Houligans Steak & Seafood Pub

It was a rainy night when we arrived. So the warmth of the staff was really appreciated. Wooden decor revealed this has been here for a while and well-established for it was evident locals were meeting there for after work drinks Loved the warm sourdough rolls. I choose short ribs that literally fell off the bones. Loved the horse radish mashed potatoes. Desert great. Walked out of there with leftovers and talking about the great staff.

This establishment has been a favourite of mine for years. Unfortunately they are only open some days of the week, often not the ones I am passing through Eau Claire. I usually get their garlic steak, which is a specialty for the establishment. This occasion I opted for sea bass. The tap list usually has excellent options. The food is most excellent. There is a reason this place is consistently busy every occasion that I have patronized it. Check the hours of you are thinking to go, if it will be open it is a SOLID choice.

Whoever is in charge here can thank the lovely Betty for the 5 Stars! ⭐️ Came here from out of town needing a good steak… started off with a non-alcoholic Whiskey Old fashioned that was quite bad - Betty took care of me and brought a very good non-alcoholic IPA that didn’t disappoint! I ordered the NY strip Mid rare but with a good sear. It showed up with a very good sear, and raw in the middle ha! Betty got it back to me cooked, still a bit rare for me but I guess everyone’s definition of medium rare is different… Not a bad steak all things considered! Overall I would say everything was under seasoned. The vegetables needed a LOT of salt. The potatoes were not as creamy as I expected (considering the menu says “Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes”. They needed salt as well. The steak could’ve used a good bit more salt as well, to be honest I don’t know if there was any on it haha. Finishing with the crème brûlée, (Betty’s recommendation). Perfect caramelized sugar with a cold custard underneath. They did serve it with a chocolate covered spoon which I thought was unnecessary and took away from the dish quite a bit… Thanks Betty for the great service! If I was back in Eau Claire again - I can’t say there would be a better option for steaks than this. Just hope they start cooking with salt! Thank you guys *last note - don’t get the Bernaise. It was slightly gelatinous and tasted only of tarragon and nothing else.

Such an beautiful restaurant. My waitress Annie, is such an amazing person. She made the visit a 5 star visit! If you want any suggestions on food or drinks she is the girl to ask, everything she recommended was perfect! The food was delicious and they were able to accommodate my father who is gluten free. I came to Wisconsin for the RAW ride from Massachusetts and honestly I would come back to Wisconsin again for this restaurant and to have the waitress Annie again. Can't say enough good things about the waitress and the food. ❤️

Charming place in downtown Eau Claire. The food was good but my only complaint would be the onion soup either had too much peppermint or something that had a bite to it - could not finish it. Service had a nice hometown feel as did the restaurant itself. Recommend to anyone in the area.

5-18-24 Superb dinner and service. The crusted walleye, beef medallions and crusted salmon were each perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious. Kudos to the chef - Excellent meal.

The food was okay but not much to choose from, something about the whole vibe was off, it’s very quiet and you can hear every conversation around you. Service could’ve been better, kind of unsure what all the hype is about this place. Very expensive for a lackluster experience.

The atmosphere was great, the food was a little underwhelming. I ordered the horseradish crusted salmon. Salmon was nothing special vegetables were salty and the mashed potatoes were so thick. It was like eating paste. The service I received was great. First time trying spotted cow beer it was better than I expected. I think if I was ever back in town, I would stop by again, but maybe try one of the daily specials.

Just love this steak and seafood spot where you leave with a full tummy and good memories! Very classic atmosphere. Service was prompt, she visited our table often and gave thoughtful advice. The Espresso Martini was dessert in a glass! We shared Filet Mignon with a sauce called Candied Garlic. Kinda sweet for me but tasty. Will be back.

Loved the atmosphere in this pub. The business name has the word "pub" in it, but this place is really more of an upscale steakhouse. Don't be fooled by the small "storefront", this restaurant is actually pretty large. Lots of spectate rooms all with great woodwork features... like an old time saloon. Has a well stocked bar, but no TV's. (Not a bad thing!) Many whiskey's to choose from (among other spirits). Food was good. Rib eye steak had great flavor. Highly recommend adding mushrooms to anything you can, they were that good! You get a ton of them... so if you love shrooms, this is for you. Also had the French Onion Soup. Had a little spice to it. Couldn't put my finger on the flavor, but if a had to guess, I'd say red chili flake? The spice wasn't over powering by any means, but I would have liked the soup more without it. (But I'm not a spice guy... at all!) Downtown street parking was a little challenging, but eventually found a place not too far from the entrance. New favorite place in Eau Claire!

