5/28/2013
I have been to The Irish Times several times although not in the past several years. We were visiting our parents who live in the Albany/ Saratoga area and we decided to grab a quick bite to eat after golfing. I need a gluten free friendly spot and we had heard they offer some gluten free items so decided to try it out.
We went up to the top floor and walked out to the outdoor area. The waitress was fantastic and very helpful. She brought over a menu that had red dots on the items that were already gf or could be made gf. I had a nice cold draft cider and some delicious potato leek soup and a pear salad. My husband and father both had a nice lunch as well. We were all pleasantly happy and full. I highly recommend The Irish Times!
Went here for a Bon Voyage party. Â The place itself seems really nice. Â Two tiered and overlooking the second floor. Â Although it was a party and there was minimal food, the food that was served was D I S G U S T I N G.. Â They had these Irish Wraps. Â Was supposed to be a Reuben. Â Deep fried with a 1000's island dressing. Â These had absolutely NO flavor and were SOAKED in grease. Â Then there was the potato skins. Â Again, WAY too overfried and tasted like bad oil. Â No flavor. Â Tasted like the fryers were not hot enough and the oil hadnt been changed in weeks. Â all that nasty ass grease sept into the food because it wasnt cooked in the appropriate heat. Â They had some Guinness stout boneless bbq wings which were passable only because i was so hungry. I could only eat one. Â I filled up on dried out carrot sticks and broccoli. Â There are so many potentially better places in this area. Â Stay clear. Â Trust the low ratings here and buyer beware.
Oh... Â and outside on the deck upstairs, there was broken glass EVERYWHERE. Â I took my cousin out there to get some fresh air. Â I turned back immediately.
We ate here at lunchtime on July 3 while visiting family in the area. Â Our party included my husband and our 3 kids (ages 3 and 15 month old twins), my husband's parents, and myself. Â The place was empty when we got there around 11:30 -- I don't think there was a single other person eating there. Â We were seated promptly and weren't given any hassle about our "unique" seating needs (2 high chairs and a booster with a table big enough to accommodate 7 people). Â My son received a cute coloring page but no crayons (fail). Â The kids' menu was pretty standard. Â The lunch menu had a good variety and prices seemed average. Â Entrees were a little pricey ($15ish) but several of the "traditional" options were in the $10 range and sandwiches were less.
We each ordered something different. Â My son's burger sliders were tasty. Â My mother-in-law liked her Reuben sandwich -- lots of meat and flavor was good, but bread arrived soggy. Â My father-in-law liked his chicken wrap. Â They all got fries, which are the delicious extra-crispy kind. Â My husband and I ordered "traditional" fare. Â We both thought his shepard's pie was bland and ordinary -- I've had similar (or better) at a "home cooking" kinda place in Tennessee, far from being "authentic" Irish. Â I ordered bangers and mash. Â While it tasted fine (and was a good-sized portion, especially for the price -- 4 medium sausages and a huge bowl full of mashed potatoes), I realized that the potatoes tasted like spuds-in-a-box and the gravy seemed like it was made from a packet. Â Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just the feeling I got. Â It was very salty, but most restaurant food is.
We didn't order any alcohol or dessert, so I can't comment on those. Â Our waiter was nice and friendly, but we had to flag him down for refills when, as I said, NO ONE ELSE was there. Â Our food did arrive pretty quickly though. Â The restaurant is very cool inside, with the two levels inside plus lots of outdoor seating. Â It would be a fun place to go out with a group for drinks and bar food, I think. Â Overall I feel like this restaurant has a lot of potential but needs to distinguish itself with better food and maybe some enticing lunch specials to draw in a crowd.
Joining me on this adventure was several of my friends from childhood. Â We've been reacquainted with each other since my return to New York and now that I live just down the street I've been seeing them more and more frequently as of late. Â We were on our way to see the new Marvel movie, "Thor" when we decided to get some grub before the show at Irish Times on Phila st. in downtown Saratoga. Â I know this isn't a movie blog but "Thor" was extremely disappointing.
