Houlihan’s

Stopped in for Happy Hour. Beautiful restaurant and bar, I don’t think I have been to a Houlihan’s in 20 years. While there are loads of $ 3.95 happy hour eats, and $ 2.50 beer taps, I would not say wine is a way to go. My Kim Crawford Sav was discounted $ 1 to $ 14.00. It’s a great grape but certainly not a great HH value. Round two was a $ 2.50 Heavy Seas draught.
My pulled pork topped with fried pickles was a rockin’ sandwich and heavily partnered with thick cut fries. While not my favorite fry cut, the fries were fresh and perfectly cooked. Service was adequate though did not match my memories from Houlihan’s from days ago. The service used to be known as «over the top!» Not my impression here.

Added a $ 6 tip to a $ 46 bill and asked the waitress to charge my credit card. She obviously disagreed, because a credit card statement revealed $ 9 charged in tips. Went to talk to a manager hoping to get reimbursed for the entire bill. Received a formal apology and a promise to get the wrongfully charged $ 3 credited to my card. Same situation (albeit smaller bill+smaller tip) happened to me couple years ago at Genghis Grill next door. A GG manager offered a formal apology and the reimbursement of the entire bill. Lots of fun. Coming back to Houlihan’s very soon!

I come here pretty often, I’d say once a month, since this location opened. The bar area is where I was sitting. Our server was the worst I’ve ever encountered. She didn’t tell us her name, tried to deny serving me at the bar because of a driving restriction on my license, and had a sour attitude. The manager had to come to our table and allowed me to be served. After the manager came over, the server said «I’m serving you only because my manager said it was ok. I could lose my job and get fined 10,000 dollars, and go to jail if you were to get into an accident after leaving here.» Number one, this was unnecessary, and number two, how rude and unprofessional! Dinner was good, but we left shortly after. I will be returning but will stick to the bar only to get food.

Great happy hour after a long day!!! The wine flights. The bartender Demetrious (I think that’s his name) was knowledgeable about the wines, and courteous. Will be making this my new after work spot.

I’ve never been overly impressed with the offerings of the Houlihan’s dining chain, but on a recent visit to the Annapolis area, my friend wanted to meet at the Gambrills location so I obliged. Houlihan’s is located at the end of one of the main drives in the Waugh Chapel Towne Center, right across from the mutliplex movie theater, so I imagine that parking can be a challenge at times. Luckily, we were meeting for a late dinner on a weeknight so it wasn’t too much of a problem.
I got there earlier and peeked around to see if she had beat me there, but she had not. So I waited in their entry area. Yes, is was late, but it was a bit odd that no one bothered to greet me for at least ten minutes. Had I not been waiting for my friend, I probably would have walked out.
When she arrived, we were seated right away. I wasn’t that hungry so I went with a starter salad — the Tuscan White Bean Salad and a bowl of French Onion soup. My friend ordered a salad and we split a bottle of wine.
The white bean salad was very nice. It was petite serving of delicate white beans with tomatoes and goat cheese, sprinkled with a light balsamic and presented on a toast. It was very nice and exactly what I was looking for — nothing too heavy or overwhelming. I would definitely order this again. Keep in mind –this is a starter salad so the serving is pretty small.
The French Onion soup was just okay. I usually like my broth to be packed with onions, and this was on the light side. The broth itself was piping hot, salty and flavorful — I just wish there was more onion. The bread and cheese was good as well.
My friend seemed to enjoy her salad and the service was friendly and efficient. With all the choices in the area, going back to Houlihan’s probably wouldn’t be my first choice. But if going there with a group, I’m sure I’d be able to find something to like.
Enjoy!

First time visit. Friendly staff, quick seating, variety of new flavors on the menu. Had chicken tacos — absolutely wonderful.

Great food, reasonable prices, and staff is always friendly. The Thai chili wings and donuts are amazing

Stopped in after a movie for a drink. Two hours later it was three drinks and two appetizers. Atmosphere was great. Food was great. Beer was great. And, the bartender was nice, friendly and seemed to know most of the people at the bar.

