The Tinker’s Son

Really fantastic. I didn’t expect much walking in. The outside is unrecognizable. The inside is no fuss, no frills — typically Irish pub. The food and drink is SUPERB. Genuinely DELICIOUS short ribs. Guinness on tap. Even the salads have different flavors and textures — attention to detail. Yum

This is a GREAT Irish bar. It’s cool and dark. The beer selection is really good. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a place where you are instantly comfortable. The food is really good too. I can’t wait to go back!!!

Excellent food but drinks are way overpriced. Nice atmosphere, pleasant servers and occasionally good entertainment. When I say occasionally I am being generous as I have also seen some terrible bands here.

I want to return for the live music. Did I see The Smoking Jackets on the roster? Dope.
Tinker’s Son has all the makings of a great Irish pub. History, ambiance, an active fireplace, colcannon on the menu… I just want to hunker down over a proper pull of Guinness, and pretend technology doesn’t exist.
The menu’s stalwarts pulled me in, and ultimately, I decided on the ale battered fish and chips, with a side of curry. Great flake on the clean tasting filet, but the batter was too thick and a bit gummy where it met the flesh. Okay chips, and I’m a fan of the curry peppered with carrots which sweetened the spicy pot.
I’d lean more towards a 4 star rating, if it weren’t for her extremely overcooked burger. Will definitely make another visit to explore more of the menu (Irish nachos, anyone?), and tear up the dance floor. Expectations, set.

Met friends there for Sunday Brunch.
Its a cozy little Irish pub great for meeting old friends or making new ones. The staff was more than friendly and did a good job keeping there customers happy by always checking on there tables. The food was more than delicious with the portions being huge. With live Irish acoustic music it was the perfect place to start our Sunday.
The only thing is that I wouldn’t recommend bringing kids, other wise we’ll definitely be back.

Sunday brunch buffet is excellent! Lots to choose from. Live Irish music and fun atmosphere. The service was great even though it was really crowded.
The blood Mary bar looked awesome, although I didn’t try it myself, it looked very popular. I’ll be trying it out next time :-)

Well, it depends on what one is looking for. I am going to award the rare 5 Star on one visit.
I was vaguely aware of having read Unilocal that suggested the place was slipping so did not make it a destination. We were going to the Company theater this day though, and a couple of people I know both like the place (as in Mick the bartender from Wicked Good at TR), so I decided to try it.
POTATO SALAD: 5 STARS
Some sort of creamy mayonnaise sauce with mustard in it. Thinly sliced red onions. Red I would not change one thing about it.
CAJUN BURGER: 5 STARS
I don’t think the menu said anything about it being Angus beef or anything, but I think it was excellent, distinctly above average, and I think it was only ten bucks.
DRAFT SELECTION: 4.25 STARS
Smitick’s, Murphy’s Stout, and more.
AMBIENCE: 4.5 STARS
Strapping young lasses waitresses. A couple of dudes playing Irish tunes in the background, guitar and flutes. Families coming in bringing their kids and being able to quaff a few beverages in a comfortable environment. Good sized facility.
So now it IS a destination place, and as I prepared to write this review I saw the pics of the chicken marsala like dish, that is next on my list, oh yes.

I met a date here on a Tuesday. I hadn’t been here since it was a blues bar owned by a local guitarist. They have Wachusett on tap and fresh blueberries which is a plus.
The Irish Potato Nachos came highly recommended and they did not disappoint. They are a bit greasy, but if you’re not watching your figure then you have my permission to engorge yourself. Otherwise, lay off the nachos, fatty!
One of the nightly specials was a baby spinach salad with cheese, almonds, cranberries, blueberries and strawberries. It was very good! I’m glad I got a healthy entrée after those nachos.
The bartender was a presence and kept our drinks full.

