I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I know it wasn't the clean, fancy, stylish bar that I walked into. The bar has lovely carved wood molding, pretty tiling, high end bar tables and seating. Friendly well dressed bartender (I think I was imaging more of a Sunny in Philadelphia Paddy's Pub...oops!)
My dinning partner asked for an IPA, surprisingly they didn't have one. He settled for a Bass Pale Ale on tap. Tasteless but easy enough to swig. I had a vodka, soda, cranberry, simple enough.
I ordered the Wedge Salad for a snack. Blue cheese and bacon really do make everything taste amazing but it was a fairly bland in comparison to others I've had.
Menu looked descent with Happy Hour items!
mixed reviews on this place. Â first off, the place kind of smells. Â like there hasn't been janitorial/cleaning service there in who knows how long. Â no bueno. Â the service is so-so. Â they kind of leave you hanging. Â the reuben sandwich however - one of the best i have had in the whole city of tacoma. Â a+++. Â i also love me some Irish SodaBread and theirs is awesome. Â now - the shepards pie? Â greasy mess (no exaggeration - you'll see when you get it.) Â and there is something funky tasting in there... sage? Â carroway seeds? lol i don't know but it really just grossed me out. Â which saddens me as i am a shepard's pie fanatic. Â the best i have had is at the George & Dragon Pub in Seattle - check that out if you want some good food. Â so yeah - paddy coynes? meh.
Review Source:Really good items include BBQ chicken fingers, Irish BLTC, Reuben sandwich, soda bread, and the breakfast dish which consists of eggs inserted into a baguette!
In short, I like the food and I like the dark/cozy atmosphere. Sometime's it's too loud when live music is playing. I have sometimes gone here to read or study.
My only wish is for more menu options or a changing set of seasonal specials. Spread your wings, Paddy.
I have frequented Paddy Coynes in both Tacoma and Seattle, and enjoy them for what they are: simple pub fare with great beer. Love the shephards pie made with seafood, and the meatloaf is good. But...
I went there for my birthday, looking forward to getting beer battered fish and chips. They serve a happy hour fish and chips: "Fish and Chips, Breaded Alaskan cod with fries and tartar $6" and they serve a dinner fish and chips: "Fish & Chips, Alaskan cod dipped in Paddy's own ale batter, quick-fried until crispy. Served with coleslaw, fries and house tarter sauce. $17". I've had the happy hour version, tastes like it comes from a box. So I order the beer battered, and get....wait for it.....yes, it's the breaded cod, complete with pankow crumbs!. One extra filet and a blob of coleslaw, all for an extra 11 bucks!
So I point out to the server that I did not get beer battered cod, she confers with the cook, and says that it is, in fact, the battered cod, but they dip it in bread crumbs. Really? (cough)bullsh*t(cough).
I'm very annoyed, but know that nothing will get better now, so I order the meatloaf. The next day I email the GM, or at least I try to, but the link is bad, so I resort to calling. The next day I call the manager and explain the situation, and he confirms the story from the chef. They are trying to pass off breaded fish as beer battered. I refrained from sending in pictures showing the difference between the two because it's like trying to teach a pig to sing: you'll waste your time and annoy the pig.
Final thought: I'll go there for beer, until they try to tell me that Harp Lager is just a pale Guinness Stout.
Paddy Coyne's has become our "go to" spot when we are down in Tacoma for whatever reason or when we are passing through -- on our way home from Portland (or somewhere else south of Tacoma).
It is always cozy and comfortable; our last time there, we were able to nab a table by the fire, and that was just lovely on a chilly evening.
The food is always fine:  I sometimes find myself craving their Guinness Chicken Fingers.  And, entrée-wise, I have never been disappointed with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, or, oh-so-yummy, Chicken Penne Pasta.
Prices are reasonable. Â The staff here are always friendly and welcoming.
Sorry, every-other-restaurant-in-Tacoma. Â I'm sure you are just fine. Â But, for now at least, Paddy's is our main squeeze in the City of Destiny.
