The Auld Dubliner Irish Pub

Got lucky and stumpled into this place. 70 kind brews and a very diverse menu for a pretty authentic, strip mall, Irish joint. They even have an albino bee! No joke. Great food and a great staff. I look forward to next years IndyCar race and another chance to visit The Auld Dubliner.

I miss the pub.
–Art

I was at Bolingbrook Promenade over the Labor Day weekend and noticed the place is closed, with a «For Lease» sign in front of the door.

Being a big fan of Bar food I had to go try this place. Especially when I heard they brought the bar over from Ireland… Seriously how great is that a real irish bar right in Bolingbrook. When I entered my first impression was the atmosphere was great. The environment was just as an irish bar should be, very inviting. After we were seated I ordered a Guinness. My beer was poured perfectly with just the right amount of head (see boys it is possible)… We decided to order the buffalo potatoes as an appetizer. What I got was far from what I expected. I was expecting them to be crunchy and have way more blue cheese. What I got was undercooked Potatoes that were rolled in buffalo sauce… They were just gross. For dinner I had the pub burger. I must admit my burger was ok but nothing really to write about. My boyfriend had the boxte and it had like two pieces of meat in it and the rest was potatoes… Seriously can they spare the meat. For dessert we had the deep fried cheesecake. I was really hoping to have a piece of the key lime pie but they ran out. THe cheesecake was ok but once again not all that great. All in all I think the prices here are high for what you get and the food is just ok. So many better irish bars in the area I don’t think I will be in any rush to go back here unless maybe just for a drink.

Nicest wait staff I’ve seen on a long time. The food is wonderful. We don’t eat out much, but this place is a definite favorite.

Being a Guinness connoisseur, I want to love every place that serves it. I cannot say that about Auld Dubliner. I guess I had higher expectations for this place. It did not seem as dark as some people have mentioned, but of course that was because it was the middle of the afternoon. I did have a problem with the tables. Why are the chairs high, while the table is short? There is absolutely zero leg room.
The food itself was bland. I know the Irish are not known for the most flavorful of food, but c’mon. I love shepherd’s pie and had tasted a variety of them ranging from good to horrendous. Their shepherd’s pie was completely lacking in any taste. In fact, it was recommended by the waitress to add HP Sauce to give it a kick.
Let me backtrack, for starters we had crab cakes. Interesting, they had chunks of yellow pepper mixed into them. It was good, tasty but not worth the tag of $ 12.95. That’s for two tiny crab cakes. I tried the potato leek soup too. Once again, just average in taste. I actually had to add salt and pepper to take away from the bland flavoring. Plus it was on the barely warm side for temperature.
I would go back for a couple Guinness (which were actually poured perfectly), but the food is overrated and overpriced for just an average rating.

The food was pretty good but we felt it was all a bit overpriced. the corned beef and cabbage is my pub litmus test. It was quite good, especially the quartered heads of cabbage. I liked that. Way better than a few wilty leaves at some other places. Atmosphere was great, but I’ll agree with Natalie F. (who’s Unilocal I read on my blackberry while sitting down at our table!) and echo that the tables were much too short for me to be comfortable and cross my legs. Is that a dealbreaker though… no way. I’ll probably go back and try it again another time in the future, but until then, I feel there are other Irish pubs that do it a little better.

For the fakey Irish genre, this place isn’t too bad. The décor was more reminiscent of a dublin pub than many of the one’s in the area… not overdone, but still somewhat of an authentic feel to it. Thy did, at one time, I was told, have snugs which were subsequently removed. Why? Dunno.
The corned beef was good, the Guinness was fine. Not a bad choice.

