Shenanigans Irish Pub & Restuarant

What a disappointment. I was SO looking forward to a nice Reuben sandwich and some authentic Irish fish & chips.

First of all, the good parts: the place is gorgeous! Very well decorated in a classy Irish theme, warm and inviting. The manager was very nice as well. The bar is beautiful and they serve green beer and have (of course) Guinness on tap.

Now for the bad news: Although there was a great variety of Irish items on the menu, ALL are very overpriced. I really miss authentic fish & chips (virtually impossible to find anywhere in southern LA) so I was excited to try. The waitress had no idea how to describe the fish. All I wanted to know was if it was a filet of fish or a whole fish. She had no idea what I meant. Hello? I got it anyway and I believe it was haddock, the traditional Irish fish & chips fare. The fish was definitely a filet and was nice and large. The chips were standard frozen-type French fries. The fish was battered and fried and but absolutely NO seasoning whatsoever - not even salt and pepper! I only ate half of it and that's only because it was so expensive.

My friend ordered the Reuben and it was a disgrace. I would be embarrassed to charge so much for a sandwich that literally had to be opened in order to see where the couple of pieces of thin meat was. It would have been different if it was $5.99 but it was more than double that!

We were SO sad because we really, really wanted this place to be good. I really wanted to cry! If Shenanigans revamps their menu or gets a new chef, I sure hope they advertise that fact. If that time comes, I MAY try it again, but I doubt it. I don't think this place will be around much longer. :(

The service was good and the food was ok. My biggest issue was that my husband and I had lunch portions at dinner prices. My salad was $14 and it was the size of McAlister's side salad. Don't know if we will be back but the wait staff was great and I heard its a great pub at night.

Finally I'll get around to writing a review. As a pub I love this place.  As a restaurant the food isn't great.

I love the fact that the staff are always friendly and welcoming. It's the kind of place where they remember you and remember what you want to drink. I think that counts for something. Or maybe I go too much. They have a great beer selection and specials. The TVs are never up loud and they often have live music. Bar food is good. I would suggest the Irish nachos, pot of gold (cheese, crackers, meat) and the sausage roll. I haven't had any luck with main courses yet. I tried the cottage pie but it's really just mince with mash plonked on top. Not cooked the traditional way and not great tasting. I tried the fish and chips which I thought would be really good seeing as there's ample amount of fresh seafood in the area. It was no good. The fish tasted "funny" like not fresh.

I don't want to be negative about this place. It's a great pub with great staff, atmosphere and bar snacks. I just wouldn't recommend it for a sit down meal.