First, this place has a new owner! Second, the name is in the process of changing to The Lakes Tavern Third, there will be menu changes! I was there a few weeks ago, early on a Friday evening. I had an enjoyable dinner with a friend with quick, friendly service. I also attended an adult birthday party that took over half the restaurant. It was loud, but fun. There was karaoke, dart games and some tables were pushed back for dancing. I can't tell you how the people that were just there for dinner or drinks felt, but our servers were attentive and amazing. Give the new owner a chance and retry this spot! read more

Yes great sliders plenty of fun for kids and for adults like great service and pet friendly. Plenty to do like darts board games there is always a sports game on or just hanging out with da boys. And I'm eleven. Kid friendly too. Very clean read more

This place was great! Great food, great vibes, cool owner! Will come back again with friends and family!

The inside of this place definitely has Irish pub vibes. I've been here before for a military farewell celebration and it was a pretty decent experience. I can't honestly remember what I ordered. This time I was interested in trying a cottage pie. I also ordered a side Cesar salad, which was good. Our waitress was nice and she was pretty attentive. I ordered the cottage pie with the ground lamb. I was disappointed not only in the presentation of the dish but the taste as well. The gravy was too thick and the dish tasted like thick gravy with mashed potatoes on top of it, and cheese. I have been told there burgers are really good but I have yet to try them. read more

Copper Cricket Pub - Cesar salad was good - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

See all

First of let me say that restaurant we knew a few years ago when we moved to Sanford, has sadly passed away. It has suffered a long and painful death that we have tried to ignore time and time again. We adored the wait staff there originally, and still do. The service has always been conducted by a slew of competent and very friendly group of females whom often are incredibly apologetic for the resulting accidents that have been our dinners in the last 6 months. We loved the burgers there at one point, and "The Cricket" was hands down where we would go to quench that burger urge. That has changed now after numerous attempts with subpar results. Last night was the last straw I'm afraid and it was so bad I am writing my first review ever of a restaurant as I have always voted with my wallet; going or not going was how we stamped our approval or disapproval and that was sufficient for us. Last night "jumped the shark" to use an old Happy Days reference. Our bill was $70ish prior to tip, we tipped well as Hunter, our waitress, was outstanding. The burger experience was underwhelming and indeed, quite unappetizing. I ordered the Carolina Burger which is a burger with pulled pork on it. When my Carolina Burger came with no pulled pork I informed our very competent waitress that it was not what I ordered. She appeared to be a veteran of this comment, and apologized while hustling back to the kitchen to "get my order right". As my family ate, I sat there for at least 10 mins eating my fries. After 10 minutes I was brought out a small plate with luke warm BBQ slapped on it. I was blown away as now I am to add my own topping to a now cooled burger? It was a Friday night with numerous empty tables which says two things to us. One the kitchen was not busy or overwhelmed. Numerous waitresses talking up at the register as they did not have guests to wait on at the moment. Two, the fact that my family was halfway through with dinner before this plate of cool BBQ was brought out meant that the attempt to correct this was not even a serious one but almost an effort to make it look like my fault. I was positive that the wait was because they were making a new burger, that was the reason for my patience. To be brought out a small plate of BBQ to add to my cooled burger while my group waited for me to eat, was insulting, poor customer service, and a bandaid in a gaping wound. Had this been the only bad experience there, it would be buried as we have had so many good experiences in the past. However, our last 5 meals there have contained at least one error or one underwhelming offering from the kitchen. It is no longer a "one off", it is now ordinary, much like the food is. I am not here to slam the place or to say how horrible it is, neither are appropriate. What I am here to say is that we will now drive past the place which is 3 miles from our home, to go somewhere else. We have given the new owner many more chances than we would have normally as they are so convenient. It is no longer prudent to do so. How sad to bury a place we have liked so much in the past, but I can no longer spend our hard earned money to be disappointed. The utter lack of patrons there on a Friday night was mind blowing. Bar was empty, and waitstaff was gathered at the front register talking as there was no one to wait on. It seemed surreal at first as Friday nights in Sanford usually are tough sledding to even get a table. The new owner walked around talking to the several people that had come in, obviously unaware that we were having another bad experience but also not appearing to notice the disjointed experience going on at our table as one person sat not eating. Lastly, and this is the kicker; when we complained about the food, the sever was advised to take 15% off of our bill. 15%? What is that exactly? An F/U? No new burger, no explanation, just a bill with 15 cents per dollar taken off of a $75 bill for 3 burgers, 2 Cokes and a cocktail. It will be a long time before we try again, sadly we feel it is no longer a treat to eat there and we will drive right by there next weekend to go somewhere else. Bummer. read more