STRIKE ONE:
I kind of got excited when I read the menu, although the lack of lights meant I had to stand by the damn toilet door to read the menu, I sarcasticly asked the waitress for a flashlight!
STRIKE TWO:
We wanted sausage rolls for starters, the waitress nonchantly replied, the cook burnt them this morning so we didn’t want to serve them, this was 7PM for Christs sake!
The Bangers and Champ was disgusting, dry and bland. Being born in Ireland and raised in England, I can tell you no self repsecting person from the British Isles would eat this crap, it’s never topped with gravy or offered with foofy vegetables.
My wifes burger was nothing more than a crusty «quarter pounder. «
STRIKE THREE: Bad food at an expensive price. $ 12.00 for a burger that tasted worse than something at McD’s or BK. Three strikes, I guess you know what that means!
EDITED TO ADD: No surprises that they went out of business!!!

After a number of meals at various disappointing Irish pubs around the Chicago area recently, I was beginning to feel like I’d never find my elusive leprechaun’s pot o’ gold at the end of the foodie rainbow. But then my family and I stopped into the Auld Dubliner last night!
I am sometimes leery of restaurants tacked onto malls, since I feel like they don’t have to try too hard to get business (it’s built in!) and thus… they just don’t try too hard. Not so at the Auld Dubliner. The food was probably the best Irish food I have eaten anywhere.
I started with potato-​leek soup and ordered the whiskey chicken boxty (a «potato pancake» — really more like a large, thin, hearty crêpe; my mental image of potato pancakes are latkes — wrapped around a chicken breast, mushrooms and a delectable whiskey cream sauce with thyme). There was easily enough here to serve two people, but of course I had also partaken of the potato-​leek soup first — very leeky, and served HOT HOT HOT (which if you’ve read my reviews before, you know I dislike nothing so much as a tepid bowl of soup!) The soup could have stood a bit more salt, though, and I also added pepper tableside as well.
My dad had the fish and chips (black ‘n’ tan battered); he was pleased with the portion size of two pieces, saying that sometimes restaurants give you too much. I had a bite, which was perfectly crisp and not at all soggy.
My mother ordered the soup and half sandwich: corned beef (which she said several times was really good) and the soup of the day, mushroom bisque (she gave me a taste, and I christened it «Wood Nymph’s Delight»: a beguiling blend of our fungal friends from the forest floor rendered into an earthy and creamy mélange.)
There is a fairly extensive list of Scotches and Irish Whiskeys, as well as the usual Harp, Guinness, Newcastle, Smithwicks, etc. as far as UK beer.
Ambiance was all warm dark wood (the bar is beautiful), and very minimal lighting; in fact, with the menus printed on a dark background paper, it was difficult to read them! A wee bit more light would have been much appreciated.
We sat in one of the big private booths in the back corner, which was cozy with big cushy bench seats, but the table wasn’t really wide enough to reach both sides, so when the food came we all had to hunch forward to eat.
Service was moving at a leisurely pace, though there was nearly no one in the place when we first arrived and there were two servers on our side of the dining room. Thankfully, we weren’t in a rush! The waitress did bring the bill really fast at the end, though!
Since it’s in Bolingbrook, the Auld Dubliner makes a nice meeting point if you have people coming from the south and north. And of course it’s by the MALL, so you can get your shop on and then dine out!
I would definitely return to the Auld Dubliner. As far as suburban Irish pubs, this is my pot o’ gold!

I have been to the Auld Dubliner a handful of times, and my last visit was so pleasant that I had to post a Unilocal review. The restaurant recently improved their menu and beer selection. Prior to this summer, I though of the Auld Dubliner as a typical Irish bar that didn’t stand out in my mind. Now they have an expanded beer list with rotating craft brews (I would estimate over 50 different beers). They also have added to their menu beyond typical Irish-​American food. I will be going back soon!

