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I L-O-V-E the Happy Hour at Wilde Rover! It's very well priced and you get the opportunity to try alot of dishes at once. It's the perfect place to go with friends and family and their MEATLOAF SLIDERS are to die for.
I give it 3-stars for the service, honestly it sucks, especially if you go later at night. I waited 50 minutes for my dessert (baked-to-order oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with baileys ice cream, which is delicious) and the waitress comped it but still...50 minutes? i know baked-to-order means a little bit longer but not that long. It was especially annoying because she came to the table with BS excuses about it being "burnt" twice by the kitchen staff. More like she forgot to enter it in and when she finally stopped ignoring us she realized her mistake.
Anyway the food is good enough for me to go back.
We found this place on a whim while flipping through our Entertainment Book. The ambience, the food, the wait staff. . everything was pleasant.
The Irish in me did a little jig when the lamb stew came cooked exactly as I had hoped. Prepared with Guinness = perfection!!
I went to Wilde Rover for trivia night, and upon arriving was greeted by a solid crowd watching the Seattle Sounders FC game on a large projector screen - definitely a nice vibe right off the bat. When sitting at an open table we were told that all the tables were already reserved for trivia, but we then headed to the captain's podium and - whaddaya know - made a reservation, and sat right back down at the same table!
Once we got sorted we ordered our drinks. I was a bit disappointed by the selection of beers - pretty standard fare for the area, but nothing in the way of adventurous. For an Irish pub I expected much, much more. I ordered their seasonal IPA by default, being a hop-head, and it was delicious, I admit.
Once trivia was about to start we ordered some food, and I asked them to give me their hottest wings. The sauce was pedestrian - a mix of Frank's Red Hot, butter and garlic. Not -bad-, but again, you expect a little more character. The wings were undercooked - flabby and chewy. This can be chalked up to a matter of taste, but most people I know prefer their wings at least a little crispier.
Skin-deep, the pub looks like a cozy, homey place to hang out and have a craft beer and good food. Ultimately, it comes off as chain-ish. Uninspired and bland.
A few friends met here for Saturday night drinks. After paying our $5 cover per person, we went inside and enjoyed a few drinks and played a couple games of pool.
The cue ball got stuck inside the table requiring a 20 minute wait while the staff fetched some keys and eventually got us playing again. We were told that the ball got stuck "10 times in the past hour", technically impossible since we were the only ones using the table in the past hour, and that "no one would get it out next time"
Unable to play more pool, we decided to close our tabs. While waiting half-an-hour to receive the tabs, our noses were assaulted by some disgusting stench - maybe a whole batch of rotten eggs. All the patrons around us also smelled it and eventually the staff opened a door, poured bleach, and sprayed perfume around.
Finally the waitress came back with the tabs. We discovered that one person had been overcharged by a couple of drinks. We explained the situation to the waitress who said she would fix the tab accordingly. Five minutes later another staff member came by and asked our friend to "step outside" with him to discuss the bill.
The end result is our friend was offended and overcharged. We won't be going back which is a shame because we live nearby and have been loyal patrons in the past.
As they say in Hollyweird, its all about location, Location, LOCATION !
other than that, this place is as appetizing as a piece of shoe leather. Parking in the back is always a headache but I've never paid the cover since I usually get there with my friends before the watchman does so I guess it even out.
drinks ? well I think its safe to say they're watered down. If you're in the habit of imbibing firewater on ice or straight up, you'll know how pathetic that can be. The food & service usually get worse as the evening moves onward. The last time I left this place I had to stop @ an ethnic restaurant on the way home. And before that we went east to the nearest Denny's where they're actually happy to have someone that early in the evening !
I did not have any food there so this review is for the "bar" aspect of Wilde Rover.
I live in Seattle and don't venture over to the East Side that often. I met a couple of friends there last Friday night for a couple of drinks. The drinks were fine, just regular Irish Pub stuff, not over-priced or anything.
BUT, the live music and the atmosphere there were great! They had an excellent 2 piece band ($5 cover) playing and the whole bar was very into it with people dancing etc. There's also a big outdoor deck to cool off or smoke.
To sum it up, Wilde Rover is a fun bar with good music and atmosphere to let loose.
