Just heard a solid rumor that the Irish Lion is closing. I guess the owner didn't find a successor... Can anyone confirm?
Our server the other night said it's mashed potatoes with no butter or sour cream... garlic powder... a bit of cheese... roll into a ball and drop in the oil to fry.
May have to experiment a bit...
Thank you Fuzzy-Zombie1446!!
That sucks. IMO it’s a victim of the post-COVID trend of closing early. I used to go to Irish Lion late at night for food/drinks, but after COVID we would go there and usually get told they were closing or the kitchen already closed.
This happened so often that we completely stopped going to Irish Lion a year ago. Literally just because they were closed every time we tried to eat there… not surprised they’re closing since they always were closed anyway from my perspective.
Yeah a lot of places are doing this since COVID and it's really annoying. Recently went out to eat at 8pm and the workers were already vacuuming and trying to close down and acting like I needed to rush to get my meal down and get out. Does everyone just eat dinner at 5pm like they're 80 years old now or what? Before the pandemic you could at least have a decent meal before most kitchens closed at 11pm.
When my wife and I went to Ireland in 2022, the local business operated the same way. Only way you could get food real late was an actual pub.
Irish Lion commented in Bloomington foodies Facebook saying they’re just taking an extended summer break later this month.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bloomingtonfoodies/permalink/1348109175864501/?mibextid=W9rl1R
Edit: they did delete the post in the foodies page :/
They're going to restaurant on a farm with lots of other restaurants. They'll be back for visits after summer for sure!
Tell about what we're gonna have in the farm and about the rabbits in the cages
And I get to tend the rabbits!
not true, i work there and it’s closing indefinitely but there’s 2 weeks left
NOO NOO NOO GOD NOOOOOOOOOOO
whew.... edit: well, all of their posts have been deleted. sad panda
They were notably refusing to answer anyone who asked what date they were reopening or if the closing was temporary.
The owners suck anyways.
This. Larry physically abused his staff.
Larry passed away almost 10 years ago.
Yup.
When I worked there, if we had tips on a charge, Larry made us give 8% to the house at the end of our shift. Icing on the cake was the verbal abuse. But damn, I loved Blarney Puffballs with a half-yard.
was a nightmare of a landlord
My friends rented from him. He came into their place unannounced and threw away the dirty dishes in the sink. So many crazy stories.
when i rented from him he went through our trash lol … larry was the second craziest bloomington landlord i had after the dalai lama’s nephew kunga norbu… good times
It was for sale. You could've bought it and changed that
No thank you.
Just wanted to sit around and complain, and not do anything about it, huh?
You gonna be my investor?
Yeah we all just have a couple million sitting around.
Wasn’t for sale anyway, only the building & contents are. Still available if you want to call for pricing.
This is a complete bummer. The Lion is a cornerstone of Bton to me. I’m 52, and frequented the Lion back 30 years ago. The place hasn’t changed an iota from when I was 22 and I go there about once a week after I returned to Bton a few years ago.
Worked there in college. The original owner was such an absolute dickhead. Every time he came into the restaurant, someone quit on the spot. Every time. They also gave away my last 3 shifts after I had put in my 2 weeks. Assholes up and down on the male side in that family.
Guiness was spot on and the menu was good though.
Larry? He used to be my landlord. Crazy dude. He once POUNDED on our front door at like 7am on a Saturday until someone got out of bed and answered it. The problem that put the bee in his bonnet was that he was driving by and saw a BEER bottle sitting out on the front porch railing. One. One single bottle, and he went on about a 5 minute rant about how we were “not taking care of his property” and how we must be a bunch of sluts if we’re drinking beer while sitting outside. I wanted to fight back, but it was such surprisingly irrational behavior at such an early hour that I was no match. I just silently walked past him to grab the bottle, went inside and shut the door in his face while he was still making his points.
Yes, Larry. This is a spot on description of the type of behavior he thought was perfectly normal. I remember him screaming at a very gentle and kind server to stir the coddle better before putting it into a bowl. He screamed "EMULSIFY"!!! at the server because she didn't stir the grease into the soup enough before plating.
I still have server nightmares occasionally. My experience there was valuable. It encouraged me to finish my degree and to not work in restaurants long term. The risk/reward was not worth it at all for me, although it could be a lot of fun. Maybe a bit too fun.
20 years ago, I parked in one of the spots next the Lion and walked across the street to use the bank ATM because I needed cash to buy drinks at the Lion.
Larry came out and screamed at me about parking there and walking off, and when I pointed out I was coming into his restaurant he got even louder and less coherent. Complete asshole.
My wife and I did a courtroom wedding during Covid and celebrated by eating out for the first time in 5 months. We chose a nice sunny spot out on the patio. We ate the escargot, soda bread, and stew. I had a full yard and she had a half. Afterward we went home and watched the Princess Bride.
It was one of the happiest days of my life and it makes me so sad to see such a significant part of that experience end its journey.
Will we get a restaurant chain or low-rise student apartments? I can't wait to find out!
"Pay for" parking gets my bet!
either will be an improvement
I'd much rather get a new interesting restaurant or high-rise student apartments, but yeah, I won't particularly miss the food at Irish Lion. The only times I've been in the last 20 years were to meet friends that had picked it. Plenty of good memories there though.
