The Irish Pub & Grill

26 03 2009
  • 1910 W. Saginaw Street
  • Lansing, MI 48915
  • (517) 482-3916
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Irish Pub & Grill on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

Irish Pub & Grill on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

Over the last year, we’ve gotten a lot of recommendations.  The one place that’s been recommended probably more than any is the Irish Pub & Grill.  We kept making plans to go on a Saturday night when they have karaoke, but something always came up and we never made it.  We were out in Delta Township this morning and come lunch time, finally took the recommendations.

The Irish Pub & Grill is on Saginaw Street just after Saginaw Highway splits into two one way roads.  There’s a corner parking lot on Saginaw and Cleo Street which is a little tricky to get into.  The entrance to the pub is on the corner of the building.  There’s a big, heavy wooden door that leads into a large bar and pub space. 

When you get past the door, you end up in the bar area.  There’s a long bar that runs along the wall with TV’s mounted above and behind.  All were tuned to ESPN.  The rest of the space is divided into two dining areas.  The one in the bar area, where we sat, has tables scattered through the space as well as pub style tables built into the support beams.  The other room has more tables as well as the dart boards and pool tables. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Irish Bar, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Goal Post Pub – Oak Lawn, IL

9 03 2009
  • 5207 1/2 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708 ) 422-5275
  • Website
The Goal Post Pub on 95th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

The Goal Post Pub on 95th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

OK, here’s the set up.  J and I were in Oak Lawn for one of her friend’s surprise birthday party.  Supposedly, we were in town because I was working.  Since I was working, J asked two of her friend’s (birthday girl included) if they wanted to go to dinner.  They went to their favorite restaurant in LaGrange.  Halfway through dinner, I called J telling her I got out of work early, her parents weren’t home, and I didn’t have a key to get in so I went to a bar to watch the basketball games.  As the dinner wore on, I was getting crankier and crankier because I had to sit at a bar and wait for them.  In reality, I was at the bar, but I was there with the birthday girl’s husband, parents, and fifty of her closest friends.  When the three ladies got to the bar I was at, J called me again and told me to meet her in the parking lot.  I had just ordered a beer, so she was gonna have to come in.   The other friend, said they should come in and say hi since I was in such a bad mood because I was stuck at a bar by myself.  That did it.  They got the birthday girl to come in first.  I was sitting at a bar by myself and they could see me when the walked in.  The party goers were behind a wall.  When the birthday girl got close enough, I pointed behind her.  She turned around, everyone yelled surprise and she jumped twenty feet.  Totally fooled.  Had no idea it was coming. 

The ironic thing (to me anyway) is that the party was a bar called The Goal Post in downtown Oak Lawn.  The bar expanded into the business that used to be next door.  The last business to use that space was the birthday girl’s women’s only gym.  I thought it was funny.  I don’t know if anyone else did. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Illinois, Irish Bar, Oak Lawn, Reviews

Press Release – Claddagh Irish Pub Dedication Ceremony

9 10 2008

From a press release….

MEDIA ALERT

Claddagh Irish Pub Dedication Ceremony Friday
Owner from Ireland visits Lansing and shares heritage

What: Claddagh Irish Pub rededication ceremony and VIP party

Who: Local dignitaries including Lansing Township
Supervisor John Daher and Pat McDonagh, owner of Claddagh Irish Pubs

When: 3 -9 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2008; Ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Claddagh Irish Pub at Eastwood Towne Center

Why: To honor the grand reopening of Claddagh Irish Pub and to celebrate six “glorious” years in the Lansing location

Details: Claddagh Irish Pub is thanking its patrons by offering free tastos and live music from 7 p.m. to close: from 7-9 p.m. enjoy traditional Irish folk music; from 9 p.m.-2 a.m., local rock band The Jabs will take the stage. This event is part of Claddagh’s week-long “A Taste of Ireland” celebration.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Press Releases

Black Rose Irish Pub

21 09 2008
  • 100 Ionia Ave. SW
  • Grand Rapids, MI 49503
  • (616) 456-7673
  • Website
  • Menu
Black Rose Irish Pub near Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids

Black Rose Irish Pub near Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids

After spending a whole bunch of time planning out meals and asking for suggestions, we threw that all out the window and decided to just wing it for lunch Saturday afternoon in downtown Grand Rapids.  I’m not sure what we were expecting, but we were kind of hoping for a little walkable shopping district.  We didn’t find it, but we did find a few restaurants near Van Andel Arena.  The circus was in town the day we were down there so all the parking lots only had event parking at $7.  We ended up driving around for another ten minutes looking for a meter.  We finally found one a few blocks away.