I was really surprised last night (11/11/09)... We came in for quiz... First off, boring.. since our regular Irish guy wasn't there.. we knew that. We stayed anyway. Soon after, we left and met up with some friends. We ended up coming back shortly.. very shortly.. about 11pm. We were just on our first round of drinks and the bartender tells us he's closing up and he's going to do last call. Already?? At 11:30pm?? I've never known the Rover to close so early, not without a snow storm or power outage. Highly disappointed. Come on management, there was still a bunch of willing to pay people in that place at 11:30pm that there was no need to close up. Looked to me like the staff just wanted to jump ship early.
Still a blah experience. The Rover has going for it that always-charming Irish pub, dark-wood-atmosphere thing. Like some of the old James Bond movies starring Roger Moore, a classic, bullet-proof underlying formula covers many sins. Here the sins are mediocre food and spotty service.
The nachos are made with what look to be homemade potato chips, which is not only weird conceptually but also utterly failed to make my mouth happy. The lox and cream cheese on fried potato wedge also was a culinary oddity that failed to deliver deliciousness.
Service has been hit and miss. Our most recent waiter was great, except for one small slip (launching into an unsolicited, unnecessarily detailed and slightly profane account of the problems the Rover was having with its beer distributor).
There is also an outdoor patio, which is very nice on a sunny day, and pool tables. Not my favorite pub, but it's big, which makes it great for groups.
An irish pub should be a slam dunk, but this place never quite got the formula right. Part of the… Read more »
I've been here several times with my family as it is one of my dad's favorite places--I think he just likes anywhere Irish-themed. Also, it is the site of one of our most hilarious family fights ever. (I'm talking to you, Eamon) Anyways, here are my pluses and minuses:
Pluses: Curry fries appetizer, Buffalo Mac n Cheese, Beer choices (sometimes Smithwick's!), the outdoor seating area
Minuses: Service often leaves a lot to be desired, they seated my parents once right before trivia, didn't tell them it was trivia night, then proceeded to ignore them, sometimes it is hard to find parking
We crossed the bridge this weekend to meet some friends for dinner and a drink. They took us to Wilde Rover and I was pleased.
We all enjoyed our appetizer of curry fries and hot wings. I ordered the Turkey Dipper as my meal and cleaned my plate. The melted gruyere cheese and mushrooms were delicious and gave the sandwich an edge over most turkey sandwiches I've consumed over the years. The rest of the table enjoyed their sandwich's, as well. Our server was attentive and though the bar was pretty crowded she managed to make us feel like a priority.
If I find myself on the east side again, I'd be happy to grab a bite here, but I'd probably end my night at that. The number of middle aged men with young trophys on their arm was a little disconcerting and indicative of the meat market vibe.
This is a pretty cool bar. The food is great. I had the steak salad and the meat was cooked perfectly and it was big enough for two meals. My fiancé had the chicken sandwich and he loved it.
The downside: the service was pretty bad. The guy was really rude to us for no reason and never came over and asked if we wanted another beer, I had to go find him to order more and it wasn't even busy!
Overall this place is pretty cool, hopefully they'll have better service next time I go.
I was here celebrating a friends birthday on a Tuesday nigh and it was just ok.
I had a great time with my friends, but this bar didn't impress me much. I've been here before and it didn't impress me then, I guess there's a theme going on here, lol.
The beer selection is lacking in my opinion, mostly because they don't have my favorite beers: Fat Tire, Mac & Jack's or Manny's! Also, they don't have HH prices for drinks only for food, Happy Hour Fail! But that said, what food they do have is delicious, from what I've experienced. Someone ordered the "Irish" Nachos that are made with potato chips and pretty tasty. I ended up ordering some "Cod & Chips" at the end of the night, around 11, and the cod could possibly be the best I've ever had! The batter was light and crisp and the fillets were perfect. The "Chips" were steak fries and just ok.
Our server was just ok too. She got us our drinks, but was in no rush and I actually had to go find her a few times. But to be fair I think there were only 2 servers that night so she was pretty busy.
I'm sure I'll be back, it's close and my friends seem to like it.
Two thumbs up for Wilde Rover!
Being the wonderful sister I am (don't hate cause I'm awesome), I threw my big sis her 30th birthday bash at the Wilde Rover. I had never been there, and I mostly picked this place because I had an "in" with the owner, but I do not regret taking a leap of faith with this location.
Let me break it down for you: awesome service, yummy food, tasty drinks.
You need more? They provided a tab for each person/couple (we had over 20 people come), gave us extra food on the house, and accommodated all our little requests (turning on the fireplace/turning off the speakers).
