Who gets tostadas at an Irish Pub? This girl! After all, it's Cinco De Mayo! I have to say they knocked it out of the park! I had the Ahi Tuna Tostadas and they were absolutely fantastic!!! The tuna was cooked perfectly and the flavors were fresh and interesting!! Thank you Playwright Irish Pub for never ceasing to amaze! read more

Good food, good atmosphere, and great staff. Our group had the shepherds pie, chicken pot pie, chicken curry, mac and cheese, and the cod, and all were excellent. Dining room, which was full of families, is quieter than the bar area, which is quite loud even when the live music isn't playing. No hesitation about a return visit. read more

This is what an Irish pub should be! I've been here three times for dinner and once for drinks and I've had both excellent food and service. It's a tad bit pricer than would be expected, but the quality of their food and large portions more than makes up for that. I've had the fish n chips, the chicken pot pie, and the potato skins and all were fantastic. I like the fact that it's mostly locals on weeknights and that they offer outdoor dining. read more

Went this evening and probably one of the worst meals I have ever had. I ordered a special, shrimp ceasar salad for $14.95. The grilled shrimp were good, and there were 7 of them. The salad was awful. Lettuce was fine, croutons were extra small out of a bag, dressing had zero flavor, and on top was sprinkled a little shaker parmesan cheese. My husband had the guiness beef stew for $18.95. About 4-5 pieces beef and the usual carrots, potatoes and it had mashed potatoes in center. I guess it never occurred to the server to ask if something was wrong when she took away 2 half-eaten dishes. Certainly not worth the amount of money. Ate outside on deck which was nice. Inside is so drab and with ripped chair cushions in bar area. Good thing I had a living social deal or I would have been extra mad at wasting my money. read more

Nothing great about it . Good place to get drunk and get some fatty food but nothing special other then that. Better don't complicate your order ! read more

I'm adjusting my review after a few years of coming to the Playwright for more than just dinner. The Irish specialties are still my favorite part about this place and deserving of 5 stars, but the Playwright as a whole is more of a 4-star place. It's a great bar for large gatherings, and there's ample seating in the bar area and on the outside decks, which means that you can find a spot to hear your friends talk, whether you're there with one other person or 10 other people. There's trivia on Wednesday nights, which is really fun and includes food and drink specials. The beer selection leaves something to be desired, but I can usually settle for something to drink with little complaints. On the downside, the music can sometimes get a little too loud, and parking can be tough if it gets crowded. Regular appetizers aren't bad, but they're nothing to rave about. Prices are somewhere between standard and a little pricey, and I think the Playwright has stopped doing as many promotions as they used to since they're no longer on restaurant.com, and I haven't seen them in Clipper magazine in a while. I attended one event held in the banquet room, and the food and service were both very good. Not too many complaints, and I like the place overall. In general, I'm a fan. read more

SWILL....that's the one word I would use to describe the food here. I ate here years ago and it used to be one of the best restaurants but this place is definitely not the same. I had fish and chips: the fish was so greasy the oil was pooling on top and the chips were cold. The cold slaw looked like it had been sitting around next to the oven. My mother had a salad and asked for salmon on top, not too well done. Her salad was lukewarm and wilted and the salmon was charred and dried out. Our waitress who walked by our table several times never even bothered to come and ask how our meals were. When she finally did, I told her the chips were cold. She was nice enough to take $5 off our bill but that certainly didn't compensate for the horrible and way over priced food to begin with. Still feeling nauseated from the food. read more

Nice place, wonderful crowd, quite average and overpriced food.

Won't be going back for some time. Poor service. Not family friendly atmosphere.

