There has been a lot of buzz about The Pretender lately on social media. I'm already a fan of Clancy's restaurants and an audiophile to boot so it was time to go check it out and see what all the hype is about. The bar and restaurant which opened in July of 2026, are visually stunning! I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Be prepared to sit at the narrow communal table that extends from the bar and make new friends. The fondue was the highlight for us. Not only was it delicious but a fun experience. The drinks are good but can be a bit pricey. $18 for a martini in Noblesville. It's funny because Syd's is right next door which is quite the juxtaposition as far as bars go. Amaya is lovely and made us feel welcome. She did a great job making sure we had a great meal and we discussed our appreciation of Tame Impala which was playing at the time. It's a small space so I highly recommend making a reservation especially if you would like to sit at a table and not the bar. We will be back and bring friends and records with us next time. read more

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I just recently finished a project that had me listening to one album a day from the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die." It took me almost three years! So I was in a music mindset when I visited The Pretender. I treated my visit as a celebration of my musical journey through more than a thousand albums over three years. What better place to celebrate than at a hi-fi lounge? The Pretender is based on a Japanese kissa: a bar or cafe built around listening to recorded music. They spin music constantly here. They have a discog that you can look through and request music, but I kind of liked letting the vinyl gods determine what I was going to hear that evening. One thing to mention: I feel like The Pretender is a cocktail bar first, and a restaurant second. The food is good, but you should come here for the cocktails. Because oh my, the cocktails. They are sublime. I'm a gin head, so I got the Tea Party, which is lavender infused malty gin, Lillet Blanc aperitif, chamomile syrup, lemon, Cointreau and grapefruit bitters. It comes in a teapot, and served with a little teacup! So cool and unique. I felt incredibly dainty drinking my gin cocktail from a delicate teacup. They also have an extensive wine list, and lots of bourbon and whiskey. I said that The Pretender is a restaurant second and a cocktail bar first, but don't get it twisted: Everything that I ate was delicious and amazing. I started with some deviled eggs, because who can pass up an evil huevo? These were regular deviled eggs with paprika sprinkled over them, but The Pretender zhuzhed them up by adding some crispy rice noodles. So delightful. I was feeling very much like having a hot-mom-who-had-just-spent-three-years-of-her-life-listening-to-1001-albums dinner, so I ordered the Caesar salad and a side of beef tallow fries. I know! How basic, but also, I needed to know what the Caesar tasted like here. The Caesar is fine, but the croutons are very large and need to be smaller! I had to break them up with my fork. I am Team Breadcrumbs when it comes to Caesar salads, and I know not everyone is, but if you're going to have a Caesar, the croutons need to at least be bite-sized. The fries are so good! They are fried with beef tallow, and they're nice a crispy but also chewy in all the right places. The fries are served with an aioli. (Ketchup, who?) The Pretender is 21+! Don't bring ya sniveling babes here. Adults only. read more

My boyfriend and I went to The Pretender for our 5th anniversary, as mentioned in our reservation. Full disclosure, this was not our first time in. We had come in for a nightcap about a month ago and greatly enjoyed our cocktails. Upon arriving for our dinner, we were greeted warmly by the host, as we were with our previous visit. The ambience and vibe of the place is simple off the charts. Warm, cozy, elevated. Perfect for a nice date night or celebratory dinner. Our server, Michael was kind and attentive. My boyfriend opted for his usual tequila soda lime, and I started with a Harajuku Girls. Harajuku Girls was light and refreshing, a great starter cocktail. We ordered the Baked Goat Cheese as an appetizer which was phenomenal. It was like an elevated grilled cheese, very comforting...I wish I could say the same about our entrees. He ordered the Steak and Potatoes. They were out of broccolini so he opted for the "smashed" potatoes and fries. The "smashed" potatoes are more like a home fry potato, very good but not what we picture when they're labelled as "smashed." The peppercorn sauce tasted almost like caramel and the seasoning on the fries, while good, was also very sweet. Think of the Steak n' Shake fry seasoning, but more sugar than salt. His steak was cooked a perfect medium rare, but with the sweetness of the peppercorn sauce and the fry seasoning it was just way too sweet. The peppercorn sauce would be phenomenal on roasted carrots, not on a steak. I ran into a similar issue with my short ribs. I am a bit of a short rib snob, and I can say with complete certainty that this was objectively the best short ribs I have ever eaten. Great flavor, so velvety, it just fell apart. Perfect. My issue was the butternut squash risotto. I know butternut squash is quite sweet, but with the addition of the cinnamon, it was closer to a brown sugar oatmeal that you make for breakfast. The sweetness of the risotto almost overpowered the flavor of the short ribs. Pairing this with the Dirty Work martini helped, especially those insane garlic and herb olives. I could eat a bucket of those! Now, not to sound entitled, but I expected SOMETHING in regard to us celebrating our 5th anniversary there. Even just a card! "Thank you for choosing us to spend this evening with us" would have sufficed. But nothing. I won't lie and say I wasn't a bit disappointed by this, especially since we have dined at other Clancy's locations for special occasions and received at least a card. All in all, we will most likely come back, but probably just for the apps and cocktails. read more

