Am I a sucker for a good Irish pub? Â Yes. Â Was this a good Irish pub? Â Yes. Â Was I in the right mindset to be entertained and enjoy myself? Â Oh yes.
My wife and I were in town for a short weekend away during our 11th anniversary weekend and we decided to stop in here. Â She had the soup and salad, which she enjoyed. Â She let me taste the soup, some kind of creamy leek soup, and it was excellent. Â I had the Irish Cheese Steak Sandwich and it too was excellent. Â The sandwich was a different spin on the traditional cheese steak sandwich in that it had mozzarella cheese as in it and that made it extra cheesy. Â
To drink I had two perfectly poured Guinness (what else?!!). Â If I were to criticize, it would be that their overall beer menu was a bit sparse. Â Of course it had all of the traditional brews on tap (Guinness, Harp, Murphy's, etc) but there wasn't much local flavor there. Â That being said, when I'm at an Irish pub, the chances are I'm going to order an Irish brew.
The atmosphere was wonderful. Â We happened to be there whilst a two person band played some traditional Irish music, with a hand drum and a fiddle, and it was excellent. Â If I lived near here, I would frequent this location often.
Rude and absent service with mediocre food for an bloated price. Sat for an hour while others were seated, served and given the bill. They had a GREAT day!
Ordered a Veggie Burger $14 and Cheese Steak Sandwich $14. When asked what was taking so long ( 1 hour) we were told a Veggie burger takes that long to cook. (7 to 14 minutes from frozen) When challenged the waitress dug in and argued.
If it takes too long for a meal tell the truth and apologize.
Will not return and insulted enough to warn others.
Our group of 5 ended up here for lunch and it was pretty good. Â One of the main reasons we ended up here was because we took a walk down mainstreet NOTL and every other restaurant looked really frou-frou and expensive. Â We just wanted an average priced lunch so the Irish pub fit the bill!
It was way too warm and stuffy in the restaurant - they really needed some fresh air in there. Â We were seated right away. Â We ordered pretty promptly but it took quite a long time for our food to arrive. Â All the food was good - burger, fish & chips, steak pie, etc. Â I must note the burger was particularly good - homemade, not frozen! Â One thing that was really gross was the flies. Â For some reason, there seemed to be a lot of flies buzzing around our table (was it us?!). But, overall, a good experience.
It's the typical Irish pub with most of the standard Irish pub fare.
Prices are high compared to the typical Irish pub but there was a line out the door so I can't fault them for that. Just something to be aware of if you're on a budget. I could not find the price of beer posted anywhere so it was a surprise when the check arrived.
The food was mediocre. The shepherd's pie was unusually dry all around. I saw the soda bread go to tables as we came in but I never figured out what dish had it as a side. It's not served as bread before the meal.
The main thing they had going for them was the speed of service. Despite the length of the line, they cranked customers through here very efficiently.
While it was not a horrible experience, I suspect that there are better options in the area for less money and I'll be checking those out.
Every vacation town, no matter what country it's in, now seems to have an Irish pub. (I remember one in Cruz Bay on St. John in the Virgin Isles called "The Quiet Mon.") The Irish Harp is Niagara on the Lake's obligatory version, but since the owner is actually from Ireland, this one is closer to the real thing.
Apparently the owner, who comes from County Derry in Ireland, had the interior built in Ireland and shipped to NOTL. Nice place with lots of mahogany counters and walls, traditional "snug" rooms (private rooms that could only be entered by key), books about beer and rugby, and lots of Irish memorabilia (I particularly liked a T-shirt displayed behind the main bar: "Titanic: Built by Irishmen, Sunk by English").
Of course, they had all of the traditional pub beers such as Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny, Caffrey's, and Smithwick's. We were only there for drinks, but supposedly they have a full menu with lots of Irish dishes like fish and chips, shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, and bangers and champ. Plus live entertainment on weekends and even some rooms above the pub that come with complimentary breakfast in the mornings.
Another place in NOTL we've got to come back to!
Great beer, great food, great location. You can tell the wait service has a no nonsense approach (if you don't like them, they won't like you) but our waitress was very friendly. I love Irish beer, and they have the classics (Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny, etc). They have a lot on their menu. Serving sizes are large, but tasty. We also won two beer glasses based on a promotion they were doing. Fairly pricey but that's to expect from a trendy small town like this.
Review Source:While enjoying a brief visit to Niagara Falls, we took a short drive to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had The Irish Harp Pub in mind prior to our drive there. After looking at various posted restaurant menus through our walk in town we decided the Pub was by far our best choice. Ashley, our server, was incredibly friendly and helpful with menu choices. The patrons (mostly locals) were  friendly as well. But the food was the star. My husband had a very tender corned beef and cabbage and I thoroughly enjoyed an extermely tasty liver and onions with champ (mashed potatoes with leeks). The portions were quite large. Looking around we also saw gigantic burgers, sizable portions of fish and chips, and tasty looking salads and appetizers.