First off, theres nothing Irish or timely about this place. Â We arrived at about 2100, there were people there but nothing overly excessive. Â We were seated upstairs which has a dark tavern feel to it. Â The wood floors, dim lights, shady corners, and loud Irish music make for a pleasant atmosphere. Â Aside from not having a hooded man smoking a pipe in the corner, I felt as though I were in a scene from Lord of the Rings.
Our waitress finally arrived after a five minute wait to take our drink orders. Â I ordered a Smithwick's. Â Our drinks arrived rather timely, though the rest of the evening didn't go as well. Â We placed our food order when our waitress came back with our drinks. Â Our food took a lot longer than it should have to come out. Â I ordered a Reuben sandwich because I've heard amazing things about the corned beef they make on premises.
Our food finally arrived after about half an hour, which in the restaurant industry is just unacceptable. Â A second drink anyone? Â - oh wait, no we weren't asked if we'd like one. Â I had to flag her down to get one. Â I hate doing that - I feel so rude. Â The food looked good on the plate. Â My sandwich was hearty to say the least! Â It had well over a half pound of corned beef on it with melted swiss, kraut, and russian dressing - the standard reuben - served with steak fries. Â I picked up the sandwich and noticed immediately two flaws: one, there was almost too much to the sandwich and a lot fell out onto the plate, and two, the bottom of the sandwich was very soggy. Â The bread on the bottom was MUSH! Â I was disappointed from the start without even putting the thing in my mouth. Â I took my first bite, noticed that I got all corned beef and almost none of the fixings. Â The corned beef is, well, like my golf game - sub-par at best. Â My friends all noticed things wrong with their plates before eating as well.
We all finished our meals and continued to finish our beverages and sat and waited for several minutes before the waitress ever returned to see how we were doing. Â We asked her to split the check for us and she gave us a big sigh and shake of the head followed by an unenthusiastic "yeah". Â Like its that big of a deal? Â I know we didn't ask for it from the start, but its not like she had to figure it out in her head or use a calculator - they have a computerized system, I do it all the time as a bartender - not hard.
I was very unimpressed overall. Â I can't believe how terrible the service was there! Â We actually missed the showing of "Thor" that night because it took so damn long! Â I've been here before, but I only sat at the bar. Â If you go to the bar make sure you ask them for one of their pickles! Â The pickles are amazing - best I've ever had! Â But don't order food, you'll be disappointed. Â The service here really ruined the experience for me - I hope the owners see this and seriously reconsider who they hired for waitstaff. Â I know, that's harsh even for me, but I hate rude, servers.
Until next time, eat well food-lovers!
Jared
This spot has a really cool space, but that's where it stops. Â The food is mediocre at best and the staff isn't very attentive. Â I wanted to sit outside at one of the tables, but was told I needed to get up and walk inside to the crowded bar everytime I wanted another beer or place a food order. Â Why can't they have table service outside. Â They also limit what you can order in the afternoon while they transition from lunch to dinner. Â I don't quite understand this. Â I was told it was because of staffing issues. Â Seems like this place seems to have a problem with not employing enough people for such a large space or maybe they just delegate them to bonehead tasks. Â The management could definitely do a better job here.
Review Source:I like this place. Â it is comfortable, the servers are usually pretty friendly and the food is decent. Â Tonight I was not satisfied with much of it. Â I must say when the server eventually acknowleged me he was nice but completely not interested in waiting on me. He was polite and even tried to make a joke about my food. Â Unfortunately the food was not good. Â I had a salad with salmon on it and the salmon was burnt. Â When it arrived it looked dark but the place is dark so it was hard to tell. I sliced it all up, put on the dressing and ate away. Â After a few bites I got a taste of the salmon and it was burnt. Â I kept eating thinking it may have just been the outside of the salmon, it is grilled so there could be a dry bite or two. Â The whole fish was dry and most of it was burnt. Â Quite honestly I ate the whole thing because I was starving, I kept hoping for a better bite and I just did not feel like sending it back. Â I never really got a chance to critique it to the server anyway. Â But sincerely, it never should have left the kitchen that way. Â
I will still go back there but I can guarantee I will never ask for salmon again.