I visited the Tink 4 days ago and got the bakedMac and cheese with bacon and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I ate about two thirds and went to bed that night so excited to eat my leftovers the following day for lunch. I forgot my leftovers and was devastated.
Others at my table ordered and let me try their short rib mac and cheese (dreamy), shepherds pie (biblical), fish and chips (tastey). They had a good amount of beer options and priced about right.
Food is wicked good but everything on the menu could probably be 2 – 4 dollars cheaper. Their lunch menu seems to offer a little more value, but I’ve never been (yet).
Anyways check out the Tink, I’m trying to make «the Tink» a thing

I’m having to downgrade my review, yet again. What is going on there? If its new staff or management, get it fixed. My last visit was marred by poor service and old fish in my fish and chips. Many places serve fish and chips and don’t use high quality haddock or cod, the theory seems to be, its deep fried and covered in batter so who cares? Well, we all should care. My last portion was poor, the batter thin and tasteless and the fish too much on the grey side, not the nice flaky white fish served in the baked haddock fish meal. Our server, i think her name was Katherine was one of those who thinks everything she says is funny, and its her night out so don’t ruin it by asking for bread after sitting there for 30 mins. I’m all for friendly staff, but don’t invite yourself to our night out and then be condescending and roll your eyes because you forgot to bring silverware to all of our party. If i wanted that attitude i’d go to Dick’s Last Resort, then again i’d never go there to start with, who wants that on a night out?
Also, the live music started too early, we were finishing dinner around 8.15 when the singing started and couldn’t have a conversation after that, i’m happy they have live music and i’m all for supporting the local talent, but hold it off till 9 at least.
A real shame as i raved about this place when it first opened and they had the best fish and chips i’ve had in the USA, now, i’m looking for a new plaice!

Absolutely the BEST Shepherds Pie anywhere! My family has to come when they are in from out of state. The atmosphere is friendly, the music so good each time I’ve been there.
Friendly waitstaff, prompt and courteous. Irish Nachos are a great appetizer, and the Fish and Chips and Guiness Braised Short Ribs just melt in your mouth!
Not to be missed!

I will be back!!!
Very ‘pub’ atmosphere (dark wood) but also plenty of space. There are some areas separated from the live music, which is great. And the live music was good on the night we went.
Our server was prompt and very helpful
We had ‘Irish nachos’ and I loved them! (replace tortilla chip w homemade thick cut potato chips and use bbq corned beef)
Also Irish sausages baked in biscuit dough.
Fried fish was done at the right temp so not greasy and tasty
Also had pork loin (a special) w cannellini.
I asked for the pork ‘medium’ and they delivered! That takes skill and bravery. Also the cannellini were NOT mushy and well seasoned. Little things like the beans and carrots being cooked but not overdone impress me.
For dessert I had espresso and their bread pudding. Also good.
Good pub atmosphere, good service, good food. BINGO!!!
A nice surprise — I had never heard of the place

Not a fan. The few times I have gone to Tinker’s, my orders had many mistakes and the food had been cold. I used to enjoy the live music of some bands I knew of at school. It seems that the music performances are no longer scheduled. I don’t think I’ll be coming here anytime soon.

«Seriously curry fries? Why are you so delicious!!! I am so full by the time my meal comes but I still force myself to eat more!»
Here’s my advice to everyone: start with the curry fries! You will not regret it! The curry alone is just the best of spicy & sweet you will find! I’ve had curry fries elsewhere but these are the only ones we drive out of our way to eat!
Next comes the staff (maybe this should’ve been first but the curry fries are more important than the staff!): always attentive and super friendly! The bartenders are all great. They do their best no matter how busy the place is! I never question if they have forgotten about us or what!
The girl that served us today was lovely. We got to chat and she always checked to see if we needed anything or if we liked our food. Loved her!
Next comes our main courses. We arrived and already new what we were getting. He was set on the shepherd’s pie I was set on the fekin’ chicken (made with an Irish whiskey sauce!)
I guess we arrived waaaay before dinner so the girl was like «let me check if he’ll make the fekin’ chicken. I’m sure he will but let me check anyways!» (It’s normally a dinner item)
We got what we ordered and was better than we imagined! We were only able to eat half of our meal because of said curry fries! But excited to eat the rest later!
I’ve been here a few times and have no complaints!
We don’t live close anymore but will drive out of the way to eat here whenever I crave curry fries or the fekin’ chicken! Oh the guiness steak tips are also pretty damn tasty (from a previous visit not the current one!) next time we will try the fish and chips. They look damn good!

