We got to seat ourselves at any of the those cool barrel and bar tables. Food is decent Irish fare. I enjoyed my lunch boxty. Their cream of chicken and rice soup was good. They have quite a selection of beer (including gluten free varieties). read more

Ballydoyle Irish Pub - Half and half Reuben and cream of chicken and rice soup - Irish Pub Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

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yeah....ok, so the waitress charged us for drinks before we got them, because i did not want to open a tab with a credit card. Then, she pre charged us for food. Then, I complained to the manager, Holly, who never made it to our table.Holly offered us a free round, but we're one drink people, although i did tell her a pop or water would be great. Nope. Did not happen. Dive establishment. Crazy waitress. Ugly grungy bathrooms. Well-groomed crowd that must come in from the casinos. Not a redo for us. read more

Our waiter was the only one for the entire restaurant. Despite that, he was top notch, taking care of everything. The goat cheese salad is the bomb & hubby enjoyed a smash burger, that they plan to put on the menu permanently. We also got to enjoy a complimentary order of Irish chips, dusted with something magical, along with a blue cheese dipping sauce. There are so many wonderful things on the menu, it's difficult to choose. I highly recommend! read more

Ballydoyle's has a really fun environment and an awesome outdoor seating space. Beer selection is always great, and their Irish chips with Bleu Cheese dressing is out of this world. For lunch and dinner not before a show at The Paramount, the service is usually fantastic. Despite how much I like this place I'm giving them 3 stars. Whenever I've tried to visit them with a large group before a show, we almost always end up being late to the performance. We show up at 5:30 to give ourselves plenty of time, we think, to make an 8 o'clock show. But that's never been the case. I think it's a great place to eat, but probably not with a big group ever again. read more

I go there every once in a while and last night was the first Thursday I've ever been to Ballydoyle's. Not as crowded as the weekend but still pretty full, just about every table filled up. Their beer selection is increasing and they even had a couple tasty IPA's, yummy! I guess Monday and Thursday is 25 cent wing night. $3 for a dozen wings (had the buffalo flavor, very good), can't beat that! Usually they have some kind of music playing, and last night was no exception. Pretty good sounding acoustic band (two guitarists, keyboardist, and drummer) not sure what their name was but they kept the crowd happy with some even dancing even though there was little room to dance because of the set up that night. They played a little bit of everything from Santana to bluegrass/country to REM. Good time for me and 3 friends, one them being their bday. Would recommend checking out their website to see what bands or stand up comedian acts are coming. But stopping by whenever, you can't go wrong either. Aurora needs more cool bars like this! read more

It's a bar with Irish-flavor food offerings. They have very loud music playing more often than not. The prices are a bit high, and sometimes when you just want to have some food there, you have to pay a cover charge because a band is playing, whether you came for the band or not. If you don't want to have a conversation, and don't mind paying extra just to walk in the restaurant, then this is an ok place. read more

Came here to "work" on a project with my biz-oss Richard (he was hangry) The wait staff was really nice and attentive. The music is pretty boss here. We had trouble concentrating on our work. Ballydoyle also has a pretty extensive beer menu, if we werent on the clock (and poor) we wouldve gotten some brews. The space here is really big and they have live bands here which is cool. I wlll be back for some beers when im in the area! read more

I have only been here for one night but I think I am going to love this place. The staff is really helpful and friendly. I had Chicken Tenders, which were very good. Also, the Brownies are delicious. read more

They have a 3 beer tasting flight for $7 BUT you can't get any beers that are over $7 for a pint, so you only have 20% of the beer list to choose from. When I finally picked out 3 more options, I was told they were out of two of them... Cool atmosphere, lots of potential. Okay food, lots of beer options (if they aren't out of the one you want). read more

Best Guinness pour you're likely to get stateside. The whiskey selections are great. The food isn't quite what it used to be but still a decent spot to grab some pub food. read more

I gave them 4 stars for the loaded corned beef boxty. It was very good. We were here on a Monday night. There was maybe 25 people. (that's counting the 7 of us) There was a very long wait for the waiter to take our orders. Then it took even longer for the food. The longest of all waits was for the check and for him to come back and take out form of payment. So if you're not a patient person you might want to rethink going. The place is very quaint and adorable. Loved the decor. I would recommend going but don't be to upset with the wait. Just go enjoy the food and talk with friends. read more

