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The Irish Lion Restaurant & Pub

Claimed
558 reviews
#11 of 248 Restaurants in Bloomington
$$ - $$$, American, Irish, International
212 W Kirkwood Ave, 1/2 Block West of the Square, Bloomington, IN 47404-5144
+1 812-336-9076
Website
Menu
Closed Now:See all hours
All photos (121)
All photos (121)
Certificate of Excellence
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Delivery.com

Ratings and reviews

4.0 558 reviews
#10 of 101 American in Bloomington
#11 of 219 Restaurants in Bloomington
Certificate of Excellence2015 - 2019 Winner
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Location and contact

212 W Kirkwood Ave 1/2 Block West of the Square, Bloomington, IN 47404-5144
Website
Email
+1 812-336-9076
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Menu

Our dinners are served with our house made soda bread, potato or dunmurry rice - steamed rice with scallions and mushrooms, and choice of a cup of our “soup of the day” or house salad.
SEAFOOD​
Offaly Salmon
Poached​ in a rich cream, fresh tomato, scallions, mushrooms, dill, sauce. Served with dunmurry rice.
Liffey Trout
Sautéed in olive oil, with house spices, served with dunmurry rice.
Connemara Shrimp
Succulent large white shrimp sautéed in garlic and butter. Served on a bed of rice, with a side of broccoli.
Ballydebob Halibut
Broiled, prepared with herbs, lemon, butter and served with dunmurry rice.
Donegal Lobster
Premium cold-water lobster tail, flame broiled to perfection and served with drawn butter and a baked potato.
LAMB​
Leg O'Lamb
Traditionally made, slowly roasted with our own unique recipe of herbs and spices in a special oven. Served sliced from the leg of lam, with au jus, mint jelly and brandon potatoes. Served medium rare.
Lamb Chops
Center​ cut, served medium rare with brandon potatoes and mint jelly. Served au jus.
BEEF​
Prime Rib of Beef
Prepared with our own combination of herbs and spices, slowly baked in our special oven. Served au jus, with a baked potato, sour cream and butter. Regular cut and extra cut.
Beef Medallions
Three tender slices of beef cut from the tenderloin, sautéed with fresh mushrooms and scallions in red wine sauce, served with brandon potatoes.
Filet Mignon
Cut from the most tender part of the beef, the tenderloin. Broiled to order, and topped with fluted mushrooms. Served on a toasted english muffin bed and a baked potato, sour cream and butter. Medium well and well done served butter flied.
New York Strip
Juicy charbroiled 12 oz. Steak prepared to order, served with a baked potato, sour cream and butter.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Traditional​ irish favorite served with brandon potatoes.
POULTRY​
Roast Duckling Rineanna
One-half duckling, with apple-fennel-bread- stuffing. Served with a brown sugar-stuffed baked apple, and brandon potatoes.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Tender boneless chicken breast stuffed with smoked ham and baby swiss cheese. Served on a bed of dunmurry rice, topped with our house made supreme sauce of fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions and cream.
Chicken Kiev
Tender boneless chicken breast stuffed with butter-garlic and served on a bed of rice. Topped with a garlic, scallion, cream sauce.
Chicken Marsala
Sautéed boneless chicken breast in dry marsala wine, scallion, mushroom, sauce. Served with dunmurry rice.
PASTA AND VEGETABLE​
Fettuccine Alfredo
Pasta tossed with our house made heavy cream-parmesan cheese sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp
Pasta tossed with our heavy cream-parmesan cheese sauce mixed with sautéed shrimp.
Sautéed Vegetable Medley
A seasonal stir-fried vegetable blend, with dunmurry rice.
SIDES​
Fries,
Also with cheese
Broccoli, Cabbage, Irish Carrots
Brandon Potatoes, Baked Potato
Soda Bread, Soda Bread “Take-Away” Per Lb.
DESSERTS​
Baileys Cake
Baileys irish cream cheesecake on a chocolate crust.
Irish Apple Walnut Cake
The name says it all-delicious! House made, served warm and topped with whipped cream.
Whiskey Pie
Served warm, topped off with irish whiskey, a dash of crème de cassis and whipped cream.
Chocolate Cake
Vanilla and Guinness Ice Cream
Show full menu

