Gillespie's Irish Tavern & Kitchen

Scott is the best! Very polite, and welcoming. Such a positive vibe from him. It was our family's first time trying this place. We arrived early, so we had the whole place to ourselves. I ordered The Traditional Reunen Sandwich. When I bit into the sandwich, it melted in my mouth. The bread was lightly toasted, so it had a light crisp, and also held itself up so it wouldn't fall apart when you bit into the sandwich. I also had a side of wedges. The wedges were crispy with a fluffy interior. I rate my dish a 5/5. My wife ordered The Shepherd's Pie. Scott asked her to hold it, and she agreed it was a hefty meal. If you plan on ordering this, make sure to bring an appetite. My wife got halfway through it and said she was full. There was a generous amount of mashed potatoes on top, with the lamb, peas, and carrots soaking into the mash for more flavors. One thing that was interesting was that there were greens in the mashed potatoes, so it gave the pie an extra texture and taste. She rates her dish 5/5. I also ordered the Chicken Fingers for the kids, and they enjoyed it. I tasted the chicken fingers. It was crispy and moist. The only thing missing was some seasoning on the batter, but other than that, the kids enjoyed it. Overall experience, I rate it a 5☆. Wonderful atmosphere, welcoming staff, and positive vibes. I definitely recommend this place. Thank you, Scott, for a fantastic experience.

We have the best of times here. The food and service were so good!!! Celebrated our anniversary and my fiancée’s/husband’s (he will propose someday…if I’m a good girl) birthday. We also had cannoli’s for dessert (if we go again, I will take a pic) Third time is a lucky charm on Monday, November 24, 2024 closer to closing time! We had a project to work on and tried to make it before the kitchen closed, but no worries! We will be back! The new server was extremely attentive and great! Thanks always for the best service and chatter at the bar! ❤️❤️❤️Sláinte, y’all! 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪 The whole staff is so blessed. We really love this place!!! Friday, 11/28/2025 & Saturday 11/29/2025 we had witnessed the joy of listening to an Irish rock band named Blaggard’s! We were listening while watching hockey and football at the bar.

Oh Man! A little hideaway so cute, cozy & has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. It's a great place to kick back with a few friends or bring your whole entourage with indoor & outdoor seating. Shoot some pool, play slots, enjoy watching some sports & even karaoke on weekends. They had great seasoned & flavored meals. I had a Boneless Ribs dinner & SO had their meatloaf dinner. Our server (Jessica) was so sweet, truly friendly & very attentive. I couldn't have asked for better. I have to say I loved finding out a man hustling his butt off like the others is the Owner, Romer Gillespie. You don't see owners rocking the joint right along with their employees. I'll definitely be hitting that place up again & again & again.

We saw the Irish Nachos on an add... they absolutely did not disappoint. We ordered apps, entrees, and dessert. All of it was fantastic!!! We will be back since there's nothing on the menu we dont want to try! It all sounds so good. Its definitely a good spot for a hockey game and great food!

I came here for the first time after seeing this place mentioned on Instagram. I think the place has a great atmosphere, I want to show up here when they have a live band. The staff were friendly, there were plenty of food options and the ones I had were great. I never had scotch eggs before but, don’t be intimidated by them because they are a really good appetizer. This is definitely a great casual spot to take your friends and enjoy a good meal, some sports on the TV, or a concert.