Had another visit to Houligans over the Holidays. It was a Saturday (28th) and not as large of a crowd. We have a reservation for 6:30 and watched several other groups get seated prior to us. Seated 20 minutes late. Prime rib was good, salmon special was ok. Drinks are always good. Still a great place, the whole reservation fiasco was really a bad way to start the dinner.

Great service and friendly staff. The food was really good though I was a little disappointed there were not too many options to choose from to make the meal "healthier" though we made it work. We tried the ribeye, house salad, surf and turf and we left full and satisfied.

Betty is a national treasure! She was very friendly juggling our large party of 15 people last night. She made sure our drinks were full/replaced. She's quite hilarious and joked with us. She was on top of things and made our time at Houligans great! The French onion soup was absolutely delicious. I also enjoyed the candied garlic medallions dish, although the vegetables had no seasoning whatsoever. The restaurant itself has a good atmosphere. It could be good for a date or, in our case, a family dinner. Whenever we return, we have to ask for Betty! Some of the best service, hands down!

Another amazing steak. 12 oz candied new York strip was amazing, 1 small flaw I could've done without was the excessive fat (seemed like I tossed out half my steak) but that was just my preference the others ate the entire exact steak cut. Had a Tom & Jerry whiskey rum, was delicious as well. Service was great.

Always great food and service. Great old fashions. I had a dinner salad with salmon was wonderful.

Downtown Eau Claire location. Street parking was available right in front of restaurant. Has a nicer bar atmosphere, not a dirty college bar. Clean restaurant. Good food. Friendly and attentive service. We ate dinner on a Wednesday night and it wasn't extremely busy. Complimentary rolls came with our meal. The cheese curds were good. Candied garlic sauce is good (but know that it's sweet). We enjoyed our meal.

Best meal I've had in a long time steak bites for appetizer house salad and New York strip with seafood bake and strawberry cheesecake with crème brûlée for dessert just awesome service was great tables and bathrooms were spotless if u have the chance go here as often as you can

Tried no reservation walk in. Snotty front of house, we found our own seats at the bar. Actually better, most bar staff are SO much more fun with which to interact. These guys did not disappoint. 3 different bar staff worked with us and we never wanted for anything. And they were HUSTLING. Asian wings were really tasty. Cajun shrimp tortellini was also quite tasty (and big!), but could use even more spice. My wife didn't care for the candied garlic NY strip. Steak was cooked well, but the sauce was anemic and lacked flavor. I would definitely come back - love the bar staff!!

The meal was excellent! There were four of us an a toddler. We and he (toddler) we're treated like family! We sat on the patio, very nice, though they should get the U art dept. to paint a mural on the cement wall of the parking building. There wasn't one thing that did not get finished an enjoyed. Zach was our server and can not say enough he taught the toddler how to do a fist bump. One last thing as we were leaving, every employee we passed (4 or 5) wished us well, thanked us and wished us safe travels, an did not come across as artificial.

terrific food and service! delightful wine, incentive to go there on Tuesday :-)! always a very good to excellent experience.

Excellent Belgian beer selection, and fantastic food. Good happy hour deals too! My favorite dinner restaurant in Eau Claire

So I wanted a nicer meal to wrap up my time in Eau Claire for work. Mainly, a wanted some steak. I took a look online and found this restaurant. I was planning on going there on Tuesday but decided to call an audible and wait until Wednesday when I realized they had prime rib offered then. I walked in right around 5 o'clock. Again, I walked over from my hotel, so can't talk too much about parking but there were some curbside spots it looked like. I sat at the bar and was waited on right away. I ordered a Kentucky Mule, where they muddle the lime. It was pretty good, but I usually prefer a little "spicier" ginger beer. I ordered a Blanton's bourbon double neat for my second one. Like I mentioned earlier, I ordered the smaller cut prime rib with mushrooms and dang was it good. Across the board, this was a very, very good meal. The staff were all very polite and we talked about a couple random things ranging from football to Wisconsin and their state-wide Old Fashioneds. I'd definitely go back here and try out more from here if/when I'm back in the area.

We went here for our anniversary dinner and it unreal! By far one of the best steakhouse I've been too. They had half price on bottles of wine that night and they were kind enough to let me take the rest of the bottle home with me. The service was excellent. The steak was perfectly cooked and the perfect amount of spice on it. When back in the area, I will definitely go back here.