We went to Paddy Coyne's for breakfast as a birthday celebration for me. Â My parents joined us from out of town. Â We all enjoyed the meal, and my fiancee and I had fun with the Bloody Mary bar (bacon in a Bloody Mary? Â How can you go wrong with THAT? Â ;-) )
I wouldn't say the meal was extraordinary, but it was tasty and we enjoyed ourselves, Â We are likely to try it again as it was a decent value for the price!
Service was amazing! Our waitress was awesome with her suggestions and promptness! Â Aside from the hostess who didn't seem to happy that we asked for a different seating location. Â We ordered the traditional corned beef and cabbage and shepherds pie. Neither disappointed! Â Helpful hint being a HUGE appetite if you order the shepherds pie. It's GINORMOUS!
Review Source:We had eaten at the establishments in Bellevue and in Tacoma a few times with no issues. Good standard Irish food, however the last meal in Tacoma was poor to ok at best. I had the Shepard's Pie and it was completely bland, the Caeser Salad tasted like the lettuce needed to be tossed out as it didn't taste fresh. The Gunnies that came out of the Tap was flat and finally the server (nice gal) belonged at a biker bar. This establishment seems like many that have an identity problem saying there an Irish Pub but the food and drink are nothing close to what you should expect. We are done with this chain for now.
Review Source:Where did the good food go? Where did the great service go? Where are the great bartenders that I knew and loved? Where is the old management? Who are these people inhabiting this place ? Â Why does a cheap beer cost $6? Â Where is the Tuesday quiz?
Good bye Paddy. I will spend my 6 for a beer somewhere else and get two instead.
A friend recommended having Sunday brunch here ~ we finally made it today! Between both of our families, we had 8 children and had been seated in the back, but we were well tended to by our server. The bloody marys were fun to make and such a great deal @ $2.99 each; if you tell your server you would like to go to the bloody mary bar, they bring out a glass of vodka on ice and you can go to the bar and add all of your faves! I added bloody mary spice mix, horseradish, lemon, pickled onions & asparagus, tomato juice and finally full strips of bacon! The atsmosphere was nice, clean and casual and inviting for families with children. The menu offers great Irish favorites and at very reasonable prices. Can't wait until we brunch there again!
Review Source:I really enjoyed our trip to Paddy Coyne's. We called ahead and let them know we would be in and they had a nice table set up for 6 adults and 2 children. The service was really great and extremely helpful and on top of things. I had the Sheppard's Pie and a Harp Beer and Highly enjoyed my meal. Everyone in our party raved about their meals as well. The only downfall was the music selection... no Irish tunes but Christmas music... At least make it Irish Christmas Music if you must play it in November. Overall a great trip and I would Highly Recommend this Pub to Friends and people with Families looking for a nice outing.
Review Source:No No NO NONONONONONONONONONO
Terrible service. Â I was here for two and a half hours for service that should have lasted 30 minutes. Ordered a beer. Â Waited 30 minutes. Â Asked about the whereabouts of my beer. Â Said they were switching out the keg. Â Waited another 20 minutes. Â I was REALLY antsy. Â Should not wait to be served beer in an Irish pub.
My friends had ordered food before I had arrived. Â We were there well over an hour after I had arrived before the food arrived...two plates at a time, every 20 minutes...there were 8 of us, so imagine a scene where we just pounce on the food each time. Â Then the server tried to take away my plate while I was eating - with a fork dangling from my plate with a piece of lamb stuck to it - because I was about to eat it. Â And I don't appreciate food getting whisked away from under me. Â They took away our half-full drinks, too while my friends were out smoking (my friends and I were still at the table, but we didn't think we had to keep an eye on our drinks). Â W....T.....F.....
Then my friends ordered car bombs. Â Waited another 30 minutes. Â Said keg for Guinness was getting switched now. Â REALLY? Â The place didn't even look that busy. Â Unless they were serving 300 people in a back banquet room, but somehow I doubt that was the case. Â Â
They took an eternity to bring us our bills, too. Â We jokingly discussed whether we should just leave since the service had been so terrible...but we are honest people. Â We wanted to leave desperately, but we wanted to pay our bill, too. Â So we waited another 30 minutes for them to bring our bill; I know, because I kept checking my watch, and one gentleman came by 3 times to ask how we were doing. Â Great, except we couldn't leave, because we had been waiting to pay. Â My friends became VERY unruly to try to get them to speed up so they could get rid of us. Â Didn't work, to our chagrin. Â Then another 20 minutes for our credit card slips to sign. Â
In a nutshell: poor service, long wait times, get your half eaten/drunk food/drink taken away prematurely, then wait...and wait...and....wait..........to pay them. Â
NONONONONONONO. Â Just no.
