Finbarr's Irish Pub (closed)

I must say, I was a bit hesitant about dining at Finbarr's Irish Pub & Kitchen as I usually don't associate pubs with delicious, high-quality food, but I am happy to report that my assumptions were proved spectacularly wrong. The service was speedy, everything arrived at the table as ordered, and the food was so tasty. My dinner companions and I - my 14-year-old brother and his friend - chose a table in Finbarr's outdoor seating area, smack in the middle of the brick-lined mall. Given that I love people watching, our spot was perfect. The interior of Finbarr's, which I checked out prior to our meal, is a chic sports bar. I can see how it attracts all different crowds - maybe not for a "ladies' night out" but great for the dudes and families. The three of us started with an appetizer of asparagus fries, falafel, and artichoke fritters served with a lemon aioli. (The healthiness of the asparagus and artichoke cancels out the calories of the "fried" aspect...right?) I give this dish a big, greasy thumbs up. The fairly standard falafel was amped up by the aioli, the asparagus was crispy perfection, and the artichoke fritters - holy cow! I could have eaten an entire plate of them by myself. The artichokes are breaded and then fried, creating a delicious blend of soft and crunchy. In a classic Sydney move, I ordered an entree I knew I wouldn't enjoy as much as the entrees of my companions. I searched the menu, filled with items like tacos and poutine and grilled meats, for something light and healthy, and finally settled on the Grilled Shrimp Salad. What was described as curry spiced shrimp turned out to be a pretty basic arugula salad with four medium-sized grilled shrimp. The only place that I tasted curry was in the ginger-lime vinaigrette. Obviously the dish was still tasty (it's hard to mess up shrimp and lettuce), but my eyes kept wandering over to the other dishes at the table. My brother had ordered what I think is the best Reuben I've ever tasted. Served on Jewish-style rye with melted gruyere and swiss, and topped with thousand island dressing (hold the sauerkraut), this Reuben was warm, tangy, and dripping with deliciousness. It's a great size - neither overwhelmingly large nor unsatisfyingly small - and comes with a side of your choice. My brother's friend ordered the fish and chips, a pub staple. The beer-battered cod bites were served with fries in a paper bag and accompanied by a side of curry dipping sauce. The fries received an A+ from the table, and the fish bites were crispy and super flavorful when dipped in ketchup. The curry sauce, though, might have been better used to marinate my grilled shrimp. Our full bellies kept us from ordering dessert, but I was really tempted by the warm brownie sundae and Guinness pot of chocolate. Just an excuse to return, I suppose! Finbarr's, opened in the December of 2011 by Denis and Kelly O'Donovan, is a fantastic addition to Aspen's extensive list of eateries. In the little chat I had with Denis, he said of his wife, "She's an amazing woman...she put so much of the concept together." With this strong and compatible team running the show, I'm not surprised Finbarr's Irish Pub & Kitchen has proven to be a success. Read more reviews by Sydney

I have just finished a delightful evening of fine food and amazing service at Finbarrs. After a hard day on the Mountain I was looking for a relaxed yet cost warm environment and that's exactly what i found. I'm not a local, but have been coming to Aspen for Close on ten years, and I can honestly say that Finbarrs is the best place I've eaten at and sat at with friends for a relaxing drink. Thanks for a great experience and I will be back very shortly. P.S the Mortimer Burger was the best burger I've ever eaten.

Great overall experience, friendly staff, awesome atmosphere and crowd. Like a real Irish pub! Food was great too, the ravioli special was particularly good.

On my first day in Aspen I asked several locals where the real party was. They all mentioned Finbarr's so I took my friends there after dinner the first night. I ended up there every subsequent night for the rest of my trip, as I found it to have the best atmosphere, crowd, and service in town. Didn't eat there but others raved about the food. Tim at the door was great, and when I left my phone at the bar (I blame the shots and the altitude), Chris went out of his way to figure out whose phone it was, then Fedexed it to me with roughly a 1.5 day turnaround. Maybe it's because I'm from Queens, but that's unheard of! Something else to mention is that there were several attractive single ladies here, which I found to be a rarity in Aspen. Can't wait to go back to Finbarr's and can't recommend it enough.

Great atmosphere with lively bar on one side and a refined dining space on the other. Celebrating a friends birthday, we were a large table full of a lot of local character. The host & service staff were very accommodating in keeping us comfortable while we waited for the table to be sorted, in addition to rolling with the consistently growing party contingent. The menu had plenty of options for everyone from carnivores to vegetarians alike. Since we were one big happy family we were able to sample an assortment of goodies from the kitchen. My personal favorite appetizer was the Guinness & Cheddar fondue w/ a warm soft pretzel. Awesome veggie melt, a really good burger, & a very tasty fish & chips. The calamari was good but would have preferred a more traditional dipping sauce. All in all they offer simply prepared pub food done well & the bar is a great local scene for any Aspen visitor to stumble into. The price of menu items was fair by Aspen standards & out of all of the other new Aspen restaurants Finbbarr's offers a larger menu that you're sure to find something to your liking.

The place looks fantastic - very specious, well-designed, casual and sophisticated at the same time. Unfortunately I cannot compliment the food as much - it is pretty mediocre. The chicken schnitzel was very greasy, the liver pate tasted weird and even the burger is not very good. I would be back for sure because I love the atmosphere and especially the bar area but definitely won't order from the dinner menu. The service is ok - they do not take reservations. The place is very busy and sometimes you need to wait for a table at least half an hour. The waitress overcharged us for a bottle of wine but we paid attention and she fixed our bill.

Terrible dining experience! There was a short wait for a table, we got Guinesses at the bar, then the hostess seated us. Our waitress came over to see if we needed drinks (which we obviously did not since our full drinks were sitting in front of us), and then disappeared for 25 minutes. I had to get up to find her and tell her we'd like to order some food, and she apologized for "forgetting about us". We ordered French onion soups, the fish & chips, & the burger. The soup was good. However, when the entrees came out, the burger was completely raw. I like my burgers medium rare, but this was cold, uncooked ground beef on the inside. When I told the waitress I was grossed out, she offered to have the chefs put the burger back on the grill, but I told her I had lost my appetite no longer wanted it at all. Instead of taking it away, she left it on the table! I finished out my "meal" (which consisted of eating my friend's chips from her fish & chips) looking at the raw meat sitting on my plate. She took the burger off our bill, but I will not be going back. I would recommend this place for sitting at the bar and drinking beer & getting appetizers. The fries were good, but the fish from the fish & chips was unimpressive (small "nuggets" of fish) not the big, flaky filets of fish you get in Ireland). I would not recommend this place for a sit-down dinner to anyone.

Worst service I have ever received. They did not have a hostess, so we sat ourselves. We waited 15 minutes before being helped. I asked the server what they had on tap and he couldn't name off the 8 taps they have. He handed us a menu and ran off. We sat for another 30 minutes, waiting for him to come back and take our order. The server never returned, so we left. I will never go back and will never recommend this place to anyone.

Boy did Aspen need this place!! Food, service, atmosphere and fun factor all top notch!! The bartenders were super friendly and their was NO waiting for a drink! The food was interesting and Yummy! The owner Denis, was approachable, informative and really friendly as well. This is going to be the place to go this winter for sure...