I have been following them on Instagram patiently waiting for them to open and quickly made a reservation as soon as I could for a girls night out! We took an uber because parking in downtown Noblesville is terrible right now, so we figured an uber would be easier. It dropped us off right near it so we didn't have a far walk. The funny thing is right next door is a bar that was playing loud music but as soon as you walk into the Pretender, you don't hear a thing other than the music the Pretender is playing which is great. Even though we had a reservation because the place is so small (less than 90 max seating), we had to wait maybe 15 minutes. There isn't a bar area or place to wait inside so we went outside to wait. They came and got us when the table was ready. This could be a slight issue if you go when it's cooler outside or snow. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful night to wait. Once seated we had the BEST server, MICHAEL. He was super attentive, fun, gave us good drink suggestions and just an amazing server. He told us the history of the place and why it's set up the way it is. Just a great person and did a great job the entire night. The menu isn't huge but it's enough for what it is. I have been to other listening rooms and the menu is even less. Everything we had was amazing, you will see them in my photos. The music was 10/10. Apparently on Friday and Saturdays they have a DJ that spins and that DJ was SPINNNNN-ING. Such a great job. I also learned that if you go on a Monday or Tuesday, you can bring your own records and they will play them for you which is pretty cool. I'm excited Hamilton County has something new to offer, I imagine it's going to be a winner in the community for years to come! WELL DONE read more

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The Pretender is a cool new restaurant & bar that recently opened in downtown Noblesville: 1) At first I was worried, since they seated us at a low coffee table rather than a regular-height table, and it was a good 15 minutes before a server acknowledged us. But the table ended up being fine, and once our server arrived, things moved along nicely. 2) My steak was great, as was the Cobb salad. 3) Ambiance is very nice. A DJ was playing vinyl classic rock records, to include two Pink Floyd songs from the Meddle album, so I give extra props just for that. Nice attention to detail on playing the Floyd. They must have known Pink Floyd is my favorite band of all time. 4) Service was good. No complaints there. The Pretender, which appears to have been named after the Jackson Browne song of the same name, is clearly wanting to appeal to a target audience that matches my own generational cohort, and they've succeeded in that effort. read more

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Had date night with my husband here this past weekend, and we enjoyed ourselves at this new spot! Love the concept and vibes of this place. We had a reservation and were seated right in front of the dj booth. It's a small space and our table was tiny, so menus took up some valuable space, but the drinks, food and music made up for it! We heard a nice range, from D'Angelo, MJ, Prince and Harry Styles. I absolutely loved my short rib entree that our waitress suggested. The Brie brûlée appetizer was also great. My husband enjoyed his Wagyu burger and fries. The drinks were solid and definitely packed a punch, but maybe I'm a lightweight lol. One thing I hope they fix before our next visit is the AC - I was melting! I overheard that is something they are aware of and working on. Other than that, I have high hopes for this place, and love that it's a little getaway not too far from home! read more