You still need more? Well, then there is no pleasing you...
Well, I had been excited to go here for a couple of years. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The service was not very good (waitress often no where to be found) and the food is just so so. Too bad as the location is fantastic. I ordered the Sheperds pie and it was ridiculously small for the price and quite bland. I will admit, one of our friends ordered a Ruben sandwich and it was quite good.
I came here with some former coworkers and joined them right after they had finished dinner...and had a blast! Granted I think that the people I was with contributed to the evening greatly, but it has a really fun, laidback vibe to the bar.
There was a $5 cover after 9 pm which was kind of annoying...but it's only $5 so I didn't kick and scream about it too much. There was live music, decent drinks, and the people I was with seemed to enjoy their food. The bartenders were very friendly as well.
The only thing that I didn't like...to no fault of Wilde Rover...is the sketchy guy who came up to me at the bar and put his mouth on my ear and told me he wasn't moving over to give me room at the bar because I was too small and didn't need the extra room. CREEPY!!!
I've been here a couple of times for friends' parties, and will start by saying I only had a couple of drinks each time because I had to drive. Those drinks weren't bad, though - not horribly weak but not over-strong - and I got them quickly for how packed it was. (I went on Friday nights when bands were playing.)
Finding seats after 9pm is a bitch, but if you plan on dancing to the middle-aged cover band you won't mind. Personally, I was happy rocking out with the forty-something crowd all night. If you're used to Seattle nightlife, though, that may not be your thing.
Actually, I'd definitely go here again, if only so I could pretend I'm not Seattle-pretentious.
Stopped by with my husband for a quiet lunch. The closest parking lot has a 2 hour limit... so plan accordingly if you intend to stay and visit with friends.
Whiskey Chicken Burger - great sauce and chibata, but a bland chicken breast that was on the edge of dry... tasked like a freezer burned frozen breast from a 10 lb Sam's Club bag. (1 star deduction)
Boxty, Chicken & Brie - A Brie filled pancake scared me... but I was feeling daring... what a delight!! Not heavy or overly cheesy. Creamy, great diced chicken tasted lively and bright... not from the same flock as the burger at all!!
The waiter could barely speak English... didn't seem to know what to do with himself, and didn't offer refills until the end of our meal. We were his only table and there were two other servers who only had one table each. (1 star deduction)
When in Bellevue to visit family I decided to pop out for a drink (because every visit to the family requires liquor to survive, no?) and ended up at Wilde Rover. Being Irish, I was thrilled to find an Irish pub in Kirkland and even more thrilled to discover that it was "Celtic Monday" at Wilde Rover. There's nothing I like more than a pint and some live music.
The bar is very large. Much larger than an actual Irish pub. It was also completely empty. This may have because Kirkland was in the midst of a freak snowstorm. I have to imagine that it's normally more crowded here on Mondays, because the music was really, really good. I loved the band, bought a CD, hope to be back to hear them play in the future.
Service was fine. The food was also fine. We ordered fish & chips and it was typical, fried pub fare. Nothing to write home about, but certainly not bad. Parking was no problem due to said snowstorm and tons of available meters. I will return the next time I'm in town, and definitely on a Monday night.
Hmmm...I just don't know what to say about the Wilde Rover.
If I'd rated it the first time I went there, I would have given it five stars. Service, as I recall, was perfectly friendly and efficient. I had a nice glass of wine in a fun, pubby atmosphere. And, most important, I ordered the Bangers and Mash and found myself enjoying the most authentic-tasting bangers I have found in the Seattle area. So, what could go wrong?
We went back.
If I'd rated it the second time I went there, I would have given it one star. I truly had one of my most bizarre dining experiences ever. We went in on a Sunday afternoon. There was a Seahawks game going on. It was crowded and they were doing a limited ball game menu. No bangers. No mash. But that was ok. They had sandwiches and fries and other standard pub food choices. We found a table. We ordered. We were served our drinks. Our meals. Our server had been completely friendly and polite through all this. All seemed fine with world.
Then, right around the time we were finishing up and expecting our check, another server happened by our table and asked if we needed anything. We said no. After all, we were done with our meal and were just waiting for our check. And we waited. And we waited some more. We kept trying to get the attention of our server. She was still working -- waiting on other tables -- but most definitely ignoring us. She walked past our table twenty times and would not make eye contact with us. Finally, when she was over by the bar, one of us walked over to her to ask for our check. She told us she was no longer our server. Our new server was the one who had stopped by a half hour earlier. But, no one had bothered to tell us that.