The overall experience was one of the best while on our Canadian vacation. Please don't bypass the opportunity to eat at The Irish Harp Pub!
My husband and I had one of the worst restaurant experiences we have had in long time at The Irish Harp. Â We waited around 20 minutes to have our order taken when we arrived. Â It was late afternoon, not busy, and there were a number of servers working. Â Once our order was put in, we waited nearly an hour for our food, watching as other tables were seated, served, and finished their meal while we waited. Â We did not order anything out of the ordinary. Â When our food finally arrived, my order was incorrect. Â The food was fine, but mediocre, particularly for the price. Â It was the most expensive meal we had on our trip. Â Perhaps the service is not always as poor, but even with great service I think it is too expensive for the dishes they offer.
Review Source:The food was great, and the live music was nice. Â I tried the home brew flight, and it was very good. Â The wheat beer is not to be missed. Â Spicy with a heavy taste of cloves. Â It was very busy when we were there (Sun afternoon) so the food took a little while to come out. Â We were also at a high top table crammed into a corner, so it was a little cramped.
Review Source:Not impressed. My husband and I went to NOTL for our first anniversary. Tonight, we decided to grab a beer before dinner. Our B & B recommended the pub, so we went.
I ordered a Harp and my husband ordered a Smithwicks. Our bill was $15.20! Â Insane, but whatever, we were there to have a nice time.
We sat outside and were drinking our beers. A husband and wife sat next to us. Then, I accidentally spilled half my beer. The husband from the couple next to us went inside to request assistance. Â An annoyed server named James came out with a dirty bar rag to clean up. He did a terrible job of cleaning up, and did nothing to make me feel better about it. He couldn't even bring me a napkin to clean my sticky self up.
Between the overpriced beer and the bad service, we will not be back, ever...
Even with the high-priced beer, we probably would have come back tomorrow or Tuesday before we left because we both like the Guinness family of beers, but not now.
You lost yourself a customer...
We just stopped in for drinks after dining elsewhere so I can't speak on the food. Â The draft selection was great--lots of local beers and, of course, Irish classics. Â Bar atmosphere was friendly-both with the bartender and customers. Â There was a constant flow of people coming and going, even on a Monday night late in the season. Â Prices were a bit steep for beer, but other than that, I had a fantastic time and was able to try some unique (to me) beers!
Review Source:My husband and I had supper at The Irish Harp, just around the corner from our hotel.
Our drafts tasted good!
We started with garlic bread and cheese.
Gord had Corned Beef & Cabbage ... I found it weird that it came with fries and had gravy.
I had Chicken Curry ... and it was good.
It's a cute fun pub. Katie took good care of us. And I liked that they actually played Irish music.
My time here was one of my favorite moments of my trip to Canada. I'm surprised at the previous bad reviews, but perhaps they had a different cook that day?
We sat at the bar and Jeff, the bartender, was really personable and chatted with us the entire time. Â We also had conversation with the people around us. Â A very friendly and home-feel atmosphere. Â I was treated and felt like a regular in this warm and welcome pub. This was the only Irish pub in this small English town.
The food: For an appetizer we had the black and tan onion rings. Best onion rings I have ever had! Their dipping sauce was out of this world. Â It was a Guinness mayo with a subtle and smokey bbq flavor that popped in your mouth. Â When you break the onion ring, the onion breaks with it rather than sliding out of the fried batter, which means they were cooked perfectly.
My friend ordered the Dublin Steak & Guinness Pie. Â The meat was very tender and tasty. Â I didn't think it was bland at all like a previous review had noted. However, I think it would've gone great with hot sauce. But I put hot sauce in everything.
I ordered 1 piece Haddock and Chips. Absolutely delicious. The fish was moist and flakey and came has a whole filet. The batter was subtle and not greasy. It had a chewy crisp to it. Â I drenched my fries in malt vinegar, also tasty as well as the cole slaw. Â It was the best fish and chips I had in a long time, and I may venture to say the best I've had so far.
Beer: I had 3 beers that were native to Canada that you can't find in the US. My favorite was the Big Wheel by Amsterdam brewery in Nova Scotia. It drank in between a red rye and amber ale. Smooth and incredibly refreshing and tasty.
We hung out longer than we had anticipated because we were having great conversation with people around us.
The group I went with had the following and I tried a bit of everyone's.
One (+1) Piece Haddock and Chips ( 5 Star )
Dublin Steak & Guinness Pie ( 2 Star  - Pretty bland and boring )
St. Pats Irish Stew (2 Star - same as above)
Irish Hot Pot (mix of the above two dishes, served on a cute cutting board).
Service was okay, and we were too full of the wine we had earlier so  we opted out on the beer.
The hot fudge volcano cake was not available on the day we went.