First time here. Food was okay. I had the white bean salad to start, it was not good. You can tell it was sitting for a while and not fresh. Next, I had the small scallop risotto, it was really good. But, the rice was more like regular rice than risotto, but it was flavorful. Keep in mind a small is a tapas size portion. I tasted my boyfriend’s asparagus, and they were awesome, so I ordered my own. The wood grill flavor made these asparagus a must have. My boyfriend loved his 9oz steak, side of grilled shrimp, and mash potatoes. We both shared the apple pie with vanilla ice cream, hold the caramel. It was good, the pie has lots of cinnamon in it, a hearty crust and good size apples. The drinks were good, and not too expensive. I will definitely be back, there is so much left on the menu to try.

The food is tasty. Went on a Friday night during happy hour and the service was a bit slow. It’s nice to go to a place when you have bartenders that interact.

The food is delicious! That is about all I can say about this place. The service has never been great. I have had to send my order back almost every time because they mess it up or they forget to give me something. I should just start ordering take out from there. I dread sitting down knowing it’s going to take forever to receive food that is not going to be what I ordered.

I had forgotten why I hadn’t been to this place in over a year, until I had dinner here on a whim recently.
The waitress was great… Jennifer, I think. Jennifer received a large tip because she was a great server. Thanks again, Jennifer!
Two stars for a clean restaurant and restroom.
Now, for the food. The potato soup was beautifully presented, but bland, and potato chunks were undercooked. The meatloaf was prefabricated, bland, and rubbery. Didn’t complain about the soup, just set it aside to take home. Explained the situation with the meatloaf. Was credited for that. The waitress informed the manager, but he/​she never came by my table. Zero stars for the lack of concern from management.
Probably won’t return, at least not for a long time, and I won’t recommend this restaurant, because the food I had here was simply not good enough to garner a return visit.

Fries were good. Hubby’s chicken sandwich was good. I ordered an angus burger medium and it is rare maybe medium rare. I didn’t complain but someone needs to learn burger temps in the kitchen. Our drinks were never empty and server was nice. A tad expensive for a TgiFriday experience.

In the sea of American chain restaurants, like Ruby Tuesday, Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, etc., it is refreshing to find a nice and upscale place like Houlihans.
My wife and I go to Houlihan’s about once a month. We have always had a great time there, and I want to share a typical Houlihan’s experience:
Upon walking in, it is obvious that this is a real step up from those previously mentioned chain restaurants. The décor is comfortable and inviting. Each table has its own little overhead spotlight. The entire dining room is modern and sophisticated, as an American restaurant should be.
The staff is professional and they seem to know their stuff. The hostess seats us right away, and it’s only about 60 seconds before a waiter or waitress is comes to take our drink and appetizer order.
We always get the spicy avocado chicken eggrolls as an appetizer to share. I don’t know what it is about them and I don’t know exactly what they put in them, but they are amazing. I could eat them all day long. Perfect amount of kick, perfect amount of chopped chicken and spices, perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. So freaking good.
For our entrées, we usually get the same things. We are creatures of habit. We find something we like and we get it all the time. Drink, eat, repeat.
I usually get the burger or the chicken sandwich. I know, I know it’s a pretty basic order for the restaurant that has everything, but their burger and sandwiches are pretty awesome. The french fries are kind of just average, so I usually substitute their delicious mashed potatoes instead of french fries.
Wife usually gets the fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken. It comes with a freshly baked buttery roll, and it is awesome.
In the past, we have had good experiences with other menu items. I have tried the power greens salad with grilled chicken and slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing, and it is a meal in itself.
The only reason I am giving this four stars instead of five, is for their scallop entrée. I tried this one time, and not only was it bland and almost completely tasteless, but they only gave me like three scallops. I am a seafood nutcase. I eat seafood all the time. As much as possible. I have to say that their scallops are not something I would recommend. Just tasteless.
That’s about my only criticism. The staff is attentive, 99% of the menu is really delicious, and the prices are reasonable. It’s a lot less expensive than you think it would be when you walk in the door and see how nice the dining room is.
Houlihan’s is upscale dining and drinks for the «little guy». I love it. Definitely a fan!