The Pretender - Brie brûlée - American Near Me - Noblesville, Indiana

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Near perfect aesthetics. Meticulously placed music themed peripherals GREAT sound systems and soeaker setup. Food was good...the Prime Rib was amazing looking and tasted pretty good. The Rolls are _Best in the Metro area_ and I mean that Neither of us loved our drinks ...they look great but didn't meet the expectations , even given by their descriptions ( mine was supposed to be like an old fashioned but was def more of a Sidecar / sour ) It's cool having a DJ there, who was friendly and accessible for chatting. The seating will be tight, as this is a very popular place so make a reservation. Overall a good experience. read more

The Pretender - American Near Me - Noblesville, Indiana

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There was a HiFi bar we went to consistently in Miami and since moving back to Indianapolis I have been dying to get another go-to spot and The Pretender might just be that. Very unassuming on the outside but the interior has an extremely inviting and cozy feel. Their Toki Highball was, as expected, very simple but very good. I don't want frills with a highball, I want Suntory and Soda Water and that's what you get. My wife's lavender drink was also very good. For the food, the beef tallow fries with the chef's tomato jam was amazing. Great appetizer to have with some drinks. My short rib was good and the presentation was great. My wife's Chicken Marsala was also very very good with an amazing sauce. We went on the second day and you can tell they were still getting the feel of everything. There was a small mix up with out table and the one next to us with food but it's the second day. We're not people that get riled up about that stuff anyway but they comped us an order of drink which was very kind of them. This is a really great spot in Noblesville and with its accessibility to the rest of the square, I hope this place stays around for a long, long time. read more

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I had been really excited to finally check out The Pretender's new Hi-Fi Lounge in Noblesville. The place is definitely getting attention right now, and I can see why. The decor is impressive, the concept is cool, and they clearly invested a lot into creating an atmosphere. It looks amazing--no argument there. That said, I left feeling that the experience didn't quite match the expectations created by the space and the prices. First, the seating and table setup can be a little uncomfortable for the unlucky ones. There are some tables with low ottomans that don't have any back support, and the tables themselves are quite small. Add a lamp right in the middle, and it becomes difficult to actually eat comfortably. And then there's the menu. It is HUGE--basically two legal-size black folders sitting on a circular table that's maybe 35-40 inches across. At some point, the menu itself takes up a significant portion of your dining space. The prices also made me pause. $16 for Pigs in a Blanket, for example, felt pretty steep for smoked sausage links in puff pastry. I understand you're paying for the concept, presentation, and restaurant experience, but at that price I expected something more substantial. Food-wise, we started ordering the Tuna Oshizushi, but they were already out of it around 8 PM. That's understandable, especially for a restaurant that has only been open a couple of weeks, so we ordered the Shrimp Ceviche instead. Unfortunately, the ceviche was probably my biggest disappointment. I'm not expecting authentic Mexican/Peruvian ceviche from a Hi-Fi lounge, but I was hoping for some flavor. It was a very small portion, and the dominant flavor was mandarin. I couldn't really taste the lime, there was no noticeable onion, and although there was cilantro/coriander, it didn't contribute much flavor. It just felt very flat. We also ordered the Hand-Cut Beef Tallow Fries. Again, I had high expectations because beef tallow usually gives fries a richer, savory flavor. Unfortunately, I couldn't really taste anything particularly different about them. They came across more like regular soft fries than the rich, beefy fries I was expecting. The Lobster Bisque was better in terms of flavor, but unfortunately it was quite salty. At that point, we decided not to order an entrée because we didn't want to spend another $30-$40 per person if the food wasn't quite hitting the mark. The drinks, however, were excellent. The "Turning Japanese" gin highball was spot on, and the "Jesus Is Just Alright" was also really good--balanced and not overly sweet. Those were definitely highlights of the night. And I have to give credit where it's due: **the staff was great.** Our server, Ray (according to the receipt), was extremely nice, smiling, checking on us constantly, and genuinely seemed to be enjoying working there. You could tell the staff is doing their best, although you can also see that they're still trying to figure out how to operate efficiently in such a small and crowded space. Since the restaurant has only been open for a couple of weeks, I'm willing to give them some grace. This may simply be the growing-pains stage. Our appetizers, drinks, and tip came out to around $70. I left a 20% tip because the server absolutely wasn't the problem. Overall, I think The Pretender/Hi-Fi Lounge has **a lot of potential**. The atmosphere is probably the biggest selling point right now, and it really is a beautiful place. But for me, the food portions, flavors, comfort of the seating, and prices don't quite line up yet. I'm glad I went, but at the moment, I don't feel like the experience justifies the price enough for me to rush back. Hopefully, as they get through these first few months, they work out the operational issues and fine-tune the food. I'd be interested in giving it another try down the road because the concept is genuinely cool. read more