I been living in East Plano for about 3 years now. I say about a year and a half ago on my TikTok for you page I got an ad for an Irish tavern. I've always been curious with them and wanted to go to one then I googled it and found out it was right by me to a point. Matter of fact I go past it every night after one in the morning coming home from work when I exit the toll road. Always have bad timing to go by there but today I finally was able to along with my girlfriend. I love to atmosphere and I see the stage is right there. I was really looking forward to eating. So i order a glass of Guinness which I love drinking. I order meatloaf mashed potatoes along with a salad. And we have potato skins as an appetizer load the potato skins. Corned beef cheese chives and and cheese of course. But I forgot to say no sour cream but we enjoyed them anyway. Our dinner came my girlfriend ordered a short ribs and she was in love She really enjoyed the barbecue sauce. Me the meatloaf 😍OMG! Now you would think going to the Irish tavern you would try something more traditional but I saw meatloaf and went straight for that because I love it and I was not disappointed. I think there's music on the weekends but I have Monday and Tuesday off. I don't know when I'll be able to experience that part of the tavern. I hope soon. If you're an area give this restaurant a go you won't regret it! 👍🏾

Come one, come all...this place will gently yet firmly take your taste buds by the hand and lead them to greatness. The Old Fashioned here? Elite. Unmatched. It didn’t come to play. If you are 21+ and leave without ordering one, that’s on you. Rumor has it you’ll be haunted by minor inconveniences for the next 100 years—wet socks, slow Wi-Fi, and every traffic light turning red. Tragic. Don’t do that to yourself. Self-care is real. Order the Old Fashioned and don't forget the bangers and mash. Your future self is already thanking you.

I came to this Irish Pub/Restaurant after seeing it go viral on TikTok, and honestly, it’s one of the most overhyped places I’ve ever been to. I even drove an hour to try it, expecting something special. When I walked in, the restaurant was completely empty. At first, I thought it was just the timing, but after tasting the food, I realized why. I started off sitting at the bar, but there were too many flies and the counter felt sticky, so I moved to a table. That should have been my first red flag. Whoever is cooking back there is doing it with zero passion, zero love, and no attention to detail. I ordered the sampler, which you’d think would come out as a nice spread of appetizers. Instead, it arrived on a regular plate with everything burned, piled on top of each other, and sloppily presented. Then came the so-called fish and chips. The cod was tiny, smothered in 5–6 layers of thick, greasy batter, clearly fried in old oil, and burnt. Instead of proper chips (what we in the U.S. call steak fries, like you’d expect from the UK or Ireland), they served crinkle-cut wedges. The tartar sauce had no flavor, and the coleslaw was just as bland. Not even a lemon wedge to cut through the grease. Nothing about it resembled what was shown online. I was on the phone with my wife during the meal (we’re food bloggers), and we usually like to go into places blindly so we don’t get special treatment and can rate the food on an honest, unbiased basis. Unfortunately, this wasn’t even photogenic enough to post on our page and it tasted just as bad as it looked. I lost my appetite almost immediately and asked for a to-go box, thinking maybe my dog would eat it. Even he barely touched it. This place is all hype, no quality, and absolutely not worth the drive, the money, or the disappointment. I left upset and wishing I could get a refund.

My husband and I did brunch here on a Sunday morning a few weeks back. Admittedly, an Irish-inspired tavern is not where your brain goes first when you think Sunday morning brunch, but they did have a brunch menu and drink specials. And it's what I was craving. We did the Irish nachos (bacon on the side, since I don't eat bacon but my husband does), which were PHENOMENAL. I did the breakfast hash which was very very good. My husband did the pancakes which he said were a little dry. That said, maybe not really a pancake place. We both did a brunch mimosa and a whiskey flight. Service was great and the space is quite nice. It was a quiet, mostly retired crowd on Sunday morning, but I would imagine a more typical bar group in the evenings.

John the bartender was excellent. His recommendations on The Rueben and Wellington were great suggestions. The Gillespie's New Fashioned drink was super cool with its smoky flavor. I liked my lemon drop martini. The River Driver band was entertaining and we enjoyed a game of pool. The one disappointment was the carrot cake- terribly dry and there was a metallic taste from the baking powder. I hope to drop by again. We drove 45 min upon the recommendation of a friend. It will not disappoint

After my first review, we have kept Gillespie's on rotation and it has mainly been wonderful. We enjoy their live music selection and have even enjoyed Trivia nights. I just have one pretty major point of feedback for the restaurant: If you are only going to have one vegan/vegetarian item on the menu, you must ensure it is stocked. Three times recently I was told they were out of the "best ever veggie burger". That is about a significant failure rate and one on which I am no longer willing to take a risk. I will call in advance from now and I recommend you do the same (if you are plant-based). I end up getting a couple of sides and they are not that great or satisfying. I would love to see them add more plant-based options. Maybe a vegan shepherd's pie or a veggie curry?