The Black Rose sits right across the street from arena on an old brick street in downtown Grand Rapids.  The building really sticks out.  It’s a nice corner building decorated in the typical Irish pub fashion.  When we stepped inside, we were met by a host who took us to the non-smoking section behind the bar.  The decor inside is, again, typical of an Irish pub.  There is a lot of dark woods, Guinness signs, and the such.  A waitress came over menus which were pretty thick.  We ordered drinks and looked over the menu.  It had been a few days since I had a burger, so that’s what I went with. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Downtown, Grand Rapids, Irish Bar, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Claddagh Irish Pub

14 07 2008
  • 2900 Town Centre Blvd.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 484-2523
  • Website
  • Menu
The Claddagh Irish Pub in Eastwood Towne Centre

The Claddagh Irish Pub in Eastwood Towne Centre

My parents had come to town for the final day of Common Ground to see Trace Adkins.  After a four hour drive, they were a little hungry and it was still way to early to head to Riverfront Park, so we decided to find a place for dinner.  One of our first weeks in Lansing, we went and found Edgewood Towne Centre and noticed an Irish pub on one end.  Since pub food is usually a sure bet with everybody in my family, we headed out to Lake Lansing Road for some grub.

Claddagh is a chain of fifteen Irish Pubs located in the midwest with the home office in Solon, OH (you know, “we’re going bowling, so don’t leave her in Solon.  Moon over Parma, tonight!”  I love Drew Carey 🙂 )There are only two locations in Michigan with the other being in Livonia.  It was a beautiful day so we opted for the patio over the dining room.  We got a quick look at the inside and it’s a gorgeaous pub.  Very typical of what you expect.  Lots of dark woods with a huge horseshoe shaped bar in the middle.  The really interesting feature was the pub tables located near the bar.  They took old whiskey barrels and put a table top on them.  I noticed it when we were walking out and I actually went back to take a closer look.  It was a really cool idea and added nicely to the overall theme. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Irish Bar, Lansing, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews

Kelly’s Downtown

31 05 2008
  • 203 S. Washington Sq.Kelly's Downtown
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 484-5007
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend and I were checking out the city courtesy of the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “Be a Tourist in Your Own Town” (which is an incredible event and I would definately recommend you check it out next year.)  Around lunch time, we made it downtown and decided to hit up Washington Square for lunch.  At first, we stopped into Tavern on the Square, but the menu kind of sucked.  There were no sandwiches and it was pretty expensive.  We were just looking for a quick lunch so we could keep touring the town.

Across the street sat Kelly’s.  So we got up and left Tavern on the Square and crossed the street.  There was a patio outside, but we chose to go inside and found a table near the front of the shop.  There’s a huge bar in the middle of the space with seating all the way around.  We sat down and waited five to ten minutes for the lone waitress/bartender to even acknowledge us.  She yelled across the bar to get our drink orders then a bus boy actually brought them out.  After a few more minutes, she yelled across the bar to take our order as well.

My girlfriend got Kelly’s Thatsa Wrap which is listed as vegetarian, but offers options to add grilled chicken which she did.  The wrap comes standard with tomatos, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and mushrooms inside a flour tortilla.  Besides the chicken, she got ranch on the side and added fries to her order.  She seemed to really like the wrap and had some fries left over for me.  She said the cucumbers were a good addition changing the texture and the flavor of what you usually expect in a wrap like this.