I got the distinct feeling that we'd done something to really p*ss off Server #1, but for the life of me, I could not figure out what. We'd ordered a reasonable amount of food/drink for a party of two. We'd been friendly. We not been disagreeable about anything. Why else, though, would a server hand over the table of a party that was just about to leave -- and presumably leave a tip? And, why did she not do us the courtesy of telling us another server would now be helping us? I just didn't get it (and still don't).
That was over a year ago. Today, we went back.
They were serving breakfast and got points for that alone. (We first went to the Coho Café in Redmond, only to be greeted at the door by a sign that told us they were "regrettably" no longer serving brunch. Then we stopped at the The British Pantry right down the street. We thought they'd have a full British breakfast. And, they do. Only they stop serving it at noon and we got there at about noon-o-five. Who stops serving breakfast a noon on a Sunday? Redmond shall now officially be known to me as the "no breakfast town." )
But, I digress...
We were greeted immediately by a very friendly hostess/server. She told us to sit anywhere and we did. We made a note to selves to borrow a small child next time we go as we were pretty much the only people there without at least one. (But, they were a happy and well-behaved lot, so it was all good.) Our server brought by some water and some menus. We both ordered the Bangers and Biscuits, which, curiously, does not come with actual bangers, only a sausage gravy. We noticed the menu description made it appear this was the case. Our server initially told us the meal did come with actual bangers, but, to his credit, double-checked this with the kitchen, who told him it, in fact, did not. But, we were able to order a banger on the side for only $1 each, so decided to go for that.
I ordered tea. I was thinking, hopefully, that an Irish bar would know how to serve up a decent cuppa. I was wrong. I was brought a cup of hot water with a basketful of Stash tea bags on the side. Oh why, oh why, oh why, is it so hard to find a decent cuppa tea in this town? Why don't people realize that you need actual BOILING water to properly steep your tea and that tea needs to be in there first and the water added to it?
But, I digress again...
I asked for milk for my tea which never arrived. The husband had ordered an actual glass of milk, so I stole a splash of his. Our bangers, biscuits, eggs and sausage gravy were all fine. The accompanying hash browns were very bleh. Our server gave us fine, if unenthusiastic, service. He kept calling my husband, "sir," and pretty much ignored me. My husband's milk got charged as a "kid's drink" for only $0.95. I suspect they did some finagling to give us our $1 bangers as they were down as "veggie side" or something equally odd on our check.
So one good experience. One bad. One mixed. It all balances out to a great big three. Though, I don't rule out going back to give them another chance to raise that up a bit.
They have food specials for happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., but no drink specials. None. The cod and chips are $5 off during "happy hour" (as I make the quote marks with my fingers) and it's an average dish. There's no way I'd pay $5 more for it.
When I first started going to the Wild Rover with those "Kirkland friends" a while back, it was pretty good: fun times, music some nights, and relaxed Irish bar laziness being the key to a good time.
Well, things have changed - they're starting to charge cover more now, and the food quality seems to have degraded. If I had reviewed Wild Rover a year ago, I'd have given it a rating of '4'.
One interesting thing is the back room/lounge. It's setup with pool tables, but you can't just sit down back there - it's controlled by the hostesses, although it looks just like any other bar's open lounge seating.
There after work with friends one afternoon, we went into the back and sat down - there must've been 15 open tables. A waitress came by and told us that we couldn't just sit down, there was no open seating except at the bar itself.
So, we promptly got up and talked with the hostess. Kid you not, she brought us back to the same section, table next to where we had sat, and then beckoned for the same waitress to come serve us.
I understand people having a process, but did we really need to be troubled?
We went here on St. Patty's day and to be honest we had a blast. There were so many people (to be expected) and they had two bands playing (one in the front room, one in the back). We opted to stay in the back to hear lots of great covers. We both just drank beer so I can't comment on the mixed drinks but the beers were $6 a piece- ouch. I am not sure if that was a St. Patty's day "special" or a regular assault, but thus the 3 stars. Oh and I know we paid $10 bucks to get in. I know this is the usual. Not cool for a pub.
Smart managers. If you are going to hire someone that isn't the brightest and maybe forgets the basics in waitressing make sure she is damn cute and smiles alot. Our world is a superficial place and I fit into it just the same and wasn't even slightly frustrated by her, however I did enjoy a chuckle over a few things she forgot and did.