I was introduced to this location when I was taken to Dorky's across the street! The restaurant is clean and classy with that common Irish flavor (decor). The wait staff recently changed over and seems very energetic and nice. The bar staff is always friendly, fun, and professional. (I like the banter given by the bellevue location) The theme of the place is mostly visual since they don't have that fun rude bartender that many european bars in America fortunately have. It is a pretty nice place and the spacious long bar helps drinkers get what they need.
Food: The food generally is nothing to brag about and is mostly kind of bland and uneventful. I have had great lamb stew at other establishments so I don't find it too great at Paddy Coynes. I do recommend having breakfast here if you want to try the food out. They have a nice breakfast selection as well as drink specials in the morning. . . it may seem like I drink all day but I am just saying this is part of their offerings.
Liquor: I gave this place 4 stars due to the bar review. The bar is the main act here and sits center stage as it should. They probably make the most money from it anyway. They have a game or a membership criteria that is fun to participate with and the rewards for the levels of membership are of quality and fun to obtain. The beer selection is tops on my list as they offer the Irish and British beers that I love so much. The liquor selection is based mainly on whiskey as they should for the theme of the bar.
i found this bar some years ago when I moved to downtown Tacoma. Â What i liked, besides the walking distance, was the great atmosphere.
The old bar has been there since it was the hotel bar, and it looks amazing, plus the owner has done a great job decorating the entire place with Irish flair and there is almost always a soccer game on (if you are into soccer).
The wait staff over the years has fluctuated, I miss my old favorites of Noelle, Heidi, Rose, Lindsay and Cierra, but the staff has almost always been friendly regardless of who works there.
Ray is a staple and has a heavy hand and great old fashioned Irish attitude.
The food is a mixed bag, there are A TON of options, so you have to g a few times to find the stuff you like.
If you have not been there for WEEKEND BREKFAST, you are CRAZY. it is the best breakfast in Tacoma, and it is never crowded on a Sunday morning. I have tried everything on the breakfast menu and highly recommend the Eggs Benedict on Soda Bread. everything combines perfectly with the $3 Bloody Mary bar (mimosa's also available).
It is family freindly up until about 6 when the ;later night crowd comes and the occosaional music act is in, as well as cool fireplace and dining.
Overall, the only thing that would make it better is more consistency in bartenders, while Ray is top notch, some of the fill ins are a little weak handed.
If you like dark, but light heart atmosphere and a full selection of great whiskeys, or are looking for that bar you call your regular, go here!
We had a Groupon for Paddy Coyne's. We bought the Groupon because my boyfriend loves Irish food and Irish pubs, plus it was a good deal ($15 for $30 to spend). The food was good, but over priced. Thee beers were also a little on the expensive side. The servings of food were large; beef stew and Irish soda bread for me. It was really tasty, but a little salty. Would I go here again? Sure. Is it the top of my list? No, but that's ok.
Review Source:Potatoes were cold and greasy. You could squeeze the grease out of the toast. No salt and pepper or ketchup on the table so we asked the waitress for some ..... well, it finally came at the end of the meal! The omelet had very little flavor and was burned, which I could definitely taste. The tablespoon of hollandaise on the poached eggs was not enough for an opinion. When this place opened in Tacoma, the food was much better. Â For example, the whipped butter with marmalade actually tasted of butter and had a good amount of marmalade in it. Not any more! Its just greasy with very little marmalade flavor.
The bloody mary was great and got me through the meal.
One star for food.
One star for service.
Four stars for the bloody mary.
Go for a drink, skip the meal.
If Ray hits on my fiance' one more time im gonna punch him in his midget Irish face.
Seriously though, i really like Paddy's. Ray got me possibly the drunkest ive ever been in my life a couple years back, for my birthday. I wish he was at the Tacoma location more, and the Bellevue one less.