We ate here tonight the weekend of halloween it wasn't busy yet, an early dinner. My husband started by using  what he called, "the most dirty bathroom in Saratoga." he had to clean it himself before using it, without being able to wash his hands with hot water. Their beer selection is good, where the one star comes from, but that's about it. I am a vegetarian, there isn't many options for me but we decided to split something. We ordered a tomato basil salad, there wasn't any basil in it, it was ok overall. We also had a portabella sandwich, which was uneatable, the bun was soggy we asked for another after the waitress talked for 5 minutes she embarked down the stairs for it, retuning about 10 minutes later. We decided to eat it without the bun. Honestly, my husband couldn't even eat it, it was slop. The portabella sandwich was served with ice cold French fries. We won't be returning.
Review Source:I had no idea this place had changed until I stumbled in the other day. Â Didn't this used to be The Pub, or something? Â Anyhow, the oddly-mapped indoor area which used to be something else, is now the "Irish Times". Â Not the best-run place in town. Â When we told the hostess we were looking for a place to sit away from the extremely loud band, she ran upstairs, then back down. Â We asked her something else, and she ran all the way upstairs and back down again. Â She didn't seat us, or give us any constructive info. Â Maybe she liked running up stairs? Â I chose to ignore her and just follow everyone else who was just going upstairs. Â We found our OWN seats, outside, just like we wanted. Â No waitress waited on us, so one of us went back in for drinks. Â After an hour or so, we saw people receiving food at other tables. Â When we asked a waitress if we could get food we were told "They.... JUST ..... shut down the kitchen". Â Sounds like someone didn't want to bother taking our order if you ask me. Â We had a drink overlooking my town, and left. Â Really not a bad place, just kind of..... messy.
Review Source:My sister and I visited this place three times during our visit with family in Saratoga. Â It's one of my uncle's favorite watering holes. Â I have to admit we arriived both nights quite late, so there was no food being served. Â But really, do you go to an Irish pub to eat? Â
Every time we visited, we found the bar staff quite friendly and lots of fun. We were even treated to a special martini that one of the Irish bartenders, Lee, won an award for back home called the Star Bar Martini, consisting of chunky peanut butter (Yes, I said peanut butter!), butterscotch schnapps, and Bailey's. Â It was absolutely delicious!
This pub is unusual in that it has two floors, with bars both up and down. Â There is plenty of seating and a huge outside area, as well.
I'd say if you're in Saratoga, this place is worth a visit, especially if you want to enjoy a drink with a lad with an Irish brogue!
I have to give this place a zero rating because we walked out. Stopped in last night for a burger and a beer. Granted it was a busy night. The hostess was great and even helped level our wobbly table. She seated us on the deck and that was the last time we saw any staff. I waited 10 minutes then walked to bar (5 minutes while the bartender wrapped up a conversation with a couple at the bar). Then we sat another 10 minutes. I saw a busboy and asked him the send someone over.....10 more minutes and nothing. Then I flagged down a waiter.......20 more minutes and nothing. We then decided we would not eat under any circumstances. We spent  the last 10 minutes lauphing and finishing our drinks while again and again being ignored by the wait staff. Footnote...we walked up Phila street and ate at lucky 7.....excellent service and food. This place is fairly new and the owner stopped over twice to make sure we were ok.....
Review Source:Went there for lunch on Friday while visiting Saratoga Springs from NYC. I only give it two stars for loads of outdoor sitting and a good beer selection. Good place for drinks and a game, but don't eat there.
The service was slow even though there were enough waitresses and the place wasn't even half filled. Half an hour after we placed our order for soups/sandwiches, we asked the waitress where the food was and she got defensive, saying - rather rudely - how busy they were. Again, there were may be 20 customers in the entire pub. We ordered lunch. From lunch menu. Making potato skins shouldn't take more than 15 minutes!
