Came here with my husband tonight and had the best time. Started with the Reuben rolls....great! I had the mahi mahi and he had the fish and chips. Both meals were wonderful. Our waitress, Hailey, was awesome. She made the best recommendations and had a very pleasant attitude. The ambiance was perfect. we will be back again!
Mariia Karvonen
A Requiem for the Rotten Tuna
★☆☆☆☆ — One does not simply forgive spoiled fish
Posted by Lady M.Karvonen, Discerning Diner and Survivor
It was the seventeenth of September, a Wednesday of golden light and foolish optimism, that my husband and I - bless his trusting heart - decided to grace a local Irish establishment with our custom. The sun was out, darling. We were hopeful. One ought never be hopeful.
The evening promised much. He, a devoted servant of the seared tuna; I, a woman who simply cannot be separated from her moules marinières without considerable emotional consequence. In we swept, hopes aloft like signal flares in a neon-drenched sky.
The blackboard at the entrance sang a siren song - “Discount on all seafood” - and my husband's eyes lit up like a neural interface booting at 6 pm. How generous, we thought. How terribly, ominously generous.
The first blow landed swiftly: no mussels. Gone. Vanished from the menu like a deleted subroutine. I grieved quietly, as any well-bred woman must, and consoled myself with scotch eggs and dignity.
Then came the tuna.
Or rather - and I cannot stress this with sufficient elegance - then came whatever that tuna had become. My husband's face, upon first taste, achieved an expression I can only describe as a man whose operating system has catastrophically crashed mid-transaction. He sat very still. He said very little. Across the table, I caught the scent of something that can only be described as surströmming's lesser cousin, raised in tragedy.
"My darling," said I, with the measured calm of a duchess defusing an explosive, "did you perhaps order the fermented option?"
He had not. The kitchen, it seems, had made that creative decision on his behalf.
We relocated the plate to the outermost frontier of the table and pressed our persons as far from it as the booth would permit. The waitress materialized, bright-eyed, to enquire if everything was to our satisfaction. My husband, ever the gentleman, informed her with quiet restraint that the tuna appeared to be off.
She blinked. She offered alternatives. We declined, and requested the bill instead, because at a certain point one simply wishes to leave a crime scene rather than redecorate it.
And here, dear reader, is where the evening transcended mere disappointment and ascended into something almost legendary:
The tuna - putrid, rejected, nudged to the table's edge like a pariah - remained upon the bill. Not removed. Not apologised for. Charged.
We paid it. We even left a generous tip, because one does not punish a waitress for the sins of a kitchen. She was innocent in this dystopian little drama. A civilian casualty.
But someone - Someone! - in that establishment knew the fish had turned. Someone looked at that tuna, sniffed the air, felt the moral crossroads approaching, and thought: “Discount on seafood”. A markdown on misfortune. A sale on suffering. A promotional event built upon the quiet hope that customers would not notice until it was too late.
I noticed, friends. My olfactory system - faithful, uncorrupted, gloriously analogue - saved me from what could have been a deeply unpleasant evening in a very different sense.
For the abandonment of the mussels, I might have forgiven them. We all make cutbacks. Times are strange. But to knowingly, knowingly, parade spoiled fish to a table with a smile and a discount, and then to charge for the privilege of smelling it - that, I'm afraid, is not a restaurant. That is an experience one does not repeat.
The sun was still shining when we left. We did not look back.
Godspeed, tuna. You deserved a better kitchen.
Atmosphere: Charming until it wasn't. Food: Legally questionable.
Service: Blameless.
Will return: Absolutely not.
Sherry Bennett
The food was so good. We will be going back there again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Pudding
Zack Venegas
Went to restaurant for the first time since I’m visiting from out of state, sat at the bar for 25 minutes without anyone even greeting me or getting me a drink, 2 staff members were behind bar and just ignored me, went next door to eat and got quick service, will not be trying this place again
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Theresa Peterson
Nice place. Good food. Friendly attentive staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brady Palmquist
It's becoming one of my new favorite dining choices in Mankato. Huge portions, great food, great service and I love the decor. The Dick Titus commercial is great. The meatloaf is another favorite. They have good pasta as well. Cozy place with a welcoming interior.