This place is fantastic! Great food. Awesome live Irish music on Friday and Saturday. Celeste was our server and we will be looking for her when we go back again.

We've been eyeing the place and finally got the chance to try it out. There were so many things on the menu we'd like to try that we know we'll be back based on a great first experience last night. The ambiance makes you feel like you are in a cozy pub with a full bar running all down the side and tables throughout. Our server was friendly and great about checking in with us throughout the dinner which was great as they place really picked up for a Saturday night. I started off with a Tavern Mule made with whiskey. I'll have to say I'm not a huge whiskey fan, but in a mule form was quite delicious. My husband went with the Buffalo Family Bourbon flight and he had no issues finishing it off. For food, we started with the Ultimate Scotch Eggs and a cup of the Shiner Beer-Cheese Soup (because we just had to try it). The flavors of both items were great. The Scotch Eggs had the right amount of breading and the egg was cooked as desired with the soft boil to make the flavors stand out and the hollandaise sauce was a great touch. For dinner we shared the Traditional Reuben Sandwich and opted for the turkey pastrami as the meat. It was delicious! The pumpernickel-rye bread was fresh, thick and flavorful. The meat had great flavor of its own even being a leaner cut of meat. We also split the Irish Pork Wellington as that isn't something we'd make at home. The pork tenderloin was perfectly done and the flavors of the bacon, mushrooms and puff pastry around the dish complimented the dish well. Portion sizes were plentiful and we even brought food home so we wouldn't overeat! We look forward to coming back and trying other dishes!

Always love coming to this place! Tried some new menu items and everything was delicious except we didn't like the Irish nachos very much. Just not enough cheese to make everything stick to really thick chips. The Reuben sliders were so so good! Still love my pineapple martini. It's a MUST try! Service was good, as always!

Food was good. Music was ok. Service was a little weird - lots of employees were there but about 70% of them were in the back room playing pool. Maybe they weren't on the clock, but it was confusing to see so many people in server gear. We'll definitely give it another shot.

My sister took me to this Irish pub to eat dinner. I had the Gillespie Burger. Angus burger patty topped with corned beef, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, 1000 island, lettuce, and tomato in a potato bun. The patty and the corned beef combo was amazing an delicious. I substituted the 1000 island for Ranch dressing on the side instead. I will be back to check out the entertainment next time

Love that they take reservations!! We were celebrating our son's birthday, and the ability to reserve a table made it so much easier to plan for a small group. We ordered several items from their menu, and everything was delicious, fresh, and generous portions. They were very short handed on a wait staff but did their absolute best to keep up. Don't forget to redeem your 15% off coupon -- YELP check-in. We stayed to watch Plunk Murray! Their music vibe was super cool, unique!

We were headed to this restaurant but as we approached the restaurant we could hear loud, live music. We heard a couple of people saying as they walked out of the restaurant to sit on the patio that they needed a break from the loud music. Hard pass for us on a weeknight.

A good Irish-themed tavern. The tavern is spacious and modern. The menu is diverse but not overwhelming. The food is good but the prices are higher, though not much. The Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs are good, The Deviled Eggs are great and the Irish Nachos are a very imaginative take on Nachos. Potato Chips replace Nachos and are topped with ground meat (beef and lamb). We were a party of 6 and I had a Fish Sandwich. The fish was fried well and the sandwich had good flavors but was a bit messy. The service is excellent and an overall a very good experience.

