Blackthorn Pub and Grill

I’ve been here twice for lunch, and once on a Saturday night out. It was pretty terrible all three times. Lunch service was un-​excusably slow for how many patrons were there (both times). The food wasn’t bad, but was cold by the time we got it. At night the place is a ghost town and the bartener was not so fun. We got out of there pretty quick. I hope this place closes soon so something better can move in.

Nice private party room. Good appetizers. Not a great beer selection. Not a great vibe. None of this matters because they are closed now.

This place is a Blackthorn in my side.

I have been here before and the first time around I wasn’t incredibly impressed but my boyfriend loved their lamb shank. We went a 2^nd time roughly a year ago and they were out of lamb shank so it felt overdue.
We arrived and it took about 10 minutes for someone to greet us — it was confusing because there wasn’t a «please wait to be seated» sign but no one really noticed us when we sat down either. The waiter seemed under the influence of something he smoked before coming to our table. He was very spacey and would just blank out when talking to us. It was hard to understand if he understood what we were saying. The service was OK — he checked on us a couple times but he didn’t really seem to know what was going on.
We ordered drinks. I will say they have a decent happy hour — 2 for 1 drinks — wine, beer, rail drinks. The issue that I had with their happy hour is that their rail drinks were in a small glass and they were still $ 5.00. I had 4 vodka/​sprite mixers and didn’t catch any sort of buzz.
We ordered a mozzarella sticks order (they also have $ 5.00 apps during happy hour) and he brought out 6 tiny mozzarella sticks and the breading was not too tasty. We order our dinners and the Lamb Shank is on the menu but when my boyfriend orders it the waiter tells him «Uhhhh we don’t have lamb shank»…then why is it on your menu? That was a big disappointment as the only reason we went back is because the lamb shank was on the menu. This same thing happened the last time we went about a year ago — how do you still have this item on your menu and you haven’t had it for over a YEAR???
We got our food and everyone’s was OK — my friends had the guiness pulled pork sandwich (no guiness flavor) and my boyfriend had the black and bleu burger which was decent. I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap assuming it would be safe but not so much. I wish I would have taken a picture of this because it was ridiculous. The wrap was just that — all wrap. In each ½ there was tiny cubed pieces of chicken and romaine lettuce. The wrap was about 70% tortilla. The FLOUR tortilla was gross and I didn’t feel it was meant for a buffalo chicken wrap — more like a taco or burrito.
I am honestly very surprised that place is still in business. We were 1 of 2 tables on a FRIDAY night! The waiter told us there was a «sweet band» playing around 9:00pm but didn’t know the band name/​who they were which seems strange considering he works there. I was very disappointed in this place and I definitely do not intend to return. They may want to call on Gordon Ramsey for some help because I would be surprised if this place makes it another year.

It’s really just ok. Blackthorn doesn’t really embrace the Irish Bar theme, it’s more like a bar with dark woodwork. I’ve been for food and it’s ok, there doesn’t seem to be an item that jumps out and distinguishes itself. I’ve been for drinks and other than a happy hour occurrence they seemed a bit pricey. Spent some time on the patio where there was a fellow with a hookah, but no mention of that being available to the patrons via the menu or any signage. It’s ok.

Had the beef stew. Good flavor but would have been better with some time of Irish bread. Let down there was not Sheppard’s Pie on menu. Cool atmosphere and clean. Really liked the picture on the wall in the hallway between the restrooms!

I have been back to Blackthorn several times since my first review. You may wonder why, since my first review was so horrible! Well, it is close to my office and frequently my workmates decide to hold a function here. Although I have always been hesitant, I must say that I have had much better experiences since that first time. In all honesty, however, I have not sat down to eat another meal. These functions have involved drinks and hot trays of appetizers. Each time the service has been decent and the appetizers have been good. For this reason, I have raised the score from a 1 to a 2.