And i liked the Shepherds pie, last time i had it (which, admittedly, was a while ago). The scumbags who dont like it are probably worthless Protestants anyway.
Ok this place is super cool and chill, and if you want to go crazy and not look down upon. Â And they have a list of drinks, that if you complete 3x you get your name on a plaque. Â So awesome. Â Got 6 of them done last night (OUCH!).
Waitress was great. Â Kept up with us all night. Â
Setting was very sweet. Â Love the location. Â Music in the background through me off for a minute. Â It was dance scene music in a Irish Pub. Â I had another drink and forgot all about it.
Food was great. Â Chickens strips in a Guiness sauce was amazing. Â The only down fall was the Black and Tan. Â Black angus made a better one I thought. Â But Paddy's is probably a little more authentic. Â Still Smithwicks and Guiness isn't a bad combo. Â
They make HUGE Irish car bombs. Â YUM! Â I want to see what this place is like on St. Pats day. Â For sure checking it out this next year.
I will recommend this place to everyone.
My Irish born boyfriend brought me to Paddy Coyne's. We found a seat at the bar hoping to experience the full flavor of the patrons and bartenders. Proudly displayed on the historic wood carved back bar is full selection of Irish whiskeys, fine enough to bring a tear to any true Irishman! Â
The place if friendly, comfortable for a single woman to stop in for a long drawn Guinness or a specialty cocktail. Check out the menu, you will find something tasty, especially under the 'Irish Dishes'. As for the drink menu, interesting combinations of specialty and creative cocktails, like the one Andy made for me.
Make it a point to stop by for an experience. It may not be located in Ireland but close to the real thing.
Yummy FOOD and a great bartender:)
My 1st visit here was due to the fact that the neighboring joint, Matador was too packed and we were ready to all have a drink, lol'.... I will say that I was pleasantly surprised!!!
Our waitress was attentive and helpful, the drinks were deelicious and reasonably priced and the FOOD was YUMMY:) My husband ordered there potatoe soup and he has to have it every time now.... The bartender was great, can't think of his name right now for the life of me:(
We loved this venue so much that I planned a lil' birthday get together for my husband after we had dinner. They accomodated us very well!
This is a spot that I will regular often:)
The Sheppard's Pie is great, The stew is made with Guinness, the best stew, served with Irish soda bread. The Salmon here is even good. They have a great Reuben with a side of potato leek soup.
Perfect rainy day food.
There is even a fire place to sit by and relax. Very cozy atmosphere.
Kids are allowed here as well.
What is better than an Irish Pub, Bagpipes and St Patty's day? Â Not many things. Â One of my favorite destinations as part of our Pipes and Drums pub crawl. Â
The only issue was the limited space due to the fact that the place was packed. Â But as a general rule of thumb, shoulder to shoulder crowds on St. Patty's day is a good thing.
I spent most of my time there, standing on a bar stool as the MC for the crawl. Â Though, I am pretty sure that a cell phone camera was used by a woman wanting to get an answer to the age old question regarding kilts. Â Or more specifically... what was under my kilt...
Paddy Coyne's staff went above and beyond to be helpful, facilitating our presence and performance. Â I really appreciated the built in sound system. Â This allowed me to conserve my voice longer throughout the night.
Nice, comfortable bar/restaurant. Â A little too expensive for Tacoma.
I've been in to Paddy's on a couple of occasions and been disappointed that an Irish pub in downtown Tacoma would charge $6 for a glass of Guiness (and most of the other draught beers). Â Its not even discounted for happy hour! Â Oh well, I guess some people will pay it.
The food is overpriced as well. Â Once I went in for a 'lunch special' (soup & salad, if I recall) plus a glass of beer-- with tax and tip it was about $20. Â This past weekend I had dinner at Paddy's-- pretty tasty Fisherman's Pie, but should a dish that consists mostly of mashed potatos with a couple pieces of bread cost $12? Â I don't think so, especially when they're gouging you on the beer!
I can't say I won't be back, because I really do like the ambiance of the place and its location on Pacific Ave. Â Just not often.
Most everything about this place has been enjoyable.
Although I know it's a small chain, I really like the pub-feel. The random Gaelic on the walls mixed with constant Irish tunes helps you escape for a little bit.
