The Irish Lion Restaurant & Pub

Beautiful and traditional place to visit while in Bloomington. The old building is full of history and you really feel like in Ireland! Everything was just perfect, the music, the decorations, our bartender, the food, and overall, beer!!

This may be there best Irish pub going. My wife and I have eaten here several time and everyone we tried is great. Try a cup of coddle and the escargot for appetizers. The shepherd's pie is the best I've ever had. The leg of lamb is cooked and seasoned just right. For dessert, we especially like to split the whiskey pie; but also like the Apple Walnut cake and the cheesecake. Great beers and whiskey flights, too!

I love the Irish lion they made my birthday fantastic I have absolutely had one of the greatest time in years the place makes you feel like in your Ireland its beautiful and welcoming service is absolutely amazing as well.

The coddle and the Irish soda bread is amazing and I washed it down with an amazing hot tottie

Awesome food at a good price! The blarney puff balls are pretty awesome

This is such a nice place to meet with friends! The staff was super nice and patient, the food is delicious, and the over all experience was very nice! I would definitely go back. I had the Blarney burger, which I highly recommend!

Great food, and they even have soda bread! Real deal Ireland here. Wonderful place.

The ambiance in this place is great. I almost felt like I was in an Irish pub. The lamb stew in a bread bowl was good but the potato leek soup was stellar! The bread that came with the soup and salad was yummy. Sweet and a little nutty it was a nice complement. My husband was a little disappointed that the leg of lamb wasn't on the bone. The portion size was appropriate but part of the fun for him is the bone. Our server was great - attentive but not pesky. All in all a very nice meal.

Great food, a little pricey for some items, but it's worth it. Lots of unique dishes you won't find at most places in town.

I would legit drive to Bloomington every week, just to eat here, if my boyfriend wouldn't seriously question my sanity. This restaurant has The. Best. Food! I thoroughly enjoyed scoping out the interior, while waiting for our food. It's just absolutely gorgeous!

Stopped in without a reservation and was able to be seated right away. All 4 of us thoroughly enjoyed our choices. Lots of traditional Irish dishes. The side of asparagus tasted outstanding! Mushrooms served with filet were flavorful. Fish & chips tasted great. I personally had chicken kiev that was served hot and delicious. Wait staff was very attentive and apologized for minor delays that were not even noticed. A good choice if you are considering it.

Delicious, awesome service, menu made choices hard so many wonderful items to choose from, we will be back! Had app of Brie, and lunch serving of corn beef and cabbage, really delicious.

Get the Blarney Balls! So tasty. All of our food was great - the fish and chips and shepherd's pie stand out. And the drinks were excellent, as was the service. We really enjoyed our dinner here.

Sheppard's pie was a little too peppery for my looking but soups were great as well as the other few things I tried. Would check out more of the menu.

I ordered a medium rare steak and got a medium rare steak. That is not as common as one would assume. The stew was very good, and the baked potato was of decent proportion.

great place I've been here several times stopped by after work and had a beer and the lamb chops and some fried pickles and everything was amazing, cooked perfectly it's a little bit high priced but completely worth it wait times can be a bit long when its busy though.

What a fun bar/restaurant experience! The decor of the restaurant was what sets the place apart. You feel like you are in another time and place. The food was average, the waitstaff was average, and a bit over-priced for the quality of the food. Would I go back? No. Am I glad I went once? Yes. I know it is a popular place for locals and usually draws a crowd.

The service and food were great. I would definitely recommend this pub and would love to go back there again.

I went here with Matt Henry and his cousin Jared. The food was excellent and had the mutton stew (I think it was?) in a bread bowl. I highly recommend it and the whisky bar looks impressive although I have yet to try any there.

Valentines day dinner. Good food and extremely tight quarters. Somewhat uncomfortable having someone else leg touching mine from tables on either side. Yeah...it was THAT close.

Scheduled a large business casual presentation here and they double booked the upstairs banquet hall without telling me until the week before. The other party was incredibly loud and no one could hear anything our speaker was saying. Being the planner, I was mortified. The food was great for the price, but I would never recommend having an event here. Our previous events at Scholars Keep, Grazi, and Uptown were delightful compared to this disaster.

Best part is the bar area, bartenders, and Guinness on tap. The food is kinda gross, and very limited vegetarian options. The veggie burger is definitely a frozen patty, the veggie shepard's pie is ok. Service is ok. Upstairs seating ambiance is just awkward, feels like I'm in banquet hall instead of a restaurant. I want to love this place and I have given it multiple chances, but every time is just meh.

Enjoyed a yard of beer. First for that. And a few bites of a LAMBurger. First for that. Terrific atmosphere and setting. Will definitely be back. Enjoyed (over)hearing about the building history from the server of the adjacent table.

Long time favorite on Kirkwood in a historic building and with a solid Irish themed menu. Many great beers on tap and specialty cocktails. A good variety of foods for all tastes. Service is always friendly and usually fast.

I really really loved my food-- I got the corned beef and cabbage (classic). I also loved what I sampled of my friends' food and drink. If you come here, you should really try to Irish coffee. It was beautiful and absolutely hit the spot on a chilly October night.