Details

About
If you can’t make it to Ireland, do the next best thing! A true public house experience and a Bloomington tradition since 1982, The Irish Lion Restaurant & Pub is in a restored historic 1882 tavern, a 1/2 block west of the square in the heart of downtown Bloomington. Where friends and family gather for traditional Irish fare, seafood, steaks, lamb, Dublin pub stews, pub grub, VG, GF options. Offering an extensive collection of single malt scotches, Irish and American whiskies, a full bar, wine list and pouring the finest Irish & European imports on draught. Outdoor dining, steps to hotels, free three-hour parking at the Morton Garage (one block north). Large groups and all ages welcome. Trip…
PRICE RANGE
$7 - $25
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
CUISINES
American, Irish, International, Pub
FEATURES
Delivery, Takeout, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Discover, Reservations, Private Dining, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Reviews (558)
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Traveler rating
271
184
67
19
12
Show reviews that mention
All reviews soda bread fish and chips corned beef and cabbage walnut cake shepard's pie escargot potatoes chicken cordon bleu brie trout filet rice salad soups blarney puffballs celtic stew half yard
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1 - 10 of 553 reviews
Reviewed 2 weeks ago
Bad management

Wish I could have written a better review. I can’t even write on the service or food. This is the 3rd time In 3 years that we drove from St. Louis to visit our son at IU. Third time we called the restaurant to either...More

Date of visit: October 2019
1  Thank Ronald M
theirishlion, Guest Relations Manager at The Irish Lion Restaurant & Pub, responded to this reviewResponded 2 weeks ago

A written request was received from the IU Rugby Team coach for a reservation time of 4:30p, not 6:30p. Copy of reservation request: https://www.dropbox.com/s/39nv7t09nucv13b The executive office manager confirmed the availability of the requested date & time with the coach in writing, along with the...More

Reviewed October 8, 2019
Great location, love the decor and menu!

Sometimes when you are in a college town, you really want to escape to a place where the median age is closer to 30 than 21. This restaurant/pub was a refreshing place to go for lunch and had a full bar. The decor is very...More

Date of visit: July 2019
Thank 76dianeg
Reviewed September 4, 2019
Not the same old pub grub!

If your looking for a break from the usual pub food, this is it. Their dishes vary from traditional American food to corned beef or Shepards Pie. The inside has the feel of an old Irish pub with beautiful dark wood and a huge bar....More

Date of visit: August 2019
Thank GrandmaAC
Reviewed August 11, 2019 via mobile
Good food and great whiskey selection

Stopped here during the annual guy’s trip to Bloomington Speedway and the Indy 500. The food is great. Blarney balls, Coddle, fish & chips, and a huge selection of global whiskeys. Has been a favorite of mine for over 20 years. Always try to visit...More

Date of visit: May 2019
Thank wamzie
Reviewed August 6, 2019
Genuine Irish Food

Beautiful older building in downtown Bloomington, 2 level restaurant with great ambience, good service. The corned beef and cabbage is my wife's favorite even when it is not St. Patrick's Day!

Date of visit: April 2019
Thank Daniel M
Reviewed August 6, 2019
Sat Outisde on a Beautiful Day

Sat outside, had an Irish pint and watched the world go by. Service was very good as was the reuben sandwich.

Date of visit: August 2019
Thank Marinerone
Reviewed July 30, 2019 via mobile
Corporate Pilot

Again, Filet. Got the larger size did not seem that much larger than my wife’s small. Ok it happens all the time. Service is great prices a little high but reasonable. Taste, well it beats the Malibu Grill far better than the Out Back forget...More

Date of visit: December 2018
Thank steven h
Reviewed July 29, 2019
NOT accessible

Food was great, service was also great, BUT after eating on the patio street side, I found when I went inside to use the restroom, that the facilities were upstairs, and I mean many stairs that were not level. Their explanation is that the building...More

Date of visit: July 2019
Thank Renae W
Reviewed July 27, 2019 via mobile
SO SO .....

We were with a larger group of friends and the service was good considering the size an the restaurant being busy. The food was OK, nothing special. Where things fell down with me was the drinks served. I was very disappointed with my “Old Fashion”...More

Date of visit: July 2019
Thank Aodenkou
Reviewed July 10, 2019
Nothing special

Three of us ate here when Farm was closed for the July 4 holiday. Our friend assured us how good the food was but I found it lacking on all fronts. We had what they call call Irish soda bread to start but it wasn’t...More

Date of visit: July 2019
Thank Laurie B
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Questions & Answers
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See all 6 questions
Circuitboy75
May 25, 2018|
AnswerShow all 6 answers
Response from jellyrulestheworld | Reviewed this property |
They're usually really good. Pretty standard fish and chips, but better than, say, O'Charley's version. Someone in the kitchen understands how to bread and fry stuff.
0
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kfoley64
February 21, 2017|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from theirishlion | Property representative |
Hello and thank you for your inquiry! There are 4-5 steps (loft) for table and chair seating and the patio is open (warmer weather) with no steps. Please call ahead 812-336-9076 for reservation and we'll be happy to... More
0
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scoobapadi
August 4, 2016|
AnswerShow all 8 answers
Response from theirishlion | Property representative |
yes! GF menu items are marked, see menu on our website. Sláinte!
0
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12
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