The Harp — Restaurant in Cleveland

After pouring over countless reviews, our group picked The Harp, looking for a drink and something decent to eat. Surely 1,600+ Google couldn’t be wrong? We passed through two good-sized (albeit closed) doors and were greeted with an empty hostess stand and a vibe that screamed retirement home Christmas party. Once seated, we promptly adjusted our table manners to ensure nothing came into contact with a stickier table than a three-day-old milkshake nailed to the front gates of Cedar Point for the summer.

Our server was prompt, surprisingly cheerful, and attentive. Our order was taken, drinks were served, and all that was left to do was wait for our food. Conversation between us was easy as the place was quiet, except for the intermittent shrills from a few ladies at the bar. We got the impression those were “the regulars.”

Let’s cut to the point. The food was awful. The Boxty didn’t resemble the delicious traditional Irish dish we knew, tasting like a boiled quesadilla filled with a random assortment of beef-related items. Apologies for bringing quesadillas into this. The club sandwich leaked pink “juices” all over the diner’s plate from the second it was picked up. The diner responded, “It’s fine; I was hungry.”

It was the fish and chips that really killed it for the group. While the fries were anything other than chips (in the Irish sense), they were the best thing on the plate. The batter on the fish was heavy, dripping in oil, burned in places, and coated with the loose debris from items previously punished in the kitchen’s deep fat fryers. The fish inside was dryer than a twenty-year-old geology textbook. What a massive disappointment.

It’s clear that Covid has not been kind to The Harp, and to be fair, that’s something they had no control of. Getting decent staff in the pub/restaurant game has long been a struggle, and again, Covid gave every establishment a thorough kicking for two years. That doesn’t take away from a total lack of care with the food, no quality control, and a pub that feels like it is surfing on its old reputation.

This review will likely get lost among the hundreds/thousands of four and five-star reviews on Google, but it doesn't change the fact that a) the food needs help and b) there is no way this is a one-off...

The Harp used to be one of my favorite restaurants to visit in the Cleveland area, but in the past few years the quality of the food and overall experience has decreased. I would no longer bring friends from out of town here for food.

This past summer I stopped in on a Sunday, after seeing on the website both lunch and brunch were offered on Sundays. When I ordered the server informed me there was no longer a lunch menu on Sundays, only brunch, but she would ask the kitchen if they could make the one item I wanted. I declined and chose to order off the brunch menu. I was then told they no longer make and offer Irish soda bread!!! Yet, the website still says "The soda bread, for example, is made from owner Karen O’Malley’s grandmother’s recipe". Soda bread is one of the easiest breads to make. It wasn't brought back to the menu after C-19 re-openings and the brunch menu doesn't list an Irish breakfast option, which are both absurd. Their website still lists lunch as Sunday 11am|9pm and was never corrected.

I ordered an American breakfast which when plated, was oozing with oil and was generally unappetizing. The toast I received was beyond well-done brown and was black on the back side. I ordered a beer which was fine and my server really made an effort to make the visit better, but there was no coming back from issues the restaurant management and kitchen have imposed.

Overall, if they would bring the level of quality regarding the food back to 2019 and prior, I would visit The Harp for food and beverages way more frequently, but would only now...

The ambience at this restaurant was really pleasant. It was very tastefully decorated.

Our server Ana took care of a party of 14 effortlessly; she brought refreshments, took our food orders after answering any questions as well came back-and-forth in good timing despite waiting on many other tables in the same location to meet our needs very quickly. She was very pleasant throughout, courteous and friendly. I highly recommend her.

I found most of the food I ordered was delicious with plentiful portions. I had a burger with Swiss and mushroom which was yummy. I split half of it with a friend and she likewise found it delicious. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of from the burger meal was the home made chips.

I also shared appetizers with a friend which were the corn beef rolls, crabcake, and pierogies. I loved the corn beef rolls which were well seasoned and the flavorful crab-cake. The friend I shared the pierogies with wasn’t a fan of them either. They were somewhat bland.

And lastly was dessert. I had the Guinness brownie, which was shared between three of us. The ice cream was good; however,, we felt the brownie in it was too hard and crunchy taking away from it.

I would definitely recommend the service, food and ambience at...