We attended so we of the New Haven St Patrick's Day parade this past Sunday. We went to the Playwright around 230 before the crowd and ordered some food. I suppose The plastic forks knives and spoons should have been a foreshadowing of what was to come, but we ignored this sign and ordered food. I ordered Bangers and mash and was treated to the driest, blandest sausage ever and instant mashed potatoes. That's right, this "authentic" Irish pub served instant mashed potatoes. And while I know prices on special occasions tend to be higher than normal, if I recall, the menu price of $12 was a jacked up by 50%. Disgraceful way to do business, and while I expected some potential impact of the holiday, there is no excuse for what we experienced. by way of comparison, the half door restaurant in Hartford served a spectacular meal on parade day last year. Live and learn, I guess. read more

Food is tasty although I wouldn't give it 5 stars, maybe 4. The service in the bar is very good, but the dining room staff could be a bit slow sometimes. All in all, this is a restaurant that my family will always keep coming back to. read more

This place is so much fun. You feel like you're in Ireland. There's nothing about this place that's not Irish some nights they have bands which is a lot of fun to go to. The barge really nice and they have an outdoor patio which is great for the summertime I highly recommend this place read more

My fiancé and I came here to kick off St. Patrick's Day weekend. We knew it would be crowded, so we were prepared for a wait. The hostess told us it would be 15 minutes, it's was more like a half hour. Ok, fine, we sit down. The waitress did not introduce herself to us (clever, because now there's no way to tell the establishment who we had), did not ask how we were, just interjected with, "what do you want." My fiancé and I are both extremely cordial and most of the time if people bump into us, we are the ones that apologize. I swear we should be Canadian. We ordered the Murphy skins and a chicken pot pie. My fiancé ordered a Guinness and the waitress came back with my coke, not his Guinness, and said "it takes a while." A beer you have on tap takes a while? Huh? The Murphy skins were very good, best part of the night. The chicken pot pie was flavorless. Too much thyme and not enough salt- or maybe they just didn't let the veggies culminate and sweeten in a pan of butter like I do at home. The chunks of chicken were impossibly large- not bite size at all. And the potatoes definitely were not boiled in salted water. They didn't taste like anything. The poor excuse for puff pastry didn't have any flavor to it either. It didn't want to be cut and just tilted from side to side like a styrofoam raft. We ended up having to eat the filling and the pastry separately- something that's unheard of in the world of chicken pot pie. Then, all we wanted was to go home and our waitress took 35 min to give us the check. I went outside with a splitting headache to wait for my fiancé. Just a bad time all around. We didn't give one star because of those Murphy skins. Seriously, they saved us from being completely miserable. read more

My favorite neighborhood bar. Skip the restaurant dining room...the bar side is warmer and more inviting. The staff is excellent, and will remember your favorites almost immediately. Although I go there at least twice a month, I can't say that I've tried many choices on the menu. Think pub-comfort (that is, I'd skip the pastas and anything else non-pub, non- Irish). My perennial favorites: the ribs are slow-cooked Guinness goodness (and an appetizer portion is MORE than enough for me), the buffalo wings are another great bet, and the salmon salad (gigantic appetizer portion good enough for an entree) is a healthy and satisfying choice. I'd skip the cocktails...this is a true Irish pub. The draft choices are somewhat predictable (Harp, Guinness, Boddington's, some typical domestics, etc.), but the beer has always been good. On Sundays they have live Irish music, and I can't think of a nicer way to spend a crisp weekend afternoon than cozied up with a draft and some Irish comfort food. read more

Excellent food and very good service. The food is better than you'd expect. Very good selection including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options clearly labeled on the menu. Great place to stop at for appetizers, beer or food. read more

We had our wedding reception here. We don't usually come here for dinner, although the pub food is good. But for dinner buffets for 50-100 guests you cannot do better around here. We did not want to do a rubber chicken wedding hall. The Playwright provided all the food and bar service for our wedding with a menu of Chicken Parmesan, Sheppard's Pie and London Broil. Everything was fantastic and nothing as overcooked or baking under heat lamps. The guests had a great time and the staff handled everything for set up and take down. read more

I've been to the Playwright several times for dinner and the food and service is always top notch. I love the authentic Irish pub atmosphere and we always have a lot of fun. The last visit was through a Groupon. I had the shepherd's pie and my friend had the steak gorgonzola. We were both very happy. The desserts (chocolate lava cake and chocolate bread pudding) were delicious and topped off the meal perfectly. We will definitely be back. read more