Everyone I know who has worked there has warned me off eating there, charging staff for broken footlong glasses was great too.
The food was OK. So many people think it's the best fish and chips in town, and it may be... but it isn't that good at all
Upland fish and chips is pretty great
Their fish and chips is a crime. But I liked quite a few of their other entrees.
I was just there last year. It wasn't the hangout I remember from the early 90s but it was a nice bit of continuity compared to what's changed.
The soda bread...you delishous treat.
I am having a Soda bread grilled cheese for dinner now….great suggestion and I will miss theirs.
Little does everyone know it was sliced on an ancient slicer in the coat room and it never got cleaned
Absolutely true. The employee smoke break table was about 5' away from it too.
I can’t eat tartar sauce or mint jelly to this day after filling up thousands and thousands of individual servings as part of opening duties
I was the only one that cleaned that slicer, which was better than can be said about the meat slicer where lemons for water were cut
Well that's a bummer. Guess I'll have to go for one last fish & chips.
Don't forget Blarney's balls!
Not the bloomin blimey blarney balls!
confirmed, 2 weeks left and it’s indefinite
NOOOO
Their website it days:
“The owner of the Irish Lion has retired. Rest assured, pub favorites will still be available this summer as the Irish Lion transitions to a delivery-only service on or before May 20th. Be sure to follow us on social media for upcoming dine-in specials and announcements.”
honestly the food is not the first reason i went there. it was to have a drink in a cozy bar with friends and the great service.
I LOVE dining in the Glen, but it seems like it hasn't been open lately.
This is where my husband and I had our wedding reception, and it was amazing!
I was out of town on St. Patrick’s Day, but friends who went to the Lion were very disappointed and said there was no one playing bagpipes this year, and there was nothing special going on to celebrate the holiday. When the only Irish pub in town fails to make a celebration out of St. Patrick’s Day, I would guess they are hanging it up.
i gotta believe there is someone in town who could keep this place going. someone of irish heritage who would want to preserve it.
Very sad. This is one of the first bars that I drank at when I was 21, and it was a favorite place when my wife and I wanted a special night out. We had to give up going there because it's not exactly accessible for people with mobility problems.
I'd like to see it refurbished and updated, but that's probably a bridge too far...
It was disgusting working there. I was once told I made hollandaise wrong because it was too thick. I showed them the label saying it was 2 weeks old and needed to be tossed, it wasn't made wrong. I was argued with and told if I hadn't made it wrong, it would have been fine to serve that day. The on again off again kitchen manager(due to health) was a nasty old racist with the dirtiest tobacco stained hands that never got washed.
the place really should have been on an episode of kitchen nightmares lol
I'm surprised they stayed open this long. The food was terrible and the bathrooms were no where near ADA compliant. Shit, a person with no mobility issues could barely use those bathrooms.
I heard about it this morning too. Got a little less than two weeks
Noooo omg I love the Irish lion 😭😩
Oh man, I hope they write a recipe book. Love the Dunmurry rice.
This has been my favorite restaurant in Bloomington. My daughter would tease me because I suggested going to the Irish lion every single time I visited. At least they timed this well - she just graduated and I probably won't be visiting Bloomington very often. Kudos to a fantastic pub with such an authentic feel and wonderful food.
It used to be my favorite restaurant. The last time I went the service was terrible and the food was mid so I dropped it off my list entirely. I can see why they would be shutting their doors now.
Every time I went in past few years the hostess said it would be like an hour plus wait when I could see open tables. They clearly didn't give a fuck so I couldn't be bothered to go back.
I wanted to like it, but the quality for the price don’t cut it
It’s a rumor!
What?!!?! No way, this place is a Btown staple!
This is so sad!
Oh, no. My wife and I ate there earlier this year when we came down from Indy on an anniversary trip. It's a shame that will be our first and last time. I hope the affected can find new work soon.
As shown in another thread- Irish Lion has posted a reply that they are indeed moving to a delivery-only service.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomington/s/SpbatXSagM
What remains to be known- is this just a closing over the summer in hopes that a buyer will appear? Is it going thru remodels over the summer and will be reopening? After all, why continue the food if the building is permanently disappearing?
Either way, it's going to be very full over the next couple of weeks with everyone grabbing some blarney balls and a last pint.
For the love of God, they are called Blarney Puffballs.
I've never been and have lived here all my life.
The story I read said they would be switching to delivery only and the dining room would be closed. Has that changed?
Cook medical is hiring. I highly suggest there.
Went tonight (5/15)… the server told us they are closing to the public Saturday. The delivery/pick-up is supposedly true.
There was a 90-minute wait, and they stopped seating at 8:00. Lamb was off the menu, and whiskeys were limited.
For a bit of clarity... I just realized that the building, equipment, liquor license, etc. are all up for sale.
https://www.cockerhamcommercial.com/uploads/1/1/7/5/117587458/irish_lion_building__1_.pdf
As noted in the brochure, the Irish Lion and all things tied to it are not for sale.
Maybe I'm late to this... but now realizing the Lion will formally close, even if a new buyer comes in...
I hope someone energetic buys it and revitalizes it. It's a Bloomington institution.
It's been for sale for a few years, to no avail
Please share the blarney balls recipe before it’s too late!!