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    The Workman's Friend

    4.3 (482 reviews)
    Closed 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    The Workman's Friend Photos

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    THE WORKMAN'S FRIEND ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Burger with fries
    Suzanne A.

    Located in Plaza Midwood, it appears to be the place to be on a Saturday night. There are 2 sides. One side is a bar area whereas the other side is the restaurant. We sat in the back part of the restaurant. Drinks were flowing. Service was great. The waiter was very attentative to our entire group. The only negative comment was that it was very hot. There was no relief to the temperature where we were. I can understand the bar area being warm because its is open to the outside. A door separates the two side so I don't know why the restaurant side was so hot. No air being exchanged at all. Overall I really liked the vibe of The Workman's Friend. We will be back.

    Grilled cheese and tomato soup
    Hannah L.

    Workmans is a household favorite of ours! Their tomato soup is amazing, and so is their Shepards Pie. Not to mention their drinks and vibes are always great. Will always be back to Workmans

    Laurie I.

    So we tried this restaurant after not being able to get into a different one because it was so crowded. The atmosphere is very underwhelming, and after sitting down and viewing the menu we almost considered leaving. But we wound up finding something we thought we'd like and it was surprisingly very tasty. We were both pleasantly surprised at our meals. I had a burger and fries, but it was no ordinary burger. And the fries were REAL fries. They were delicious. My husband enjoyed his fish and chips. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. This restaurant could use a refresh, deep cleaning and some additions to the menu. If the environment was more appealing and the food choices more plentiful, this place would be amazing.

    Honey badger drink
    Emily S.

    If sitting in an open air window seat on a sunny day with a refreshing beverage is your vibe, this is the spot for you. The Honey Badger is such a yummy, light cocktail and it was perfect for a warm Saturday afternoon. To add to the good vibes, there is sure to always be excellent people watching while peering out over Central Ave. This place has all the goodies!

    Sausage Rolls (winner)
    Christopher M.

    Stopped in for dinner as an 8 before a comedy show. The area was lively with restaurants, bars and people all around. Pub atmosphere, with TV's galore, beer taps and full bar. Service was excellent. Plenty of Irish pub food choices. Fresh Guinness was a bonus. Dined on burgers, Shepard pie, sausage rolls. All hot delicious and plentiful. Enjoy!

    Fried Pickled Okra
    Dennis S.

    Great staff, super attentive service. The sausage rolls did not disappoint! Good selection of taps and ambiance is exactly what you're looking for in a great local pub! Highly recommend the okra, they do it so well!

    Rose G.

    Def my fave restaurant in Plaza Midwood! I'm a creature of habit, so I usually get the tomato soup and grilled cheese with a glass of sparkling wine. Food is def yummy . I've also gotten the Shepherd's pie and the burger which are both really good as well. Their sparkling wine is pretty good, though a bit more in price than other places I'll admit. I usually do make a reservation on open table if I plan to eat. Usually get seated near the back which has a great ambiance and isn't quite as loud as the bar area, though still loud. Service is nice when I have a reservation, and food comes out fairly fast. Whenever I just come in without a reservation, I usually just sit at the bar for some drinks with a friend. Bar service is usually nice and usually get a drink fairly fast with kind service. I also like sitting in the kinda outer bar part behind the bar. If you sit at the front when it's open, your dog can sit outside near you. Only part of the bar that's kinda dog friendly. But my fave time is just getting dinner here or drinks on a Thursday. As an introvert, this place gets way too busy on weekend evenings, though many probz love that! Overall, just really like the food, drinks, service, and ambiance on non-busy nights!

    Emanuel S.

    This was my first time ever in a pub, and I can say it didn't disappoint! I decided to join my friends after we hosted an event, and they chose to go here. This was honestly the best decision of my life. The Workman's Burger was the best burger I've ever had, although I wish I had gotten bacon on it just due to my love of bacon. I can't even explain how amazing their mac and cheese was--it had a perfect amount of crunch and mix of cheese. The environment is also very welcoming, and the service is great. If I could give this place a 10/10, I would!

    thank you Joe!
    Daniel P.

    first time in when I arrived waayyy too early for a death by tacos thing on tax-day eve '24. needed something to do for about 34 minutes and a passer-by suggested walking a block and a half to here... so I did. long bar stretches almost from the front door to the drinking hall in back. easy access to the side porch is through a door on the left and many people were in and out during my brief stay which hints at fun and games just beyond my reach. asked Joe for a brandy cocktail but they were fresh out (he actually went and looked!) so a smattering of B&B instead to produce a serviceable rendition. yea for me :-) hope to make it back when I have more time and see how many whirls we get on Peter's fun-o-meter.