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Once I saw this place was opening, I knew I had to get a reservation. They did not disappoint! The atmosphere and vibes are on point. The place is modeled after the Japanese listening lounge, Kissa. There was a DJ spinning records, and the music choices were *chef's kiss.* The music isn't over powering. It's not a huge space, but the decor is great, totally fitting the vibe. The food and drink were also in point. We had the deviled eggs and fondue. Both were excellent. I split the burger with my partner, also the lobster bisque. Cocktails were well balanced. They have a decent menu of drinks, along with some large format drinks. All in all it was excellent. My only concern was the HVAC. It was noticeable that it was "warm," in there. I assume they will work it out. We were not uncomfortable, but we did notice it enough to mention it, but it did not affect our experience! read more

The Pretender - Heart of Gold - American Near Me - Noblesville, Indiana

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This place has great service and ambiance! Love the whole vibe, very hip and cozy. I had a salad that was good and fresh. Seemed more like a side salad but then it was only $14.... Wonderful experience!! Staff all very nice and friendly helpful!! read more

As other reviewers have mentioned, this unique establishment is an amazing and welcome addition to the local scene. After seeing so much positive hype on social media, we made a dinner reservation for 4:30 on a Thursday evening. We were welcomed warmly upon arrival. We appreciated the host's willingness to relocate us to a different table than where he originally tried to seat us; we simply didn't want to dine at a tiny table along the narrow main walkway of the venue (not conducive to date night vibes). Desi was our sweet and friendly server. We appreciated that she was thoughtfully mindful of the limited real estate of our table throughout our dining experience. We enjoyed the Bohemian Rhapsody cocktail as well as the Dirty Work. I'll definitely order the Dirty Work again, but will ask for three garlic & herb cheese-stuffed olives as the single one it was served with was just not enough. For starters, we shared the Baked Goat Cheese and Tuna Oshizushi (at Desi's recommendation). The tuna app was really lovely, especially with the accompanying sauces. I was a bit disappointed in the goat cheese app; I had seen many pics for it from reviewers as well as on The Pretender's website, and what we were served was very goat cheese heavy and quite light on the red sauce, which threw off the flavor ratio as well as consistency. For entrees, we opted for the Short Ribs and the Chicken Marsala, of which the broth was superb; we dipped some of the leftover toasts from the goat cheese app in the broth. The short rib meat was velvety and the butternut squash risotto had a nice flavor and spice profile. We'd recommend both entrees. On a first visit to a restaurant, we like to 'over order' so we can try several items. As such, we ordered items to go: the Deviled Eggs, Beets & Peaches salad, and the Chocolate Flourless Tart with vanilla ice cream. The tart was decadently delicious and the salad was tasty, but needed more arugula in my opinion. My husband is a bit of a snob when it comes to deviled eggs -- he liked them, but didn't love them. As a side note, the gold tone to-go containers were nice. We appreciated the friendly General Manager stopping by our table to introduce himself and his offer to answer any questions we might have -- a sure sign of a well-managed, customer-focused establishment. We agreed that on our next visit, we'll enjoy the bar top area with just drinks and appetizers for a different experience. Note: The Pretender is a very, very cozy venue; if sharing small spaces with close proximity to others isn't your thing, definitely go when they first open at 4pm (before peak time). read more