Decent pub and steak house. The menu could offer a little more variety. I always have trouble finding something that sounds great. The burger is juicy and delicious but also messy and heavy. The sirloin tips are good but I have had better tips elsewhere. The patio in the back is barebones and doesn't feel cozy or look nice. It's great being able to sit outdoors though. Prices are relatively high and while the staff is not bad, considering the prices one could expect more professional, attentive, and friendly staff. I will probably be back but it's not in my top 5 in Eau Claire.

An amazing meal! The server, (Annie I believe) was so special!

Fantastic Meal! If you are in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out. GREAT food and friendly service!

Went here on a Friday night with no reservations but was able to be seated in 10-15 minutes so I recommend calling ahead to make reservations if you can since I can get busy. Everyone was really nice from the host to our waiter. It's a shame their only local hard cider was not available. The prices were a little high for the appetizers and entrees but at least the serving sizes were decent. I would probably hold off on the bruschetta since they literally only give you 3 pieces and charge you over $7 for them. After all, you get complimentary bread rolls with butter. The seafood bake was delicious and mashed potatoes were seasoned well. All in all, a good nighttime experience in a pricey restaurant in downtown Eau Claire!

Their signature smoky old fashioned cocktail was great and the steaks were good - prepared to our liking with well-matched and delicious sides. We arrived when they first opened and were able to be seated without reservations. Service was good. Ambiance and decor was typical of a classic steak house - dark with lots of wood. We had a cozy booth.

****** Thank you all for, finally finding a great and relaxing place to enjoy a world dinner. A worldwide traveler and seldom I found restaurant at this level where spice hot food is not there or extravagant menus are there to show off some kind of upgraded food. I am not saying that I am not ready to try them but some time those menus go beyond price and reasons. Going back to spicy hot food. This is a trend that is worse every day and it is all over the places as it is a "fashion". 30% of the world population suffers gastritis. The restaurants published menus about Gluten free and I agree, 1% of the world population suffers Celiac disease. My point, thank you, for having a menu that is "spicy hot" free. Now, lets go to the great part. This restaurant is an absolute wonderful place to have dinner, enjoy drinks and good company. Service is great and professional. Ask for Betty. All the dishes are well present in an international atmosphere created by the chef. Not going to far, when ask for a dessert the spoon comes with an absolutely wonderful chocolate covered edible decoration. I won't say anymore, try it. You will enjoy the time spent in a really great atmosphere, seriously thought and with exceptional original dishes.

This place is an Eau Claire classic. Pilsner Urquell always on tap, plus a nice selection of other craft beers on tap. Decent bourbon choices. My wife loves the prosciutto filet. On this particular trip I had the seafood bake. Lobster and shrimp baked in a cream sauce. It was unbelievably good. The best part...Betty was our waitress. She has worked here a long time. She is, perhaps, the best waitress in the city. She makes you feel like your family, and is very attentive and friendly.

Mouthwatering food, happy friendly & knowledgeable wait staff, who could ask for anything more? Back patio is cute for a drink after work with appetizers with co-workers. Fabulous place for an evening out with the hubby. It is a tad pricey but it's an upscale locally owned non-chain restaurant with quality food.

I've never had a bad meal, appetizer or drink here. Pricey, but a big favorite for special occasions. Their maple Old Fashioned is one of my favorite drinks in town.

Fabulous food for the price! Great staff and wonderful, relaxing place to meet friends or just have a quiet dinner

Went there last night and had the Seafood Bake. The food was good until I started chewing and when I took a piece of lobster shell was what I couldn't chew. Told the waitress and she told the managers and they things like that happen.Paid full price for the meal and the waitress said that she was glad it didn't break my tooth. The waitress was not very attentive and only had one more table besides ours. That's a deal beaker so they don't have to worry about us ever going back there..

Here is the deal. You are going to see a lot of happy customers at this classic stake house. I have read the reviews and read the jabs on the interior design, let's rethink how we enjoy a dinning experience. First off, bread service... it happens and it's good. Grab your butter knife because you're gonna have to put butter on the bread. It's not a whipped butter. I don't just dip it in like a Texas roadhouse or Minneapolis fine dining experience. You manually put it on. The flavor is salty solid, I've had worse bread service. The service is quick, they have a wide variety of domestic options as well as some rare options to the Chippewa Valley. I can get a southern tier crème brûlée and I can't get it anywhere else in the city. Try something new and quit it with the complaints when they don't have your bud light on tap. The veggies are salted properly and the potatoes have a creamy texture The add-on for onions and garlic is worth the money even though it seems high $$. The knife they give you to cut your steak is a weighted property. I would expect to take 25% your order home in a box. This is a traditional Wisconsin steakhouse with meat, potato, and veg. They have added some flair and gave it some unique flavors on the steak. If your a backwoods traditional eater get your steak served to you with no salt potatoes and veg and add your own seasonings, your servers will do that for you. Overall this is a classic joint that has been open for many years some nights a great and some nights are ok. But when it comes to experience, culture and service. This places offers something special. Don't complain about the booth next to you having to much fun, or the kids playing in the back. This is Wisconsin culture at it's finest.