    Tomato bisque and grilled cheese
    Maxine C.

    The ambience of this place is great for any occasion. We've come here late night for drinks and early morning for brunch and the staff killed it both times. The cocktails are always amazing and the food is good. I got the tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch, it was the perfect size. I especially love the outdoor patio and music--good for all ages and occasions!

    My wife & I ordered burger & fries - very good size & flavour and we enjoyed great service - by a South African bloke named Jordan. Very pleasant, efficient & professional. Loved his accent and humour. Well done, lad. PS. Amazing aioli sauce!

    IPA
    Reana K.

    My mom was craving fish and chips and while visiting my brother in town, he told me about a neat place to check out with them. I'm really happy we came here. It was worth the drive leaving Uptown to go here. We love college football and it was a plus to get to catch some of the game while we grabbed IPAs and food. The fish and chips came in a decent portion that was shareable as an app. It worked out perfectly because we were bar hopping and didn't need too much to eat yet. For Harry Potter fans, this place and its atmosphere gives off Hogsmeade vibes. It's also family friendly as well. We sat at the bar but there were plenty of tables for families to sit at as well. There are two areas too, so if the inside bar is full, you can go sit outside at the other bar. Highly recommend this place!

    Crazy rainy Saturday crowd!
    Brian V.

    Started our anniversary dinner at WF with a glass of wine for my wife and I love Magner's and was so glad they have it on tap! The bar area full with a younger crowd standing and enjoying their beers. We were a few minutes early for our reservations and were sat right away around 4booths from the bar area which made for a loud and rowdy backdrop to dinners We ordered mussels in white wine and sausage roll for an appetizer. She had her heart set on the burger and I debated between the Shepard's pie and Irish stew. Our server helped me choose the Shepard's Pie. The mussels and sausage rolls came out together each served on a piece of slate with the mussels piled high in a camping pot. They were served with in the wine sauce which was great for dipping bread and the sausage rolls. The sauce mussel and tomato was a tasty combination. There was just enough tomatoes to eat one tomato half with each bite of mussel. They provided a bowl for the mussel shells but the number of mussels provided far exceeded the space in the bowl so it was like a game Tetris trying to get all the shells in the bowl. It's never a bad thing when the portion size exceeds my expectations and especially so when the food tastes great. We finished all the bread provided so we asked for more to absorb the great sauce in the camp pot and while we waited, discovered the sausage rolls also tasted great in the sauce. We waited to order our main entree until halfway through appetizers and it's a good thin we did. These 2 starters both tasted great and both were in fair portions. My wife's burger was reduced to burger slider appetizer which came with 2 and we also got their famous "bag of chips". I proceeded to order the Shepard's pie. Krissy's sliders were just the right size with the meat, cheddar cheese, tomato l, arugula and a sunny side up quail egg on a toasted slider bun. The quality of food and the tremendous presentation of the food definitely enhanced the meal. She ate one of the sliders and did not have room for the second so I didn't let it go to waste! My Shepard's pie came in a crock with a thick layer of mash potatoes on top with a browned crust on top and it came with a pub salad. The Shepard's pie was very tasty with the beef and vegetables in the beef broth. Big fan of the Shepard's pie. The pub salad had beets, and cukes with arugula in shallot vinaigrette dressing. I ate about half of the Shepard's pie and all of the pub salad. We both really enjoyed this tremendous meal for our 22 anniversary at WF and will definitely add this to our favorite places in Charlotte list. Thanks!

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    26 days ago

    Maybe good for a lunch or dinner but late night cocktails would absolutely not recommend

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    9 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Rating it 3 stars because I don't enjoy the food, but the ambiance and drinks are pretty strong.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Stopped in for a quick bite, nothing fancy or anything to speak of specifically but the service was good so that's to be appreciated

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    6 months ago

    Best Irish pub in the city. Vibe and pints are unmatched. Priced fairly for the area. Has a solid shepherds pie and burger

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    Page 1 of 13

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    Whiskey Warehouse

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    Whiskey Warehouse has an excellent ambiance and menu. I came with a friend for Sunday brunch and…read moreenjoyed so many different dishes. We started with the deviled eggs, which were not too creamy and very well spiced. We then ordered cranberry mimosas, a chicken and waffle, an a veggie omelet. The cranberry mimosas were so fun because we got to make them ourselves! The chicken and waffle was ok- I requested gravy on the side but it certainly needed the sauce. The waffle was a little dry and the chicken was average. The veggie omelet was excellent and I enjoyed the fillings. I'm not a potato fan, but my friend enjoyed the potatoes. The biscuit was standard too but complemented the veggie omelet well. I'd say the star of the show were the fried French toast sticks- they were hot, sweet, and hit the spot perfectly. If I came back to Whiskey Warehouse, I'd choose the deviled eggs, French toast sticks, and mimosas.