Definitely came here with some high hopes since there were a good bit of people inside! Unfortunately the food was pretty terrible. My friend and both ordered fish and chips which tasted like they didn't even attempt to dry off the fish. I used about 4 napkins just trying to get it some what normal. We both ordered the Irish cream cheesecake and that was even worse. The cheese cake was terribly burnt and the cream wasn't a layer or anything nice looking, just a spoonful poured on top. Service: our server was super nice, and apologized for the slow service, but she didn't even acknowledge the terrible food and saw how burnt the cheesecake was and didn't care to try not to bring it to the table. Overall I wouldn't bother coming back here, even though it's one of the few places in the area to go. read more

See all

Great food and service. Genuine kind people. Love the ambiance of the place. Highly recommend

I wish I could give them 2.5 stars. I have eaten in the restaurant a couple of times and thought it was ok...nothing fabulous but not terrible. But today's delivered meal was extremely disappointing. I ordered delivery in an effort to support a local business during these uncertain times The meal came on time. The delivery driver did as I asked and seemed very nice. The food was warmer than I expected so I thought we were off to a good start. Not. That's where the good ended. I ordered the mushrooms, onion and swiss burger cooked medium well. I received a very, very, very well done burger with lots of flavorless onions and maybe three mushroom pieces. And the garlic aioli promised barely made an appearance at all. The french fries were horrible...overcooked and not salted. I love soup so I ordered the french onion soup. It actually was quite tasty but the broth was overwhelmed by the bread/croutons. It was like eating wet bread or mush. Never had that experience with a soup before. I couldn't eat it. I always try to eat local and support small businesses. I am especially doing that now during the COVID-19 pandemic. But local restaurants must have a commitment to quality and should be putting their best foot forward to encourage patronage. Please note, I called the restaurant to let them know how displeased I was. They apologized and offered me a gift card. I do appreciate that. read more

Unfortunately, there aren't many good options in this area but Copper Cricket Pub won't get a return visit from me. Service was friendly and quick but the food was well below average. The Irish Spring Rolls were pretty good, a bit overdone but still OK. I had their BLT sandwich...should be a pretty basic sandwich. The bread tasted old and dry, the bacon was well overpowered by the pimento cheese, the fried green tomatoes were flavorless and overcooked and the 1 piece of wilted lettuce was clearly an afterthought. These days people generally don't have money to waste on sub-par items so I recommend that you spend your time and money elsewhere. read more

They need to hire more help they servers are trying they best ! But overall they have good mini sliders

Super friendly service staff - we asked to watch a particular sporting event and they sat us by a TV and turned the channel to our game. Appetizers - really enjoyed the cod bites and corned beef spring rolls, both were cooked fresh with nice sauces Mains - we had the bangers, burger, and Guinness glazed chicken. All were cooked well and tasty! Great beer selection (including multiple Irish beers) and cocktail menu. Would definitely recommend - we will be back! read more

Copper Cricket Pub - Cod fish bites - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

Three of the five times we have been here, they have been out of multiple food items. We sat at our table and witnessed the tables around us get serviced by their waitress three and four times between when our waitress checked on us. Needless to say, service is not the greatest and beer selection is not up to par with the rest of the dive bars in the are read more

I've seen this place come in three iterations now, can't say I'm dutifully impressed with any of them, Copper a cricket rounded out poorly, but then again, these days everything is a crap shoot. I called in an order and I admittedly showed up early, but more of a "hey, I'm here now, so if you haven't started, please do" kind of appearance. Originally had a 6pm estimate and lucky me, have a toddler in the car so timeliness is kind of important. Warm reception, was told it'd be 15-20 min, totally cool. Alas, it ends up being around 45 min and I about just left without the order, but lo and behold, last minute finish. Not too keen on the wait, but I have my food. On the side, they had live music with singing which I found odd as they had no masks on and the area isn't exactly huge, probably in gross violation of health mandates, but hey, I was waiting on take out. So food, got the cottage pie. Granted I got a to-go order so the food looked, well, it looked horrible but it tasted pretty good actually. Presentation was a 2/10, taste was a 7 or 8. Maybe I was just hungry. Wife has the Rueben and admittedly, I think it's gross no matter what but I'm convinced this was the driest one I've ever seen, pretty sure it was near jerky level. She ate half and remained in a disappointed hunger. Toddler had grilled cheese, they forgot the fries. I mean, c'mon. Now that I think about it, did my cottage pie come with a side order? I know they didn't give me any, I'll mark that against them too. So yeah, pleasant staff, well, at the bar. The girls at the hostess stand were pretty useless. I understand they were busy, but busy isn't an excuse for total neglect of quality control on orders. Not coming back until the covid clears up along with the muck going on in here. Way too expensive for a throw away meal. read more

This was $40. They used to be bigger and cheaper. We haven't been there in about a year so this makes me a bit upset and hesitant to go back again. read more

Copper Cricket Pub - This was $40 - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

