The booths have TVs, but hilariously we figured out that a few of the channels were video feeds of various security cameras placed throughout the restaurant. You can imagine that this makes for some pretty hilarious tipsy/harmless pranks if you want to have some fun. The beer selection is decent and the bartenders are nice.
As far as their food goes, portions are huge but its kind of expensive for what you get. The quality of the food wasn't so great. My fried calamari was bland/under seasoned. The batter was heavy and the dressing on my salad was not very good. The only reason I would go here for dinner is if a friend was staying at the Hilton and he didn't want to leave the building after an exhausting plane ride, otherwise I'd go elsewhere.
I'm on a personal hunt for the best burger and Kilpatricks almost takes the gold...but not quite.
Starting with the bun, which was not a normal bun, was a ciabatta roll I believe. But there was not a whole lot of bread which is good in my opinion. The bun had flavor too. Was nice and toasty as well. The burger....man let me tell you bout dat burger! One of the most flavorful burgers I've had. Definitely had good flavors and was a good size too! The toppings were plentiful, lots of lettuce, tomato, onion. This almost beats the ale house but really they rank about the same in my book. The only thing that set them apart is the price. When we went they had their $8 burger special and let me tell you, for that price this IS the best burger!!! Their fries were pretty fantastic too! Which is a main component of having a great burger.
Overall during the week when they have their burger sale, this will always be my go to place! ALWAYS. But again, in my hunt for the best burger, this place is not my favorite in the world. So my hunt continues.
This is based on one visit
Pros: everything was delicious: Baked Brie app (share with at least one other person), shepard's pie ( very tasty and filling, served with perfectly steamed veggies and fresh side salad), Boxty burger ( perfectly cooked, excellent flavor), and the Garbage platter ( interesting way to try a few different items). Â Nice beer and whiskey selection. Â Generous portions.
Cons: bathroom is actually the Hilton's bathroom so a key is needed ( not so bad on a Sunday afternoon but I wonder how well that works on a busy night), service was good, friendly but perhaps a tiny bit slow when we first sat ( waited a while to order our drinks, by the time we were ble to do that we were ready to order our food). Â Not really worth mentioning but my husband wanted me to add that. Â Meal prices range fom around $13 up to the $30 range. Â
I would definitely return to Kilpatrick's.
What can I say about k.p's that will do it justice, I love it here. The staff is always friendly and welcoming, they always have my favorite local Ithaca brew ( Bacchus brewing co.) on tap, as well as other local and regional brews.
The food well exceeds what you might expect from its " Irish pub" label. While they have the staples such as meat and two veg, pot roasts and potato pancakes. You'll also find a great selection of more " bistro oriented" food.
A great commons dining spot, in an incredible foodie city.
If you like Guinness it always tastes fresh here and the waitstaff is always pleasant. The menu is pretty extensive as far as pubs go but the quality and taste vary per meal. Â The O'Hara and the French Onion Soup are always a good choice. Â The Reuben has varied in quality in the last three years. Â It used to be a great sandwich however when I ate there most recently there was barely any meat on the sandwich and the little meat there was dried up and looked like roast beef.
Review Source:Kilpatrick's is far superior to every other Ithaca bar I've been to and I'll tell you exactly why. Â
My first star is given for its spaciousness and nice lighting, so that even on a Saturday night you won't feel like you're packed inside a dungeon, which has often been my take on some other Ithaca bars that I won't name. Â Second star: it's CLEAN! Â Very clean. Â Especially the bathrooms, which is a bar rarity. Â Third star: the bartenders are awesome and super attentive(and I've been here plenty), especially if you ask for a drink recommendation. Â I've had some amazing concoctions here. Â Fourth star goes to the fact that they have a jukebox with a great mix of music, so you're not constantly hearing Top 40, but you're also not bored to death listening to consistently depressing acoustic soft rock. Â It's your choice, and I love choices. Â My final star that justifies this five-star rating is given based on this one really awesome thing: It's called dignity. Â This bar actually has it. Â Walk around the corner and check out Moonshadow's (Okay, so I let one name slip) at midnight on a Saturday, and to put it nicely, you'll see all sorts of things you don't want to see, and be harassed in all kinds of ways you don't want to be.
