Irish Rover Pub & Restaurant

Bar, Eatery

8250 Gaylord Parkway
Frisco, Texas, 75034
United States

(214) 618-6222 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.67
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
5
pDev:
26.7%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of Allen_McElwee955
Reviewed by Allen_McElwee955 from Texas

4.94/5  rDev +34.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5
Excellent selection of beers on the tap with Dark to Pale and lots of Lagers. Reasonable pricing coupled with good service. What else do you need? They don't make beers, they serve it, so beers taste exactly the way they should.
Jan 25, 2017
Photo of Dan_Trimble
Reviewed by Dan_Trimble from Texas

4.79/5  rDev +30.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
This is a cute little place with great food, good selection of beers, great service and lots of games. They more than 35 beers on tab and the bartenders are very knowledgeable.
Dec 21, 2016
Photo of Mitchel
Reviewed by Mitchel from Texas

2.78/5  rDev -24.3%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3
Read the other reviews for this place. They are consistent. For the most part, I agree with everything that said by Rasputin and Kindestcut.

I am originally from Frisco and this was one of the first ‘bars’ in Frisco that I thought had potential (now in San Antonio and can’t wait to get back). After going there several times I feel that this place leaves much to be desired. I would rather go to Bennigan’s (gasp!).

The atmosphere is not what I would call Irish or a pub. It is basically a restaurant by day and a bar by night. It is not very comfortable and full of smoke. I take pubs to be a bit cozy and hospitable. Not to say that this place isn’t, but…..well, it’s not.

The beer is okay….I guess. They have the classics (Guinness, Newcastle, etc.) but nothing that surprised me or made me take a second look at the menu. This place is mostly for you BMC drinkers. The food is okay, but once again, nothing to take a second look at. Fair enough prices though.

We have had a bit of a problem with the bar staff. They can be a little rude and often times, not very helpful. They didn’t know much about the beer that they were serving.
They should rename this place American Rover, seeing as how it isn’t very Irish. Oh well. Just don’t go there expecting to have anything but relatively common beers in a relatively common bar. Not bad overall, just know what you are getting yourself into.
Nov 14, 2005
Photo of RasputinsRevenge
Reviewed by RasputinsRevenge from Texas

3.05/5  rDev -16.9%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3
I have to agree 100% with kindestcut on this one. I had high hopes that this would be my next favorite hangout. How wrong I was. As soon as I opened the door I was greeted with gaudy American macro-brew St. Paddy's paraphernalia - and this was a couple months ago - nowhere near March...my heart literally sank at this point.

At this time we were already inside, so we decided to take a seat and ride this one out. The decor - they tried, I'll give them that, but it just feels too..."forced" for lack of a better description. Also the setup is nothing like a "pub" - big open spaces do not make for a warm, cozy environment.

Next, when your table of 2 has the only pints of Guinness within eyesight, you *know* something is fishy!

The food was decent, nothing great, but also nothing horrible.

Oh, and the music - absolutely no theme or consistancy, it's like there was a child in the back changing stations between each song just for the hell of it. I mean, go grab some Clancy Brothers CDs or something - *anything* would be better than what they had spewing out of the jukebox.

Without a doubt, the biggest disappointment about this place is that "Irish Pub" is a complete misnomer. It has the facade of an Irish Pub, but little else resembles it's namesake. Like kindestcut said, it is what it is, and I can't fault them for trying, it's just not what I expected.
Feb 24, 2004
Photo of kindestcut
Reviewed by kindestcut from North Carolina

2.81/5  rDev -23.4%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3
I was really excited when I heard about this place. There is a severe shortage of comfortable, intimate drinking establishments in the area and I was hoping this place would fit the bill.

When you walk in, you have hope that you've wandered into an Irish pub. After all, the sign says it's an Irish pub so it must be an Irish pub, right? The front of the place is a restaurant. In the rear is the aforementioned "pub." I scooted past the tables and into the back.

I knew there was trouble the moment I walked in because the jukebox was playing classic rock (OK, later U2 made an appearance but that's just way too predictable). In fact, I'd say it's a pub in name only.

The atmosphere is not very cozy. Now, I don't expect to have an authentic Irishman/woman behind the bar but give me something to work with here, people! The bartender looked like he wouldn't know an Irishman if he slugged him in the jaw.

I took a seat at one of the tables and checked out the decor. I noticed the obligatory Proclamation of Irish Freedom poster on one wall (finally, something Irish!), American macro paraphernalia (OK, they also had a Boddinton's sign...not Irish) and a very un-Irish cricket bat on a wall near the front. My guess is that the owners bought a lot of signs/mirrors, etc. that look like they belong in a pub. There's not a serious attempt to make this look like an "Irish" pub.

The beer list at the Irish Rover is pretty good for a pub in a strip mall. The usual suspects are there- Guinness, Newcastle, etc. as well as all the American macros, which I'm sure are big players here. I was happy to see Murphy's (Red and Stout) on the list. Although I was hoping to be surprised, I can't fault them for selling what sells.

The menu looked fine, I guess. It had the traditional dishes you'd expect at an Irish pub like nachos, hamburgers, stuffed jalapenos and potato skins. Seriously, I didn't try the food so I can't comment on its quality.

There is nothing special or unique about this place. However, I do feel that I should cut the place a little slack. The Irish Rover is in a strip mall, behind a Target in the bustling Dallas suburb of Frisco. I believe that this is not the best of locations for a traditional Irish pub. I am not sure that one could survive in that location.

It is what it is...and that's not bad...but it isn't a pub. And after a couple of beers I liked the place much better. I guess beer goggles work on a variety of things.
Mar 11, 2003
Irish Rover Pub & Restaurant in Frisco, TX
Place rating: 3.67 out of 5 with 5 ratings