When the food finally arrived about 40 minutes after we ordered, everything was so salty, none of us could eat it. Getting the waitress back was nearly impossible, besides we didn't want to wait another 40 minutes, so we ate as much as we could before kidneys giving out and left hungry still.
They have tons of outdoor seating and cause the waitress was good. Almost makes it 4 Stars.
Food- 3 Stars.
Decent Bar/pub items like potato skins, fried things with corned beef on or in them. Food is good not great, the flavors are all very similar. My Reuben needed way more sauerkraut and dressing and wasn't warmed up properly. The apps were the best thing we got (Irish nachos, Irish Spring Rolls, and 'tato skins)
Atmosphere- 5 Stars.
Nice outside areas, really nice two floor inside.
Service- 4 Stars.
Waitress did a really good job we had a large party. They sat us outside and took a reservation last minute.
Value-
Decent value, nothing outrageously cheap  or expensive that I saw.
Forget everything else.
Monday nights are $.10 wings. Â Have a plate with a brew and watch the sports for an hour.
A worthwhile place to drink a tap hard cider outdoors. Â Inside looked fine, but outdoors was hospitable, friendly and just tight enough quarters to feel intimate, but not have others eavesdrop. Â
The cider was killer. The fish and chips mediocre. Â Certainly the pubs in Ireland aren't at risk of being overshadowed. The Reuben was tasty and the corned beef, tangy.
In all, I loved the draft cider, really enjoyed the ambiance and liked the food.
The Irish Times is a great place to get a drink and relax. The irish nachos are great! I did receive a burnt ruben sandwich once, but that was the last time I had any problem with the food.
I only gave it 3 stars because of the burnt sandwich and sometimes they have bands (which is fine!) but the place is so small and they play the music way too loud.
My parents and I went on July 31st for an early lunch. The service was just fine and the waiter was very friendly. Our food was excellent - steak sandwich, veggie wrap w/goat cheese and onion rings, and a corned beef reuben cooked to delicious perfection. The beer was cold (although surprisingly lacking in variety).
We ate on their rooftop patio and it was a perfect lunch atmosphere - not too rushed, but not too slow. We would definitely return.
I had the I.T. Burger--ordered rare, waitress changed to medium-rare, served just this side of well done--and it was rather delicious. Â The Smithwick's caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on it where delectable. Â Fries were perfectly crisp and brown, really no need for ketchup.
What others in my group got: Bangers and Mash and a Reuben Sandwich. Â Neither had any complaints. Â The mash was fresh (no from dehydrated potatoes) and the corned beef was thick chunks and not just corner-store cold cuts.
My largest complaint was the price of the beer. Â $6.75 for a 12oz bottle of Ommegang? Â No thanks. Â Also, no Guinness on tap. Â You read that right: no Guinness on tap at a pub called the Irish Times. Â Smithwicks, but no Guinness.
They can hang a sign on the door that says "Best Reuben in town."
I was expecting a deli-style sandwich but was pleasantly surprised with the marbled rye bread, toasted and generously piled high with hand-pulled corned beef and a fresh tasting sauerkraut (oxymoron, I know), cheese and Russian dressing. The sandwich was enough for two people and it was tasty. This is my new Reuben place. Yum!
I was not impressed with the sweet potato fries at $1 extra. They were the frozen kind that have some kind of crust on them. meh. Why do places put sweet potato fries on the menu as something special? If your novelty isn't awesome it's not novel.
I ordered a side salad with my Reuben. It's always a killer for me when restaurants don't clean delicate, perishable salad greens and you find rotten bits in your salad. How hard is it to break out the old salad spinner?
The restaurant is warm and inviting, something difficult to achieve in a room with exposed natural gas lines. The bar is heavy and has four HUGE flat screens. No stimulation overload but more than ample to catch the game. Two for each side of the bar.
Our bartender was quick and very attentive. I was pleased with the service. However, there were only about 20 people in the place and they had a waitress for tables.