Dude. This place is whack as shit. Here we go:
Bro spills salsa all over me. Wtf. Way to get body slammed
Another bro takes 30 minutes to bring me a drink. I’m thirsty dude
Chicken tenders be like the Sahara, dryer like maytag
Then they forget to take it off the check.
I’m avoiding this place like an old ex gf cuz it’s awkward and I don’t want to deal with it. Never again

Bad 1^st experience. We were mere minutes after the first three people in our party arrived. They were sat down by the hostess and told two more guys (me and one other guy) would be arriving shortly and ask for the WACA (our organization) table. We did just that — asked the same hostess (I checked later) and she said she hadn’t seen anyone for that group. We waited 20 minutes at the front before texting our three other board members of WACA and realized they thought we were late and had been waiting for us.
Service was okay — only complaint is we were talking and our President of the Board was talking the most. The waitress kept asking if she could take her plate. NO — just wait!
My french dip was sorta of warm but both it and the fries were not very flavorless. The salad before the meal was very good though!
Lighting and décor are nice as well as the bathroom was clean. It was one of hottest days of the year but very, very cold inside! It was TOO cold. All of us commented how cold it was. It was uncomfortably cold.
I will go back and give them a 2^nd chance. I do appreciate the coupons and specials!

The only thing worth getting are the Thai chili wings. The wings are reeeeally good. It’s the only reason I gave this restaurant 3 stars, otherwise I would have given it 2. The service and décor are good but the food is lacking. I had the French dip… Pretty flavorless.

This was my first time at this particular Houlihan’s and I have to say it was a great experience. The fiancé and I went on a Saturday night and I expected a big crowd and a long wait.
It was crowded but we only waited about ten minutes. We gazed over the menu because we both were super hungry and wanted to order one of everything… lol
We decided on an app to share. I got fish and chips and he got a pasta dish. We both were satisfied with out decisions. I also ordered a drink or three… no judging… lol
They were actually called mini drinks and were 3 for $ 10, which was super reasonably.
All in all, great experience!

Well, as promised, I’m revising my review, just not in the direction I had hoped. While the drinks and dishes are still appealing, the service is less than adequate. We are usually greeted at the front door by a hostess, but don’t let this fool you, it’s not an indication of service to come. Plus, last time, no greeter.
Our server was unapproachable at best, and borderline rude at worst. While she didn’t visibly sigh or groan, refills were clearly a hassle for her, and she was very hard to find for most of the evening. I would be okay with that if it were super busy, but the place wasn’t even 25% full.
I’ve noticed a distinct lack of enthusiasm there lately. I blame the management, honestly. Either they have some policy of making their servers appear as disinterested and distant at possible (a la Gap), or they are just mean and abusive to the point where it carries over into the customer’s experience.
Seasonal dishes are usually very good. Got the bier cheese pasta with pot roast two times ago and loved it. Got enchiladas verde (chicken & potatoes inside) last time, and it was borderline warm, not hot. Cooled very quickly, too, so the cheese sauce on top, which was already congealing, solidified much faster than it should have. Flavors were still spot on, though, and their flatbreads are totally worth it. Drinks, too.
They are close to losing my interest, though. I’m getting fed up with being treated like I’m just work to the servers. I’m not a pesky or demanding customer, I don’t ask for special orders, I’m polite and kind to the staff, so the attitude needs to stop.
One more chance, Houlihan’s…

Our server was great. I was in the neighborhood, so my daughter and I stopped her because she lives their fish tacos. They did not disappoint her. She thought they were just as delicious as when she ordered them the first time.
I got a burger with mashed potatoes. The burger was pretty good. The potatoes were delish.
I also got a chocolate martini that was pretty good.