One of THE best brunches on the South Shore to be sure ! They have EVERYTHING that you can possibly think of on the Brunch menu. Not for the dieter’s !!
The food is wonderful there. There is a lot of comfort food on the menu. The Macaroni and Cheese is so delicious as is the Shepherd’s Pie. The Short Rib sandwich is probably my favorite.
Very casual and great prices. Lots of fun music too. We have had great service every time that we have gone.
Check out their menu online so you can attempt to figure out what you will eat when you get there. It is hard to decide since there is so much to choose from!
LOVE IT !

We had the worst night at this place. It could be really cool for drinks, but I would definitely never come here for dinner again. Our service was awful and my food (steak tips) was ice cold. We waited for an hour to get appetizers, a Caesar salad and hummus dip. I really wanted to just walk out and call it quits, the manager did come by and take some items off our bill. I wouldn’t come here again because we had such an incredibly awful experience.

Tinker’s Son is slipping and I hope the owner/​management take notice. I was in on Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t have a 1-​star experience other recent reviewers had, but they certainly were not the 4-​star experiences of days past.
Saturday — Stopped in for a late lunch with my son. On the upside, the bartenders were great. Service was attentive and friendly. They described all of the guest beers for me. My son’s Coke was refilled without asking. The not so good — Our pulled short rib sandwiches took 30 minutes to arrive. That dish is already prepared. Just need to put the meat on a roll, plate the sides, and serve. The guy bartender updated us a couple of times, so I know it wasn’t his fault. There was a private party in the dining area, so maybe the kitchen got backed up.
As for the sandwich, the rolls were terrible. Maybe they changed bakeries or were just out of the usual bulkie rolls. We got a pale roll with green flecks (chives?) that tasted a day old. My salad wilted from the hot plate. And the sauce to meat ratio was too high.
Sunday — Went for a drink and appetizers late yesterday afternoon with my wife and son. The place was packed, but we scored a couple of seats in the corner of the bar. We left after just a few minutes because of the loud, foul-​mouthed guys sitting next to us. I couldn’t even hear the live music. They couldn’t have missed that there were women and kids everywhere; it’s a pub in the Irish tradition where families are welcome, not a shot and beer joint. It would have been good for the staff to ask them to tone down the language. The usual crowd here has always been fine.
On both days, the place was in need of cleaning up. There are often lots of little kids eating there — including many of the kind who throw food on the floor and whose parents don’t feel obligated to pick up after them — but the staff needs to stay on top of cleaning.
Anyway, I hope management address some of the issues I and other Unilocalers raised. Everyone has an off day, and I’ll surely to back to Tinker’s.

Had a great meal here last night! My fiancé got the Guinness Steak Tips and really enjoyed them. I got the Fish and Chips… the piece of fish they gave me was HUGE and very fresh. Portions are big!
Good beer and drink selection. Loved the cozy atmosphere and live music. Our waitress was very pleasant. Looking forward to coming back here!

One of my favorite places to go because the service is good and the food excellent. It’s basic comfort food, but they get creative with the specials. You won’t go home hungry from here!
The atmosphere is great, like you are in a cozy Irish pub. It’s a bit out of the way but worth the drive.
They are a large supporter of live music, especially local talent. Music every day of the week I think.
They are good at rotating craft brews, so something always new to try.

I don’t get back to the South Shore for dining much, but we decided to take mom out for brunch, and this place looked like it had a decent menu, plus they open relatively early (10:30 a.m.)
I walked in and was like OH YEAAAAH this is the place that used to be Mount Blue! That the Aerosmith guys owned! Guess that place didn’t work out for them. This place… kinda doesn’t work out for us either.
There was a lot to like about their build-​your-​own bloody mary situation: stuffed cherry peppers! pepperoncini! Other stuff! Unfortunately our waitress claimed that it was either Gray Goose/​Belvedere (so dumb to put top shelf vodka in a bloody mary) or really trashy stuff (think Mr. Boston). Until, finally, she admitted to having Smirnoff. Why wouldn’t you just offer that as normal, why’d you make me pry it out of you? Erf.
The full irish breakfast was okay — lots and lots of sausage, beans from a can, meh, and tomato. No potato option, no toast. Frown.
The «corned beef hash» was not as such. Either they don’t know what it is or they gave us home fries. Either way, not great.
Everything was super greasy — we all had tummy aches, and nobody finished everything — super mega huge Obese America portions.
I would probably enjoy sittin’ at the bar and watchin’ live music here, but I won’t go back for brunch.