Great atmosphere and food. Live Irish music the night we were there. Real Irish bangers in the bangers and mash. Done right for sure. Super pleasant staff. We had the sweetest waitress. Great drinks. Go have a guinness pint and a taste of Ireland. I also recommend the fish and chips. read more

This is the kind of place you really need to be drunk at to enjoy the food (or have low standards for food). It was simply expensive eh food. The service was okay, we got ignored a bit. The trivia was very catered to the white american (the rounds were literally taxes and golf) (and its not that other races cannot be into these things , just simply that there are generally less of them into this stuff). Idk it was just... odd? read more

Went here with partner and really had high hopes for a traditional Irish meal for st Patricks day, the food came all at once so we sent back entries for when appatisers were consumed the kitchen staff came out three times within minutes and then argued with my partner and she got very upset and nervous to the point she could not enjoy her meal. The manager came to try to fix but she was so upset the night was ruined. I would avoid this pub for food drinks were good and waitresses was excellent reflected in the tip. Manager needs to control kitchen staff read more

Great neighborhood pub. Food is good and the atmosphere is great. The bartender, I think his name is Luke, is great and our waitress, Shelley was very attentive (and it was busy). read more

Nice Irish Pub in a good location in Whitneyville. Good beer selection and surprisingly well made cocktails. Service can be spotty depending on the night. Food is plentiful and standard pub selections. Good main Irish dishes like Shepherds Pie, corned beef Reuben, fish and chips (my favorite). Prices are a little high in my opinion, but not overpriced. I would recommend for anyone looking for good food and nice pub ambiance. read more

A great Irish pub that serves good food at reasonable prices. A good selection of Irish and local beers on tap. It's warm, inviting and family friendly. Plus, it's run by actual Irish proprietor. Give it a try and bring the family. read more

The Playwright Irish Pub - Beer - Irish Pub Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Food was overpriced,bland and the portion size was less than desirable. Service was pretty sparse because they are understaffed. Ambiance and decor were decent but could use some improvement. read more

Great food, good Irish pub nice people, relaxed and comfortable. There are no strangers here just friends that haven't met.

We all ate salads with chicken, and they were good size (leftovers). We also ordered the smoked salmon appetizer. This was a full delicious meal! Did not disappoint. Service was fast & friendly. High recommend for a casual good meal! read more

Service was excellent, food portions are generous, very noisy if seated in front area with arched ceiling reflecting all sound downward.

Who doesn't love some veggie nachos?! I have been here many times. The staff is always friendly and accommodating. There are TVs with the European games playing at all times. Food is delicious. Super fun times! read more

The Playwright Irish Pub - Irish Pub Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Food is awesome. Service at the bar with Luke was excellent. If more places had folks like Luke life would be so much better. read more

The Playwright Irish Pub - Fish Sandwich. It's awesome. - Irish Pub Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

We had a wonderful evening with cider and great food. Our waitress was amazing. She really made our night So friendly. She even took the time to tell me about the beach we were at and ghe secret shell area. So much fun! We'll be back read more

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We've been enjoying The Playwright for about 20 years. We thought we'd try someplace different today, but ended up back at The Playwright. We're so glad we did! My steak salad was superb: a generous portion of tender, flavorful steak over crisp greens, with balsamic vinaigrette. My better half's burger was cooked perfectly & he said it was "amazing". The service is always great, the atmosphere is warm & comfortable. We learned a lesson: when you find a spot you like, why go anywhere else? Thanks, Playwright! read more

New in the area and did some app research on my phone, looking for a comfortable cozy environment in a restaurant and pub to relax at, as well as to enjoy an appetizer and stout. This place fit the bill; the staff was attentive. I also loved the light walnut woodwork and green adding to the Irish restaurant's casual and classy ambience. Overall, I enjoyed my food, drink, and stay. Next time in the area, I plan on going back to order a full course Irish meal. read more

I want to love the Playwright, but I cannot. The food is subpar. I've ordered food from them several times. Food is just so-so. The past two times that I've ordered chicken wings they were all cracked with the marrow exposed... Gross! They are headed straight to the trash and today marks the last day I will ever order from them again. read more

The Playwright Irish Pub - Chicken wing flats - Irish Pub Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Went to the Playwright this weekend and loved it !!! The place looks small from the outside but once you walk in you will see you have plenty of seating. The bar has a decent amount of space and alot of seating to the left. Our waitress was very friendly and kind. We ordered the BBQ burger and the Corned Beef Reuben with onion rings. Omg when the plates came out the portion was huge. The burger was on point !!! And the Reubens was satisfying. And the onion rings were perfect. Sorry didn't get any pics but take my word for it you will enjoy the atmosphere and the food here at The Playwright. read more

The Playwright Pub is a great local pub. It serves causal fare and the parking is located in the back. It is reasonably priced good food. A great place to pop in before a show, after work or for lunch. It is only open certain days so check the hours. read more

The Playwright is a great neighborhood pub. Good food, good beer, great service, nice ambiance.