Great steak and shrimp. Tasty old fashions. Atmosphere and service good. Waitstaff was wonderful

Awesome dinner here tonight! Drinks, appetizers, and entries were all excellent, best meal we've had in a while! Loved the horseradish crusted salmon!

Myself and two others had dinner at Houligans. We didn't have reservations so there was a wait but only 20 minutes or so. Service was good and so were our meals. We're not from the area but it was apparent this is a very popular restaurant. Nice atmosphere!

Great service at this nice steakhouse nestled in downtown Eau Clair. Had the Saturday special prime rib, which was ok. The au jus could have been stronger. Next time, I'll get the ribeye instead. My son had that and he said it was good. Then again, he eats everything.

Meh. Haven't been here in close to 10 years, and halfway through the meal, I remembered why. Nothing had changed. Same menu and same decor with tired, worn carpeting. No music, tables same distance apart as pre-COVID, and intrusive conversations from all your neighbors. The food is passable/decent, but nothing special, particularly considering the price. The house salad was overdressed, the 21-day aged ribeye was thin and lacking in depth of flavor. I have had some fantastic steaks at other steakhouses around the country, and this didn't even come close. When they say they are hand cut and aged for 21 days you expect something deeply flavorful, but my ribeyes from Sams Club on the grill taste better than this. Their only NA beer is O'Douls (there are so many better options), and the lava cake desert was served with lukewarm cream laced with alcohol and covered with too many nuts. Our meal for two, without alcohol and a shared dessert was $100 before tip. You can eat like a king for that in Eau Claire and many upscale restaurants around the country. So here you pay a Cadillac price for Chevrolet cuisine. Sadly not worth it.

Traveling, traveling, Eau Claire Wisconsin. Checked Yelp for a place to eat. Nice venue, old tavern style. A bit pricey but I don't know the local economy. I had the New York strip with the sweet garlic sauce. OK sugar and garlic on steak. I get it. Didn't help much. Steak was properly prepared. Cut was a bit fatty but Katie will be pleased. Corn and mashed we're but very good. Velvet had the mushroom soup and said it was wonderful. Salad was OK. Service was excellent.

We were visiting from out of town and thought this looked liked a great place to eat. We were not disappointed , the food was great and our server Lilee was awesome!! We even took home some candied garlic sauce, as it was so tasty!! Would definitely recommend!!

I love this place! Great atmosphere and the staff is young and vibrant with fun energy and they all seem to vibe together well. My server, Maddi, is adorbs and seemed to be on top of everything's and everyone's needs. Fun to watch!! I like the menu here so much, I came back the very next day and brought someone with me who also had a positive experience. I had the appetizer version of the seafood bake. I was expecting it to be cheesier, but, no complaints, really. I tasted great! Also, it is difficult to find a place that serves a decent salad, I had the starter version of the Houligan's House salad, and the greens were fresh, dark and leafy, there was Gorgonzola crumbles (among a few other yummy toppings), and the dressing was also tasty! Between the two, plus a couple glasses of wine, my belly was full and happy. I def recommend this spot!

An Eau Claire tradition. We have enjoyed a few wonderful meals and a few sessions in the lounge with just apps. Great ambiance, friendly staff, and good food. Parking downtown can be challenging.

I love the food, and the service here! It's a warm, inviting venue, in a great down town location. I can't wait for the new parking ramp to open, so parking won't be an issue.

Wonderful selection of food and spirits. Seafood baker, steak medallions and burger was fantastic. Betty our server was amazing! Highly recommend

On the way to Minnaepolis and the group got hungry. Went to Yelp and they mentioned Houligans. Great atmosphere, food & friendly service. We will definitely stop again in the future. Try the ice cream Sunday!!!!

Best Fish fry in the area!! I know many places "claim" they have the best fish fry in the area, but this place TRULY does! Every friday me and a group of friends try to go to a different place to try a new fish fry. There are some standouts but if you are truly looking for the best, look no further. They usually offer a few different choices, Blue Gill, which is their normal fish fry (a nice change already from the same old "boring" Cod that is always offered). I also have had their fried Catfish which was also very excellent. If you like fish fry in Wisconsin, give this place a chance!

