Celtic Corner Restaurant and Pub — Restaurant in Hawthorne

So far, so good. This place has just recently opened, and from the crowds, it is clear Hawthorne needed a pub. 1/3 of the place is a pub atmosphere, with dim lighting, dark wood booths, and a large bar. It feels warm and inviting, and like the kind of place you and your friends could linger over dinner and (many) drinks. The other 2/3 of the space are two brightly florescent-lit dining rooms with wooden tables and chairs that are much less convivial. Maybe one of these spaces should be converted to expand the bar feel, and just keep one room for the brightly-lit family atmosphere. The drinks were great, and the service attentive. My medium-rare burger was decidedly medium, almost dry, however, and the rolls on our burgers and sandwiches seemed very bready and a bit stale- some fresh brioche buns would go a long way to elevating the experience. Loved the Dubliner cheese on my burger, though, and the excellent shoestring fries. The meat seemed of good quality, but hard to tell once overcooked. The Jameson bbq wings were very good. I will definitely be back, and will definitely partake of apps and drinks on the pub side. I'm not so enthused about the entrees and dining room, but will keep watching to see if they get into the swing of things and improve. Overall, I'm very glad they've opened and I have high hopes.

Update: went back recently and the divider between the bar and first dining room was open, and the lights were dimmer in the dining room to create an expanded bar feel. Had the pretzel with cheese dip which was great. I've visited about 5 times now. It's still not the friendliest place I've been to (I can't remember a server, host, or any waitstaff ever returning my smile-- maybe a host once briefly?) but I'm usually there at busy times, and certainly no one is rude. It's turning into a solid choice. I'd give it 3.5...

Celtic Corner 312 Lafayette Ave. Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Thai Chili Wings Bavarian Pretzel Steak and Arugula Sandwich Classic BLT Crab Cake Sandwich

Literally located on the corner of Lafayette Avenue is a local Irish pub with a variety of lunch and dinner options.

In addition to having a full size bar and main dining area, the walls are adorned with very attractive wall art.

Thai Chili Wings: The wings have a perfect blend of sweet and spice. As always, the blue cheese dipping sauce is the backbone to this appetizer.

Bavarian Pretzel: In lieu of being shaped into a knot, the bavarian pretzel looks like a hot dog. I may not agree with the appearance, but I 100% agree with the taste. The pretzels are war and crispy on the outside while soft and doughy on the inside. And don’t be shy with those helpings of pretzel salt!

Steak and Arugula Sandwich: This tender, superb sandwich was cooked medium rare and served with sauteed onions & mushrooms on ciabatta bread.

Classic BLT: Served on Texas toast, this sandwich has an addition of mayonnaise and avocado to supplement the three primary ingredients.

Crab Cake Sandwich: For an Irish pub, this was an excellent seafood sandwich. The crab cake was breaded with panko crumbs and had a variety of toppings. The chipotle aioli sauce was the backbone to this boneless meal.

As a bonus, this pub hosts special events throughout the week from Trivia Night to live bands.

This pub serves excellent meals and it goes to show you don’t need alcoholic drinks or cocktails for a great dining experience!

#celticcorner #hawthornenj #irishpub #thaichiliwings #bavarianpretzels #steaksandwich #BLT #CrabCakeSandwich #eats #localspots #foodreview...

Really wanted to like this place because it’s within walking distance of our house. Our order came incorrect but we were fine with accepting it without complaint (we ordered onion rings instead of fries but got fries, no biggie). Our waitress continuously came to the table to ask if we wanted drinks despite us repeatedly saying we were fine with our first drink (which was overpriced at $10 with more pineapple juice than actual alcohol in it). Our burgers clearly had sat for a while when we finally received them and completely fell apart when attempting to eat them because the bread was so soggy. When we were ready to leave, our waitress was nowhere to be seen. She popped by, saw that we were done, asked if we wanted more drinks, and then promptly disappeared again. We cleared our area, stacking the dishes nicely to make clean up easy and waited another ten minutes before we saw her again. She asked if we were finished and took some of our plates as we said yes. Another ten minutes passed, so we decided to wait by the door to free up our table for the crowd that was forming to get in to the restaurant. New patrons were seated at our spot. We finally got her attention and she went to get our check. On our check, we noticed that we had been charged for the onion rings we had never received in addition to some extra burger toppings that we did not order or receive. We waited while this was corrected for us.

Overall, it took us thirty minutes to leave the restaurant that cost us far too much money for the quality of food and services. Honestly, it looks like they were super understaffed...