Pleasant surprise when we stopped in on a Friday night. Although this has been in Hamden forever, we never stopped before. Service was good and friendly. Beer list extensive and bartender even humored us with a tasty mango margarita. Nachos and Mozzarella stick appetizers came out quickly. Dinners of fish and chips and Shepherds pie were great. The Mac and cheese with a house made cheese sauce on cavatappi pasta. Kids meal for $10 menu with lots of nice choices including kids Mac and cheese, burger, and hot dog. Will be back to try some more of the beers on tap and menu items. Nice ambiance old fashioned Irish pub. read more

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I ordered the baby back ribs. What was served was a huge chunk of fat. After showing them to the others I was with, they all said they looked like poor-quality beef ribs. It was inedible. I told the waitress-she could have cared less. Both of my companions reported that their food - blackened chicken, was among the worse they have had. A truly miserable experience for over $100. read more

The service and food is always on point and the Craic is Mighty! Never disappoints. Our go to spot. read more

I met a couple friends here after work for happy hour tonight. We sat inside at the bar and then realize that they had an outside patio so we sat outside. We had a very enjoyable time. They had happy hour food which was ziti, chicken Parmesan as well as some fresh fruit. We all decided that we would love to come back maybe for one of their live band nights. read more

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Have been here many, many times and always enjoy the food and atmosphere. Today we stopped in for a quick lunch and weren't disappointed! A draft Magner's hard cider was my drink choice and my girls had lemonade and orange soda (to replace the sprite that she didn't care for and which we generously weren't charged for). Our meals were chicken and vegetable Irish curry which wasn't even in the lunch menu anymore, but they made it for me anyway - they even gave me half rice and half fries upon request. My daughters had the chicken quesadilla and fish and chips which were both awesome but I have to say the fish was so light and crispy, absolutely delicious! My only disappointment was the lack of the homemade sliced brown bread in the bread basket whose nutty flavor I always loved. Kudos to Robyn our server who was helpful, on top of everything and pleasant. For a little over $50 it was as great lunch! read more

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Amazing food and great environment. Have been going here since they first opened and have never been disappointed!

This is a really nice Irish pub. The interior and decor are pretty typical of a proper Irish pub, and it's rather large on the inside. They have great food here and we've been a few times. On this visit we just got apps. Sitting on the bar side, you still get table service but you seat yourself (you have to wait to be seated on the restaurant side). We got the 5 alarm wings and they were spicy but not super hot - I'm not complaining :-) We also got the truffle fries and Murphy skins. Both were pretty good. Overall, great service and great food. We'll be back. read more

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Love going here for trivia on Wednesdays. Wish the trivia was more pop culture/music based but that's just a personal preference! They also have great food and everything comes out timely! read more

Irish breakfast is the best around. Service is always friendly and quick. The Guinness is top 10 in Connecticut, they offer magners on draft that's served ice cold with ice and they televise all the rugby games. If that's not enough in itself, the lunch menu is great as well. I tried the bacon bbq burger and was ecstatic with the cook and size of the burger. They offer a wide array of bar food and traditional Irish fare which I will be trying upon my next visit. They have a private room for parties as well as enough seating for large groups as well. We have also been in attendance while live music is playing and its wonderful. read more

Stopped in for Friday afternoon beers and something to munch on. Service was quick and attentive. Beer cold and crisp...Counter Weight local brew was a revelation. The food...uh, no. Loaded potato skins were lukewarm and bland. The Buffalo Chicken Tenders were scallopini thin slices in bath of sauce....Middle school cafeteria. We'll just drink next time. read more

Finally stopped in after 12 years living here in town and so glad we did. It was a rainy nasty night ..perfect for a cozy pub like this one. Friday night, the bar was pretty busy but the dining room slow since we got there early. We sat and ordered some wine. Was pleasantly surprised to hear the cute Irish accent on our server. It just somehow added to the experience. She was super sweet and personable. I ordered the Fish & Chips and my partner ordered the Chicken Pot Pie. We ordered the Nachos as an app since we were starving. Next time we'll probably skip the app since the entrée portion size was decent. We took half the nachos home. Maybe we'll just come and order a few of their apps too .. the nachos were generous, freshly fried and cheezy! My fish & chips were 2 nice pieces of fresh cod along with a big pile of nice fries and some slaw. I devoured it all. My partners Pot Pie was a puff pastry topped casserole of tasty chicken stew ... he loved it. Pics attached. The server told us about the Sunday brunch and even described a few of the other dishes on their menu that she recommends on our next visit (Shepherd's Pie, Bangers and Mash and Salmon were the 3 she mentioned). We found a new favorite "local" place ... we'll be back again soon. read more

The Playwright Irish Pub - Chicken Pot Pie - Irish Pub Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Good fish and chips, it tasted great. Looks like a great Irish joint for a pint and live music.

