the irish lion restaurant & pub

best irish-style pub outside of ireland. found myself staying at the biddle hotel on the iu campus for a sherlock holmes conference and after a long day of travel was desperate for a guinness so trotted over to the irish lion after googling for a likely spot to find a decent pint of the black stuff. the irish lion was perfect, and quite frankly, for my money it is hands down the single best irish-style pub i've visited in north america...and i've visited a good number. staff was welcoming and the decor what you'd expect. initial drinks served quickly, or as quickly as one can pull a pint of guinness properly, and any questions about meal choices answered without hesitation. landed there on a thursday night after 8pm and was faced with an irresistible meal special consisting of a 12 ounce prime rib with roasted potatoes, soup or salad, and irish soda bread for $20. meat was cooked to the requested medium rare, potatoes were tasty and the house balsamic dressing was perfect on the mixed green salad. the irish soda bread was unbelievably good too. all in all, a perfect pub meal.

my wife and i enjoyed our visit so much that we were back the next day to meet up with friends. that time i opted for the shepherds pie, served with a side salad, and my wife opted for, on the recommendation of a friend, the corned beef and cabbage. while the shepherds pie was a of the individual crock variety, it was made with rather nicely seasoned lamb, which is a huge plus as most north american pubs just use ground beef. had mushy peas made their way to the plate it i'd forgive the crock and consider it a perfect pub meal. as it stands, i really can't complain. again, a very tasty meal and my wife was extremely enthusiastic about the corned beef being one of the best she's had. and since we liked the irish soda bread so much on the first visit, we actually ordered it as an appy while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. my only complaint is that i didn't have a chance to come back a third time to sample some more intriguing items on the menu.

if you're in bloomington and like pub atmosphere and pub food, this is the place for you!

really really good! almost great!. i went here with my family to celebrate my birthday, and we all enjoyed the meal.

i ordered the lamb, and an appetizer of blarney puffballs.

my father had the coddle, and he said he would return and just eat that. he was not impressed with his lamb burger because he didn't like the ciabatta bun.

i enjoyed my lamb, and i had the house salad with the house dressing, a good salad too.

overall, the restaurant was very good, maybe a little expensive for me. come here and make sure you order the right dishes. (coddle). the whiskey pie, and cheesecake was very good too. a highlight

solid 8.75 out of 10

enjoyed a great dinner last night at the irish lion! oysters rockefeller were on point and connemara shrimp was delish! we love the rustic cozy atmosphere. food isn't anything stuffy, complex or even creative / cutting edge...just hearty, cozy and always good!

i had the filet. i ordered it medium. it came out med-rare to rare. sent it back. came out med-rare. sent it back a 3rd time. this time it was a good medium. i paid $26 but it was not worth it. my friend had the shepherd's pie, and it was very good.

i would have liked this had my steak been cooked properly.

did not like it. i have had lunch here twice, both times i ordered different meals and just did not think it was worth the price. i do not like eating at sit-down places where i feel i would have been more satisfied eating at arbys or some other fast-food restaurant.

perfect for friend reunion. ist time here--to meet a friend i had not seen in eight years--so we wanted a quiet, comfortable place to talk and catch-up. the irish lion was perfect. lovely, comfortable, clean environment. no loud throbbing music, so we were able to talk to each other with ease. the beer was excellent--ok i had guiness so you cant go wrong--but it was delicious. all the food orders were very good--the lamb burger and the soup i would order again. the wait staff was attentive and caring with quick service

fantastic! the service was phenomenal, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was a cross between cozy and elegant. we ordered way too much food, but it was so good! i would highly recommend the irish lion for brunch!!

great place. my server ryan was great!! smiled and came around when i needed something. a+ customer service!! the tomato soup was delish!!! corned beef and cabbage was one of the best i've ever had!!! thanks for a great introduction to bloomington!!

the mutton pie of abbeyfeale is very good with lamb stew! the fish and chips are good as well!

been twice and both times the food was horrible and wait staff was rude. will not be returning.

awful service and food. i don't know what was worse the food or the service don't bother visiting this so called irish pub if you're with your family. we had to dine upstairs in the rank smelling room where even the waiters didn't want to be.
their were several very loud groups of college students drinking way to much and yelling to hear one another.
had the hamburger and fish & chip meals and they both had cold french fries and we weren't sure if the hamburger was even made from beef.
we left very unsatisfied and will not be returning.
p.s. we asked our waiter what the soup of the day was and his response was something with meat in it?

delicious. i have never once been disappointed in coming here. great selection of appetizers, and the coddle is one of the most delicious things i've ever tasted. great atmosphere too. it's always a good time!

wedding. we had our 35 person wedding reception at the irish lion and it was wonderful! they were very flexible and attentive to our needs... they set the room up the way we wanted it and even put out our place cards. plus, the food was great! we had guests pick between chicken and beef. couldn't be more pleased!

it's alright.. i'm holding back my vote. i'm neutral on this place. i've been there three or four times. it wasn't good or bad.

love it!. the most unique and beautiful restaurant in town. it's been a favorite of mine since college, and i love taking new people there. the drinks are great, the ambience is great, the service is great, most of the food is great. honestly, the dinner entrees are just okay - order the classics off the pub-grub section of the menu and you can't go wrong. the stews, seafood apps, fish and chips are great, and the whiskey pie is to die for! try this place, you'll love it.