See all

Party of 2 went for dinner. Got pushed aside when a large party arrive. No napkins, no utensils. Giving food and forgotten. Hard to eat food with sauces and wings with no utensils. Very shocked at this service. read more

My wife always said. "You can't ride 2 horses with 1 ass." This is now true with this place. They opened up at the ACC and still are on Buffalo Lake Rd. I ordered a hamburger and I swear they went to ACC club to make it. Over an hour later I got my some what warm over cooked burger. Haven't been back since. Thank You 4 Reading David Barner read more

Food was delicious we had the fish and chips and the fried mushrooms for an appetizer. Our waitress was attentive and friendly. It was decorated with a lot of different Irish type signs, was pretty quite at 2 in the afternoon on a Saturday but we both enjoyed the music they had playing. read more

Good food. Good beers and cocktails. You really can't go wrong here. Trivia nights and occasional live music. The food is excellent, as is the service. Easy access off Buffalo Lake Rd., but it is busy! So parking is tight sometimes. A few TVs and music for entertainment. Lively crowd! read more

This place is still 5 stars. They have updated the menu and it's gotten better. I have all the burgers except the beyond burger and they are great. I think my favorite is the 1759 burger with the Guinness glaze on it. There burgers and sandwiches are very delicious and tasty. You should really be visiting this restaurant. Deserts: I do like the brownie ice cream. It has a pretzel crust on the bottom of the brownie. My wife likes the cheese cake they have. Another good burger is the BB and J burger. Love that pimento cheese and bacon jam. Also, the pastrami Dog is very good and filling. See the photo below. read more

Copper Cricket Pub - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

Love this place. Food is delicious. , location is nice and cozy and love the live music. I always have the cottage pie and the Irish spring rolls are absolutely worth the trip. They have a full bar and always have fun seasonal drinks. This is definitely a hidden local gem only hidden because of its location off of the main highway. read more

Let me start off with the food was amazing, highly recommend the Irish spring rolls. Service was great i see how busy the servers get and the server with the butterfly tattoo behind her ear (Tara) really does buss her ass trying to get everything done and help others even if they aren't her tables. But i do have to give the best props to Jenn the best bartender I've had a pleasure of being served by and getting to know. Gives the best recommendations and quick with service. read more

Just ok. Floors were sticky, probably using wrong floor cleaner. Food was average at best, server was great but not going to be one i revisit. read more

We let the dust settle for a year before coming back to give it another go. Maybe they just needed to work out the kinks of being a new establishment and get into their groove. We even brought in an unbiased family members. The general consensus all around is that it's simply not good. We tried, Tom. Your restaurant just isn't good. 16th century churches aside, it's just boring and the food is lacking. The overall atmosphere as soon as you walk in the door is cold and unwelcoming; sad almost. Food named "Top O' the Morning" is about as authentic as a leprechaun hawking hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers, and blue moons, pots of gold, and rainbows, and big red balloons. I'd venture to guess that leprechaun is on acid... I digress. The food isn't good. There, I've said it. read more

Copper Cricket Pub - It's definitely not Yesterday's...or Tomorrow's anymore. - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

Not sure where to start, we decided to give the Cricket one more try before we move..... needless to say a disappointment is the same as our previous visits. I had a club with chips that was decent, My husband had a Reuben with fries that were freezer burnt, and my daughter had the sliders that taste like they were grilled for 24 hours burnt to the crisp and dried out with freezer burnt fries as well. The atmosphere has so much potential but food is WAY OVERPRICED for the result. Our server was very Friendly and attentive however the end result is expensive and unsatisfying. Irish pub needs to be reevaluated,does not suit the food nor the bands that we have witnessed. read more

Good food and good music. The Irish Spring Rolls are so good! Its family friendly, and service has been pretty good everytime we go. It's a smaller establishment and really my only thing to bring down a star is parking on weekends can be a pain. But other than that, it's a good time. read more

I eat here kinda often now, I absolutely love their food. I usually don't order burgers but their burgers are an exception! My favorites here are the shepherds pie, the cottage pie, the Guinness chicken. Their food goes together so well, just a really great food. I order carry out a lot and they always have my order done in 10 to 15 minutes. read more

We were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. Decor reminds you of any pub you've been to. It's tucked into the back of a little shopping strip where you wouldn't expect it. The food was so good, especially for our area, the restaurant desert. I got the black and bleu salad which was great. Husband got the ribeye but wished he tried the fish and chips instead. Ribeye wasn't bad, just meh. The appetizer, Reuben egg rolls, however was the show stealer. Melt in your mouth good. The wings are also yummy and fried crispy skin not soggy breaded. They have an outdoor area that I'm sure would be great when this Covid bullshit ends a you can sit next to strangers again and hang out. read more