The food was not good. I ordered the ribeye which is usually a tender well marbled cut of beef. This "ribeye" was as tough as shoe leather and didn't have any marbling. It tasted more like sirloin. Service was excellent. Atmospheric was fine. Steak sucked. V

Took my boys to eat here and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent and to top it off they have a live Irish band which was great

Food was very good . The service was horrendous because there was one wait person to cover the entire restaurant on a Friday night while some special function was going on in the back and had 4 wait people who stood around. Atmosphere was good, music was good.

A friend and I decided to try Gillespie's since we liked Apollonia's which is owned by the same people. Our waiter, Dwight, could not have been more accommodating, competent, or charming. We went specifically for the Shepherds Pie, and it didn't disappoint. There was a lot of yummy in that iron skillet. We also saw a bunch of other diners food and we decided we need to come back and try some other entrees. Also we noted interesting events, karaoke, live music on Saturdays, half priced whiskey nights and other fun things. We will be back.

Listen, I'm a girl who will travel far and wide for some good mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are my favorite comfort food. Even when they are done wrong, they are above average. It's mashed effin' potatoes. Samwise Gamgee is my dream man. I've never been to a restaurant where I didn't ask the waiter of the possibility to sub a side for some good ol' mashed pots. This place blows it all away. My lips had not even finished closing around my fork when my eyes lit up with the taste of these creamy, buttery tots. These potatoes had me see God, and she was a beautiful red-headed country side cook with an Irish brogue that could carry me away to nirvana. These mashed potatoes are a reason to wake up in the morning, a reason to dream, a reason to find true love, start a family, raise a daughter, and bring her here on her 18th birthday to let her try her first sip of good whiskey and a plate of these immaculate damn potatoes. I have no criticism to give, no negatives to throw out. Make the trip to Gillespie's. Order some food, get a side of mashed potatoes. You won't regret it. Also the service, drinks, and other food were great too! Thank you Christian!

Great atmosphere. I recommend stopping by and having an Irish libation or two. Food is great! Had the jalapeño poppers filled with spicy Buffalo chicken and cheese, prime rib sandwich and the Gillespie Burger. Inside feels like an authentic Irish pub. Friendly wait staff with a relaxing fun vibe about it. It's a must if your in the area.

I give it 3 stars because the bartender sure tried his very best . He was alone and handling the entire bar and restaurant drinks . The bar was dirty and disorganized. I felt so sorry for him .

We found Gillespie's by accident when were searching for another pub and decided to go here instead. What a great choice we made! We started off with a meatball weekly special and it was so good I forgot to take a photo. The meatballs were tasty and weren't dry. The brown gravy sauce they came in was delicious. We then shared some fish and chips (sharable portion with two large filets of fish) and smoked wings. Everything tasted fresh and it was cooked well. The flavors on those wings surprised me, I would definitely order again. We finished off with the carrot cake, which was moist, flavorful, and topped with plenty of delicious cream cheese frosting. The food tasted like it was made by someone who genuinely enjoys cooking and takes pride in the food they serve. I appreciated that. As far as service, we came on a weekday, during lunch hour and our server was amazing. I forgot his name unfortunately but he enhanced our experience and was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the food and drinks. We played it a little safe by ordering classic fish and chips, but I can't wait to come back again and try some of the other dishes that they offer or to see what weekly specials they have. We were told that they have a brunch on the weekends, live music, and karaoke as well. Check out their website for more info. Depending on how the atmosphere/crowd is during dinner and their events, this might be a regular place that I go to!

Great food, excellent service and fun/entertainment. Met some friends there for Sunday brunch- 9 of us. There was live entertainment, not so loud that you had scream across the table. Food was lovely and tasted great and came out hot. Probably my only complaint were the high top chairs that we had were not very comfy, but they weren't super busy so we found the cushy ones. We will be back! Next week, in fact, with another friend visiting.

