Gillespie's Irish Tavern & Kitchen — Restaurant in Richardson

I came to this Irish Pub/Restaurant after seeing it go viral on TikTok, and honestly, it’s one of the most overhyped places I’ve ever been to. I even drove an hour to try it, expecting something special.

When I walked in, the restaurant was completely empty. At first, I thought it was just the timing, but after tasting the food, I realized why.

I started off sitting at the bar, but there were too many flies and the counter felt sticky, so I moved to a table. That should have been my first red flag.

Whoever is cooking back there is doing it with zero passion, zero love, and no attention to detail.

I ordered the sampler, which you’d think would come out as a nice spread of appetizers. Instead, it arrived on a regular plate with everything burned, piled on top of each other, and sloppily presented. Then came the so-called fish and chips. The cod was tiny, smothered in 5–6 layers of thick, greasy batter, clearly fried in old oil, and burnt. Instead of proper chips (what we in the U.S. call steak fries, like you’d expect from the UK or Ireland), they served crinkle-cut wedges. The tartar sauce had no flavor, and the coleslaw was just as bland. Not even a lemon wedge to cut through the grease. Nothing about it resembled what was shown online.

I was on the phone with my wife during the meal (we’re food bloggers), and we usually like to go into places blindly so we don’t get special treatment and can rate the food on an honest, unbiased basis. Unfortunately, this wasn’t even photogenic enough to post on our page and it tasted just as bad as it looked.

I lost my appetite almost immediately and asked for a to-go box, thinking maybe my dog would eat it. Even he barely touched it.

This place is all hype, no quality, and absolutely not worth the drive, the money, or the disappointment. I left upset and wishing I could...

My husband & I ate dinner at Gillespie's a couple of months ago & had a great experience. The place was busy, but the food & service were both great.

We came back today at noon with a group of eight to celebrate family birthdays, and our experience was very different. There were only a few other tables occupied this time, but our service was terrible. Another table sat down, ordered, & got their food before we were able to ask our waitress to please take our food order. The small kitchen had two chefs working so we expected that the food wouldn't come out all at the same time so that part wasn't a big deal. The food was good & enjoyed by all. No one checked on our table, asked how the food was, or refilled drinks. Two customers a table over from us got up & left prior to ordering. A group of seven were sitting on the patio & had to come inside for silverware & to check on the other half of their meals. We had to flag down our waitress to ask for our checks because she wouldn't even look at us. This wasn't an issue of being short staffed which made it seem more personal.

Oh, and please beware of the rolling chairs! My sister-in-law went to sit down & the chair flung backward before she could sit & she fell hard & bruised her tailbone.

The whole visit today was embarrassing to my husband & I as we suggested for our family to meet us at Gillespie's based on our prior experience. I even called the day before to make the reservation. The food & drink options were great (hence the three stars), but I'll never bring anyone here or recommend it again...

I had an absolutely wonderful evening at Gillespie's. First time was just for drinks, but this time we ordered food. My wife and I went in for date this evening and everything was perfect.

I judge bars by the quality of their Guinness pour. Of course this is an Irish Pub, but I was still pleasantly surprised by an excellent pour. They know what they're doing...

We ordered the smoked wings for an appetizer. Long story short, they were amazing. They were a little spicy, but the flavor was spectacular.

Our entrées were excellent. My wife got the stuffed pork chop and it was smoked as well. Great flavor (she let me have a bite). I got the bacon wrapped shrimp with mashed potatoes and green beans. The main course was good, but the green beans were REALLY good. They were cooked perfectly (not boiled to death).

Okay now, the service... Rylie did an amazing job. We got our drinks almost immediately, our wings came out well in advance of the entrée, the entrée's came out right in time. Rylie was very responsive getting us refills right on time.

And the music. One of these days we're going to get there for the Irish music. But this night, we were listening to an amazing playlist that Sam turned on. I got the name of the playlist but left it in the van. But I heard two Khruangbin songs and a Ray LaMontagne tune. Seriously - I'm in heaven.

So yeah - we're going to make this a...