the irish lion restaurant & pub

too expensive for mediocre food. you pay a lot of money here for food that is only so-so. i've had the corned beef and cabbage, the fish and chips, the coddle stew, and the duck. the food wasn't that great and very expensive. never going here again. i go to upland for fish and chips. best fish and chips i've ever had. unfortunately there just aren't any good irish restaurants in bloomington.

i've only eaten here once, and i'm willing to try it again... but the one time was pretty bad. i ordered the fish and chips (it's an irish place, right? they should know how to do this), and it was not what i'd consider restaurant-quality. more like frozen, pre-packaged fish and fries that you heat up in the oven. if and when i give them a second chance, i hope they do better. it's such a neat-looking place.

good food, great beer and perfect service. graduating daughter and i had a wonderful time tonight. it is a treat "people watching" from the quaint raised wood booths of the bar with a draught of guinness. our server was perfectly attentive and food all well prepared. indeed, you might see some loud college students (see prior review) but that's part of the fun :()

new fave.. found a new favorite wine here. loved the food and like that it's a slightly older crowd.

pretty good. food was good, not great. nice atmosphere and good service. interesting irish food. whiskey pie is a must try! would eat here again but might try some other places next time we are in bloomington.

update 1/16/2021
i have since gone back and loved the food. my prime rib was a little cold but the flavor was great. the apple walnut cake is amazing!

i've had lunch here twice and i was not impressed. the food is not worth the price and when i ordered the duck it was just so overly sweet that i could not eat it.

great atmosphere. i've only ever been here for drinks and appetizers, but the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. the bar is beautiful and it's one of my favorite places in bloomington.

poor service experience. i didn't recognize most the beers on the menu as a traveler i am familar with numerous brands..not wanting to pick a beer that i might not like, i picked an american beer that i've had before. the first sip conviced me i wasn't drinking anymore of it. i asked the waitress to take it off my bill. the manager appeared a couple minutes later to inform he would not take it off the bill, but offered to provide another type of beer. i told him ihat i wasn't interested in trying another beer as my dinner had i arrived and beer doesn't taste good to me during a meal. i asked for a credit. he told me he had to charge me for the beer. i asked him if he was wiling to lose future business and have me tell the online community about the my poor service experience for 2.50 your can guess his reply. i did spend a total of 20.00 for an average meal. there are numerous restaurants close by with better food and service.

irish lion. great atmosphere. excellent food. the leprechan wings and soda bread are my favorites!

love it!. i live out of town but have been to the irish lion on several different occasions starting back in the late 90's for everything from wedding party to drinks with friends and buissiness lunches.
everytime has been just wonderfull. yes somtimes it's busy and there is a wait but it is well worth it.
everything we have had over the years has been very good to "wow that's awsome" .
i agree that the crowd is mostly older and i love that. no sceaming kids at the next table ^-^ but the resturant is family friendly and enough choices on the menu for everyone to be happy.
the old building has a very interesting feel. there are many levels of seating that look up or down on each other. lots of ambiance.

by far the best takeaway or to-go order i’ve done! i ordered the rockefeller oysters, the beef burger with cheese fries and an irish cake to finish off! the oysters take away packing was impressive and not to mention their pick up time was ready in 20mins despite their rush time. all of the dishes were on point!

wonderful place for dinner. i brought my family here when they visited me. dad loved the yard of beer. mom loved the food. the chicken kiev is delicious. i've always had great service. it's busy so you know it's good.

absolutely love this place! the wonderful atmosphere and equally great food, the very polite and attentive servers and bartenders. taken people there that have been visiting and they loved it, now every time they come they insist on visiting the lion. the food is always hot and fresh, the apple walnut cake is delectable, and my personal favorite is the guinness ice cream (if they don't sell out of it). the finest collection of spirits in bloomington, their whiskey, scotch and bourbon selection is absolutely baffling. it's great when they have people that know what they're talking about to help you out with the drinks. so go, eat, drink and be merry!

mussels. awesome with imported cheese plate

fabulous. what a great place! !!! we happened upon this place by accident. great find. we will return just to come back here. great food and great service.


-----07 apr, 2015-----

by accident. we were traveling and stopped to spend the night. what a fabulous find. the atmosphere is great, bartender friendly and knowledge and the food incredible. we will make a trip back here just to return to the irish lion.