Alhambra Irish House — Restaurant in Redwood City

It's a shame when such a place has wonderful reviews for their colorful menu, ambiance, aesthetics and private parties contrasted with absolute disgusting customer service from one particular employee, Marcus!

My colleague visited this establishment yesterday and was treated extremely poor. At first he was accused of having two bottles of wine to himself when he had one. Marcus was rude, disrespectful and unprofessional with the way he interacted, ZERO customer service!

My colleague didn't feel comfortable continuing any type of interaction with Marcus but Marcus was insistent on continuing to interupt any conversations my colleague was having with other employees like when he asked for the bill or when he complained to the owner.

Marcus continued to interupt with rude remarks like "you are cut off", "you're ban for life" and proceeded to take pictures with his cell phone of my colleague.

My colleague was not inebriated. He was a little buzzed but nothing that impaired his judgement, he wasn't a danger to himself or anyone around him. He walked home like a responsible adult.

Hearing this was very disappointing because a group of us from the law firm were thinking to celebrate an employees promotion here but after hearing about my colleagues experience, there is certainly no need!

I would caution anyone who plans to experience this place. Businesses thrive off of good reviews which is why it is super essential for an establishment to train your staff on how to interact with the public,...

We had a great experience at the Alhambra Irish House during a recent overnight stay in Redwood City. The restaurant is housed in the historic building that used to be the Alhambra Theatre, which gives the place a cool environment full of character and old Redwood City charm.

The food was excellent across the board. We ordered the fish and chips (a big portion and absolutely delicious), a crisp and fresh southwestern chicken salad that hit the spot on a hot day, and a traditional shepherd’s pie. The drinks were good too—everything felt thoughtfully prepared.

When we arrived in the early evening, there were only a few staff members working. We started out with a friendly waitress, and when she finished her shift, the bartender took over our table. I wish I’d gotten his name to give him a proper shout out—he looked to be in his early 20s and was truly impressive. He was hustling nonstop, handling the bar, delivering food, and cleaning up, all while making sure we were taken care of. There were occasional lags in service, which was completely understandable given how much he was managing, but we weren’t in any hurry and appreciated how attentive he was whenever he could be.

We picked the Alhambra mainly for its convenient downtown location and proximity to Club Fox, where we were heading to see a show right after dinner. Overall, it was a great experience. We loved the history of the space, the warm service, and the tasty food. We’d definitely go back if we’re in...

What I liked: The food was great! The pretzels were warm and soft. The cabbage roll appetizer was crispy and full of potatoes and cheese. The shepherd’s pie was well seasoned and very savory, and the bread pudding was tender, chocolatey, and had a wonderful toffee sauce. The atmosphere was lively and there was seating both indoors and outdoors. The trivia was wide ranging (7:30pm on Thursdays).

What I’d like to see them improve: I called a week prior for a reservation for trivia night, and when I got there, they didn’t have one for me. The hostess seemed to blame me for not placing the reservation online. The waitress was pushy and impatient and came back several times trying to get our drink order faster. The water cups are plastic and disposable and had no ice. The entire table was extremely sticky, and the tables are live edge so things fall off easily. The trivia announcer was very loud and talked way too much. The server had no clue what any of the wines were, and then they were out of the one I ordered. The hibiscus lemonade tasted like a sour patch kid - sickly sweet and also puckeringly sour. Way too concentrated and intense for a whole glass and not very balanced. It was pretty expensive ($70 per person) and the meal took a long time.

I am not sure whether I’ll be back - the food really carried the experience - it might be a really great place to get comfort food takeout. I also think it’s possible our server may have just been having...