    First off, there are no beers on tap. They were out of the first two bottled craft beers I ordered…read more Got the mushroom Swiss burger, medium, with curly fries. The burger came out well done, cold and dry meat with somewhat cooked red onions and very few mushrooms. The bun was super greasy and very dense. The whole thing was flavorless. The fries were soggy and some were raw. Few hours later and I have food poisoning. I would not recommend eating here.

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    The Degenerate

    The Degenerate

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    I had an enjoyable experience. I ordered the NYC falafel which, although it could be a bit larger,…read morewas very good. The default side was fries and I asked if there were any substitutions. One was a small side Caesar salad which I got. I was disappointed in the continuing practice for restaurants to charge for small changes like this within informing the customer. Waitress was very nice, however and attentive. What is also quite unique about the restaurant was that you could order small 4 oz beers, just for tasting at $2-3 each. The place is quite large and must get incredibly noisy at times with the hard surfaces and multiple TVs. There is an option to sit directly at the bar or at tables.

    The Degenerate is a cool, industrially designed space featuring great bites and drinks. What I love…read moremost is that the menu puts a unique spin on a lot of traditional, classic items. If you are looking for recommendations, I highly suggest trying: The Meatballs: A fantastic twist on a classic, served in a delicious lemon dill sauce instead of a typical marinara. The Sliders: Perfect pulled pork paired with fried green tomatoes and a tangy horseradish sauce. They also feature a highly creative and unique cocktail menu. Two of my personal standouts are the Beetle Juice, which incorporates fresh beet juice, and The Fishbone, which brilliantly highlights their house-made aquavit. Overall, it's a wonderful spot for a great atmosphere and an inventive menu!

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    Inside The Degenerate. Good vibes
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    Rí Rá

    Rí Rá

    3.6
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    Boy oh boy. This place is amazing. Of course we ordered the fish and chips. Had to get a second…read moretartar sauce. Everything was so dang delicious. We didn't like it. We loved it. Irish chicken curry was good too, but you can't go wrong with the haddock. Best I've had in years. Our service was superb as well. Bartender was helpful and staff were great. Our booth was cozy for just the 2 of us but we could have fit 6 more at the table. The bar and ambiance made the whole experience top notch. Can't wait to come back.

    I came in for dinner during a work conference all by my lonesome. I took a seat at the front bar…read moreand asked the staff to help me decide on a unique Irish whiskey, I wanted to expand my horizons. I wound up taking down two different chilled whiskeys before switching to half and half beer and a couple of Boddington's. Hey, not my usual routine, but it had been a stressful conference... For dinner, I ordered the fish and chips for $25. Not cheap, but great quality. They give you one huge filet, perfectly crispy and nicely seasoned. The fries were crispy as well, with just a little flavor on them. I also got a bottle of Irish malt vinegar for the fries, some tartar sauce and half of a grilled lemon. The fish and chips didn't come with haricot verts or any other vegetable so I ordered some Brussel sprouts. Maybe to feel slightly less guilty, I don't know. The sprouts blew my mind, they had been flash fried, so they came with a little crunch on them. They also had a little balsamic glaze for even more flavor. Well worth the $7 and maybe even more. I received friendly personable service from numerous bartenders. The restaurant plays a variety of music between Irish and American pop. Great downtown spot to unwind and enjoy some good pub grub and beverages.

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    Haberdish

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    4.3
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    We got on the walk-in list 30 minutes before arriving, but when we got there, the host told us it…read morewould still be about an hour wait. There were several "reserved" tables that remained empty until after we had finished eating, so I think the restaurant could benefit from a better reservation system with more accurate buffer times to accommodate walk-in guests. To avoid the wait, we decided to sit at the bar, and I'm glad we did because the food was amazing. The fried chicken and waffles were perfectly seasoned, and the waffle had a unique texture and flavor that reminded me of a combination of a traditional waffle and a soft pretzel. The cheesy potato cake was absolutely delicious. The fruit bowl was also good, but I wish they had been a little more generous with the blueberry pudding. The shrimp and grits came with large tomatoes, which may not be for everyone, and my friend felt the dish was lacking grits overall. She didn't feel like she got her money's worth. Would I go back? Absolutely. My meal was delicious, and I can't wait to return and try more of their homemade, fresh dishes. I also think it's great that they partner with local farmers to help curate their menu.

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    The Workman's Friend - irish_pubs - Updated August 2026

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