Great pub for drinks but the food has no flavor. We've been there several times thinking we just ordered wrong but everything we've ordered has absolutely no flavor at all. Service is on point and the atmosphere is great with irish music playing it's to bad they can't get the food situation corrected. read more

Playwright is your quintessential Irish Pub. The staff is warm and friendly, the music is authentic, the liquor is plentiful and the food is the comfort food you crave. I've had several of their dishes in restaurant and through delivery (through silver spoon delivery). Stick with the classics like Shepherds pie and you won't be disappointed. I'm a fan of the Whitneyville chicken and my fiancé loves the ribs. Parking can be a little rough on busy nights but we've always found a spot. They also have a separate room for functions that is closed off from the restaurant. A solid option for a small gathering. Pretty sure they also do trivia nights for a good night out with friends. Check it out if you're in the area! read more

The decor in this pub is straight from what I'd imagine pubs in Ireland actually look like (never been there hope to one day). The service is prompt & friendly. I've been here for catered functions in the back room, that included chicken, pasta, and fish dishes that were all delicious with great service. I've also visited just to eat with family, in the spring & summer there is a small patio off the bar for outdoor seating, the views & sounds are less than stellar as you are at the corner of a busy street. Fish & chips are fantastic, and usually the potato leek soup is great too, this time however my bowl had at least 5 stems in it that were like getting a spoonful of soup with a tiny hard twig in it, perhaps because it was off season for soup, I'm not sure. We also shared the fried mozz app which was very good. read more

Re: wheelchair accessibility. We recently enjoyed an evening at the Playwright where we found the staff to be friendly and helpful, the food excellent, the Irish decor charming. However, this is to alert patrons who might come to the restaurant with a wheelchair-bound person. The handicap space is the farthest spot in the parking lot; pushing distance to the entrance is about half a block up hill; the sidewalk is dangerous the entire way with ruts and cracks; once at the top, an awkward turn is necessary for entrance through bulky doors. Not even halfway up, I couldn't push another foot or wrestle with another rut. As I started a help call to the pub, a kindly man took over pushing and brought my husband into the restaurant for me. I emailed the pub about the problem and am hopeful the owners will find a way to create a safer, easier access for those in wheelchairs. I did notice the blue handicap parking sign is gone. read more

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This place is FANTASTIC!!!!! Irish music on Sunday from 4-6.Food is terrific. Staff is friendly, fast and good at their jobs !!!! Had an amazing afternoon !!!!! We will be back!!!! read more

For the dozens of times I used to go to the Playwright in New Haven, you'd think I would have been to the Hamden Playwright at least once. I hadn't. Ever. Until Wednesday. Friends wrangled me into playing trivia and I was finally able to step foot into the mysterious "other" Playwright. We sat at one of the high tops directly in front of the fireplace (a tid bit roasty after a few hours...) and played a fun game of "How Do We Fit More Than One Plate On This Table?" whilst also balancing glasses of cider with the huge bottles it comes in. Moral of the story is: we should have gotten a bigger table. Since there were 16 other teams that night, in addition to patrons just trying to get a decent meal, we settled for the high top and, in the famous words of Tim Gunn, we made it work. I want to go back this week. Trivia was fun, we missed 3rd place (and a $20 gift card) by 5 points, tragic. Our waitress was all over the place but she got to us rather quickly, as did the food that was ordered. The truffle fries looked and smelled delicious, so they may be on my list for next time. They were easily able to accommodate a huge crowd that all wanted their tabs at the same time; not every bar or restaurant is good at that. read more

My food was just OK, the service wasn't nothing to speak highly of. The menu did not impress me. This was a one time visit.

Stopped in here for a few beers on St Patty's day. Ice cold beer and great selection! Fun crowd, great live music too! Televisions all over the place. I will be back to try the food! read more

Not so great for vegetarians but my beau had a lovely pot pie with mashed potatoes on top, which I had a couple bites of. Live music and Guiness on tap are enticing. Will I be back? Not likely...it's not my sort of place but don't let that stop you from going. read more