Grace O'Malley's — Restaurant in Matthews

Grace O’Malley’s has always been a bit of a splurge spot for me and my friends—somewhere we go once a month to celebrate life, usually sitting at the bar, which has always been a fantastic experience. Unfortunately, tonight was the complete opposite.

I came in to join a group of four (two from out of town), and while I get that it was a Saturday and things were busy, the service was just unacceptable. It took a while to be greeted for a drink, which we were patient with. We all work in the restaurant industry, so we understand the hustle.

But from there, it spiraled. The appetizers came out—fried pickles literally thrown onto the table, splashing their very unique ranch (which I don’t like) all over them. No silverware for over 15 minutes after the meatballs arrived, which came in a hot skillet. I had to flag our server down to ask for utensils, mentioned the meatballs were cold, and that I couldn’t eat the pickles. She offered a new order of pickles but disregarded the meatballs—great. I accepted.

The table kept piling up with empty plates, bowls, and glasses. A cup of ice spilled, and we had nothing to clean it up with. No help. Finally, halfway through our meals, the new pickles arrived. I flagged her for drinks and requested a regular side of ranch. Drinks were set down over the spilled ice—still no acknowledgement, and I never got the ranch. She didn’t check on us again until we were ready to pay.

I asked for a box for the untouched pickles and a side of ranch to go. She charged me $0.50 for it. On a $200+ check.

When I asked to speak to a manager, she told me she was the manager. I calmly laid out the problems. She told me I was the only one with an issue (false), and then full-on puffed up, threw her arms out, and shouted at the table, “Do you want a discount then, since you’re so dissatisfied? Huh? HUH? Do you want a 10% discount?”

It was humiliating and completely unprofessional. No apology. No accountability. Against my better judgment, my group left a 20% tip—not because we’re disrespectful, but because she claimed to be the manager, and she certainly didn’t earn one.

We’ve already told everyone we usually come here with that we won’t be returning. 0/5. Grace O’Malley’s, do better.

Also, it’s honestly concerning that none of the staff appear to wear proper non-slip shoes, and the female servers are in cropped tops and short shorts—not only unprofessional, but unsafe in a busy bar and restaurant setting.

Our Server/“Managers” name...

Hmm where to start. I have been here a good couple of times and have always had a GREAT experience. That said this time was not the case at all.

We got there as a party of 5 (of all servers and bartenders) and got sat pretty quickly and got our first set of drinks. That’s when things turned. We order appetizers then when they came out we had to wait 30mins for our server to come back around. And then had to get up and walk after her to ask for silverware as our food was getting cold. When our apps were delivered they were thrown on the table and fried pickles had ranch (house ranch which our party didn’t like) thrown all over them. Mentioned it to our server (Kristie) who said she would get us a new order right away. We got the rest of our food and half way through eating, the fresh fried pickles was finally delivered.

We had many empty glasses and plates on the table and since we were a party of 5 at a 4 top table it was tight space and we had knocked over a empty drink, and when our new drinks were finally delivered, our server placed the new drinks on the ice and drink which had spilt.

Among other things that had gone wrong during our visit, what put us over the edge was politely asking for the manger and our “server” said she was the manager….

We went through our visit there and our experience, and she said “not everyone in your party is dissatisfied” and we all agreed that we were all in agreement about our stay. We got charge $0.50 for the side of ranch we requested because we didn’t like there house ranch that spilled on our house pickles. We spent over $200 there and the manger threw her hands up at us and shouted “you want a discount? Huh? Is that what you want? I can give you 10% off” we declined and still left a 20% tip. But all agreed we’d never be back again.

Ps thanks Kristie for the...

I was super pumped to dine at this place! I drove half an hour here right after work, and when I walked in, everyone just gave me the eye, even the bartender. I patiently waited, and then this girl popped out from the back and told me I had about 20 minutes left to place my order. I mentioned the current time and that Google showed they close at 11 pm. She explained that the kitchen shuts down around 8:50 pm. So, I quickly ordered my wine, appetizer, and main course. I went for the corned beef poutine, and the flavors were fantastic. I asked her to double-check the ingredients for the Shepherds Pie and Gaelic Chicken dishes. Luckily, I was good to go for either, so I went with the Shepherds Pie. So, she brings out the Gaelic Chicken, and I'm like, huh? She goes, "Yeah, I had chicken on the brain." The food was tasty, but the mashed potatoes were cold. The mashed potatoes were lacking flavor, but I mixed them with the other items on the plate. I couldn't even squeeze in dessert, even though it didn't need any cooking. Ugh! Also, had a strange encounter over trying to connect to the guest wifi and she could have cared less. It was clear they don't follow the hours on Google. She mentioned that from Monday to Thursday, the kitchen closes at 9 pm, and last call for drinks is at 10 pm. Then she added that on weekends, they extend it by an hour, but I don't get how that works if they close at 11. Not your typical bar or pub grub, the food was flavorful! The overall experience apart from the food was just a letdown. I would've appreciated it more if I wasn't feeling pressured and aware that I was holding them back. I even said sorry, and she responded, "There is only one other person here." I definitely left before 10 pm, but I could sense they were eager to wrap up...