I was attending a wedding reception so not down in the main dinning area. The service was attentive and pleasant, the food OK particularly as we were a sizeable crowd.

The brussel sprouts are amazing. Even your kids will like them.

Great food, but parking can be difficult.

Wow! This place has an amazing old pub look and feel! Its more of experience then I thought. I took a big step back in time with the look of this place. The food was also amazing, I got a Reuben sandwich that was to die for! My wife had a coddle soup I believe and it was too good if that's possible! Definitely recommend, and I will be back

Excellent food and great atmosphere. The building is very old and has a lot of history with it. According to history it use to be a brothel back in the 1800's. The lambchops are incredible. Be careful ordering a yard of beer unless you really want to drink. A half yard is plenty. I can recommend stopping in for a bite and a pint!

Cozy and unique atmosphere downstairs with seating away from the bar area and for kids and groups upstairs. Great for a hearty lunch or late dinner, with a taste that is ALWAYS home-cooked, whether that is the Irish stew with soda bread or the wings. The location downtown is excellent and the atmosphere is perfect for any laid back gathering, whether that is lunch with co-workers, with older or adult "kids", a drink with a date, or simply meeting friends after an evening event. A Bloomington original that has not sold out to corporate America. :)

Great food, great environment, restaurant decor was amazing, very fair prices and very good, fresh food. I live 4 hours from here and would gladly drive that for a dinner here. Very authentic irish cuisine.

One of my partner & my favorite date spots (but also an excellent place for an afternoon/evening beer solo or with friends. Pretty solid Irish digs, and consistently tasty. I've heard that they aren't great to their staff, which is a concern. The food is tasty & the atmosphere pleasant -- perhaps leave a large cash tip to help out our brothers, sisters & gender neutral friends in the service industry.

Our party was looking for some good local eateries since we are from out of town. We found this place since we got in late and almost everything else was closed. The staff is friendly and welcoming.We started with the fresh boiled shrimp, had the shepherd's pie and lamb burger for entrées, and finished with the apple walnut cake. Portions are generous, but the perfect amount and everything is wholesome and delicious. Our order was very quick from request to being served. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Bloomington.

Great atmosphere and service. Traditional Irish food plus lots of original dishes. Deep selection of Whiskey choices as well. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite places, but on this visit they were out of some things we always order.

Good food, decent service. Try everything, especially the soups. A little heavy on the pepper in the shepards pie but everything else is fabulous.

The Irish food here was excellent. The mutton stew and bread bowl was a new for me and I certainly enjoyed it. They have an excellent scotch and whisky bar as well. The wait staff was cordial and friendly. The decorations are characteristic as well.

Great food, drinks and service. The pub is beautiful, just like the ones in Dublin!

Really cool atmosphere, great service & fantastic food. I had the coddle & 1/2 Reuben. The coddle was really good & rich & the reuben was the best I've ever had. My husband had the Shepard's pie and it was also really good. Our waitress, Sarah, gave us a few suggestions, was friendly and kept our drinks filled. She suggested we try the puffballs as an appetizer and we were not disappointed. Give it a try!

The Food and Drinks are fantastic. Had dinner with 5 friends and we were told we were being to loud. Which is kind of ridiculous as a real Irish pub allows laughter. Its not a jovial atmosphere more just a quietly dine and get out.

Whenever I come back to visit Bloomington The Irish Lion is the first place we go for dinner and drinks. Everything I have had is so good. They have a great mix of pub grub and higher end entrees. Always have to get the blarney puff for an app. And I love their specialty cocktails.

Went with a group of 12. We were at end of upstairs oom so we could talk without problem hearing each other. Good selection of beer, restaurant had nice vibe. Shepherd pie (no crust, served in a small crock) was just okay. Other people had fish and chips and said it was good.

Legit the best Irish pub that I have ever been to. Get the chocolate cake and ice cream. We go there just for dessert at least once per month. Hundreds of whiskeys to choose from as well as all the big Irish beers, available in a pint or half yard!

The absolute best downtown spot for food or drinks. Definitive Bloomington spot where you can order something different every time and have a top notch experience

Visited for the first time on my Birthday (St. Patrick's Day!) Had a great time! Food was great!

This is a very good eating establishment. Obviously by the name it serves legit Irish cuisine. I had the lamb chops and the stew. The stew was back with flavor and the chops were perfectly cooked. They also offer a massive selection of scotch whiskey. For dessert make sure to order the Whiskey Pie.

I really enjoyed my time at the Irish Lion. My first time was this past Valentine's Day. Service was ok, but what really made the experience was the food. It was DELICIOUS. I had the lamb o leg which was super yummy, tender, and flavorfull. Same goes with the potatoe side. I anticipate going again and trying their vegan shepherds pie and the beef medallions. They have a full bar that is downstairs, however I ate upstairs which was peaceful and nice. The tables might have been too close together though

Greatest scotch selection I've ever found. Great atmosphere. Just eat. Just drink. Or both. Great place regardless.

This is truly an outstanding Irish Pub. It has impeccable staff and excellent authentic Irish food. The beer selection is unmatched. The wonderful staff is knowledgeable and have good recommendations for pairing beer and wine with food. Excellent!