Paddy O'Flaherty's Irish Pub and Eatery Review, Morton, IL

For awhile now, I've been avoiding this new restaurant Paddy O'Flaherty's in Morton, IL. My best friend has been telling me that it is a great place to eat and that I really needed to check it out. I am a pretty picky eater, so trying anything new is a big feat for me. I'm always worried that I'm going to be very disappointed and feel like I've wasted away my hard earned money.

I finally broke down and went to Paddy O'Flaherty's Irish Pub and Eatery with my mom and children last week. It is at the corner of a hotel, so that made me leary, because I have yet to really enjoy a hotel restaurant.

I was pleasantly surprised as I walked into the door of the restaurant to see a wonderful atmosphere. The floors were a beautiful hardwood and the decor was like you were in an upscale restaurant. Not so upscale that you couldn't go in and eat in shorts and a t-shirt, though! This is a pub, let's not forget! The music playing over the speakers was all Irish jigs and not at all annoying, as Irish music can sometimes be. The staff immediately welcomed us and had us seated quickly. Our booth was made out of a huge tree. It was really neat. The waitresses sported kilt's and those high socks that go with the kilt. The waitresses were running around in a mad rush, they were obviously under staffed or super busy.

We sat down and our host took our drink order and ran off to get it. I thought that was great, because many times when I go to a restaurant, I'm so thirsty and hate waiting for wait staff to come get the order.

The menu was definitely of Irish flare and if you like Irish food, I think you would have been very happy with the wonderful selection. They also had the normal stuff that us picky people like to eat, like burgers and fries. My mom ordered the Caesar salad, I ordered the grilled cheese for my son, and I ordered a bacon burger and fries. I watched other people getting their food and everything looked delicious and upscale. The bread on their Reuben sandwich was really cool. It was thick and brown and white swirled.

Our food came quickly and it looked wonderful! My son's kid's meal came on the same sized plate as mine and was garnished like a gourmet restaurant. My burger looked mouth watering. The menu said it had a "pretzel bun", and they weren't lying. The bread they used was definitely like a soft pretzel and after my first bite, my mouth sang its' praise! It was heavenly! My burger came with french fries and coleslaw as well. The coleslaw was very creamy, but they were kind of stingy on how much they gave you, but that's okay, because I had enough food for two or three meals!

My mom's Caesar salad, however, didn't look like a Caesar salad at all. It was drenched in dressing and warm. I told her to send it back and get the dressing on the side, but she was very nervous about doing that. Usually, when you're at a restaurant, a waiter comes back the second you take your first bite to ask how everything tastes, but our waitress was so busy, we couldn't find her. Mom mom had to go to the bartender to get her to come back. She was very accommodating and got my mom a new salad. When she brought out the fresh salad, it looked right and looked like a Caesar salad.

Overall, this was a great dining experience. The bill wasn't too bad, about average for a restaurant of this type. My only complaint would be that they didn't have enough staff and that we did have to wait a little for our check. I would recommend this place to anyone and I sincerely hope it makes a go of it and stays in business. I give Paddy O'Flaherty's Irish Pub and Eatery 4 1/2 out of 5 Tiaras on the Amy Gayle Scale. They lost half a tiara for my mom's salad and needing more staff.