Finbar’s Irish Pub

Visited Finbar’s on a Sunday for brunch. Ordered the eggs benny with ham, with a side caesar. I didn’t expect much, as that last time I ate there (6 years ago) the food was terrible. Sad to say, the food was no better this time. My salad was awful. No croutons, and the lettuce was turning brown. It did, however, have real bacon bits and parmesan. My eggs benny were a disappointment as well. Eggs were completely hard in the center (the server didn’t ask how I wanted them, and it never occurred to me to tell her as I’ve never eaten them with a hard yolk, they’ve always been at least slightly runny). There was hardly any hollondaise, but to be fair, what there was of it was tasty. As was the ham.
However, the real kicker came when my dining partner found a short brown hair under his pile of home fries (which he’d mostly eaten by then). As I have long black hair and he’s a blond, it wasn’t ours. Our server was mortified and took his meal off the bill. She was very apologetic, and her reaction is the only reason I’m not leaving one star. Will never eat at Finbar’s again. But I might drink a beer there.

If there are any places in Bedford that count as institutions, there’s the venerable Chickenburger and compared to the Chick, a relative newcomer, Finbar’s. This Irish pub, located in Sunnyside Mall, has spawned another location in the suburbia across the harbour, which speaks both to the success of this original location as well as the market that the owners are targeting.
In the past few months, I’ve been here a handful of times for their weekly trivia night, so I’m not sure if they’re just always busy or if trivia brings in the Bedford crowds, but it has almost always been slammed. By that I mean have-​to-​wait-​for-​a-​table-​even-​if-​you-​came-​an-​hour-​before-​trivia slammed. If they’re busy like this on the weekends and other days through the week, they’re definitely leaving a pile of cash on the table, for a few different reasons: (1) people are surely leaving for another spot (2) customers are ordering less because they’re standing at the bar or crammed in somewhere and can’t comfortably eat a full meal, and (3) service simply isn’t able to keep up in an atmosphere like this. Unfortunately for Finbar’s, they’re quite limited on options for expansion unless the mall lets them do some heavy duty renos and push neighbouring businesses elsewhere, or just pick up and move.
That said, it’s a decent spot, with all the Irish pub features that you would expect — lots of dark wood, brass-​ish railings, and captain’s chairs all around. You don’t feel like you’re in a mall, which is definitely a plus. The Scotch list is quite respectable, with a dozen or so available and there are some fine Irish beers on tap, although their selection of local beers if woefully low. Even a rotating tap of Nova Scotian stouts would be a big step forward.
On my first visit here, drinks were offered readily, but I had to ask for a food menu. Comprised mostly of pub food staples, there actually aren’t as many truly Irish dishes as you would expect, with the stew, bangers and mash, and the boxty as the only discernible items of Irish origins. I ended up going with the lamb burger, made with Nova Scotian lamb, roasted garlic, sauteed spinach, goat cheese and a red onion marmalade, and I went with fries for my side.
Given the aforementioned crowd, it was a little bit of a wait for my food. When it arrived, it was quite good though. The patty had a great lamb flavour, and was surprisingly moist for this infamously lean, and easy to overcook meat. The creamy goat cheese melted nicely into the burger, and the red onion marmalade added some sweetness that played well with the slightly tangy cheese. It wasn’t all burger perfection though, as the meat-​to-​bun ratio was a bit off, with some mouthfuls that were mostly bun, and the bun itself good have used a toasting. Everything all told, it was solid burger, if not the pinnacle of burgerdom.
The fries were a nice golden brown, and were fairly crispy for hand-​cut fries, but weren’t particularly memorable either. A serviceable fry is still an honourable fry though.
While it’s a good problem to have, Finbar’s is suffering a bit from their own success. With some more space, and a more authentically Irish menu and local beer offerings, they could take things to the next level.

Update: I Just want to give you folks another «Great job! «We were at the Bedford location last night (My birthday gathering) and it was my first time in 13 yrs. to have your server Jeni take great care of us… Don’t loose her, she’s one of the best on all fronts! Thanks Jeni! Now, we just have to convince her to work Bedford location and leave your Portland Hills location.
Cheers!

I have always been pleased with the service and food at this bar. Can be very cramped on a busy night. Great drinks.

Treated differently.
We had a poor experience at the Bedford location today. We have been to the Portland Hills Pub many times.
We were passed over many times today while waiting for a table even though there was a so called list. When seated we were ignored for almost half an hour for even a drink order. As Finbars is a pub I found this troubling.
When we ordered our food arrived much later than other tables that were seated after us.
Maybe just a conspiracy theory but when we were the only coloured people in the joint and we sure seemed to get treated very differently.
We won’t be returning to either location.
Had a boo at their facebook page it would seem that there are very few coloured patrons that visit or at least that are pictured… ever.

Not a bad place to go when you want to try something a little different from the usual pub food. Supposedly have had the best nachos in town for a few years now as rated by the coast. I don’t have anything against this place but unless someone wants to go here to eat, it wouldn’t be on my list of places to come back to again.

Great pub, great service, great food. A little on the noisy side, couldn’t carry on a conversation without raised voices, but perhaps that’s the cost of a successful pub.

Nice atmosphere but so very loud, had to almost yell to hear the person I was with. Was a bit like being in a nightclub, not a «pub». I likely won’t be back for that reason.

Love this place! Great food and service at every visit :) the staff are always so friendly.