The food is excellent. I have had the Potato and Leek soup, Shepard's Pie, Meatloaf Sandwich, and Reuben. Everything has been a bite of comforty goodness. I consider myself a Reuben connoisseur and I really enjoyed theirs. AND I tried Irish Soda Bread for the first time here...mmmm...sweet, but not too sweet and uber dense.
I took a star off because I have had subpar service before. The first time I came in was when we had our little snowstorm earlier this year. The service was great and it was seriously the perfect place to go that day. The next time, our waitress was not attentive enough (note: I don't like being constantly checked on by a server, but this was still a bit lacking). She was still friendly though, so not a huge deal.
If you are looking for delicious comfort food, and on the cheap during happy hour, this is a great option.
Not the greatest - and be wary of special holiday events!
We've been to Paddy's a fair number of times.  It's really just so-so in most ways.  The food is "just adequate" - we've had breakfast and dinner here a number of times - and the quality just sort of varies from pretty good sometimes to pretty awful.  Really, the only consistently good thing seems to be the happy hour appetizers.  But everything is always heavy and greasy - maybe that's "traditional Irish" - don't know, never  been to Ireland.
But this past Thanksgiving was MOST annoying. Â They sent out an email blast about "Thanksgiving dinner, with Irish Flair"... listed CLEARLY in the email as starting at 4:00 PM on Thanksgiving day. Â Since we were alone this year and didn't feel like cooking, we drove the 15 or so miles to Paddy's, arriving right at 4:00 PM - only to find a sign on the door saying it was now FIVE PM open, no longer FOUR. Â Arghh.... after driving all that way. Â Not wanting to wait, we went to the waterfront and had a nice dinner at The Ram.
I will also add the service can be HORRIBLE. Â As in, once you're served, you are now officially INVISIBLE. Â Recently for breakfast, my wife never received the bacon with her breakfast until we were done with everything else - and there was NO ONE IN THE PLACE. Â Our waitress was just absent the whole time. Â To get more coffee and water, we had to walk over to the bar. Â Pretty bad in a restaurant with NO OTHER CUSTOMERS!
So I figure we've given them enough evaluations to Yelp a review.... and we won't be going back. Â Just too many negatives.
Restaurants are required to have great service. Good food and nice atmosphere. This place has it all.
of you are from Boston, notice the Police badges behind the bar from the Boston area. Â
The beer choices are great and although i am a traveler here, i imagine it could be one of those places where locals would hang out. Â
the fish and chips were as advertised very good and not too greasy, but very crispy and fresh. Â The menu is traditional bar food and they do a nice job of having items like shepherds pie and great sandwiches a nice authentic touch, Â The bartender was engaging and alert with plenty of conversation and all i can say is "Cheers" come on down
This is a review for their breakfast.
I had corn beef hash and sampled my partner's bangers and eggs. Mine was...very...buttery. I saw a paddle of butter in the bottom of my plate. As long as I pretended it was never there, I could enjoy the mixture of spiciness and greasiness. Bangers were very soft, not my style because they were kind of sweet.
Their bloody Mary was nice. For less than $3, it comes with three kinds of pickled vegetables - asparagus, pepper and something else (green bean? Sorry I forgot). It's a good deal. Somehow you can choose to make your own.
Their coffee was on acidic side. I don't really like glass mug they use because drink cools off too quick.
The server was very nice and friendly. The food arrived quite late - took about 30 minutes - and she was aware of that and assured us that it will be there soon when I started wondering. Â And it did come within a few minutes.
I'd go back to try a few more dishes.
This is a solid 4-stars in my book. Maybe because I LOVE a nice, cold Guinness... but there are other reasons, too. I have been here many times (It's one of my husband's favorite spots). And I have to say, there have been times that were disappointing - and other visits which were great.
the Shepherds Pie is always good. I LOVE the Irish soda bread -- and any sandwich made with it. My husband loves to get the fries before hand. They are really good ... skinny fires with cheese mixed in(but, really, what fries aren't?)... I'd say 4 outta 5 times they are good -- and then there's the time things are just "off."