My wife and I were staying in town for the night so we decided to give this place a try. It was a Friday night so we decided to get there early just in case. Turned out we really didn't need to because it wasn't very busy. Walking into the place I have to say that I was a little skeptical. It is pretty old and a bit out dated, kinda like an old supper club. But after being there a while and looking around it did have a bit of charm to it. Our waitress showed up promptly and she was very friendly and helpful with the menu and the specials. I found that their normal fish fry to be an interesting option, bluegill with mashed sweet potatoes and steamed veggies. I found it so interesting that I decided to give ti a try. I will say, I was not at all disappointed. The fish was perfectly cooked, the mashed potatoes and the steamed veggies had great flavor! My wife just had a salad and soup, but the soup had ramps in it which gave it great flavor. Overall we were very happy with this place and would return. I can't help but thinking that if they updated it a bit they would attract more of a younger crowd but maybe that is not what they are looking for.

The seafood bake is amazing. I had that and a perfectly cooked ribeye. Way to much food but every bite was awesome. I can't remember my waitresses name. She was the bartender with blonde hair. Probably one of the best waitresses I've ever had. She treated me like she's known me her whole life. Go there. Enjoy

The inside of the restaurant looks really cool, old architecture but that's what makes this restaurant unique. I had a pasta dish which was really good but the portioning was so much that I could only eat half of it. My family had seafood and they said it was really good, they usually get it every time. The service was good and in a timely manner. Only thing I didn't like was that there is not a ton on the menu, but I would still eat here again.

We got there early so we didn't have to wait because of the comments. Got there at 5, I think there was 1 table sat on a Friday night. The serve was AMAZING!! Her name was Betty, she was FUN and just wonderful and knew how to dish it out knowing we were trouble. We started with the cheese curds, they were so good I ended up having 2 orders. The couple I was with got the beef tips, they liked the seasoning on them. Drinks of course and then the 4 of us got steaks and the guys added on a blue gill filet. My friend liked the seasoning on the steak, upgraded to Cajun. Was not told it would cost an additional $5. We all changed our potatoes to from their signature to something else 1 was baked 1 was fries, again no mention that there would be a $1 upgrade charge. Not that it's a big deal it's only a $1 but it's the point they don't say anything especially when I'm spending that money. I did mention it to the waitress she accepted the criticism with no issue. Overall this was a great find, experience and meal. Would go back again in a heartbeat if in the area.

Excellent food great atmosphere the prime rib was very good Will definitely go again next time I'm in town

Warm, cozy atmosphere like a good Irish pub. Kind and helpful staff. Don't miss out on the Brandy Alexander - a shot of brandy with a crème de cocao/ice cream mix. It's incredible! Eat it with their chocolate truffle, and you'll have a taste of paradise. (If you don't want Brandy, similar drinks include the Grasshopper, Pink Squirrel or Golden Cadillac which trade the brandy for créme de menthe, créme de almond, and Galliano respectively.) I always bring friends here just even if just for the Brandy Alexander. Update: I finally ate here. The four of us got burgers, and I was the only one unimpressed. Everyone else loved the burgers. For me, the candied garlic is alright, but I don't like such syrupy-sweet sauce on my burger. The patty was good quality - cooked medium rare and not a salty/greasy mess - in fact it was on point. But served with chips only? I paid the extra for fries. Also, burgers are the most affordable meal option by far. All others were in the "I might eat out at this price twice a year" level. So, mediocre burgers and pricey meals ($20-30), but I still love the delicious dessert drinks.

Simple, Great food, Great service. Waiter was very knowledgeable and attentive, and great recommendations. New to the area and will be visiting Houligans often.

Houligans was close to our hotel, with a good Yelp review, so we went for dinner on a Friday night. Food was very good. Service was a little slow. Interior was nicer than expected, based on the name "Houligans." We were surprised that there wasn't a typical "Friday Night Fish Fry." This restaurant should rated at $$$ or $$$$ for price. The special was $36. I had the $16 fried bluegill dinner with a $6 side salad. However, this salad was very good with multiple veggies, blue cheese crumbles and croutons. The main course and mashed potatoes were also excellent.

Wow! That is all I can say. I got the Prosciutto Crusted Filet and it was amazing. As soon as I saw prosciutto I was sold and it didn't disappoint. So glad I came here. I love a good steak and I have my favorites and places and Houligans is at the top of my list now. Right up there with what I've had in Omaha. Can't believe the price is all. They could definitely charge more than $31. So pound per pound or I should say ounce per ounce I think this might be the best I've had! Like the atmosphere, pub setting, different than what you'd get at a steakhouse and liked that aspect. Definitely go if you're in town. I know I'll be back.