One word... INCREDIBLE! We didn't have enough self control to take photos of all the food before digging in.. but we had the pie, nachos, jalapeño poppers, amazing beef Wellington, chicken curry, and beef barley soup. I can't say which was the favorite because it was all so delicious. Great atmosphere- music- decor.. everything was perfect. Especially the service. The chef even came out and spoke to us! Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu!

We loved the Prime Rib sandwich that has been replaced with French Dip. Not nearly the same unfortunately. Bad decision!!. Also their new cash register receipt is terrible. " Trying to track our liquor costs" was reason our drink had two prices, one for liquor and another as UPCHARGE we were told. Plus you can save if you pay cash instead of credit..found AFTER we gave the credit card and got our bill. Don't plan visit again soon.

This place is very good! It definitely gives off the tavern vibe with its decor and set up! There is a back room on with pool, darts and a chess board. They have daily specials and theme nights like karoake or trivia! Our waitress was kind and very knowledgeable about the menu when we had questions! I ordered braised pork with mashed potato's and buttered peas and it was so good!

Service is ok, but you may need to holler at the bartender to get their attention. Food is not that great. It gets loud after 6 or 7 with live bands and karaoke. I like to get there early before it gets loud.

Karaoke Thursday's . That is all. Great times, fun bartenders. DJ and Locals perform their favorites. Would get wasted there again

Food and service excellent! Bartenders nice and make great drinks. Guinness Beef Stew was amazingly delicious. Shepherds pie also excellent. Carrot cake OMG SO GOOD. If you want an adult bar with good food. I recommend. We will be back.

Our evening at Gillespie's Tavern was a wonderful experience. Hostess seated us immediately, server was exceptional, meal was outstanding- Shepherds Pie and Steak for my hubby!! Looking forward to a return visit!!!!

Great local pub! Friendly folks in a authentic decor like an Irish pub. Had live Irish music too. Some of the best Irish inspired dishes I've had anywhere in the states. Best was the scotch egg! The sausage was delicious with a soft yolk in the center. All drenched in real Hollandaise sauce. I've could have stopped there. Then was the meatballs in Guinness sauce with caramelized onion. Very good with a unique sauce, not your typical brown gravy. Someone back I. The kitchen has a distinct pallet! Wedge salad with real blue cheese. And a great blue cheese dressing. Than Guinness Irish stew covered with puff pastry! Again the sauce was every distinct and delicious!! Not the same as the meatballs, but a fully developed Gravy spiked with Guinness. Full of pieces of fork tender beef! I appreciate when a restaurant goes out of their way to develop such great food. There were many more Irish specialties on the menu to try next time!

Sat down with the family this evening (Tuesday, hardly anyone there) and waited for about 7 minutes to have nobody acknowledge us. Walked out and won't be coming back.

Nice vibe. Large bar. Great food and service. Large whiskey selection and of course Guinness on draft.

I came for the first time this evening specifically for the shepherd's pie. It is truly the best I've ever had.! It's servedn8n a piping hot skillet. The Lamb, carrots and onion filling is topped with Concannon potatoes and a bit of melted cheese. I also had a glass of malbec....a respectable wine for a house wine. Service is excellent and the music wasn't too loud...yay! Coming back here!

Food, Shepard s pie was below average, fish and chips was ok Service was good Expectations were not met. Thought the new owners did more to the Shire, again atmosphere was nothing like the Trinity Hall, now gone. Not worth the drive.

I ordered a slice of overpriced carrot cake only to get home and discover it was SEVERAL days old. This thing is drier than an 80 year old lady. Worse than a Florida sunbather. Crisp as the night is cold. Trash.

SUPER GOOD!!!! The food was amazing absolutely love this place I'll definitely bring my friends with me next time! Drinks are top notch

Awesome food and pub vibe, First time here and will definitely come back. Flights of Woodford Reserve!!! Our server Timmy is the best

Food was good, great little Irish tavern, and the servers ce was great! Thanks for a great time, Colton!