This place continues to lose its culinary way. It was decent and now it is marginal.
The menu keeps changing — and it’s not for the good.
The blackthorn sandwich recipe keeps changing. The tasty Irish stew is sporadically available. Seems food availability is driven by the chef’s mood or attendance. Tasty side items are all gone. Crispy chips come and go.
Let’s skip the food and get to the comedy. 3 of us ordered different sandwiches and we waited 45 minutes for the food — which is odd since they are rarely busy at lunch. Anyway, I ordered the blackthorn and also one to go for a coworker back at the office. Well, my sandwich took 45 minutes while the waiter quickly brought out the identical sandwich to go. We stared at the boxed meal while the waiter kept saying it would be just a few more minutes. Maybe the wait staff is part of Candid Camera?
You know you should skip it when a $ 40 for $ 20 groupon still leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Accidentally ended up here around 7:30 pm on a Saturday night when my original plans fell through. Very UNimpressed. While my BF & I had beer and app’s at the bar (over a period of approximately 75 minutes), the Blackthorn saw about 10 customers.
Service — subpar. At times there were more staff on hand than there were customers. However, the service was lousy. The bartender didn’t know what was in the sauce that came with the calamari. ‘Some other guy’ didn’t know anything about the band that was setting up… but said he’d go check and get back to us. Then wandered off for a while, came back and proceeded to completely ignore us. The bartender also promised a group of older people (who were very polite and smartly dressed in Christmas party attire) that she would turn on the Marquette game. Then got their drinks and walked away, never bothering to switch the channel.
We ordered the appetizer sampler. Overall, the food is not really worth mentioning. Except I will say the wings were pretty darn edible. I’ve experienced many a bad wing incident, so I have to point this out. They were out of one of the items, so we got extra wings (so glad about that!) The onion strings were extremely salty and just gross. The calamari seemed to have a decent flavor, however half of them were undercooked and slimy. The sauce was just not quite right.
I feel like the space has potential, but it’s lacking in character. I get the feeling the place is usually dead and when it’s more crowded, it’s probably packed with DB’s.

I’ve eaten and drank here a good handful of times now, and the food has been meh to meh+1 every time. I have had one burger that was okay, and one that I didn’t like. I’ve had some fish ‘n chips which were okay, but the best this place has to offer is their Guinness sauce. You can get their Guinness sauce on wings or on their pork sandwich, so that’s what I would recommend.
If you’re going to be an Irish pub, then be an Irish pub. Don’t run out of potatoes, and have bottles of malt vinegar for the fish ‘n chips instead of uninspired tartar sauce. You can tell that they’re making an effort to put out some good food, so I’m not writing them off, just waiting until they get it right.
Food aside, it’s an Irish pub. They have booze, drink it.
Cheers

I visited the Blackthorn Pub and Grill as part of the Living Social deal. I had an amazing time, and was very impressed with the service and the quality of food. I went on a Friday evening, around 7pm and was immediately seated. Blackthorn doesn’t give off a super-​Irishy pub feel like The Irish Pub, County Clare, or Paddy’s; rather, it has a downtown trendy vibe, which I think is appropriate for the location near Cathedral Square.
I ordered the café con leche martini, which was delicious and pretty strong, but I would recommend this drink as more of a dessert drink as it was kind of filling. My boyfriend ordered the Jameson and ginger ale drink, and that was an amazing combination.
The wait time for our food was appropriate. Our server forgot about our appetizer, and was kind enough to bring it out with our meal and it was on the house! We ordered the Guinness BBQ chicken wings — very large wings and very delicious; flavorful but not spicy, which is just the way I like my wings.
For dinner I had the Fisherman’s Pie — OH MY GOSH, it was AMAZING!!! Seriously delicious!!! I was in the mood for something new and it was bold of me to try this but I’m so glad I did. It is similar to Shepard’s Pie, with mashed potatoes on top of a creamy blend of an incredible lobster bisque with pieces of white fish and crab meat, and came with a fresh side salad. Words cannot express how incredible this dish tasted.
My boyfriend ordered the Ruben. It was probably one of the best Ruben’s I have ever tried. The corned beef was melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. Despite the fact I don’t care much for sour kraut, I loved the sour kraut on this sandwich.
The portions of food were pretty large, we had leftovers to take home (not the Fisherman’s Pie though, that was the one food item we were able to finish even though we were stuffed!). It is true that the menu is not extensive, but I have a feeling that the other items on the menu are of high quality like the entrees we ordered.
The manager/​owner came around and asked us about our meal and experience and gave us a round of drinks on the house! It turned out to be difficult for us to spend the money our Living Social voucher was worth because of the amazing service!
I’m unsure why other’s reviews of this establishment are so mediocre because I think Blackthorn is great and I will definitely be going back for that Fisherman’s Pie on a cold winter day!!!

We went here with a LivingSocial deal today. The ambiance is awesome. Big picture windows face adorable shops on Mason street. The Irish-​pub-​like interior is cozy on a winter evening.
However, the menu is pretty small. Only about 12 – 15 choices for entrees. They were out of the Beef Stew, and we were told they had been for a few days, so that bummed my husband out.
We had a pleasant waitress. Maybe we’ll be back sometime.

I understand that every restaurant has off days, and sometimes minor errors can be overlooked. However, this dining experience was a «perfect storm» of problems. From cold food to dirty cups – inconsistent service to missing food items, this was probably one of the worst brunches I have ever had. The one glimmer of hope: we only had to pay for what we enjoyed, the bloodys and screwdrivers. Without them, the whole experience would have been lost.
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The service, though very polite, was very, very, incredibly slow. There was no one when we entered and yet we had to wait a half hour for our two brunch meals and another ten for the check. It got busy very quick for the game (duh, it’s a sports bar) but people nursing their beers don’t need attention as much as a dine-​in customer.
My pancakes were delicious and my mom’s American Hangover (basically Denny’s All-​American Breakfast) was good. The butter for the toast was liquid and it makes me wonder what kind of establishment doesn’t have solid butter. I mean, it’s not a problem, but… really?
The space is big, it’s set up very nice, it’s clean and made of wood to make it comfortable. Just don’t expect to come in and out fast because you won’t. But the food, which is what REALLY makes a restaurant, was great.

Strange selection of beers, wines, and liquors given that it’s supposed to be an Irish pub. It’s really more of a bar that has some Irish décor peppered here and there. Niche: Either you’re an Irish pub, or you’re not.
Strange service, strange vibe, just sort of strangely nondescript in every possible way.
Although I didn’t eat here, I’d probably think twice about it after reading the reviews.
Short and to the point: There are better options in the area for certain.

I just can’t recommend this place based on our experience, just can’t. First off, we were greeted by a nice enough girl that told us the drink specials. She also told us it is happy hour all day and night, every day. That is not a good sign. All wait staff we saw were blond and had short plaid skirts on with tight white tees — If you are into the school-​girl Brittney vid, then this would be up your alley. Just not what we were expecting but whateves.
So, another couple walks in and she tells them the specials but they were totally different — different prices for specials and different beers on special. Okay… maybe she just got confused.
Then came the food… oh Lord… can’t gloss over how bad the food was, sorry. The artichoke dip was brown, yes brown. I tried it because I thought maybe it was good — WRONG — not good, bad like it had been sitting out for days. Then came the Quesadilla which was not made properly. Normally when you make a quesadilla, you put cheese in it so all the good stuff sticks together. Well, when we picked up a piece, all the chicken fell out, no cheese… epic fail. Thankfully, all apps are ½ off so we did not have to pay much for this experience. We also returned the artichoke dip because that shiz was just wrong to serve to customers.

We stopped in last night for a couple drinks and apps. The food we had was good. I liked the bar-​b-​que wings. The calmari was average. The service was very friendly. I like the outside patio area. I would go back.

The Blackthorn isn’t the typical Irish Pub, but it’s a fun place with some really great food! It feels more like the cool bar that you’d find in Dublin rather than a touristy ‘Irish Pub’ that you’d find in the States.
My favorite by far is their Signature Sandwich the ‘Blackthorn’ (obviously named after the establishment). Menu prices are well in line with the amount of food served — and I’ve never had bad food there yet!
For ‘downtown dinning week’ (2011) they had an awesome Cold Salmon fillet that just hit the spot in the hot weather, served with a refreshing dill sauce, it was one of the best choices for a hot evening! (Chef Mattias did a great job putting together the menu)
In the past the biggest complaint about the bar was the service, the original staff was all beautiful to look at — but they pretty much just sat at the corner of the bar talking to each other rather than taking care of the customers. It’s great to see that changing, and the new staff is a lot more attentive.

I really wanted to like Blackthorn Pub, but I didn’t.
It has a modern feel and lacks Irish décor. They do have a red phone box… and very loud music (nothing remotely Celtic, nor anything with an Irish flare, I am pretty sure I actually heard Britney Spears)…
So I enter, the lone customer for a late lunch. I sat at the bar, ordered a Guinness, and looked at the 7 – 8 item lunch menu. I picked the Shepherd’s pie which said something about lamb in gravy with mashed potatoes baked on top served with peas and salad. My plate came out and I was pretty excited with the look of it. I ate most of my fresh salad then tackled the pie. The potatoes were good, but that which was underneath was just plain bad. The lamb was ground and there was no gravy in sight. There were a few peas mixed in the ground lamb… did I mention there was no gravy? It was extremely gross. I could make ground lamb and throw some potatoes on it at home and it would probably taste better.
On to the cost, my meal was $ 19. I wasn’t very excited about paying $ 19 for single lunch with one drink. Ah, maybe I would have been OK paying $ 19 if it was actually good…
I won’t be back.
I just found out that Blackthorn Pub was cited 9 times in April/​May for critical health code violations! (
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Overall, I have other favorites, and I would most likely go to any of them before Black Thorn again. Now that the cider I enjoyed is no longer there, there is little to no draw to this higher-​than-​normally-​priced «Irish» pub.
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