BAM.
Great location and good beer selection, but that's really where the honeymoon period ends. Â The negatives outweigh the positives at Kilpatricks, as the bartenders are void of personality, the food is undercooked and greasy and the bathrooms (in the Hilton lobby) are locked and you need to ask for a key if you're not a hotel guest, which, with the inattentive bartenders, was difficult. Â With many other dining and drinking options in Ithaca's downtown area, I'd suggest avoiding Kilpatrick's.
Review Source:Meh. I've experienced better.
After wandering the area on a quiet Sunday afternoon looking for a place serving a good fried fish sandwich the lady and I happened upon Kilpatrick's. It's classy exterior and extensive menu showing a haddock sandwich cemented my decision to give the pub a shot.
We were seated at the front dining area that had one other table seated(already eating) and it took a good 10 minutes before we were acknowledged for our drink order. After that service was swift and adequate.
The fried haddock sandwich I received was fitted with a nice, if a little greasy cut of fish. The tomato and lettuce were fresh and crisp but the bun was woefully dull. Spongy, a little damp and not convincing that it was baked anywhere near the place or time it was being consumed.
Pricing: Alcohol pricing seemed a bit high. I was also a bit disappointed with the onion rings. At a charge of an extra $2 I was expecting more than 5 rings and felt I would have been better off sticking with the included fries.
All in all not terrible. Would like to give it a fair shake during dinnertime.
Resoundingly mediocre. I had a fish sandwich, which was ok. Most of the entrees are $17+. If their quality matches the quality of my meal, I suspect that they are quite overpriced. The food generally follows the "quantity over quality" approach.
We came in a group of 9, and had to wait 40 minutes to be seated. I think we called ahead, but I'm not sure we had a reservation.
I think this is a nice option in downtown Ithaca. It doesn't get nearly as packed as some of the other places in the Commons (for dinner, after 9, the bar crowd does actually turn up in good numbers), because it is a little bit out of the way of the Aurora St. eateries. However, the food is good. The selection is typical Irish Pub, but everything is done well. I had the "garbage platter," which came with a smoked gouda mac & cheese, cole slaw, and pulled pork. The pork was actually really well done, and the mac & cheese was a good accompaniment. We also had an appetizer sampler, which came with some tasty sliders and excellent fries with cheese.
Overall, if you are hungry and want a filling meal without a lot of hassle, this is a great place to visit if you are in the Commons area.
Walked in on a very cold day Thanksgiving weekend with a friend. The place was dead, but it was happy hour. E sat in the little "private" area at the end of the bar (room for about 6 in this pseudo-room) and were greeted by a very friendly bartender. She kept the drinks flowing while we waited for my friends wife and mother-in-law. I would love to see how this place is when school (meaning Cornell and Ithaca College) is not on holiday. Will go back on my next trip to Ithaca.
Review Source:I've waited to try this place a few times in order to write a well-rounded review, and my experiences have always been good.
FOOD: good, hearty meals that come in sizable portions. A quick run through of what I've tried: the Shepherd's pie was heavy, filling, and tasty. It was kind of blunt in term of flavors, but I think that's kind of what I like about the soul-food-iness of shepherd's pie in general. The Grilled Chicken and Brie is pretty delicious and filling. I like the Brie, instead of say  Havarti or something, because it did not overpower the red-wine-marinated chicken (which is moist and flavorful) while still adding that creamy richness that I love about brie. Surprisingly, the lightly toasted asiago loaf adds a lot to the whole shebang. The Corned Beef and Cabbage was decent; the corned beef was all I could ask for and more when it comes to corned beef, but the cabbage didn't add much. I know, cabbage is usually just a light side to offset the heavy meat, but I think cabbage can still bring a fresh palate cleanser to the meal. In this case, not really. The dish was, however, still quite good. The Kilpatrick's Grilled Chicken Breast is also quite good. It was the first dish I ever got, so I don't remember it will, but it was one of the reasons I came back, if that says anything.
