Houlihan's — Restaurant in Eagan

This was probably my fourth visit to Houlihan’s. Upon reading reviews, I’m surprised to read so many who were dissatisfied with service. Mine, today, was absolutely excellent, by the bartender and others who served me my food there. First, Houlihan’s has a classy and comfortable atmosphere. The menu is rich with choices. Prices are affordable and reasonable. I’m a pescatarian, so that reduces my options.

Today, I ordered French onion soup and the seared ahi salad. The bartender suggested that I order them as a lunchtime combo and that would save me some money. I appreciated her suggestion and made up the difference in her tip: $7 on an $11+ bill.

I LOVE French onion soup, but this was bland and comparable to what I’d expect at Applebee’s, not bad, just bland.

The salad arrived with an absolutely beautiful presentation but, as was the case with the soup, it was bland and disappointing. I’m not a chef, not even close, but here’s my reaction/suggestion regarding the salad. Fwiw, I asked for it without the cashews. The salad has plenty of crunch with just the crispy thingies on top of the salad. There’s no need for the banana chips. Likewise, the banana slices themselves added nothing but confusion to the salad. What was I supposed to be tasting? What would give the salad some “punch”/flavor? For my taste, I wish there had been double the dollops of what I think was wasabi. THAT would have given the salad some flavor. What was my lasting impression of the salad. Flavorless crunch. It wasn’t a bad salad; it just had no flavor.

Soup and salad portions were generous.

When I paid my bill, I told the bartender that her service was far better than the food. I hadn’t been to Houlihan’s in over a year, so I was eager to be there. Little doubt that I’ll return again, but my expectations will be lower than what I...

Wife and I had a rare "date night" so decided to try Houlihan's - first time visit. We wanted to watch the Thursday Night Football game so bellied up to the bar. As we were about to sit down, the bartender gave us the "wish you'd sit somewhere else" look but we sat down anyway. No greeting, no smile, just a cold scowl. Even though she was pouring drinks right in front of us, she didn't look up or even acknowledge our presence. 5 minutes later I politely asked if we could place a drink order - she didn't look up at us - she just said I'll be right with you. Her demeanor remained cold and unfriendly the remainder of the evening. It wasn't overly busy either - she wasn't "swamped" by any means. We both ordered burgers - they were OK - nothing special - overpriced. Sweet potato fries were very good though. Even though we've heard good things about this restaurant, we don't plan on returning. Disappointing experience... UPDATE: I received an email from Kris VonBusch |Operations/Marketing Manager a few days after posting the review and we exchanged messages. Said they were going to send me a complimentary dining certificate and that the local manager would call me. I provided my cell # and mailing address as requested but never received a thing. Very poor experience again... UPDATE: 9/3/20. Received communication from Ops Manager - gift card was received today - will look to make a...

’Im not usually the type to leave reviews, but this experience deserves to be shared. My spouse and I have been coming to this restaurant since before she got pregnant. The happy hour section has always been our go-to for appetizers, and if we’re still hungry, we order entrées. This time, while enjoying our starters, my spouse found a long piece of curly hair in the Chicken Nachos. She placed it in an empty cup, and we waited nearly 10 minutes to get our server’s attention. When he finally came over, we calmly and politely pointed it out—no scene, no drama. He looked at the cup, examined the hair, then dropped it on the floor. No apology, no concern—just a cold “Are you done?” And not just once. He repeated it three times, with attitude. We’ve never experienced anything like this before, especially when seated at the bar. To be treated like we’d plant hair in food just to get out of paying—like we’re “those kinds” of customers—was deeply insulting. We didn’t ask for anything free. I paid the full bill and still left a $5 tip, even though I would have gladly tipped more if we had been treated with a fraction of the respect we deserved. We’re regulars. We’re not trying to scam anyone. What we are is two Black customers who expected the same courtesy and care given to others—and...