It's a chain business. Good Food (but you need to be in the "Irish" food mood ...(salty, and pretty monochromatic - aka: brown). I know i can find something I like here -- though, it's not *amazing.*
I read reviews about this place before going and really looked forward to it. We were gonna spend a Friday night with friends here for drinks and food and it seemed like a decent place for a good time. The restaurant is nice. We took up 2 tables and 1 table was being waited on by a more efficient waitress. At our table, we waited about 20 mins or so before we were able to get someone over to serve us. No big deal. I look at it as them being busy and I'm a very understanding person..
I had some riesling, my drink of choice. So what if we're at an Irish pub. I really only drink beer at football games. It's always nice when they fill the glass more than halfway. I've been to many restaurants where they charge you $6-$8 a glass but fill it 1/3 full. Just doesn't seem right. It was a very fair portion for the price. It was late night happy hour. I tried the fish & chips that so many people did rave about in other reviews. It was dark..I don't know if it was supposed to be. By then I was already pretty drunk so didn't question it. It didn't look bad... just different. Anyhow, it was good, not too greasy like other places. Overall, it was an average experience.. Can't say I wouldn't go back though.
We go here a lot for family occassions. Spacious and great service.
This place is very big- seating areas in front, a loooooooong bar top, a 2-sided fireplace that seperates the front from the back, the back area is great for large groups- i.e. receptions, reunions, birthdays, etc. They also do catering....They also have a small outdoor seating section out front.
A TIDBIT OF HISTORY: This place is at the bottom of an old hotel-turned-apartments. The architecture and woodwork in this place is original and perfectly matches that of how the Seattle one is. Look at the carvings behind the bar- you will notice that on the sides they have branded playing card shapes- they are from ships and were won in a card game. There is also the original hotel safe sitting behind the hostess desk to the right as you walk in. (I have people.)
Live Irish Music on Saturdays from 7p-10p, and every 3rd Wednesday at 7p.
They also have a Quiz Night on Tuesdays which is a big hit from what I've heard.
We make it a point to stop in here if we are ever in the area.
The only downfall is the obnoxious all-ages club across the street.
I love beers, better yet, I love food that tastes great with beer; or should it be the other way around? Â
I've been to the Paddy Coyne's in Seattle and have loved their bangers and mash special, and the meatloaf, but since frequenting the Tacoma location, I've had a chance to try more of the food and have to say that it's pretty hard to find something I don't like there.
My favorites are the Banger's and Mash special (forgot what day it was), and the meatloaf; but the turkey sandwich smothered in gravy is good and so is the fog city steak sandwich. Â If you ever find yourself lost in downtown Tacoma, drive straight down on Pacific and stop by for a bite.
Fries good...fish..ehh...Caesar salad...worst ever!
The waitress was really nice. Â Unfortunately when I asked if they had Boddington's she replied with a no but this is just like it. Â No it was not! Â Now maybe that's what some people said...and maybe you just can't duplicate the loveliness of Boddingtons...but Tetley is not close.
This place is way pricier than I excepted. Â I am used to Fado's where the food is good and they have some good happy hour specials....and the Guinesse is divine...I was looking for a south end replication. Â Sadly this was not. Â
I will say there was some charity event going on that was taking up a lot of resources...maybe that was it. Â The waitress is where they got the 3 stars from...she was nice even if her beer choice was a bit off
We went to Musemum of Glass & tried Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in Tacoma yesterday. Â We were so glad we drove along the main street for restuarant and didn't go to the museum cafe.
I highly recommended Fog's City steak sandwich (grilled, marinated steak on garlic toasted french bread with fries, yummy!!!!), Guinness braised Irish stew, steared steak salad, and beer. Â I saw the other table ordered Sheperd's pie, and fish & chips and they looked delicious. Â Too bad we were so full and could not try their dessert.
They have HH menu, ribs for $5!!! Â Live music every evening...We'll definitely go back and try the one in Seattle. Â
They got 4-star due to street parking ONLY.
This Seattle Favorite has now branched out to Downtown Tacoma, WA.
Have you had your Guiness lately ?
Paddy Coyne's is a traditional Irish Pub with good music. creative atmosphere and always a great happy hour. Â It is on the north end of pacific in a row of pubs, wine bars, and upscale dining.