The Turkey BLT was yummy with a big slice of thanksgiving style turkey not any lunch meat slices and they used good bacon. Wasn't a big fan of the soda bread it came on so next time I will just substitute. I found it to be a bit dry but this was my first experience with soda bread so maybe this is the norm. What really got me was the curry ketchup that stuff was the bomb! I never thought to combine curry and ketchup?!?! They have the big steak fries and deep fried potatoes always make me a bit dizzy in the head and even more so I learned when dipped in curry ketchup. Mark got the Turkey dip and didn't have one complaint and he is a food snob as well!
My big complaint with the place was my lynchburg lemonade came in a rocks glass?!? It is supposed to be in a pounder. Also the Rose was a bit overpriced for the Twin Firs Label you are getting.
The deck was great for catching a bit to eat and quenching the throat on a warm summer afternoon. Everything on the menu is really heavy though (as it should be I suppose being an Irish Pub) but still a fore warning for you salad loving, health conscious, small plate loving females such as I. Next time I am coming with a bigger appetite and going to conquer the steak salad.
This place had great live music. That is rare in a bar these days: +2 stars
This place had horrible service. I ordered one drink while listening to music, then when I didn't order another, the waiter never came back. After that he was constantly telling me and my group that he was going to seat other people in our booth now. Those other patrons didn't want to be sat in the middle of us, as that would be awkward, but the server was no less rude as he told them that's where they were sitting repeatedly. When I did eventually yell and get his attention, he took 15 minutes to bring my change back from the bill. Oh, and that change? I got back four 1$ bills on a $5.54 tab. I enjoy leaving a good tip, even if the service is mediocre because I know how the food business is. But no, you wont be getting a tip, or a good review Wilde Rover.: -100 stars
Nice portion of fish to go with the chips at lunch. Some places load you up with chips so that you might be too full to wonder; not Wilde Rover.
At first the picture of Oscar Wilde threw me off; I'd thought it was Wild Rover...but then inside, they have a full on display about Oscar Wilde and there you go...a light bulb moment.
Tables weren't too sticky. Bar space was pretty open and airy, although granted it was a late lunch. I liked how it looked, very old-timey.
Heavy, forgettable, over-priced bar food. We have not checked out their nightlife--they have live bands many nights a week--but based solely on the food, we will not be back.
The Rueben. Oh my, the rueben. A more harmonious combination of meat, cheese and sauerkraut has yet to be found in my opinion. The crispness of the rye, the buttery goodness of the corned beef and the tang of the kraut combine in a tasty trinity that has to be experienced. Add a perfectly pulled pint and heaven is reached.
Now with every up, there is a down. Parking. This is Kirkland after all, so finding parking is a challenge. Also if you go during happy hour, or on a Friday or Sat night, be prepared for some of the best and worst of Kirkland...wild life. If you want to experience the food and the place at it's best, head out for an early lunch on a Sat. Your stomach will thank you.
After nearly getting tossed out of the back of my friends speedboat (he's lucky I don't review his driving!!) several times this afternoon, this was a great place to settle the nerves!
Apparently, none of my three friends had eaten for DAYS, and felt compelled to order practically everything on the reasonably priced happy hour menu. Here's the run down:
Steamed Clams: Delightful... with leeks and sausage... the broth seemed a little creamy with a touch of mustard possibly? A bit salty, but I liked it. Would have been nice to dip some crusty bread into... sadly, I had none.
Hot Wings: The menu said they use Frank's Hot Sauce on the wings... I am quite the Frank's fan... Frank needs to be my boyfriend. I don't feel safe unless I have at least two bottles of Frank's in my home at all times. Frank goes with everything. The wings were good and spicy... but I tasted NO Frank's!!!! You shouldn't toy with me in such a manner!!
Sausage Rolls: I didn't have any, but they were massive, and the boys (one English/one Irish) stated that they were delish and fairly authentic tasting.
Curry Chips: Great flavor, but came to the table lukewarm.... probably for the best as I didn't need to eat anything else at this point.
Chicken Boxty: Didn't have any, but looked delightfully rich, and the others seemed to enjoy them immensely.
Wilde Salad: Didn't get a good look as I was distracted by my clams, and by the time I looked up, K had snarfed it all down. Hmm... must have been good.