Note --- there are some good vegetarian options, not just side salads! I brought my vegetarian friend who usually hates "bar food" but she really liked this place (vegetable sandwich, butternut squash ravioli, etc).
DRINKS: Good selection of beers, nice selection of whiskeys, and okay selection for other drinks (not that the other drinks should really matter if you're headed to a pub, right?). I didn't really notice their wine selection, so I can't comment on that. I like the taster of four different kinds of beer if you're in the mood to try new stuff (the four glasses come on a, what else, wooden shamrock). They also have some good, cheap specials ($3 Red Ale) if you want quantity over quality.
SERVICE: Not too bad. I think the last server we had was kind of new. She was very attentive. When we asked for another few minutes to look at the menu, she literally came back three or four times, with almost exactly one minute in between each return. We just wanted to take our time and we felt rushed and bad for sending her away so much. She also couldn't remember the specials, didn't know too much about the menu, and couldn't remember the beers on tap or bottled beer. The time before, the waitress was really good and friendly. She knew all the beers on tap (there were a lot) and knew the specials like the back of her hand.
AMBIANCE: I really like it. Private booths in back, very homey and private, snug when you need it to be, while also being surprisingly roomy and good for small groups (about 6). Loved it. In the front, there was a much more pub-like feel. I really like the overall feeling, with the mid-darker wood, warm lighting, and gridded windows. I kind of forgot I was in Ithaca...oh the joy.
RANDOM ISSUE: I want them to make up a base drinks menu. I'm sure there are some beers they ALWAYS have, so why not just let us look at those and then fill us in on the specials or whatever? Sometimes I have trouble ordering when I'm bombarded by fifteen or something different available beers.
Overall: give this place a shot if you want a fulfilling meal, a decent selection of drinks, and a place removed from Collegetown/the main part of the Commons.
Good food! great burgers, salads, and soups. In the winter, great for us ithacans because they have the lunch special $5.05 burger plus fries or onion rings. Service and bar drinks excellent although depending on the hour and day can be a wait. "worth the wait". Â
Not the cheapest or most expensive Ithaca place but you get value for the quality of the fresh ingredients.
Update (February 2009) from my glowing review of several months ago, which was based on visits over a period of a year or so:
DON'T. This place has changed for the worse. They have switched up the menu and taken off some items, like the actual burgers with preset toppings. While you can still do the build-your-own-burger, and the taste is decent, it's not the same. The bangers and mash, which I always got, are quite different on both accounts. Everything tastes like it came out of a box, and there's no color on the plate nor hint of any effort at presentation. Prices have been jacked up through the roof. They clearly have switched their business model from "let's be a good restaurant" to "hey, we're in the Hilton." Â Emphasis now seems to be on the bar. The clientele during my visit was mostly drinking, even though it was prime dinner hour on a saturday. The focal point was a huge mob of drunken IC trash screaming f-bombs at the top of their lungs while families dined 5 feet away. The place clearly has some ambiguity about whether it just wants to be a hotel bar or an actual good restaurant. Avoid for now.
Excellent atmosphere, menu selection, drink, and entertainment!!! I'm so surprised to find that no one has gotten around to reviewing Kilpatrick's! Though I've heard from some people that Kilpatrick's menu isn't authentic, I'm perfectly pleased with what they have to offer, and my food choices have always been great. They host live music frequently and offer a front dining room with many tables and a back room with huge, gorgeous booths, complete with a TV. I always recommend asking for a booth if you aren't there for music - it always feels like you're in your own corner of the world. I'd definitely recommend Kilpatricks to anyone, and you HAVE to order the onion rings. Take my word :)
Review Source:
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