The bathrooms need some updating and a good scrubbing. The ladies room had a complementary toiletries basket which I thought was a nice touch.
We enjoyed ourselves. They have a dartboard and a low key atmosphere. This is a nice place to hang out and I'll be back to the bar for drinks and a sandwich.
This place looks like a cool brewpub at first. Â However, you'll quickly learn you just walked into a marketing gimmick scam. Â The staff are amateurs (they always say they just started?!) , the menu sadly limited and the beer watered down/just doesn't taste right. Â The Guinness people should go after this "brew pub gimmick" for destroying their brand. Â In fact, nothing this place does delivers on the marketing. Â Do nachos have to come with corned beef... Yuck. Beer is overpriced, draft doesn't taste right and bartenders are rude. I'd stay clear and try almost anywhere else in Saratoga. Â It is a shame this place is so lame because I really wanted to like it.
Review Source:Went for lunch today. Â It was not busy, since it was a rainy day. Still, service took forever. Â We were seated on the second floor, and apparently our food "GOT STUCK IN THE DUMBWAITER." Â What? What does that even mean? Â Do restaurants actually have dumbwaiters? Â I tend to think our food was late because every single staff person was too busy setting up fake cobwebs for Halloween decorations. Â Apparently, after the dumbwaiter got unstuck, our own dumb waiter saw it fit to bring one meal, a bowl of lukewarm soup and lukewarm french fries to the table, while the other dishes went back in the oven. So one person in our party was nearly finished eating by the time the other dishes arrived.
For what it's worth, the food was fine. Â I had shepherd's pie. French fries were fine. I just can't get over that excuse. Â Stuck in the dumbwaiter! Â I don't care if it's true or not. Â It was just stupid. Â I will not be coming back. Â I don't want a sticky dumbwaiter ruining my food again.
The first time I went to Irish Times was just for drinks on the later side of a weekday night. I love the decor and all the leather seating upstairs. The place is big, so there are lots of nooks, including a little patio outside on the bottom level in addition to the big patio upstairs. We had a nice time, as the place is quite comfortable.
I finally had the chance to eat there last Saturday when a law school friend came to visit with his family. I had the fish and chips, hubby had the Irish Breakfast, Yves (ha!) had the Shepard's Pie, his wife had a salad with Salmon, and cutie pie toddler had the sliders off the kid's menu.
- Fish and chips: highly unspectacular. The fish was essentially flavorless. Maybe this is "authentic", but a waste of calories. I don't eat fried foods often, so when I do, I want fireworks. The fries were good, as was the tarter sauce.
-Irish Breakfast: Â The word on that was that it was just okay. It came with a lot of food, however. I remember seeing lots of meat.
-Shepard's pie: I had a bite, but I can't give it a fair assessment. I remember it being tasty, but not complex.
- Salad: I don't know what she thought.
- The Kid: Ate all his fries and nothing else. Oh, except he tried my fish and didn't like it.
I think I'll go back for drinks and at most, appetizers. It has great ambiance and the service was neither good or bad. I'll give it a 3.
-
I like the Times...mostly. I was hoping for a real pub environment, but the building doesn't support that. The live music (despite not really having a stage) is a nice treat...the food however is culinary Russian (or would that be Irish?) roulette. Probably mostly growing pains & a chaotic start...they were still painting the morning they opened but the food ranges from a happy, well fed table of eight to four head-scratchers wondering what just happened in the kitchen. The corned beef is brilliant and a nice variety of beers makes me glad to live around the corner, but until things settle down the food is just unpredictable. Â It's way cleaner & I have higher hopes than for the faux Irish place (that serves spaghetti, no less) we've watch deteoriate for years.
Review Source:When I saw hard cider on the menu for the new Irish Times I was ready to fall in love with the latest attempt at this location (the third since I've lived in the area). I was also secretly hoping that Jim, the Top Gun bartender from when the place was the Saratoga Brew Pub would be charming the ladies at the bar but, alas, he was not.