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I got out to try The Pretender on a Thursday evening. We made reservations several weeks ago and I would certainly recommend doing so as the venue has a max capacity of 86 and a fairly small number of bar top seats. The decor is outstanding, the construction outside of the restaurant right now is not. I easily obtained parking though behind the restaurant. Our reservation was for 5pm. There is public parking directly behind the restaurant that is free and you can park in there for 3 hours if need be. We were at a table along the aisle with not much room between the hi-fi booth and us, two people could not walk through at one time so our waitress, Ray, had to move out of the aisle a couple of times. Ray was as sweet as could be and she did a great job waiting on us. My first cocktail was the Blue Hawaii and it had rum, coconut cream, triple sec, lime, and blue curaçao (don't forget to nibble on the dehydrated pineapple). It was very light and slightly sweet and I enjoyed it to start my evening. My friend arrived and she ordered the Oh, Mexico cocktail and had them make it a little spicy, this drink was fabulous and they added just the right amount of extra spiciness to it. The Oh, Mexico was a tequila drink, vanilla syrup, mole bitters, and a dehydrated orange and I likely will have that cocktail when I go next time. The next cocktail I tried was the Green Eyed Lady, a tequila based drink with maraschino liqueur, lime, and egg white and it was my least favorite of the three. We decided to skip on the starters and go straight for the Signature Entree menu. I ordered the short rib and my friend ordered the snapper Veracruz. She does not like olives at all and a Veracruz sauce is loaded with those but she did not know that. The snapper was cooked properly and she did enjoy that though. My short rib was fantastic and I highly recommend it! So tender that is was literally falling from the bone as it was brought to the table and superb flavor. The butternut squash risotto that was under my short rib was good as well but not nearly as good as the rib itself. I had read the menus prior to coming and I wanted to try the Black Samurai cocktail that was on the dessert menu but sadly they were out of one of the ingredients for this cocktail, I was bummed! I went ahead and ordered the Chocolate Flourless Tart and it was a decadent little thing. I needed the vanilla ice cream that was served with the tart to counter the overload of chocolate. I also had coffee with it that they made fresh when I ordered it. Outstanding evening and a really good job for a new spot. This is a Clancy's restaurant spot so they know what they are doing. We will go back again especially since I did not get to try the cocktail that I wanted, maybe I will call ahead and make sure they have the ingredients on hand? Go give this spot a try and I think you will be happy that you did. read more

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The Pretender definitely lives up to the hype! The space is luxurious, yet cozy , creating a unique ambiance that makes it difficult to leave. The high fidelity systems lets you hear and feel the fullness of every genre, making this ideal for any audiophile. I tried 3 different cocktails and loved them all, my favorite being the Jesus Is Just Alright. For food, we started with the Brie Brûlée before ordering a Wagyu Burger and Short Ribs. Everything was made exceptionally well and was full of flavor. Our waitress Ray was amazing and truly elevated our experience. This is a great spot for a lively date night or for hanging out with a group of friends. read more

The Pretender - Brie Brûlée - American Near Me - Noblesville, Indiana

Unfortunately the food here needs a lot of refinement to make it a great dining option (the cocktails and atmosphere are great). We were really excited to try something different from a lot of the usual steakhouse/burger/Italian fare around town. We started with the rock shrimp appetizer. Rock shrimp have a delicate, almost lobster-like flavor that was completely buried in overly-heavy breading. A light tempura would work much better. The turkey melt was very heavy and desperately needed some tomato or other fresh lightness to the mix to balance it out. My boyfriend had the pork, which he said was overwhelmingly sweet. The cabbage was lost in brown sugar and there was no counter to the intense sweetness. The kitchen clearly is using very high quality ingredients. The dishes are just not designed well and need more discernment. I hope it improves and does well because the concept and space are wonderful. read more

This is hands down my new favorite spot in Noblesville. The Pretender has it dialed in on so many levels. The retro Hi-Fi music selection is extensive and gives a vintage feel to the experience. On top of that, I got an exquisite tea themed cocktail that was presented in a porcelain tea pot. Although I haven't tried their food yet, I will definitely be back to try the full menu. read more