Nice décor in this pub. Dark woods and great bar set up. The table we sat at was a bit too low to me. There was no way I could even try to cross my legs which made me not 100% comfy. I can’t sit on the high stools they have because they have no back support. Our waitress was nice but rather new. She could not answer some of our simple questions.
I was here one other time with a best friend and liked the food that day. This time my boyfriend and I went because I had a buy one meal get one free coupon. You can’t beat that!
is a great site for people watching their money.
It was a Sunday afternoon and they had $ 1.00 PBR’s and $ 4.00 Bloody Mary’s. The Bears FINALLY won a game so it was a good day!
I ordered the half sandwich (turkey) and potato leak soup combo. I have had better for the soup. Way too many onions and a bit bland. Turkey is turkey so I can’t say OMG great sandwich! LOL.
My boyfriend ordered the Corned Beef Boxty and liked it. It was a pretty good size so it is filling. They even had live music which was nice for an Irish pub. This was late lunch time so you usually don’t walk into a bar and get music. It was pretty empty too so I am going to hope and assume they pull in more business at night. It’s not a very big bar either which is not always a bad thing.
I would go back again to try another item and see what the night crew looks like.
CHEERS!

We wanted beer. I thought… «How about an Irish place?» We haven’t been there yet. It sounded like fun.
I wanted to buy a gift cert. from
for there, but I’m glad I didn’t. The $ 10 GC they offered can only be used during lunch. That’s sad, and too bad for them. Most people work during the day. HELLO. Duh.
We stopped in here around 6 – 6:30. Place was 95% empty except for some tables outside. Place says «seat yourself.» So we do, outside. Proceed to wait 5 minutes. NOTHING. Waiter walks to first table, asks question, walks back inside… I’m thinking «They saw us, right???» NOPE. More being ignored. So, I walk inside. Walk up to bartender and ask, «Is it okay if we seat ourselves outside?» He says, «Sure, someone will be out there.» Okay… Start walking back outside and grab my own f-​in menus on the way out. Sit for another 5 minutes. Nothing. Another couple walks up, sits down, and a waitress gets to them immediately.
We look at each other, shake our heads, and get up and walk out. Past two clueless girl servers, who still don’t notice us. Worst service ever.
We drove around the corner to Gordon Biersch, where it was packed and we were attended to immediately. Too bad. The Auld Dubliner isn’t going to make it with the service (or lack thereof that they provide). No wonder they’re trying to get business on
. Cuz they suck??? EEk! Methinks not to ever go there again.
We ordered beer and food elsewhere. With better luck. Now I know not to go somewhere when it’s dead inside.

This is the actual address for Auld Dubliner. If you LOVE Irish food, this is the place to go. I mean the décor, music, even the wait staff couldn’t get anymore Irish than this. That day between four of us we got the Black & Tan beered battered fish and chips; the Ploughman’s Sandwich which had grilled eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onions; and the Irish Beef Stew (self explanatory). All deliciously served. If you need an Irish fix and are by the Promenade this is the place to go.

Hey, why are there 2 Auld Dubliners listed on Unilocal?Irish déjà vu?
Anyway, it’s a very nice pub. The décor is really beautiful… maybe too beautiful for a «pub», ya know. It’s sort of like a faux pub in a suburban mall.
The Irish stew (Kim39) and fish ‘n chips were good. My Irish heritage allows me to observe that Irish food just isn’t that, um, tasty. It was OK though. They have a nice beer selection too.
I think these guys are relatively new, and if I had to bet, I would guess that this place will get better with age. For now, 3 stars and worth the trip.
Erin go bragh… or something.

The Auld Dubliner is my new favorite restaurant. I go with my parents all the time. I have never been to Ireland, but they have, and always comment on how it is about as close to a real Irish pub as you can get. I’ve been to quite a few other Irish pubs in the Chicago area, and the Auld Dubliner has, by far, the best food I’ve had. The fish and chips are outstanding. They use a Black & Tan beer batter that is awesome. The couple of Boxty dishes I have had were really tasty too.
I’ve noticed that it is dark in there occasionally, but that is usually later on at night after dinner when I stop in to have a few pints with friends (Speaking of which, they are open until 2 am every night! How great is that!). I’ve always received excellent service as well. The servers and bartenders have always been really friendly and willing to go the extra mile.
There’s also a lot of entertainment there at night. They have live bands and live traditional Irish music as well as other things going on different nights.