So after awhile, I decided to go back to Ballydoyle with my friend. Hey it's St. Paddy's weekend, why the hell not? Since I love the Irish Chips, I ordered that. I do not know what happened in a year's time, but they were awful. The chips themselves were okay. But the warm bleu cheese sauce was the consistency of watery soup. The last time I was here, I remember the sauce was thicker and had bleu cheese chunks. This was not good, especially when I'm charged an extra $2.00 for the bleu cheese. I like the bar itself and it's in a good location. And for a week night, the place had a good size crowd. But the one fact that is a little off-putting is the service. The waitresses are always slow to come and take an order. I don't know if the "seat yourself" concept throws them off or what. But this seems to be a problem every time I come in. Though once a waitress does come over, the service is good. I had ordered beef tacos and was served chicken tacos. The server caught the mistake and immediately comped the tacos. I appreciated that. I still don't know if I will be rushing back here any time soon, especially since my beloved Irish Chips were not up to par. This is now an "okay" instead of "I'm dying to go there" type of place. read more

Nice selection of local microbrews on tap. Okay menu, great room to see a band. Place looks a lot older than it is, getting a little beat around the edges, actually. But fun place to go in downtown Aurora. TIP: if you've got a Hollywood Players club card, park in the Casino parking garage and save a couple bucks! read more

Good place to catch a band or get some food. (Not both) If you go their when it's not crowded it's very nice dinning experience. But, don't try to go out for a nice meal in the middle of live event. The service sucks then, and the food quality seems to take a huge step down. GET THE POTATO SOUP!!!! It's really good. Also a great desert is their bread pudding (which I usually don't like in general, but there's is very good.) This place is very casual and laid back. They have a Trivia night that is really cool too. They also have a huge list of beers and other adult beverages. Good place to watch a game too. read more

Went to grab some lunch on a quiet & cold Saturday afternoon. Place was scattered w/ few tables occupied & some single patrons at the bar. I was surprised to hear a fussy, whining child at one table. Ordered something like "corned beef bites". It was meat & cream cheese battered and then deep fried-brillant! Also had the Harp battered fish & chips-another excellent choice. They had beer bread on the specials menu not expecting I would be taking home a huge, full loaf of bread. Fed the family for a week! Great, fun addition to the downtown area. Talented local bands play here I think most w/ends. Easy parking around the corner in the Casino lot. Can't wait to return & try the "boxty". read more

I've been here multiple times and overall it's been a good experience. I usually go with the rueben sandwich which is one of the best ruebens in the area. The other food I've tried has never really dissapointed, except the reuben bites. It may have been a bad batch but the corned beef in the reuben bites were extremely mushy. They usually have a band on the weekends where there is usually a cover charge. The bands range 70's cover bands to new independent bands. Usually we go here for drinks and the band. Drinks can be a bit on the pricier side, but it's nothing ridiculous. During the summer they open the back patio where it's nice and relaxing to have a few beers. The bar and back patio are along the fox river which I personally really enjoy. read more

This restaurant was 15/10! From the service to the food to the drink. I attended a work outing here and I had NO IDEA what a beautiful adornments inside and outside this location has. Our table has a stunning view of the river and wild life around the river. Our sever, Gabby, was bar none the best server I've had at any restaurant in a long time, she is a gem! She didn't miss a beat and she made amazing recommendations. The drinks that we had were flavorful and exciting. A wonderful selection from beers on tap to outstanding selection of whiskeys and elegant mixed drinks. I loved how the mixed drinks all looked right out of an instagram post. The fish & chips, fried pickles, and salad were so fresh and flavorful. Everything was just exquisite. This was overall a wonderful experience. Definitely will be back! read more

Not real sure about this one. The food was just ok. We had a decent waitress I think the staff is very helpful and knows the menu. We went on a crazy busy night. Red Woody (band) was there. We actually came to see Mike and the boys play. The food had more of a chain feel. no real personal touch. It tasted good but didn't blow me away. They have a decent beer selection. The prices were low to moderate. This building is huge so you could bring a party to the party. Definitly good for a second try. read more

Ballydoyle Irish Pub - Cool room great old world atmosphere. - Irish Pub Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

Vastly disappointing- Worst service ever and horrible food. The fish and chips are basically oil with fish fragments. Same with the Ruben bites- just with bad cream cheese. I have previously enjoyed my time here but this was beyond awful. Waitress completely uninterested in serving us, hard-to-find to start an order or get a check, not to mention forgetting my drink order 3 times in an hour. She was way more interested in trying to take a cigarette break than lserving on the patio. Although I've eaten several times at the Downers Grove location and had very good meals, I would never eat at the Aurora location again and if I actually want a drink will have to BYOB. A joke and embarrassment to our out of town guests read more

