigrette . . . A+, my favorite
4. Â Goat Cheese & Artichoke PoppersV with fresh thyme and lemon zest . . . B, interesting take on Jalapeno poppers, although deep friend and terrible for you
Would go back for lunch and check out the salads.
I don't know if they see me coming...or just the fact that I'm never expecting it...but for some reason - I receive the best service at chain restaurants in the suburbs.
I appreciate decor, I love food...but I'm passionate about service. I arrived around 12:30pm with my 6 month old son in-tow for a lunch meeting. We were greeted with a smile, and seated. Our meeting told our server that we were in no rush - and she respected our input. When I needed to refill the bottle, the manager actually walked me to the restrooms!!
I travel the city, and eat out frequently. This was one of the best lunch services that I've received in recent memory.
The food? It was fine.
The decor? Didn't notice.
The service? Outstanding!
I went for an after work beer (or 4) and some food one evening and had an OK experience. Â I figured it would be a typical sports bar but it seemed kind of "uppity" after I bellied up to the bar.
The bartenders were very friendly and the fish tacos I had were very good - but the price was a little more expensive than I generally like to pay for a meal and a few beers. Â I walked out of there paying about $35 after tipping for 4 beers and 2 fish tacos. Â If I were to go again I would make sure to see if there are any happy hour deals or make sure to drink a domestic beer.
Most resturaunts have a theme, like modern or a sports bar. Houlihans dosent know what it is. it has classic turn of the century mirrors and sports memorobilia on the walls. But the the menus are modern and trying to go for a minimalistic approach. The food is the same way. A high scale food in a sports themed place. I just dont feel right looking up to see a whiskey ad mirror and the Twins playing, then look down and see three stacks of various meats with pepper and mint leafs on the top. I want to see french fries, bug meaty burgers and round plates. Not this modern style. Also it is too pricey for the atmosphere.
a conflict of eras. from the 1920s and 1930s to 2009. not right.
Food - Passable.
Service - really, really terrible.
We stopped in for lunch on a weekday. Â The place was nearly empty since it was after the noon rush (around 1:30 pm). Â We were seated right away and someone came to take our drink order pretty fast. Â Then we had to wait at least 10 minutes to order. Â In fact we had to flag someone down to help us. Â She was nice enough, took our order, and then we waited again - nearly 20 minutes to get our food. Â We hadn't ordered anything that takes a long time, just a salad and a sandwich. Â When the food was delivered we asked for the check, and the server said sure, I'll bring it right away. Â But she didn't. Â After we finished eating we had to flag someone else to bring us a check. Â
There's other places to eat around here so I recommend skipping Houlihans.
We first discovered Houlihan's on a weekend away in Wisconsin Dells. At that time we had never heard of them and were surprised to learn there was one in Eagan. We ate here a few times and then stopped coming here as it just wasn't worth it.
We decided to try them again this week and it was really quite good. My hubby had the Chef's Special Mushroom Enchilada and I had their aged cheddar burger (Tillamook burger I think it was called.) They were both very good. I ordered my burger Medium AND IT CAME MEDIUM! That never happens. Usually they ask - I tell them Medium hoping for a hint of pink and the burger comes well or burnt. So that was awesome to get a juicy burger actually cooked the way I wanted. I got a big ol pile of garlic mashed potatoes with my burger - which I could barely pick at after the burger goodness was consumed. I did find it curious that the burger tasted a little dry even though I had juices running down my arms. Mostly on the ends of the burger.
My hubby gave me a bite of his mushroom enchilada and it was very good as well.
Our waitress was awesome and she didn't bring the bill until we were both done eating. YEAH! Thank you for that rarity as well!
The only real negative was the drink I ordered and ended up  abandoning. It was some Mango Rum thingy and they brought a shot of melon liqueur to dump in it. It was pretty gross. And it cost almost $7.00 which is too much for something that grodey.
The place is not somewhere to go if you want a quiet meal. We were there on a weeknight and past time for the dinner crowd and it was still loud. Also the hostess had an attitude problem. Sorry we chose your restaurant sweetie but you are paid to be nice to us for the 10 seconds we are in your life - so suck it up. Â
I will not race back here for another meal - but if I am starving and in the neighborhood I will consider coming back.
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