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My amazing partner took me to this new swanky spot for a bday dinner. The vibes of this restaurant are phenomenal! 10/10 for the service as well. Ray was our server and she was not only attentive with checking in on us but she also made conversation. Food was not great. The best thing was the flourless cake but the rest was pretty mediocre unfortunately. The fries were soggy and not seasoned. The fondue accompaniments were especially dry and the cheese was seperating in the pot. Hoping they improve the food for customers to keep coming back because everything else is stellar! read more

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Service was amazing!!! Also so easy to make a reservation with Javi. He was so friendly and willing to help with dates and time. They have a Dj Friday and Saturday nights and it's a vibe. Also on Tuesday night bring in your own record and they will play it. The drinks are so good and we tried a few. Love love the apps we already made our next reservation. A must try!!! read more

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so glad we made time for this place. super cool hi fi lounge, japanese inspired vinyl bar. they have a live vinyl spinning dj. the vibes here are great for a chill night out. our server/ bartender Sam was the best and he even gave us a tour after closing. He made some bomb drinks too. My favorite part is all the thorough details throughout the design of the place. 11/10 can't wait to revisit! read more

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We sat at the bar after a short wait. Ordered a couple drinks which were very good and named for songs. So cute. We shared the Wagu Burger which was very delicious. Our bar staff was friendly and attentive. The manager stopped by twice to check on us as well as other guests. read more

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The Pretender is such a cool addition to Noblesville. The atmosphere is beautiful, the music creates a really unique vibe, and the whole experience feels thoughtfully put together. But the food was the real standout for me. My wife got the steak, it was absolutely incredible perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, and exactly how it should be. You can tell there's real attention to detail in the kitchen. The burger was just as impressive. It came out looking almost too pretty to eat, with that perfect pink center and beautifully cooked patty. It was juicy, flavorful, and honestly one of those burgers that makes you stop talking for a minute because you're too busy eating. And then there's the brie brûlée bread OMG wow. The bread had these amazing, perfectly defined grill marks that made it look as good as it tasted, and the combination of the warm bread and brie was incredible. Me and my wife are definitely coming back the food is amazing. read more

Great new restaurant! Top-notch attentive service, very tasty appetizers and food, surprisingly wide menu, upscale and comfortable seating, extremely cool interior, and of course great music--which was set at the right volume for conversation. All six of us loved it and plan to go back. Very highly recommended! read more

WOW. This will be hard to beat... What an awesome addition to downtown Noblesville. The concept is so unique - I felt like we were in a sexy little joint in NYC or something. The Pretender is a cozy listening lounge where they spin a wide variety of vinyl records all night, and serve up some really fantastic food and craft cocktails. It somehow feels both laid back and swanky at the same time. Our food was beautifully plated. The cocktails were creative and fun, and every little detail felt intentional. My drink was served in a teapot... 10/10. You can tell a lot of thought and passion went into creating this place. We love all of Clancy's restaurants, but this might honestly be my favorite concept they've done. It's one of those places you keep thinking about after you leave, and I have a feeling it's going to become a go-to spot for so many people. Can't wait to come back. read more

Did a walk in because we could not get a reservation. Host said we could have a table until 7. We decided to stay and have drinks. At exactly 7:01 the manager came over and told us we had to leave. We were obviously finishing up but he made us feel like the people who had the reservation were much more important than us ( he did greet them with a hug). We abruptly left. Manager needs some training in customer courtesy. read more

Absolutely the best new place in Noblesville! Food amazing but the atmosphere and music is an unexpected bonus! Small venue(probably for now) but worth the wait! read more

My friend and I were blown away by the ambiance of this establishment. The music was perfect and the attention to detail in decor left us stunned and set the perfect tone for the evening. Our service was also amazing! Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful. Our server even really took the time to get a great photo for us. Despite being the last seating of the night we never felt rushed but everything was prompt. As far as the food, it was a bit hit or miss. The fries were soggy but the blue cheese crusted burger was amazing. The goat cheese was a fun and tasty app, served up in a unique way. We also ordered the green eyed girl and the tea party cocktails, the presentation was stunning and the tea party was especially fun because it was shareable but I wasn't disappointed or blown away by either. I'm a big fan of all of our Clancy's restaurants so I'm sure they will work out the small kinks in no time, we can't wait to return! read more

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