We had a great lunch of Scotch Eggs and Guinness Stew. $5 drafts on Wednesday. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. We'll be back.

The fish and chips were really good, and honestly more food than I should have eaten. My wife was on the fence about the salmon, but all of the other food we received was great! We had a fantastic serving staff, and the live music was a lot of fun, especially once the Black and Tans and Jamison started kicking in. :) We did end up finishing their last bottle of Jamison that night unfortunately, but I'm sure they have since purchased more so no worries there. Really enjoyed what I remember of the place, and we were fortunate to have invited (intentionally) my driving-age grandson who graciously drove us all home. I'd like to go back when it is not my birthday so I can try to remember more of the place and post a more informative review. But I do recommend it based on the food and atmosphere!

Hands down best food and the people that work there are amazing! Alayna and Derrick. The Sunday morning brunch and live music is something you have to go enjoy!

We came here with high expectations. We left a little disappointed. The service was good and the live entertainment (Mike Allyn) was great, but the food was so mediocre. I ordered the prime rib, medium rare with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Hubby ordered fish n chips. The prime rib came out medium, but I did not complain (maybe I should have). It was tough. Like leather. Have you ever eaten tough prime rib? Not good. At all. The fish was heavily battered with little taste and about as appetizing as frozen fish sticks. The drinks tasted watered down and poorly mixed. The broccoli and mashed potatoes were the only edible things on my plate. Overall, the atmosphere was good just not the food. We will probably come back, but will definitely try something else.

Such a mixed bag. Mini shepherd's pie was tasteless, cheese soup was good but far from a traditional cheese soup. Jalapeno bites were good but undercooked. Nothing was delivered hot...just lukewarm. What really spoiled the entire lunch was the guy singing Irish tunes who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Not being harsh here, he actually was cringe-worthy out of tune on every note. We would have stayed for an Irish coffee and dessert had it not been for his singing.

Great music especially 5 Second Rule. Good food and drinks. Nice servers. Would definitely go back often

Always great service and good food. The Shepherds Pie and the Prime Rib sandwich are excellent. Pool, shuffleboard and darts with TVs in the back for fun!

I used to come here regularly...for their fish and chips and their curry bowl. They have the best pub curry I've ever had. I now moved away from this area and I think about Gillespie's very often. And I haven't been able to find a replacement in the supposedly the best food scenes in the country. On top of the excellent food, they also have great drinks (tried several beers and cocktails there) and ambience. This is one of the places I miss most about the DFW area.

Been here twice this week, found my home. Who can refuse Irish Coffee, and Shephards Pie...

Outstanding establishment that is run to perfection. The service and hospitality provided by the staff is uncommon. Very welcoming environment, great entertainment, and excellent food. Will recommend to anyone that is in the area and will definitely return whenever I'm back in town.

This pub is outstanding and our new go-to place for authentic Irish food! The atmosphere is very Irish (friendly), the bar gorgeous, the food so yummy! The Guinness Stew Pie is a favorite. As is the corn beef and cabbage. We love to sit at the bar and admire our surroundings and eat well!

We've been here twice in the last month and both times have been great. Food is awesome and it's kid friendly as well. Last visit was a Friday night and they had an awesome Irish band playing music, helps with the ambiance of the restaurant. This restaurant has been added into our monthly rotation.

Didn't manage the crowd well on St. Patrick's Day. Ended up leaving rather than wait indefinitely. No one was at the door to even give us an idea of what was going on. And we were there 30+ minutes without any staff communication. Maybe will try again sometime, but was unimpressed with the experience. Just wanted to know what was happening...

Best carrot cake ever - the specials are generally interesting enough that I haven't ordered off the standard menu. Meals are generally well seasoned and cooked to an appropriate level where they have never had a hint of dryness. Signature cocktails are good with a heavy leaning into blackberry