We had some gift cards to Claddagh, and since they don't have this chain in Chi-City, we thought we'd better use it up before we skip town.
We rolled in on a Friday night at 6 pm and were seated right away. Some live music began around 7 pm - you can check the website, they tell you who's playing. It can get loud, so definitely check the schedule if noise bothers you (or alternately, if you love live music and what to know what to expect). Our server was incredibly (possibly overly attentive), checking on us approximately every 5-10 minutes during our hourlong stay. Taking drink orders, checking on how we liked our drinks, taking food orders, seeing how we liked our food, boxing up my food, checking on my boyfriend's food progress (I eat much more slowly than him), boxing up his food, etc. She checked in a lot. It actually got moderately annoying, but at least she didn't ignore us! It's a hard balance to strike.
Anyhoo, we got beer/hard cider (Strongbow on tap FTW) and then I got the chicken pot pie with a side of green beans, and my boyfriend got the shepherd's pie with a side of mac 'n' cheese. It should be noted that they do have a "pie night" during the week - I forget which night - where pie dinners are buy one get one free (or maybe not free, but only for $2 or something). One of the many times our server stopped by was exclusively to tell us about this pie night. So it's fixed in my memory. If you like dinner pie - that is YOUR night.
The food was pretty "okay" across the board. Generic/average versions of pub favorites. It's always a bit of a letdown because the menu items sound so DELISH and then it's like "this food is just pretty okay." The pot pie was savory and hot with big pieces of chicken and veg, but it didn't have a crust - it had like...a crumbly topping. Like a dessert. Only it was a bread crumb/cheese topping. Which was not my fave - I prefer a true crust on my pot pie. Is it really a pie without a crust? Deep thoughts. Side of green beans was well cooked, but of course served in butter. Definitely not worth $3, but all restaurant sides are overpriced.
My boyfriend's shepherd's pie was okay as well - it seemed to have ground beef in it instead of big beefy chunks, but it was savory, served VERY hot, and had the appropriate mashed potato top. Both portions were a good amount of food for the price. The mac 'n' cheese side came in a little cup. The texture was rockin' (sooo creamy) but it was missing something in the flava department. Like - they need to pick better cheese, or add salt, or paprika, or onion/garlic....or anything? It was lacking.
Ahhhhh I feel so bad giving this 2 stars but I am becoming more cruel on Yelp these days! What can I say? I give something three stars when it's fine and I'd be happy to pop in again if I needed a meal. 2 stars is for places where I don't really feel the need to go back again...and Claddagh really is one of them. The food is fine for a chain, but it's really subpar versions of amazing Irish dishes that should be slammin'. I'm so mean. Or am I just so honest? Hitting you up with the truth, that's how I roll. Meet me in Chicago and we'll go to a better Irish pub.
BUT for what it's worth, my boyfriend said he'd give it three stars instead of two, AND I think it'd be a fun place to have drinks at the bar and listen to music. And maybe have an appetizer if you're drunk. But I'd skip it for dinner!