Blackthorn Restaurant & Irish Pub

"Through word of mouth, I had heard that Blackthorn was a slightly more upscale restaurant located in the George Street area. Visited for the first time last night, and was somewhat disappointed to learn that this is another average college town restaurant with a bar. The last time I visited this location was years ago when it was known as Old Bay, and it had a lot more character in those days. My wife and I ordered fish and chips and the shepherd's pie for dinner. The fish was actually rather good, so no complaints there. The chips that came along with it were also quite good, although excessively salty. The shepherd's pie my wife offered was frankly bland, and had an odd taste to it that we could not identify. Overall, the shepherd's pie was definitely not as enjoyable as anticipated. We actually ended up ordering a full dinner instead of going with our original plan of just appetizers since the appetizer menu was rather limited, and rather pricey for what was offered. The difference in cost between the appetizers we considered and the full dinner was only a few dollars. On the positive side, our server was quite pleasant, very friendly and very helpful so no complaints there as well. Unfortunately, the food and the atmosphere were something of a letdown, so as a result I am not likely to return."

"We visited just before a private party booking, the staff was more than accommodating. It was very busy around the bar, and a staff member walking by offered to give our order to the bar tender instead of us trying to squeeze through the crowd of people hanging out at the bar. We only stopped in for a drink and enjoyed each others company. There was a nice little spot by the stairs to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and each others company. Great place to visit, and I can tell the staff go above and beyond for their customers. It was such a great experience. We will definitely be back."

"The food was amazing, the cocktails were fresh and vibrant, however they just ran out of ingredients for some of their signature dishes like they ran out of risotto for the salmon. I just feel they could be better prepared with a pantry that could be well stocked so they don’t run out of Raw Materials !!!"

"Average pub with average food. Appetizers were Guiness onion soup and the corned beef roll. Soup had a mild flavor, grateful it wasn’t the salt bomb so Many restaurants are guilty of serving. Disappointed that provolone cheese was used, added nothing to the flavor. Corned beef roll is corned beef bits (not chunks) and mashed potatoes in a deep fried roll. No flavor, good fry. Entrees were the fried cod with house-made chips, bacon cheese burger with fries, prime rib with mashed potatoes and spinach and an order of chicken wings. Fried cod had too much batter and lacked seasoning. Cod was just a tad overcooked. House chips would have been great with seasoning. Burger was cooked to order - medium. Bun was greasy. Meat was not seasoned. Prime rib was ordered medium rare and came out medium. Hint of seasoning, desperately needed a hit of salt. Mashed potatoes tasted like boxed or too much stock added, making it grainy. Six chicken wings came in the order. Only 3 were eaten. Chicken itself did not taste good. Basic buffalo sauce, asked for mild and it had a mild kick to it. Drinks were the Enabler, the Rambler, the Take Pear and a Jameson neat. Total bill just over $160. Jose was out waiter. Good service, attentive and helpful answering questions. Food came out at a good pace."

"First visit here. Doing a review for another Foodie group.Nice pub feel, different levels/seating areas. Took my daughter so I could try more food. Lol. Started with Irish onion soup. Very flavorful, good mix of cheeses and good crusty bread. Then Irish nachos. A star among appetizers, wonderfully addictive. Great blend of flavors. Entrees were Shepherd's pie and Bangers and mash. Both were extremely good. And then dessert was a highlight! Wow, an Irish cream bread budding that was divine! All the food was very well plated and presented. Service was good. Looking forward to going back soon."