Heading to the casino we decided to stop for dinner and love this place in DG so we decided to come on in. We were seated right away but waited for 15 minutes before our waitress finally came. She actually went to a larger table that was sat after us first. She came up but didn't seem very friendly. Appetizer came before drinks and no plates or silverware. We had to go find our own. We ordered the fried pickles. Good as always and Rubens for dinner. Excellent The food was great the service not so much. read more

They won't care because it's a chain, however, St. Paddy's Day they charge $10 a head cover, cops are surrounding the area, they don't let kids in at 3:30p in the afternoon and the doormen with armed security were pricks about all of it. Won't return now on ANY day. Congrats. read more

We have eaten here many times now. Service Can be spotty depending on how busy they are. Also they seem to have a higher than average turnover in wait staff. Food If it comes out hot, its good. The corned beef sandwiches and Reubens are really good. Their chips appititzer is really good. Shepards pie - ok. Cod - ok. Fries - good. Drinks They always pour a perfect pint of Guiness at the right tempurature. The other selections of beer are good. I have never had spirits such as, bourbon, scotch, wine or a mixed drink their so i can't comment on that. Decore Is great rustic in an irish way with alot of the furniture coming from Ireland. You will see old chandilers (sp?) church pews, etc. Its a fun eclictic atmosphere. Patio Sat outsside for the first time the other Day June 8th for dinner with the family. I had heard it can get buggy out there due to the river next to it. It was clean, large and very comfortable. We never considered Ballydoyle for outdoor seating in the past but now we will. read more

Stopped here before a show at Paramount. So glad we did!!Excellent fish and chips dinner!! Tender cod with a great batter- crunchy yet not at all greasy. Yummy Philly steak sandwich with au jus Try the sweet potato tots appetizer! They're addictive!! Service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend this great place. read more

Great location on the Fox river, where we enjoyed lunch on the Paddy O! Good burger, and GREAT service by our server, Maggie! We'll be back. read more

Ballydoyle Irish Pub - Irish Pub Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

We were at Ballydoyles in May and ordered 2 entrees and many drinks. We always leave cash for the server since its more appreciated. We put a line through the tip and then leave the cash and we're always generous tippers. However, when we saw the credit card statement recently, we noticed an extra $20 was charged as a tip, so they basically got $40 tip. We talked to the manager as soon as we caught the error. He said he'd look into it and we haven't heard back since. We will not be back because of this dishonesty. **Always check your receipts against your credit card statements** We are NOT going back unless this is resolved. read more

Great food. The house made potato soup if amazeballs. Service was fast, beer was great. Will return for trivia night. read more

Ballydoyle Irish Pub - Menu - Irish Pub Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

Interesting ambiance - if you appreciate old stuff that doesn't match. Young crowds probably get a kick out of it. I'm a lot older and it isn't my bailiwick. ... Only been there twice. First time was very near their grand opening. I ordered something called a Boxie. It was basically canned beef stew and a waffle. It wasn't very warm and I complained. After just a few minutes the very nice waitress said the manager told her to comp my meal. I guess the manager was too busy to talk to a concerned customer. ... Second time was a lunch - cod fried in oil that wasn't hot enough. Soggy. Then, they had the nerve to charge us $2.00 for 4 slim carrot sticks and 4 slices of celery. ... Will there be a third time? Probably not - unless there's an event that I just can't miss. read more

We follow seasonal beer releases and when I saw they had Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout on tap that was reason enough to brave the cold weather. The interior is dark as it should be, after all it is an Irish pub. We sat at the bar since we were just having beer. The service was prompt and friendly. My only complaint would be the bathrooms which are badly in need of some repair and TLC. read more

I've grown to be highly disappointed in Ballydoyle over the years... The Aurora location is no exception. My problem is usually with the tab and the food. The food is just ok. It has gone downhill significantly over the years. The prices went up and the quality went way down! I'd really rather spend my money somewhere else for better quality food. You're entire party can just order sandwiches and you'll be amazed at how much you'll be paying! The food tends to be on the greasy / bland side as well. There are definitely other places to go if you're looking for quality Irish food at a reasonable price! There is always a mass of people there in the evenings... A rush coming in from the Casino more than likely. If you want a seat on St. Patrick's Day, you best get there early... I mean EARLY! And plan to stalk people for a seat. They have a cover charge starting early in the day (as they do for some bands in the evenings throughout the year). Though this may be the only time of the year that you'll get to see some really good Celtic bands! read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! Amazing food, the beer selection it's ridic. The service has always been great We usually seat at the bar and we always feel comfortable with the bartenders, they are on top of it. Must try the Reuben bites. Addicting! read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Ballydoyle. We had just seen the matinee at the Paramount Theater and this restaurant was within walking distance of the theater. The food was excellent and the service great. The bathrooms had a couple of toilets not working, but it did have some interesting decor. I would probably come here the next time we are in Aurora. read more