Great place to satisfy my fish and chips craving! Husband and I stopped in just for beers but decided to order dinner after seeing a women at a nearby table enjoying the aforementioned fish and chips. We’re glad we did! Fish consisted of 2 generous pieces covered in a wonderfully crispy, tasy batter. While fries were too skinny to be considered authentic «chips», they were passable doused in liberal amounts of malt vinegar. Husand ordered the shepherds pie — which was also a very good rendition of an English/​Irish classic. The meat mixture was beef/​lamb and included both peas and carrots. The mash topping covered the entire casserole dish and was excellent alone or combined with the meat filling. It was accompanied by mixed vegetables (carrots, squash, broccoli) that were cooked nicely and well seasoned, just past the crisp stage.
We ate in the bar area which featured seemingly authentic Irish décor. The dining area looked inviting too, especially the booths large enough for 6. I noticed 2 dartboards in the back room (the real kind that you have to score yourself) so would like to come back to try them out.
Great place to go whether you plan on shopping at the Promenade or not.

Where do I start? I’ve wanted to try this place at the BB Pomenade and when I got a bunch of coupons in the local clipper coupon paper I though «whoo whoo!» But not quite a whoo whoo experience. When we sat down and were given our menus– it was so dark inside there was NO way to read the menus! We were trying to read the menus holding our cell phone light up to it but it didn’t work so much! Servers were passing us by and didn’t offer any solutions. I finally flagged someone down and asked if the sconce that is hanging on the wall next to us could be turned on because there was no way to read the menus! He came back and said it was busted that they’re going to turn up the other lights. Well that was a tiny bit better. We ordered the Potato and Leek soup which came to us luke warm at best! It had absolutely NO flavor to it! There wasn’t enough salt and pepper to make this taste good! We told the waitress and she took that off. Next I ordered the Beef Stew Boxty, which is a traditional Irish dish consisting of a potato pancake wrapped around a meat type filling. That was ok, noting exciting, again kinda bland. Our waitress was kinda clueless and unfriendly. She dropped a ramkin of dressing and ketchup behind me and it splattered all behind me, none got on me but it was uncomfortable while she cleaned up all around me. We gave the other coupon to the next table as we won’t be coming back here. Too bad, looked like it could be a fun and different environment. Oh well!

This Restaurant/​Pub is Brand new in town, Located at the Promenade mall in Bolingbrook, IL. This place has very excellent food and especially the Drinks. If you like Irish Beer, this is the place to be. They have all types of beers and alot of Jameson bottles there (IRISH CAR BOMB ANYONE). The service at this location a A++, Very Nice People. The Atmosphere is a A++ as while. Best time to go there is a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, They have live bands on those days and include live irish soccer games. So stop by and check out this place.

This authentic Irish Pub has it all and does an outstanding job covering all four points: food, service, entertainment and atmosphere. Opened in November, 2007 this is the small chain’s first property in Illinois. I usually feel chains are never as good as a local Irish pub but The Auld Dubliner proved me wrong on every point. The chain is Zagat rated and and it really shows. The food and service are are far better than any of the other Irish pubs in Naperville or Downers Grove that we have visited.
We had the Irish Stew and the Bangers and Champ and both were there best we have had this side of the UK. Not only was the food great, the presentation of the dishes with garnishes was outstanding. The Irish Stew tasted like it had been slow cooked all day with tender beef that was a joy to eat. The Bangers and Champ was served with Coleman’s mustard (just as in the UK) and was also outstanding. Service was by a professional waitress (not a local college kid) who knew all the food dishes and specialty drinks as well as the history of the establishment. Sadly, this is not the case in the other Irish pubs I have been to in Downers Grove where the local kid is merely an order taker.
Traditional Irish ales and American drinks are all available and fairly priced. A good time to visit is on Mondays when pints are only $ 4 and you keep the specialty pint glass! For a real treat, try the Nutty Irishman, its a wonderful after dinner drink that is like liquid desert.
Weekends features a band with no cover charge. This authentic Irish Pub is a hidden treasure in the center of the new Bolingbrook Promenade. Check it out!