Add several pints of Guinness to the mix, and we were some happy campers! It's a pretty large space, so it kind of looks a little bare if the bar's not too busy, but we were there very early in the evening, so I'm sure it gets more traffic. It's perfectly situated for people who want to park their boats and are looking for some tasty pub fare.
it's my fault. it's kirkland for fuck's sake. i should have known.
me and my pals were there before seeing "the dark knight" this summer and sadly, kirkland's theater was the only showing we could all make. luckily for wilde rover, seeing the phenomenal movie that was dark knight after this horrible experience made me forget how crappy it really was. sort of. so i will be kind and give it two stars.
first off, me and my pals do not look like kirkland people. we all had visible tattoos and not a lacoste polo in sight. so maybe it was discrimination? or maybe the servers always take almost twenty minutes just to GREET a table. i'm a server so i can understand if you're busy but the thing was, it was DEAD in there. rightfully so, the food sucks. it sucks hard. but i'm talking about service right now. she never made eye contact, she was slower than molasses in january, and she fucked up. a lot. waiting for a side of tartar for my fries took up the majority of our painful visit. oh gosh, i thought i had repressed this experience but as i type i am just getting more angry...
but here is the best part. i ask for a vodka soda. i get back a soda soda. not a glimmer of vodka in the thing. i even had the entire table take a sip to make sure i wasn't being crazy. i wasn't. when our server came back a million years later, i ask if i can get more vodka. i even offer to pay (?!?!) for more (i am a pushover, what can i say) and she grabbed it out of my hand after giving me a disgusted look and took it to the bar. unbeknownst to her (or perhaps rather on purpose), i could see her and the bartender talk. she pointed back over to the table, shrugged, they laughed and i then watched the bartender add ice. literally. more laughter and then she came back. lucky for them, i was not drunk or wanting to fight, so i gave her a sugary fake smile and didn't touch it again. i didn't want them to have that kind of satisfaction.
and then the bill comes. and yes, my "extra shot" was on there. it was a ridiculous amount and we all put our cash toward it, including tip (we're all servers so we didn't totally leave her high and dry) and tell her we're good. she leaves and comes back (the fastest we've ever seen her do anything) and says we're forty short. impossible! she insists and we cough up FORTY more dollars. we don't give her extra for a tip because as we all know, we have already tipped her. and this forty is extra. and she is the worst server we have ever had. and we are all livid at this point. and and and....i just changed this review to one star. i don't know why i was being so generous before.
absolutely awful. i will never return. if my baby sister has her 21 run there, i will not go. if ryan gosling is giving away free smooches there, i will not go. it it was all you can drink and eat for fifty cents, i will not go.
if i could give zero stars i would. abysmal.
OK I'm a Guinness fan and this place is as close to Ireland as I've been aside from that one little pub in Paris, but that's another story. Anyway, this place always suprises me at how busy it is early evening. I went there with a friend to get a couple of drinks and was surprised that they had an Irish band playing. Lots of people late 20's to mid 40's. They pour the beer just right and also was able to handle my friends fancy drink taste. I have'nt bee her past 10pm. The food is pretty good too, have never been unhappy about anything I've eaten there. It's far better than TGIF.
I went here during happy hour and ordered fish and chips. I thought the food was really good. And they give you a good portion for $4.95. I also had the bread pudding. Not the best I've had but was ok.
Location is great right in downtown Kirkland.
Food is great! Very irish. Good selection of beer. Great for blind dates- lots to do: sit, play pool, watch tv, and all near DT Kirkland and the lake. Service is good but when they get busy- service for the most part sticks to doing well.
My only complaint is that for special events- they will kick you out- unless you want to pay for the UFC fight...stupid. Also they have other special events that I don't think are advertised enough.
Allow me to give fellow yelpers a little help here with Wilde Rover.
The moment you meet Billy, the owner, you will become an honorary Irish lad or lass. It won't matter what else you read about food or service, Billy is your long lost brother. Somehow, everything will fall into perspective.
Brother Billy hosts a wonderful thingy every Wednesday night. It will be packed with your other brothers and sisters, so get there early.
You have been brought up to speed. Cheers, Laddy!
First let me say that the service was excellent. Our server was friendly, cheerful, and actually knowledgeable about the menu.
The room is nice, fairly authentic sans thick clouds of cigarette smoke (thank goodness), and the booths are comfortable. Restrooms were nicer than what I expect for a pub (based on my experience in the UK, where the loos are often dreadful). But it is Kirkland after all!