I got the Bear Burger.  It was a 1/3 lb sirloin burger with crumbled bleu cheese and bacon.  The burger was obviously a frozen patty.  It was really greasy.  I picked the sandwich up and it was wet.  At first, I was afraid it wasn’t done.  There was a puddle of grease on the bottom that I almost mistook for blood.  I bit into it anyway and it was done, but it was really greasy.  Fortunately, the bleu cheese covered most of that up.  I did a double check just to make sure there was bacon on there.  It kind of got lost in all the wetness.

After the initial delay in getting to us, the waitress did a much better job.  Our drinks never got empty and she got the check to us pretty quickly.  For the two of us, it was about $20, but we ended up spending more time in the restaurant than we really wanted to.  Really it was only about forty minutes, so it’s not terrible and normally I wouldn’t complain.  I’ve read a lot of good reveiws about this place, but it didn’t do anything for me.  My burger wasn’t very good and places like this I usually expect more.  I just haven’t had much luck with the downtown restaurants yet.  I’m still looking for that place near the Capitol that is worth getting in the car and paying parking for.   Kelly’s would probably be a great night spot, but for lunch, it just didn’t do anything for me.


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Categories : Burgers, Dive Bar, Irish Bar, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Dublin Square

26 04 2008
  • 327 Abbott RoadDublin Square
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-2222
  • Website
  • Menu

I found Dublin Square just by searching for restaurant websites in the Lansing area.  Good find.  We pulled up to Dublin Square and almost drove by it.  The building is beautiful. Too nice for a bar in that area.  The building is 70 years old and started its days as the East Lansing Post Office.  A few years ago, the new owners decided to do something different and brought in Irish carpenters to give the place an authentic Irish feel.  The interior of the pub as well as the bar was built in Dublin out of mahogany then shipped to East Lansing.  Everything was put together back here in the states by the same craftsmen who built it in Ireland.

We were met at the door by a hostess who showed us to a table in the main dining room next to where the stage is at night.  A waiter came over and brought us water as we were looking over the menu.  It’s not necissarily the sign of a great restaurant, but it is the sign of a restaurant going the extra mile when the include a lemon slice with the water.

Dublin SquareThe menu is interesting.  I couldn’t decide as there were so many things I wanted to try.  I settled on the Irish  Bacon BBQ burger.  The 1/2 lb. Angus burger came with two slices of “Irish Bacon” (strips of ham grilled on the flat top) and cheddar cheese then it was drenched in a green apple bbq sauce.  Lettuce, tomato, onion, and a pickle spear served on the side next to a cup of green apple cole slaw.  Fries were a dollar more.  The burger was delicious.  It took up half the platter it was served on.  There was a lot of bbq sauce.  Somehow, I managed to let enough drip off then set the burger in it, so everytime I picked up the burger, I was grabbing the sauce.  It was pretty messy, but it was really good.  The green apple bbq sauce was different and the Irish bacon was much better than traditional bacon.  The fries were not very good.  They were steak fries that were not very crispy and actually kind of soggy.  The burger was delicious though and very much worth the price.

My girlfriend got the Smoked Turkey Rueben.  Two slices of pumpernickel were stacked with smoked turkey, swiss cheese and the green apple slaw.  Sauerkraut could have been added for no extra cost, but she’s not a fan, so it was left off.   The smoked turkey was incredible.  She was expecting the sandwich to be mostly slaw with a few slices of turkey, but it turned out to be just the opposite.  There was quite a bit of turkey on there.  So much she took a few slices off and tossed them on my plate.  It really tasted like something I would make at home on the grill.  It was really good.  Her meal also came with a side of the green apple slaw which she devoured.  She didn’t like the soggy fries at all and only ate a couple.  The sandwich was more than enough to fill her up though as neither of us left hungry.

Dublin Square is a beautiful bar and a great dinner spot.  There’s also a huge patio outside and if it hadn’t been so windy, would have been a beautiful spot for dinner.  They have a great menu that goes beyond bar food and beyond traditional Irish food (yes, they do have Bangers and Mash).  The space looks and feels great.  I don’t know if they allow smoking or not, but I know where we were at seemed to be free of smoke.  The atmosphere is great and the food matches the atmosphere.


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Categories : Downtown, East Lansing, Irish Bar, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews