Finnigan’s Wake Irish Pub

The Lamberty burger and sweet potato fries are to die for. Will definitely revisit for the food

To start I really like this place but have to be honest the service has gone downhill the past several months. I used to go there often but since the fall had taken a break. I started going back in December 2015 and of course like most bars and restaurants they have turnover. So start with the food: they changed the menu some and that is fine. Food though takes a long time especially if you are in the bar area eating. Part of this problem is not enough staff and if the only place to sit is at the bar it seems the over worked bartender does not have enough time and few other workers if anyone helping them. Bar area: some of your bartenders though very nice and pretty (ha ha) do not seem to know your products or how to mix drinks, knowing how to pour a beer doth not a bartender make, they seem to need training, they are also over worked, perhaps if they had more help and training then it would improve.

One of my favorite places for many years. The Mac and cheese is a personal favorite. Best whisky sour in the entire United States. I’ve got no complaints. Service is great, the staff is kind and generous. The menu is appealing.

By far, the worst service I’ve experienced. Mainly, the manager, Erica, is terrible. Very unprofessional and would not set foot into the establishment again.

I was in town visiting from Raleigh, NC. There were 11 of us in the party celebrating a birthday. Our server was fantastic! He was attentive and prompt, plus he had fun hair! The beer list was extensive and featured many NC beers. I had the scotch eggs for appetizer, which were delicious and authentic. For dinner, I had the black bean cakes over rice. OH MY GOODNESS! So well seasoned! I also tasted my aunt’s fried chicken over mashed potatoes with gravy, to die for! The kitchen staff brought the kids meals out early, which was awesome! We had brought dessert in from another restaurant and there was no issues with this; our server even brought us app plates. All the food were authentic Irish dishes, which is hard to find in NC. I highly recommend Finnigan’s and hope to visit again soon!

This is a gluten free happy place, for sure — gf bread and a well marked menu.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup! What else does a person really need on a snowy day? Maybe a Reuben? How about a nice pale ale? All points covered, sans gluten. Plus great service, app and drink specials. Perfecto!

This place serves great food at a good value anyway, but the fact that they took the time and effort to make gluten-​free and vegetarian options on their menu makes them even more awesome. I have celiac disease and have to be so careful when I go to restaurants, and every time I’ve been here, the staff has been friendly and knowledgable of menu items and which things were safe for me to eat. A great staple of Winston-Salem’s food scene.

Awesomeness. Authentic Irish Pub in the middle of beautiful downtown Winston-​Salem.
Menu items include:
1. some of the best desserts known to man in shot glass form
2. a mind-​bendingly delicious Reuben
3. Bangers & mash (ahhhhh! My Scots-​English blood is singing)
4. Scotch Eggs (my Christmas breakfast favorite, that only my Dad has been able to make well, so far… but next time I’m trying this one at Finnegan’s!!!)
4. Guiness-​based appetizers (uhhh, yeah!)
5.What looked like some bangin’ fish & chips
Amongst MANY other mouth-​watering pub foods.
This is my new go-​to in WS.
LOVE.

Shepherds pie is the ultimate Irish authenticity test… and this place passed with flying colors. The food, drink selection, and atmosphere was great, PLUS, they were pet friendly. A+ for outdoor patio eating with our people and dog friends.

Shepherds Pie is insane. Soooooo good. Huge portion of food, definitely can split this one. Comes with a salad too. I would return here for sure! I also ordered their draft beer that was close to a blue moon called Coronado orange ave wit. Fantastic! Sit on the back porch area if possible. It’s too cute.

We have been there before but this was the first time that we ate inside. Due to the acoustic, the room is very loud.
There was not a smiling face in the place and our waitress acted like we were annoying her by asking about the menu.
I had the brisket. The parts that were not fat probably would have been tasty if it was hot. The fries were undercooked. The slaw was very good. $ 15 and all I ate was slaw.
My SO had the Shepard’s Pie. If there was lamb in it we could not find it.
If anyone there had inquired we would have said something but everone that was working there honestly acted like they did not care.
We will not bother them ever again.

Love this place. I love the Irish pub feel and the people here are awesome. Food is outstanding and the beer is always cold. Been here 4 times since we moved here from NY and it is now my spot. Brought friends here from out of town and they were seriously impressed.
You guys rock!!!

Good times lots of great beers n traditional Irish fare. Lots if seasonal beers to indulge on and just great times.

Stopped in on a Saturday afternoon for some appetizers and drinks.
Wings were tasty and well cooked, just not very big. The artichoke dip was tasty but begged to be grilled just a little longer.
Service was excellent and pleasant. If we were here for the evening I’d stop by again for sure. Lots of excellent choices on the menu, and a decent selection of draft beers.
Overall, pretty good.

Cool little place. Street parking or in a lot. Warm inviting atmosphere. Looks and feels like a bar inside. Bar seating, some tables and high tops. Great craft beer list on tap. The menu is loaded with Irish dishes. The food here is great. Service is good. Very friendly. For appetizers you cant beat the shrimp, or wings. Both are excellent. The ruben here is amazing. Nice grilled sourdough bread loaded with corned beef, kraut and rich brown mustard. The steak fries are good too. Topped with sea salt and house ketchup. For an authentic Irish dish try the Ploughmans lunch. This is sure to be one of the most unique dishes in the triad. Fresh bread, cheese, grapes, apple, a boiled egg, and sliced smoked ham. And yes it is very good. You do get some strange people wandering in from the downtown area. but all in all this place rocks. I enjoyed my visit and will return.

I really want to like Finnigan’s, but there is always something that prevents me from whole heartedly embracing it. I won’t rehash all of my many visits, because my most recent one is indicative of all of them — highs and lows.
Sitting at the bar, my wife and I enjoyed friendly service, a good beer, and a tasty snack while watching some soccer on the TV. All of a sudden, we are completely surrounded by a cloud of vapor. From the d-​bag next to us who vaping at the bar. Guess what d-​bag? Not everyone wants to vape. Guess what Finnigan’s management? Not everyone wants to vape.
Highs and lows. Like every visit.
So, in the end, it is A-​OK. Not my go to place, but not a place I would never go.

This review is for the bar experience because I didn’t have any food. In winston for business and needed something to do to kill time after dinner Sunday. A friend from the area suggested Finnigans. Let me first of say that the hearse outside is a hilarious play on words for the «wake» part of their name.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and low key which I liked. The bartender was super friendly and able to answer questions about the beers. They have a great selection of craft brews on tap. It is a great place to grab a beer and hangout. No frills and no pressure which I like. I’ll have to grab food next time I’m around!

I would be a fan of the place even if all they served were the beers that are on tap. Lot’s of different styles from Ireland, Scotland, and England, along with the normal American beer on tap. I have always had good service from the wait staff friendly and accommodating. This time we tried the fish & chips and the Burgundy pork tenderloin. The pork dish was really good, nice and juicy, lots of flavor and the veggies were not cooked to death. The fish and chips were ok, although I think the filets were battered without putting any seasoning on the fish first. They were a little bland, I solved this with a little malt vinegar though. There is a choice between the large and small portion. Unless you are really hungry or want some to take home for later, I suggest the small size. I mean when they say «a generous portion of steak fries» they weren’t lying! I think I had 3 potatoes cut up and fried on my plate. The lemon caper aioli was pretty tasty.
It was a perfect place to stop in for a late dinner on a cold night!

We sure managed to experience both sides of this place within a short period of time! Staying in the nearby Marriott, we decided to pop in on a busy Saturday night for a drink and munchies. It was fairly early, but they were already packed. Hostess was kind enough to get us an extra bar stool, so we could squeeze into the bar. Thanks to the gal that moved over for us as well!
We enjoyed our drinks (wine for me and drafts for Husband). Also shared a special of the day which was two large warm pretzels with a very delicious jalapeño cheese dip. If we had stopped there this would be a 4-​star review.
But then we went back for Sunday brunch. It was one of the few places near the hotel that was open at 10:00, and Husband really wanted to go back. Plus I had seen on the chalkboard the night before that they had Cheeseburger Soup and that was intriguing me. This time we sat on the dining room side and literally had the place to ourselves. Even by the time we left, no one else was there yet.
Coffee for Husband. Iced tea for me. Both good. I did indeed order a cup of that Cheeseburger soup, and it was brought nice and hot, dove right in and YUCK. Seriously awful. It was thick with something that resembled meat, but the texture of it was gross. I tried adding a bunch of Texas Pete, and while that helped, it only barely masked the ickiness. I passed it over to Husband who was looking at me like, «really? what can be wrong with meat and cheese?» He found out. Soup abandoned, but haunting factors lingered throughout the day. I am assuming that soup was meant for drunk people only.
That being said, Husband loved his giant Full Monty Omelet that was chock full of meat. Real meat. He liked. I was glad that they honored my request for one Benedict instead of two (hate to waste food, I can never eat two of them). I was sad, however, that my request to have spinach added to it didn’t materialize. The Benedict itself was pretty good (egg cooked perfectly!), but there was something about the texture of the ham that was a bit off for me. Favorite part was the grilled tomato! Potatoes were okay, and the bread with cheese and mustard was good, but could have been more melted.
Somehow I managed to go through a considerable amount of iced tea before I realized that my glass was very-​much cracked. I did point out that they might want to retire that one.
Overall 3 ½ stars would probably be more accurate for our two experiences, but thanks to that soup, I just can’t bring myself to round up.

I tried a sample of the fish n’ chips with caper aioli at a food festival a couple of months ago and swore I was going to dine there because it was just so good!
I finally made it in to try their food for my birthday dinner this weekend. We arrived around 9:30pm with some friends from the coast. It was a bit rowdy inside with a crowd of mostly (what seemed to be) Wake Forest students which made for a fun birthday night.
Our waitress was swamped with a few big tables nearby but didn’t let that be known at all, she seemed as carefree and un-​flustered as possible.
As for the menu, they have several options for vegetarians. Next time I am trying the shepherd’s pie with meat substitute. I had the fish n’ chips and the crisp appetizer which was recommended to me by a coworker.
Everything was delicious. They had beer specials, even on a Friday. Their craft selection is decent as well. I tried Highland’s Cold Mountain winter ale which was on my «beers to try» list.
I will definitely return. This place is known as a Winston-​Salem staple and I can definitely see why.