We ordered a beef pasty (yummy but a bit bland), two plates of nachos (ridiculously gigantic but well-cheesed throughout the pile), bangers and mash (good and authentic) and the lamb stew (tragically much over-salted).
The American football game on the giant screen was not what I expected and cost them a star for being annoying. I can't believe they couldn't find some proper footie or polo on the satellite! I wish they'd had music on instead of the stupid game, but some people at the bar were watching it.
The lamb stew cost the second star. It was bland outside the over-saltyness. Whoever made it (and their food IS all homemade, points for that) had a broken tongue when they tasted it. Bummer. I love nothing more than lamb stew made right, and it was a generous portion that I would have scarfed down had it been right.
I'll try it again. I love good pub grub and they deserve a second chance. The server did insist on taking the stew off the bill, went into the kitchen, and came back all apologies -- she'd tasted it and said basically, what was he thinking?? So that redeemed her a bit in my eyes.
Hubby and I went here for lunch last Saturday to beat the St. Pattys Day crowds. I had the yummy Irish Lamb Stew served with salad and soda bread. He had the Corned Beef & Cabbage Boxty served with same salad. Salad was a very nice mix of greens with a yummy blue cheese vinaigrette dressing and mandarin oranges and toasted spiced nuts. The Boxty was a savory "crepey" thing. I look forward to going back to have the chicken & brie boxty. We had an entertainment book coupon for buy one/get one free. :) They also have Happy Hour food & drink specials and a huge patio that would be great in the summer. (view of Lk. Washington.)
If casual dining in a fun joint is not your cup of tea, this place is not for you. This Irish pub & restaurant in Kirkland enjoys an enviable location in the heart of the downtown district. It is a nice casual place to spend an evening out with your friends or family.
For a pub, the menu featured a fair amount of vegetarian options. I absolutely loved the curried chips (french fries). The fries were doused in a delicious curry sauce and the large serving was gulped down in minutes by the folks at my table (we ended up ordering a couple more servings). They also have soups, salads and all the usual entrees you would expect to find in an Irish joint such as Bangers & Mash etc. Oh...of course...what's an Irish pub without a decent selection of beers??? By the looks on my fellow diners faces, Wilde Rover did not disappoint.
My only peeve...we could not get anybody to change the channel to enable us to watch soccer!!!
Great beer selection, ok food. I suggest coming for beers and apps at night. Definitely try Trivia Night on Wednesdays. The place can be packed and understaffed at times, there is one bartender who's kind of jerkey. Great place to bring a big group or have a party. One of my favorite places to grab a beer!
Roasters, wait no Wymea, oh it's Wilde Rover now! Was here for a friends b-day. With the company we were keeping, it was hard not to have a good time. It beats the Shark Club I suppose!
Kirkland creeps me out a little bit in the first place. The general feeling in the air at closing time is volatile to say the least, you'll find trouble if you're looking for it. I did get to see some well executed bouncing at this place though, good job guys! Way to through that jerk out in classy discreet manner(there is a fine art to throwing someone out of a bar).
I'll never go back I'm sure. A little too meat head for me. I'll opt for a good drunk at Kell's anytime over WR.
You know what the best thing in the whole world is, after a long day of bottling wine in the cold: Curry fries and a good Guinness.
I had gone here several years ago, when it was a different bar; and stopped in the other day after my wife and I had spent and afternoon at a friends bottling homemade wine. Since its December, it was freezing out, and we hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. So, Irish Pub food sounded like an excellent idea.
My wife ordered bangers and mash, and I went with fish and chips. And we both ordered a Guinness. Then, at the last minute, she ordered a starter of their curry fries. When the fries and beer came, we attacked both like the ravenous monsters we are. The curry fries were a heaping pile of sticky curry flavored goodness. Soon, my beard was covered in curry sauce, and I was rubbing my belly... and that was even before the main course came.
The beer was also excellent. And the bangers, mash and fish and chips also hit the spot. But those curry fries... I want more.
The Wilde Rover is a typicla Irish Pub, Decent food, decent drinks, majorly overly packed and slow service due to the over worked staff.
It's a nice enough place, with decent food, drinks, and music, but just too busy for my normal night life
Kirkland, WA
Category: Nightlife
Redmond, WA
Category: Irish
Bellevue, WA
Category: American (New)
Redmond, WA
Category: Cajun/Creole
Kirkland, WA
Category: Restaurants
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