Not really sure how I haven’t reviewed here yet. after living in Bedford for a year now, finbars has been a go to we’ve seen the menu and food quality go through some changes. but overall it’s pretty ok. the food is predictable and some dishes can be quite tasty. the bar is your typical Irish bar. has the typical beers on tap plus a couple locals. their wine by the bottle prices are pretty cheap actually so that is now going to be my go to.
the staff are great and super friendly. and trivia night is always a good time.

First off I had the fish and chip and it was horrible on many levels (fish was not fresh, oil was dirty, fries were gross etc etc). I live in NS and and for them to get away with F&C like that is unbelievable. It was way over priced…$ 100 for a bad F&C two beer two glasses of wine and a club sandwich… which was mediocre at best… however the service was excellent and the beer was fresh… over priced but fresh… with that said I will not go back there for food… obviously or casual drinking as it’s always 8 – 9 dollar beer night… tip included…

What a great little find in Bedford! Such a perfect pub/​restaurant, they have awesome nachos, and burgers.
I find that there is always a long wait for food, but as long as your order an appetizer you’ll be good.
Drinks are also really good!

I love Finbar!
The food is always spot on. The daily specials are great and I hear the trivia night is a lot of fun!

I am a regular to this place. Service is always top notch, food great, beer is cold and atmosphere is always the best. We go as a family a few times per month. Also a great place to go on St Patrick’s Day.

Service was slow. My husband had corned beef which was so salty he could not eat it. He told our waitress and we still got charged. There were 3 of us who ate there and it cost 97.00. I will not be returning to this place

Hidden gem in Bedford!
The place gets packed in the evenings (especially if it’s during trivia night), so plan ahead.
Even though it is packed, the service is top notch.
My husband enjoys the boxty’s while I enjoy the fish and chips. Go hungry if you plan for the fish and chips as the pieces are larger and the fries are too good to be left on your plate. I would also recommend getting a side of curry gravy.

We went at 6:00 on a Tuesday evening. When we arrived there were only a few tables occupied. We ordered a plate of nachos and a french onion soup while we waited for two others to join us. The tables started to fill up so there were a few more occupied by the time our friends arrived, the soup & nachos arrived at the table shortly after our friends. Both the soup and nachos were fine.
When we were ready to order, we had to flag down a server. She mentioned they were short staffed. By this time the place was full. Regardless, we waited not too long for our meals. My husband asked for vinegar for his fries, the server said she’d be back with it, she didn’t come back, he went and searched some down himself.
I ordered the burger, when taking my order she asked if I wanted bacon, I said no, it arrived with bacon. The onion & bacon were over cooked to the point of being chewy. The fries tasted like the spice jar fell open into them, my husband’s the same.
Our server never checked on us, once again we had to flag her down to get the bill. I mentioned about the fries having too much spice, her response, «you can order them with out the spice», um not the point and too little too late.
Just an edit to add that the music was too loud to hold a conversation without shouting.
I would give it a 2 star rating but the other two in our party said their food was good. Doubt we’ll go back to this location.

I just had lunch at Finbar’s for the first time and I must say that I was impressed! I got the Yorkshire pudding (I’m kind of a Yorkshire pudding connoisseur) and it was fantastic and only 14 $.
The atmosphere was great, it was a beautiful day so I sat on the deck, but the inside looked great too.
The staff were awesome. Lots of smiles and helpful suggestions.
I will go back!

A miracle occurred this weekend. Halifax was bathed in actual sunlight and baking in heat. My friends and I decided to enjoy a Bedford patio in celebration and so we headed to Finbar’s. It had been ages since I’d been there, but I could remember a mouth-​watering bowl of mussels and was eager to see if they still held up.
However, once I looked at the options mussels became a distant thought. Whenever a menu boasts that something one it is the «best in the city», I am compelled to eat that item and judge for myself. Finbar’s had such a claim for their nachos. Well, let’s just see, we all thought.
We enjoyed the warmth of the sun and some cold beer as we waited. When the platter was revealed at last, we saw these were different from any other nacho we’d ever seen. There were no peppers, no jalapenos and no tomatoes. Instead these chip were loaded with roasted onions, and handful after handful of chopped up Portobello mushrooms. We also splurged for chicken and guacamole, and they were both welcome additions for most of our party. I didn’t need the chicken myself, but it wasn’t bad. I picked most of it off and just enjoyed the veggies.
There was a healthy buzz in the air and we left feeling satisfied. We did wish that there was a little more direct sunlight, but this is a pretty well shaded patio, so there’s not much that can be done there. I can’t wait to go back. Here’s hoping for more sun soon!

I’ve been working in Bedford for 5 years and have never tried the craze that is Finbar’s. Today was a particularly spectacular day for me, so I decided to treat myself.
As soon as I entered 2 waitresses promptly greeted me with warm smiles — It was love at first sight.
I chose to sit outside as it was a pretty great day. I order my drink and wait for the succulent salmon that’s supposedly heavenly.
My food came up very quickly — like 15 minutes quick. It was a salmon penne in a creamy dill sauce — I’ll leave it to you to see if that’s a good or bad thing. What is a good thing however is how delicious it was — hot pasta, succulent salmon and the sauce just has enough dill not to overpower the salmon & veggies. Great job chef.
I would give it 4 stars, but to be honest, the staff was probably one of the best set that I’ve ever dealt with. They were so friendly and attentive — but upheld their professionalism. That’s what gives them 5 stars. I was leaving with a smile ear to ear.