This place was awesome. Good music, good food, cheap drinks and shots, fun atmosphere and a great time! We went here for my girlfriends 21st birthday and it was a blast. The parking was easily accessible and the casino is right next to the bar -- double down on the fun anyone? Definitely check it out read more

Loud and HUGE this place is amazing on a full-house night. Great menu both adult libations and food. A little for everyone within the bounds of a great pub. Great acts, great location, though parking is practically non-existent--with exception of nearby (fee) Hollywood Casino parking deck. It's a shame they charge a cover fee or else, we'd come here instead of Quigley's in Naperville. read more

I'm surprised at the negative reviews. Yes sometimes the parking is a bit tough, but it's never that crazy, and ignore the attendants, you can park in the garage wherever you're going! So, I have been to Ballydoyle several times, and I think the food is really delicious, some of our faves are: Pulled Pork Sandwich, Chicken Sandwich, The Club, and The Guinness Stew are total winners, skip the Shepherd's Pie unless you want tons of potatoes, and no meat. The bar is a great place to linger. Really personable bartenders, reasonably priced drinks, and TVs for all the games. What keeps me away from the 5 stars is the insane 180 it does when there are lives bands or special events. The beer prices jump, there is a cover- I agree is ridic at a restaurant/bar and it is crazy crowded/loud. Final say: Great place for a casual, delicious meal - but know before you go. If there's a band playing there, you may want to reconsider. read more

We've been here twice now and both times we've had really good meals but one time we had great service and the second time just blah service. We are early diners because of our little 3 year old but the food has been really really good. It is your typical "made for USA" Irish pub and I believe their first location is in Downers Grove. That really doesn't matter to me as they have good beer selections and a pretty good sized menu. We've tried everything from the burgers to the club sandwich as well as the fish and chips and they've all been of high quality and very tasty. We haven't tried the boxty yet though. (have at other places so it'll be good to compare the next time we go) Also, the meals for kids are decent as well. Parking can be a bit tough given the area and I've seen that they've been featured on several of the Groupon and groupon-type sites. I would love to come back without our wee one to see some live music or for a pub trivia night. read more

So ended up here for a quick bite and drink before a 2nd city show at the nearby Paramount theatre and this was a great way to start the evening. This is a cool Irish pub with good choice of Irish and European brews on tap, Irish whiskeys and traditional Irish food. The place was packed so service was a bit on the slow side but who cares when you are in good company, sipping a nice pint of Guinness and munching on more than decent bar food. Will definitely be back when in the area. The boxties were excellent and the bread pudding was worth every bite. read more

Lots of European beer on tap. Friendly, knowledgeable bartender. Happy to let you "try before you buy", and why not?? I don't enjoy the experience when a barkeeper is snooty when you ask to sample a beer you've never had. Ballydoyle's bartender has no problem with sampling. The Späten Oktoberfest was brown, full-bodied and delicious (not to mention: on sale! the night we were there.). The decor was cool like an Irish bar should be. Even though the expansive nature of the space didn't seem to bring the Dublin vibe to me, it is worth overlooking that to have such an excellent choice in beers and friendly service. I know they have live music from reports of experienced visitors. I know they have food, as well, but I didn't try that. I asked my brother about the pub-grub, he said, "it's pretty good.". But, the way his voice raised a couple octaves when he said "pretty good", leads me to believe he was just trying to be positive and upbeat about what was really just average fare. Ya know: Pretty Good "How's the food?" " Food...." What would you think? read more

Service took forever. The steak boxty was ok. Interesting idea but not a lot of meat and too many mushrooms. The salmon was good, but salty. read more

Ballydoyle Irish Pub - Steak boxty. - Irish Pub Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

I have been here a bunch of times since they opened. It tends to be really loud, which is not my scene. However, the back patio on a nice night is wonderful. The prices are a bit steep and the food is standard bar fare. The only thing of note is the fried pickle. It's an okay bar in downtown Aurora. read more

Amazing Pub!!!!! Nate was great in selecting a tasting of Whiskey ..... Will come back when we're back in the area. read more

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