Well last night was the worst visit. Our poor server who done a great job was sadly let down by the kitchen and manager. We had 20 minute wait on our appetizer followed by 35 min wait on food. When it came out the fries were stale and stone cold. Told they were short staffed..doesn't account for poor food. I thought they had gone to catch the cod for my fish and chips. Not once did the manager appear to apologize and did not reduce the bill. Irish bars are built on hospitality, furthest thing from an Irish bar. read more

The waitress (Tara) is the best and funniest server I've ever had. Honestly if you're wanting to go somewhere for laughs and good food come see your server Tara read more

Love coming here for live music and drinks! It's a fun atmosphere. The food is good, but it seems hit or miss. Both mine and my husbands food had a lot of "burnt" parts to it. The broccoli and onions on my flatbread were almost too rough to eat with how charred they were but also don't like to complain. The fried peppers are delicious every time though! read more

My wife and I went there midweek. The food was really good. I had the Reuben which is every bit as good as the reviews say. My wife had the cottage pie which was also very tasty. We were both surprised how good everything is for a restaurant off the beaten path. If you live around here definitely go check it out! read more

Our server was amazing. However the food was awful. My husband's wings were dry with no flavor, our friend didn't get her meal at all, I had to send my salad back twice because they added an ingredient that I requested be left off due to a food allergy (the meal was refunded but I wasn't able to eat because I no longer had confidence of food safety). The music was so unbearably loud that we couldn't speak at our table. And the ladies restroom has an open circuit breaker panel haphazardly held together with packing tape. I do not recommend this restaurant. Serve safe food safety is ignored, customer safety is ignored, and OSHA compliance for sound levels is ignored. The cherry on top was the fire exit door was left open for the entire time we were there and the smell of cigarette smoke filled the room to the point that I could smell it sitting on the opposite wall. read more

Love coming here with my family, or just with friends. The food is always pretty good, and the drinks are great. I've never had a bad experience, and the staff is always on point. Some of our favorites are the 1759 Burger, bangers and mash, and the fried banana peppers. read more

Great food and service. A fantastic local pub. The Ruben egg rolls with house made sauces are AMAZING! Yummo!

Really wish we started going months ago! Our new favorite in the area. After looking at everyone's previous reviews it seems like this new restaurant owner has worked out the kinks. I love the fish and chips, and the PB and J Burger which Was cooked perfectly. Hubby loves the bangers and mash and spring rolls and of course the Black and Tans. The waitstaff is always friendly and love the low key live music. Only once was our service not quite up to par but to be fair the restaurant was slammed and while the food came out perfect it took us a couple extra min to get a check. Not a big deal but be aware on Friday nights it might take a few extra min for service. As for ambiance it is a far cry from the old yesterday's. The old church benches and lot of built in wainscoting, and cozy sitting areas add some charm which had been lacking previously. I mean it is not going to be mistaken for a 12th century pub, but unless you are in Ireland that is to be expected. I hope the Copper Cricket is here to stay. read more

Ashley was a superb waitress. One of our orders wasn't cooked well and she was polite and quickly rectified the order. Can't praise her professionalism enough. If you visit, ask for Ashley! The music was excellent and the atmosphere is relaxed and inviting. Make sure to try their homemade chips with ranch dressing. Great appetizer! read more

Was so surprised to see this place! Really nice decor, so much space and would love to have an event here! The food was absolutely delicious and staff was excellent. Will return again soon! read more

Copper Cricket Pub - Fish tacos for cinco de Mayo! - Irish Near Me - Sanford, North Carolina

See all

We ate at Copper Cricket twice last weekend, and we easily enjoyed both our meals and the experience. They had excellent live music the first night, and peaceful background music for lunch the next afternoon. It also looks like a lot of heart and soul went into renovating and decorating this new venue in an effort to make it an immersive Irish pub. It's rare to see such passion and dedication in the restaurant business anymore. As for the food, my wife and I shared the beer cheese and pretzels appetizer the first night, and then the ploughman sandwich and beef sliders for our main meal. Good portions -- two full pretzels -- and delicious food. Paired with the Copper Cricket's Cricket Mules cocktails, it was great meal. For lunch the next day, we had a veggie burger and a chicken Caesar salad -- both of which again did not fail to meet our expectations. The veggie burger itself was actually a Beyond Burger patty, which was a phenomenal surprise. It is refreshing to find higher end vegetarian options in the area. We would happily come again to the Pub. read more

This place used to be good in 2019, 2020 and some of last year, as of late food us overpriced for the way it comes out looking and tasting. If you want to drink and NOT eat this place is okay. read more

First time here, I ordered the Sheppard's Pie and it was excellent. They use chunks of lamb instead of ground lamb, which I definitely preferred. Shamrock-a-Rita didn't disappoint either. Will return to try the bangers & mash soon. read more

See all