Jan Johnson
Great food! Excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beth Cato
A sign outside said the restaurant was open while construction was underway, but we saw no disarray inside. Maybe the work was going on in another room.
We visited here mostly because their online menu, and their menu inside, said they serve Kilkenny, one of my husband’s favorite beers and one that is rare to find. Unfortunately, we were informed right away that they no longer serve it, either, as the distributor was struggling to get it. Alas.
That is the only complaint we have, though. Service was great, busy as the place was on a Saturday at lunchtime. I had a Magner’s cider while my husband made do with Schells Octoberfest. The cheese curds were absolute artwork, some of the best we’ve had in ages. I had the beet and goat cheese salad. It was huge with very fresh ingredients, quite filling without an added protein. My husband had a burger and fries and really enjoyed them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Christal Bungum
We are familiar with Mankato area restaurants & chose this one to celebrate our 5 yr wedding anniversary. They did not disappoint! We ordered the Reuben Wonton Rolls - so crispy & delicious! The seafood chowder had great flavor & variety. The sesame encrusted Tuna was phenomenal! And my husband had the lamb loin on a bed of asparagus. We are hooked & will be coming back soon to try the menu items we wanted but didn't order. Thank you for making us a memorable & scrumptious meal! See you again soon! 😊
First time coming and we had such a good experience! If you’re looking for Irish comfort food, this is you place. Service was excellent as well. Jared was personable, friendly and despite the busy atmosphere, checked in on us consistently ensuring our glasses were always full and table clear:). Highly recommend!
Lance Larson
Great food! Amazing mock tails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dick Titus Commercial
Dorothy Storch
Fish and Chips for me, Shepherd Pie for my date, lots to eat and Smithwick to drink.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shirazzi Geye
I had the Jameson Burger with fries as a side. The burger was cooked medium well to well done, extremely flavorful and definitely worth a try. Drinks on offer are largely alcoholic; extensive drink menu with plenty of Irish liquors, Wines and Beer. We did not have alcohol this visit, but I wouldn't mind trying when I can on the next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dave and Renee Palmersheim
Ordered food to go. Everything tasted burnt ad grease, dirty grill, doesn't make a difference was absolutely disgusting. Waste if 65.00
Came here with my husband tonight and had the best time. Started with the Reuben rolls....great! I had the mahi mahi and he had the fish and chips. Both meals were wonderful. Our waitress, Hailey, was awesome. She made the best recommendations and had a very pleasant attitude. The ambiance was perfect. we will be back again!
A Requiem for the Rotten Tuna ★☆☆☆☆ — One does not simply forgive spoiled fish Posted by Lady M.Karvonen, Discerning Diner and Survivor It was the seventeenth of September, a Wednesday of golden light and foolish optimism, that my husband and I - bless his trusting heart - decided to grace a local Irish establishment with our custom. The sun was out, darling. We were hopeful. One ought never be hopeful. The evening promised much. He, a devoted servant of the seared tuna; I, a woman who simply cannot be separated from her moules marinières without considerable emotional consequence. In we swept, hopes aloft like signal flares in a neon-drenched sky. The blackboard at the entrance sang a siren song - “Discount on all seafood” - and my husband's eyes lit up like a neural interface booting at 6 pm. How generous, we thought. How terribly, ominously generous. The first blow landed swiftly: no mussels. Gone. Vanished from the menu like a deleted subroutine. I grieved quietly, as any well-bred woman must, and consoled myself with scotch eggs and dignity. Then came the tuna. Or rather - and I cannot stress this with sufficient elegance - then came whatever that tuna had become. My husband's face, upon first taste, achieved an expression I can only describe as a man whose operating system has catastrophically crashed mid-transaction. He sat very still. He said very little. Across the table, I caught the scent of something that can only be described as surströmming's lesser cousin, raised in tragedy. "My darling," said I, with the measured calm of a duchess defusing an explosive, "did you perhaps order the fermented option?" He had not. The kitchen, it seems, had made that creative decision on his behalf. We relocated the plate to the outermost frontier of the table and pressed our persons as far from it as the booth would permit. The waitress materialized, bright-eyed, to enquire if everything was to our satisfaction. My husband, ever the gentleman, informed her with quiet restraint that the tuna appeared to be off. She blinked. She offered alternatives. We declined, and requested the