B.D. Riley's Irish Pub at Mueller — Restaurant in Austin

To whom it concerns:

My family and I went to your establishment on Tuesday evening. Your location is 30 minutes out-of-the-way, but we made the trek as my wife had been craving potato skins, and when conducting a search for the best in Austin, we saw reviews stating yours were top notch. That legitimately was the only reason that we decided to go.

The first impression wasn’t entirely favorable as it was freezing inside the restaurant. The AC and the fans were going and it wasn’t warm enough for either. We chose a table to sit at but quickly had to move because it was too cold where we were at.

Quickly a server tended to us. He was very friendly, but not very knowledgeable. All he could say was that the things we inquired about where the things that he ate there. He took our order; nachos, potato skins, the chicken strip appetizer, fish and chips, French dip, a Dr Pepper, and 2 1/2 sweet tea/unsweet teas.

The drinks came out quickly, but it took a little longer than it should’ve to get the potato skins and nachos. The potato skins were a big disappointment. They were so small with mostly oily cheese. Almost no garnishment on top. The nachos had the same oily rubbery cheese on top. It was so bad that it actually came off in one solid piece across the nachos. When looking underneath there were barely any beans and even less tomatoes.

The fish and chips and French dip came out soon after. The fish was mostly batter and dripping oil. The fries that were underneath were hardly edible as they were saturated with oil and the juice from the coleslaw.

The French dip meat was burnt around the edges, about an inch in, so much so it was actually black, and the meat itself was rubbery. You would take a bite and couldn’t actually pull it apart. The whole piece of meat would come out of the sandwich instead.

In case you missed, what I just said… Only the fish and chips and the French dip came out. The chicken strip appetizer was nowhere to be found. We kept looking for our server, but he was nowhere to be found either. When he did come within eyesight, I motioned him over and asked where my son‘s meal was. He said that the kitchen messed up and put something on it and had to remake it. It was at least ANOTHER 20 minutes before this showed up.

The chicken itself was really good, but the fries were cold and hard. That’s how they were on each of our plates with the exception of the ones that were coated in oil and coleslaw juice. For those that we attempted to eat, we didn’t even have ketchup for them. As our table, and all surrounding tables had ketchup bottles that barely had remnants in them.

My wife let the server know that she was unhappy with her sandwich, and he asked if she wanted anything else. We said no, as it had already taken very long time to get our entire meal.

We were ready to leave, but had to wait for some time for the check as the server never actually came over on his own to check on us. When we got the check, my wife left a lengthy note on the back of one of the receipts with a snippet of what had happened along with her email address. Hoping, that management would reach out. Since nobody has, I have now taken the liberty. My wife’s sandwich was removed from the bill, but it was still around $70. Hardly worth it, considering the lack...

I'm really tempted to leave a 1-star review... because I had so much fun reading the owner's responses to other people's negative reviews. But I don't trust myself to remember to fix it later, and this place doesn't deserve any 1-star reviews.

First, the negative: wait times ARE kinda long for food. Might have been partly due to our choice of seats, which were out of the way to be quieter for our baby. Because of the long wait, my beer (which I wanted to have with my food) went from ice cold to less cold than ideal. That also might have had something to do with our choice of seats: we sat outside, on a warm evening. If I get a chance to return, I'll ask to get the beer with my food. If I can convince the wife to drive, I'll order two.

I do think the wait time is a real, reasonable complaint from other reviewers. If it can be fixed, it would make the place that much better. However, I think this place is worth the wait.

Now for the positives: the beer was excellent, served ice cold, and the waitresses helped me pick something good when I didn't know what to order. My wife didn't give any details about her margarita, but said she liked it.

I tried the corned beef and cabbage. I've never had corned beef that didn't come out of a can before, so my expectations weren't sky high, and I can't say if it's better than other real corned beef, but it was DELICIOUS. I hope I can find something that compares back home! It was served with mashed potatoes, which I definitely can compare to others, and they were some of the best I've ever had. Clearly homemade, creamy, nice seasonings. The cabbage seemed undercooked at first, but like so many things in life, it was just different... And different is good. It came with their homemade horseradish mustard. I hate mustard, so I didn't taste it until I was half done, but I wish I had tried it right away. Perfect accent for the corned beef.

I am only in Austin for a couple more days, so I hope I can convince my wife to eat here again instead of the tourist-trap locations she has picked out. Best meal I've...

On March 26, 2016, I attended an event at BD Riley's and I had my mind set on trying out the Fish and Chips but I had attended a BBQ prior and knew I wouldn't really enjoy it on a full belly so I just settled for something light, the Isaac Newton sandwich, four savory grilled cheeses plus crisp bacon and tangy sliced apple makes for a special twist on a classic sandwich which was extraordinary.

Well, on this day my belly and  I arrived with an attitude, prepared for action, I was with fellow Yelpers, deciding to sit at the bar, for convenience. Once seated comfortably at the bar, Steve B., one of the owners, came over to greet my fellow Yelpers who frequent quite often. It was great finally to meet Steve after getting a message from March 27, 2016, inviting me to drop in again soon. Sorry Steve it took so long to drop in.

Now down to business, our Bar Meister Mark was great, I ordered, Deepwater Cod filets hand-dipped in Firemans #4 Blonde Ale beer batter, served with thick-cut chips, coleslaw and tartar sauce which paired very well with the Barone Pinot Grigio.

Steve was ready and waiting to hear my thoughts and I could only say that the Fish and Chips were phenomenal, the best that I've had in Austin. The beer batter and cod were a marriage made in heaven.

In addition to my fabulous meal, the authentic Irish Pub crafted in Ireland and assembled here is an amazing experience. I will...