I don't know who doing the cooking but they do a great job.my wife and I have been here 3 times and love the place.I had a strip steak that was very good quality and cooked perfectly.My wife hasn't complained once in 3 visits and that never happens.The staff have been very friendly and attentive. read more

I have been to two other Irish pubs in the New Haven area and, as usual, tried the fish and chips. Both gave me oily fish and one added soggy fries as a bonus. Playwright gets it right. Fish and chips was excellent, not oily, and seasoned so that the fish could be eaten and enjoyed without any dressing. Calamari app was good also. Cooked properly and tasty. Good service as well. Waitress was attentive but not over-attentive. Good Irish pub-type atmosphere as well. Looking forward to future dinners here. read more

Went in on a Saturday late afternoon, sat at the bar, the female bartender walked past me half a dozen times, made no effort to acknowledge me. I waited approximately 12 minutes and I walked out. Went to Eli Whitney"s down the street and had a great meal and great service. They will always have my business. read more

The staff and manager were very accommodating. We wanted to take a colleague out for a retirement lunch but the last thing we wanted to do was haggle afterwards over the bill. We called ahead of time and asked if we could not only have separate checks but also have our colleague's bill split equally among us. No problem, they said, and it wasn't; the bill paying went seamlessly and discreetly. Thank you, Playwright. read more

Really good food and good service. Prices are not inexpensive, but the portions are generous and the food is delicious! Corned beef and cabbage is great, chicken curry is also great, and the Emerald Isle Pork Chops are amazing! Bangers and mash are also delicious. The bar is noisy and lively and fun. Restaurant tables are a little close, but the place is small... read more

I come here all the time, it's close to home. And more than half the time I leave unhappy with my meal. The decor is warm and inviting, often with two fireplaces roaring, service is great, and Guiness is served properly. Some nights they have live Irish folk music and the atmosphere is fun. And did I mention the excellent waitstaff? So what's not to like? The food is just meh. On various occasions the chicken was overcooked and dry, burgers flavorless -- more like a high calorie coaster for the toppings, the steak was tough and not cooked to the right temp. My wife invariably gets a Caesar salad and she is usually satisfied. The kids' portions are over-generous, we always walk away from the free vanilla ice cream. I tend to like wine over beer with dinner and a few of the wines are inexpensive for a restaurant and passable enough, so that is ok. I used to go to the New Haven location for the decor and have even been to the Playwright in South Beach, Florida (hey, I was walking down the street and there it was!). I really really wish I could give this location a higher rating, but they really need to hire a qualified chef to take things up a notch. Come here for the ambiance and convenience (if you live nearby), but don't come for the food. read more

It's Saint Patrick's Day and my partner and I decided to go to the Playwright. Atmosphere was nice and as expected it was busy. Being in the restaurant business my whole life and not only running a restaurant but owning one as well you would think that you would have a system put in place so you can be as efficient as possible on the busiest day of your year. Not here, we walk in and the hostess grabbed my name and said come up to the hostess stand every 10 minutes to see if we have a table for you?!?!? They had a dry erase board that they were writing last names of patrons and waving it in the air and if you weren't paying attention in that area, you got skipped. I saw that horrible system they were using so we decided to have a beer and stay right next to the stand... It was time for us to sit and an older woman that seemed pissed at the world was our seater. She placed us half way in front of the kitchen door and right next to another table where one chair was in all the way touching the backside of the gentleman on one side and the table on the front side. I asked the lady...How are we going to fit here if the door keeps swinging open and i basically can't sit because the other table is basically on top of ours??? She grabbed the horribly written and dirty paper menu and sat us at another table whispering " You're welcome". You can't help but laugh but i didn't expect much anyway so I wasn't surprised. Our server was a wonderful lady named Ruth and help make our experience better through her beautiful smile and attentive service. Thank you Ruth for being an excellent server. Unfortunately, we will never return and give our money here due to the seaters attitude. If she wasn't so disgusting we could forgo the antiquated seating system and inefficient operation the FOH was running. Thank You! read more