bill instead, because at a certain point one simply wishes to leave a crime scene rather than redecorate it. And here, dear reader, is where the evening transcended mere disappointment and ascended into something almost legendary: The tuna - putrid, rejected, nudged to the table's edge like a pariah - remained upon the bill. Not removed. Not apologised for. Charged. We paid it. We even left a generous tip, because one does not punish a waitress for the sins of a kitchen. She was innocent in this dystopian little drama. A civilian casualty. But someone - Someone! - in that establishment knew the fish had turned. Someone looked at that tuna, sniffed the air, felt the moral crossroads approaching, and thought: “Discount on seafood”. A markdown on misfortune. A sale on suffering. A promotional event built upon the quiet hope that customers would not notice until it was too late. I noticed, friends. My olfactory system - faithful, uncorrupted, gloriously analogue - saved me from what could have been a deeply unpleasant evening in a very different sense. For the abandonment of the mussels, I might have forgiven them. We all make cutbacks. Times are strange. But to knowingly, knowingly, parade spoiled fish to a table with a smile and a discount, and then to charge for the privilege of smelling it - that, I'm afraid, is not a restaurant. That is an experience one does not repeat. The sun was still shining when we left. We did not look back. Godspeed, tuna. You deserved a better kitchen. Atmosphere: Charming until it wasn't. Food: Legally questionable. Service: Blameless. Will return: Absolutely not.
The food was so good. We will be going back there again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Pudding
Went to restaurant for the first time since I’m visiting from out of state, sat at the bar for 25 minutes without anyone even greeting me or getting me a drink, 2 staff members were behind bar and just ignored me, went next door to eat and got quick service, will not be trying this place again
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nice place. Good food. Friendly attentive staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's becoming one of my new favorite dining choices in Mankato. Huge portions, great food, great service and I love the decor. The Dick Titus commercial is great. The meatloaf is another favorite. They have good pasta as well. Cozy place with a welcoming interior.
Great food! Excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A sign outside said the restaurant was open while construction was underway, but we saw no disarray inside. Maybe the work was going on in another room.
We visited here mostly because their online menu, and their menu inside, said they serve Kilkenny, one of my husband’s favorite beers and one that is rare to find. Unfortunately, we were informed right away that they no longer serve it, either, as the distributor was struggling to get it. Alas.
That is the only complaint we have, though. Service was great, busy as the place was on a Saturday at lunchtime. I had a Magner’s cider while my husband made do with Schells Octoberfest. The cheese curds were absolute artwork, some of the best we’ve had in ages. I had the beet and goat cheese salad. It was huge with very fresh ingredients, quite filling without an added protein. My husband had a burger and fries and really enjoyed them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
We are familiar with Mankato area restaurants & chose this one to celebrate our 5 yr wedding anniversary. They did not disappoint! We ordered the Reuben Wonton Rolls - so crispy & delicious! The seafood chowder had great flavor & variety. The sesame encrusted Tuna was phenomenal! And my husband had the lamb loin on a bed of asparagus. We are hooked & will be coming back soon to try the menu items we wanted but didn't order. Thank you for making us a memorable & scrumptious meal! See you again soon! 😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sooooo good.
Restaurantji Recommends
First time coming and we had such a good experience! If you’re looking for Irish comfort food, this is you place. Service was excellent as well. Jared was personable, friendly and despite the busy atmosphere, checked in on us consistently ensuring our glasses were always full and table clear:). Highly recommend!
Great food! Amazing mock tails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dick Titus Commercial
Fish and Chips for me, Shepherd Pie for my date, lots to eat and Smithwick to drink.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the Jameson Burger with fries as a side. The burger was cooked medium well to well done, extremely flavorful and definitely worth a try. Drinks on offer are largely alcoholic; extensive drink menu with plenty of Irish liquors, Wines and Beer. We did not have alcohol this visit, but I wouldn't mind trying when I can on the next visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered food to go. Everything tasted burnt ad grease, dirty grill, doesn't make a difference was absolutely disgusting. Waste if 65.00
Food: 1
Loading...