The Irish Harp Pub — Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Visited with my family in July 2nd for dinner and really wanted to enjoy this place, but sadly it was a trainwreck in slow motion. I should have taken a hint when the hostess was getting the info from the couple in front of us (which I understand), looked over to out party of 4 briefly, relayed the couple's info to the internal staff, and then paused for a second. Then she struck up a conversation with the lady of the couple, rather than asking for our table information. It took a good 45 second for her to even acknowledge our family. Once seated, we placed our orders immediately, two liver and onions, one burger special, one fish and chips, and a smothered potato appetizer. The app came in 10 mins and it was a potato latke cut into quarters and topped with cheese and sour cream (underwhelming and not what we expected). Then the wait. We waited 45 mins for our dinners to arrive (listening to the live band which was playing too loud for conversation) and nothing. I called on the waitress who took our order and she seemed clueless as to the status of our order. She said she would check with the kitchen and be back in 5 mins. 10 mins later I asked for the manager and proposed the same question. He apologized and said he would check with the kitchen. He returned quickly and said that our dinners would be out in 5-10 mins. The dinners came out 10 mins later and despite the wait, the liver and onions were overcooked and at that point the manager apologized again, offered to comp the liver and onions, and some additional costs (which he did) and offered up explanation that there was a miscommunication between the timing of the appetizer and dinners coming out from the server/kitchen. In the end, despite the discounting off the final bill, the experience was really disappointing as this place has systemic problems from beginning to end. I truly hate when events like this happen as all we really want is food cooked properly and delivered to us in a reasonable timeframe. This is not difficult with trained and motivated staff, but the attitude from the hostess, the server (who actually ducked out mid service), and the kitchen staff was regrettably disappointing. We will not visit this place again, and caveat emptor those that are planning a visit. I feel very sad writing this as the apologetic manager should not have to compensate for terrible staff and should be focused on quickly fixing these...

I can easily say this is the best Irish Restaurant I have eaten at. Food, service, and atmosphere is excellent. I really like visiting with the staff for they treat you like family. I was so impressed with the hostess who was seated outside arranging table seating for guess. The parking on the street and signing was confusing. I asked her about that and she asked multiple questions to be sure she understood where I was parked. She was genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure I wouldn't get towed or ticketed where I was parked. So, so kind of a person who made me feel comfortable about the issuse so I could go in a enjoy me meal. She treated as family. I went in and thought about her kindness. I went back out and joked with her about being my personal valet. I took out a tip for her which really surprised her and flattered her. I asked her if I could take her picture with the tip.... she agreed and later I noticed her telling and showing her tip to other staff. She is the type of person who make great memories and and a vacation enjoyable. I you are in Niagara Falls Canada be sure to treat yourself to a great experience and visit this restaurant that your taste buds will never forget and a atmosphere you will never forget. Thank you everyone for being a important part of my vacation. 8/18/25 Edited Review I loved this restaurant so much I made it a point to return from 10 hours away. They still have the same HIGH QUALITY of service, cleanliness, friendliness and the big one... unbelievable Irish food that make you want seconds. My second trip here as I was eating I thought??? Wounder if I could talk the owner into opening a restaurant in my home town multiple states away...LOL. EVERYTHING on the menu is great so get started and try them all. Thanks again to the staff here for making my dining experience...

Original review from 2019: Great atmosphere and good service for a busy Friday night. However, the portions were undersized for the price. The quality of the food was also so-so. My Guinness steak pie contained a few morsels of beef and three or four button mushrooms. My son had fish & chips, which was good but small. Roasted potatoes were overdone (and perhaps reheated one too many times). Pints of Guinness were well poured. Irish tunes were an excellent addition to ambience. In short, good place with great potential needs better food to match the price. UPDATED review 2023: Returned to the Irish Harp a few more times since this earlier review. The food was amazing. Ambience, service, and pace were perfect. Loved the Irish tunes. Our server was superb. We didn't feel rushed. The Guinness pour was outstanding. This has become one of my favourite pubs. I felt I needed to update my 3 ⭐⭐⭐ to a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! *UPDATED review 2024 Almost everything about this pub is still spectacular. Had the Guinness Steak pie again. Lots of mushrooms and beef. Delicious. Guinness pour is top tier, too. The only complaint this time was service. Pleasant server, but pacing was terrible. I was still eating my starter salad when main dishes arrived ten minutes after we sat down. Our server never asked us how the meal was going, and she brought the bill before I could order another pint, or my wife could order a desert. In all fairness, it was a Friday night, so rushing patrons through might be her top priority. There were still empty spots, though. We made 4:30 reservations in the main area, and we were whisked out just after 5 pm. I would have enjoyed a...