Decided on lunch here on Jan 21,2011... what a great place!!! Took a seat near the window so I could people and house watch... had a pint of caffreys and sampled some fare!!! The Guinness stew and Irish stew was fantastic and reasonably priced as was the pastrami and fries. The staff were friendly, service was exceptional. It was a laid back atmosphere in a relaxed and casual setting.
Review Source:I was in NOTL for a day and was looking for someplace to have lunch. Went there based on the reviews from Yelp and usually I get to discover real gems. But this time I was sorely disappointed. I kept thinking that I must not be at the same pub as the previous reviewers. It was truly awful, I had the fried halibut and chips and it was totally dry, way way overcooked. The batter tasted oily and so did the fries. I wanted to reward the kids because they've been so good and let them have corndogs, they managed to somehow burn those. I mean really? You can't cook Pogos properly? Oh well you can't win them all.
Review Source:For our Canadian vacation, we wanted to visit Niagara On The Lake, or NOTL, for those who are hip enough to use that term. Looking through Yelp, we found few joints that had any reviews at all, but this Irish pub was one of them.
Having several placed lined up for the night for dinner, depending on which part of town we ended up at, we ended up outside the Irish Harp looking at the menu. Then an older lady, who had just finished eating at the pub, stepped out of the restaurant. Seeing that we're obviously deciding whether to eat there or not, her first words were: "It's good."
A few more words were exchanged from there, but the jist is that she highly recommends the place, even the cozy little corner spot near the window where she first saw us looking at the menu posted outside.
Inside, the place looked like a local favorite. There were patrons at the bar watching a football (European) game; lots of families spread throughout the restaurant; a couples who were there to snack and grab a beer.
My wife and I ordered the Lobster Bisque (very tasty appetizer), the Chicken Finger (excellent batter), and the Irish Pasta (creamy and cheesy).
All in all, we must say that everything was great! The prices were reasonable as well.
If you're in town for local flavors, this is it.
The hubby and I had dinner here at the end of our NotL vacation when we needed to rest our palates from all the wine tasting we'd done.  We loved the cozy, friendly, pub atomosphere and the excellent menu choices.  The place was hopping  but we were seated within 5 minutes at a cozy little round table in a nook by the front windows with good people-watching potential.  We shared a bowl of the bacon and potato soup and the beer battered halibut and fries.  The food came out piping hot and delicious!  It was a comforting place to spend our final evening in NotL, and I agree wholeheartedly with Sean D - if I lived here, I'd be hanging at the Irish Harp at least twice a week.
Review Source:If I lived in NOTL, I would spend a lot of time here.
To me, that's one of the highest compliments you can pay a bar or restaurant. Â The menu includes shepherd's pie and fish & chips, but also pasta, ribs and several vegetarian options. Â Extensive whisky, wine and beer lists, but I would absolutely recommend the beer sampler. Â It includes 6oz each of Guinness, Smithwick's, Harp and Kilkenny for just $10.
Without question is the best part of this place is the staff. Â Very warm & friendly and they make you feel like a local almost immediately. Â Whether you're there for dinner at 7pm on a Friday or just a nightcap at 10pm on a Sunday (both of which I did last weekend), it's a perfect place to relax with friends for great conversation, live music and a few drinks.
There's good things and bad things about going to the independent when you're travelling through a small town. Â You can get a sense of the local flavours and cooking that occurs when you stop in for a moment of refreshment. Â You get to see the locals and get a sense of the community. Â These you do not get from a franchise like a T.G.I.Friday's. Â However, depending upon the place that you step in on your journey, you could very likely get a wicked case of the scoots and punched in the gob by one of the locals for inadvertently taking his speech impediment for local dialect. Â Thankfully, none of this greets you at the Harp.
The Irish Harp is one of the best pubs I've ever been in on this side of the Atlantic. Â Completely homey and well staffed, it's a mom-and-pop pub with a great array of imported, domestic, and local brews as well as a wine list that does nothing (as well it should) but focus on the cream of the crop of the wines available in the Niagara-On-The-Lake region. Â The food is completely home made and made of local fresh ingredients. Â Bear in mind what's in season and local when you put in your order so that you can take advantage of local produce. Â Even the most unimaginative of pub dishes, fish and chips, comes out tasting well beyond a pub staple and does amaze. Â The staff are totally friendly and, having to deal with masses of tourists, are able to answer even the dumbest of questions. Â So you're good there.
Add to this that if you're travelling through, there's a hotel above the pub called, imaginatively, Above The Pub (<a href="http://www.yelp.ca/biz/above-the-pub-inn-niagara-on-the-lake">http://www.yelp.ca/biz/a…</a>).  Rooms are quaint and Inn-stylish, and amazingly soundproofed from the rest of the building.  You're truly made to feel at home whether you stay for a pint, a supper, a session, or the night.
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