My group sat in the downstairs outdoor area, not the deck as we were hoping. This is right next to the public parking lot which was not necessarily a problem. But there was still a bit of noise from a random carpet cleaning van. There are some opportunities to do some serious people watching from here. In my short time waiting I was able to witness a waitress driving the wrong way on Phila, get told by some guys on the deck that it was a one-way street, and hear her brilliant response that she knew but she was just dropping something off. Oh, well I guess it's ok then.
The service was sllooooooowwww. Granted, it's a new place and the wait staff is pretty fresh faced, so I'd give them a pass on that. Others in my group who are not as patient made their displeasure known. In a brilliant maneuver, a handsome bloke (the owner, I imagine) was sent to assuage our displeasure. The ladies were definitely swayed by the strong Irish brogue in spite of the wedding band. I refused to give in! Ok, maybe I gave in a little.
The cider was yum, but the food options are limited. For vegetarians, this place is a serious thumbs down. Your choices are basically salad, fries and curry sauce, onion rings or a cheese platter. It will fill you, no doubt; just know that you're basically having appetizers.
I want to like Irish Times. Â I really do. Â
It has everything I love: casual atmosphere, three outside seating areas - including rooftop!, fish and chips and my beloved Boddingtons. Â The decor is nice and clean and it's definitely family friendly as well as good for a night out. Â
I read about the great fries....and have yet to have them  :(
In fact, I have seen three varieties of fries in three visits. Â My goal was to have fish and chips with a boddington beer on the roof deck. Â
Attempt #1:
Fail: Restaurant was out of fish and chips. Â Not sold out .... but apparently not at all available for at least that whole day. Â
Win: Waitress convinced me to try the portabello mushroom sandwich...it was delicious!
Fail: "Chips" were actually waffle fries clearly from some sort of frozen bag.
Win: Curry dipping sauce MMMmmmm
Win: Boddingtons!! Â So good.
Attempt #2: Â
Win: seating on the roof available
Fail: Out of Boddingtons??? Â Seriously??!! Â
Attempt #3:
Win: Rooftop seating available on a beautiful evening
Win: Boddingtons!!
Fail: Able to drink 2 full beers before food came - appx 1.5 hours!
Win: Fish and chips! Â Fish portion is huuuuuge and good
Fail: "chips" this time were battered regular fries, despite my excitement at having seen chip-like fries on a plate at a nearby table. Â Did the chef have to run out to the price chopper??
Overall Win: Â Great atmosphere, Waitstaff very friendly, and curry sauce the best idea ever. Â
Overall Fail: Â You never know what you're going to get...or be able to get.
Opening night is tough for any place and I'm giving Irish Times a break as it was totally packed on their first night. The place itself cool and has lots of brick and a nice square downstairs bar with good ambiance and a comfortable feel. It will be great in winter.
We arrived at 9:10 and were told the kitchen was closed. WTF is the deal with with places closing at 9pm for dinner. However the owner came out just then and said he would seat and serve us.
We had some Guinness and Irish whiskey and cider for over an hour before our dinner came. Our waitress was overwhelmed and over-worked and forgot our onion ring appetizer.
I was really pleased to see the prices were all very reasonable. Mostly standard pub dishes at about $10 and entrees were about $16.
We were seated upstairs. There was a band belting out the Irish tunes downstairs and while it was hard to talk at the bar it was great background up there.
I ordered an Irish Breakfast. For those who have been to Ireland and had the Irish fry up you know what a heart clogging pleasure it can be. Girlie had a Vikinski sandwich that has been reported as great. Nuhar and Tim had Irish sandwiches that also looked delicious. The fries were amazing!
There is an outdoor patio that I have no doubt will be a popular addition to town.
Our overall experience was very good and I'm pleased to have this new place in town.
Authors Note: I had to make significant reversions to this as I tried to Yelp it after we got back that night. We did some drinking while waiting for our food so the restaurant is partly to blame for my spelling of Ieish Tiimes.
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