O'Malley's Irish Pub — Restaurant in Woodbury

I should start and say that I've been relatively local to this place for 10 years and only stopped in 3 times maybe? Normally I give it a shot again every once in a while and it is just blah.

Atmosphere is actually decent for a strip mall location. Opt for the table/bar booths are like 1900 church pews not comfortable.

Food: leaves a lot to be desired here. This is not a destination Irish pub for a few reasons but most of all the food is lack luster. While I think some of the stuff is actually scratch made I feel like a lot is straight off a US foods truck and into a deep frier. We ordered 4 things: steak bites, papas delights (Ruben egg rolls), fish and chips, and their version of a southern pickle brined chicken sandwich. Number one gripe was that when you think of Ruben you think of corned beef.. hopefully pics will illustrate this but there is a SINGLE slice of deli sliced corned beef on here ... not saying it has to be a Katz deli sandwich, but damn, you literally just get sauerkraut and Swiss.... kind of reminds me of how everyone complains about Chipotle and their portion sizing recently, except far worse..... 3/10... steak bites were tender but harshly overcooked. They never stood a chance because they're prepped way too small. The appetizer came with onion strings and there was no steak bites especially compared to the garnishes... see pics...see Chipotle comment above 2/10. The main course.... 3 fish nuggets... they should go traditional and serve a whole fillet here but they're prepping it, or are getting it from a US foods truck as nugget style... chips are not chips... but out the bag of Jojos.... they should be fresh cut to stand up to this Irish/English classic. Chicken sandwich is dry... it's chicken breast, I expected it.

Service: we came when it was busy, I'll give the benefit of the doubt here but it took a while and we had to flag our waitress down 3 times for drinks/food ordering (after our initial app/drink order).

Cost: 2/10 I feel like in this economy this is where people really make decisions, even in Woodbury. The real crime is that for 4 beers 2 apps and entrees we paid just over a $100. Plus $20 tip. The real caveat here is that you have to compare this to every other place where you can get a $100 meal for 2. This is approaching date night type spots which aren't too far away like Mallory's/Pier500 in Hudson or Mancinis/Digidio type prices in St Paul. Which again boggles my mind how this place stays in business. It has to be local businesses and friends of the bartender.

Bonus: Also asked for a Guinness with Ribena just to test how Irish this place really is and got a blank stair and honestly an idk... changed order to a black and tan but the blank stair without effort to ask was slightly depressing but perhaps waitress was having a bad day... she made no attempt to ask or find out this info.

Try a different spot in Woodbury, for quick and light bar fair up the road is decent at the taproom. This place is just "meh" I'm unsure how they stay in business in this economy without stellar food and service. Maybe very loyal and...

O'Malley's is very centrally located and super easy to get to.

The atmosphere is great. For example, the booths have high backs to emulate the traditional Irish pubs. They had sports on all their TV's and the crowd was laid-back and easy going.

Our server was top notch. Not just nice and attentive but also cared about what was going on.

The food on the other hand was a whole other issue. We had the Sheppard's Pie and the Chicken McCorney (a chicken sandwich with sliced corned beef on top).

We'll go from the easiest to the... yeah.

The Chicken McCorney had way too much bun. The corned beef was well flavored but really stringy. The chicken itself was moist. The fries (that came with the sandwich) were lukewarm. Then the prepackaged Ketchup package was super sticky, like something had been spilled all over it and this "something" was now touching the food. Not gonna lie, kinda grossed me out. As far as this particular entree goes, I wouldn't get it again nor recommend it. To be honest, I didn't finish it.

The Sheppard's Pie was not ok. The vegetables in it were mushy. And not only that, after looking at them, there were (no joke) lima beans in there. So these were frozen, bagged vegetables. There was nothing fresh about them. The potatoes were fine. But the rye bread had a greasy feel about it and had a flavor of old, used fryer grease. Not sure why it was that way as it's bread and not fried. The Sheppard's Pie was extremely disappointing, especially for the price. We ate about a quarter of it and just couldn't finish it.

We did speak with the manager, who was very friendly, nice and accommodating, which was greatly appreciated.

I'd recommend going here a pint and bump (whiskey). Their service is great. But I wouldn't go here for a dinning experience.

I hope this...

O’Malley’s Irish Pub 10/8/2024

We’ve dined at O'Malley's Irish Pub once before and had a good experience, though somehow we forgot about it until now. It’s a lovely place—clean, well-kept, and offering delicious food. Our waitress, who also tended the bar, was friendly, outgoing, and knowledgeable about the menu. Speaking of which, they have a great selection. We’ll definitely be back much sooner next time! I ordered the Spicy Grilled Cheese sandwich: a blend of American, Cheddar, and Habanero Pepperjack cheeses grilled to perfection on toasted New York light rye ($14.99). It’s a must-try for cheese lovers! The french fries were thicker than most restaurants serve and scrumptious. I paired it with an iced tea ($2.99).

My spouse chose the Mandarin Wrap, which came with crispy chicken, mandarin oranges, shredded cheddar, and homemade honey mustard, all served on toasted New York light rye ($15.99). It was flavorful, with plenty of oranges, and he also thought the fries were excellent. He had a Coke ($2.99).

You can order all sandwiches as either a sandwich or a wrap, and they come with a choice of fries, coleslaw, or O'Malley's homemade chips. I forgot to take pictures of our meals, so I’m using one of their stock photos instead.

They also have an outdoor patio, though it’s changed from the photo. They’ve replaced the wrought iron fence with a tall wooden wall, perhaps to block noise or wind, but I find it less appealing. I preferred the original wrought iron.

Additionally, they offer a rewards club, so that’s something to keep in mind for...