Clare Inn

Great food! Quite a surprise from what I expected from a pub. Will definitely go back.

All of the other reviews about The Clare are spot-​on. It is definitely the ‘classic’ Irish pub which I think gets most of it’s business based on blokes watching sport and drinking Guinness. I was really excited to go there b/​c I read that it had some of the best pub food in Auckland. I had the Beef & Stout Wellington and my partner had the big breakfast (which REALLY lives up to its name). The Beef & Stout Wellington was pretty good but I thought the signature Guinness sauce was a bit too sweet. Service was alright but there were only about 5 other people in the bar. The most disappointing part of the experience though was the leather chairs in the dining room. The foam and under fabric were exposed and crumbling looking like something that belonged in a UNI flat not a pub charging $ 25+ for mains. It felt dirty and uncared for and took away from the dining experience. Really hoping so obvious gets fixed sooner than later. ;)

Very much a classic Irish style pub. Friendly and comfortable on the inside and always quite a few Irish accents to be heard. Standard selection of Irish beers on draft. Best suggestion for a snack are the spicy chicken wings. If you are familiar with American-​style Buffalo Wings, these will definitely hit the spot.
A good place to watch the Rugby as well, but it will be popular and so you should book a table well in advance of the Rugby… yes that’s right, they will take reservations!

Had a few pints and bar meal before attending an sporting event. We enjoyed the atmosphere and décor. We were made welcome by the staff. Decided to have a light meal from the Bar Menu, was impressed by the size and quantity of the potatoe skins. Was too full to finish mine !!!

The Clare Inn is your typical English/​Irish style pub — quite old school with old paintings and drawings on the walls and serving up Guinness to every second man who walks up to the bar. Very authentic Irish!
The two occasions I visited this place were quite pleasant. For one it was a leaving party which was held upstairs because you are able to hire that bit out exclusively. The food served was delicious, I actually think I sat by a plate of food all night and didn’t really socialise. Also the wine being served was very nice (Pinot Gris). There was a live band on downstairs but you couldn’t really hear it that bad from upstairs which was good and there was just some of my friends own music playing upstairs. All in all it is a nice, quaint bar.

I hadn’t been here for a few years so when trying to find somewhere close for a quick-​ish family dinner we found a voucher in the Entertainment Book so thought we’d give it a go. As soon as walked in I remembered why I usually avoid it; The Blokes.
I guess it’s got the UK-​style pub thing going on and clearly that has huge appeal for a certain kind of man. It was only a Wednesday so I was surprised to see so many (about 20) standing around, pints in hand. It’s actually kind of intimidating and I’d be surprised if any women folk ever venture in here without a man of their own.
Anyway we eventually were told to head into the dining room where we would be served. One thing of note about The Clare Inn: not a single vegetarian dish on the menu, chips and bread etc excluded. My usual staples of soup and salad even were absent — no salads on offer and no Soup of the Day as advertised on the menu. Even the Pasta of the Day was smoked chicken.
Our lovely Irish waitress, though thin on smiles, efficiently took our drinks orders and answered our questions about the food saying we could get the pasta without meat. Sounded uninspiring so I went for the Fish’n’Chips with unbattered panfried fish and mostly salad with just a few chips. I can understand why wait staff don’t love me for for changing every bloody item in the dish but sometimes there’s no choice. (Other times I just want what I want.)
I have to say, all the food was great and my daughter’s vegetarian pasta turned out to be delicious so I was wrong about expecting flavourless tomato sauce with veges.
Overall I’d say this is an ok place to come for a meal, especially if you prefer the traditional meat-​based dishes on offer here i.e. Beef Wellington, Rump Steak and the like.
And if you’re a 50 to 60 year old guy who would rather be at the pub than at home then this is your place.

This is the best place to get a Guinness within walking distance of my house, and as such it is my favourite Irish pub. Irish pubs in general I find to be summed up pretty well by Guinness — a pint is great, two is okay, any more and you feel full and weary. Similarly I like Irish pubs, but I find that I overdose on the forced whimsy and twee fiddle music.
Clare Inn has a minimum of that, thankfully. It’s just a nice pub, with a good range of drinks and by all accounts pretty good food. They also have live music pretty regularly — a friend’s dad comes here to play folk music quite often.
It can be busy in the evenings but it’s quite nice to come here in the afternoon and enjoy a quiet drink with friends.

I grew up going to the Clare Inn for Sunday dinners with my family, and as my siblings and I got older it’s where we’d meet our dad for a drink and catch up.
The Clare is a local Irish pub that specialises in good drinks, good food, good music and a good time. Like most Irish pubs, Guinness is on tap at the Clare and live music is performed throughout the week.
The atmosphere of the Clare Inn is vibrant, friendly and relaxed — I sometimes find Irish pubs a bit grungy but that’s definitely not the case with the Clare Inn. Always clean, lots of windows and natural light and very chatty bar staff, you feel instantly at ease in this pub regardless of your age or lack of Irish heritage.
The Clare offers plenty of both indoor and outdoor seating, with two stories and a separate bar on each level, there is more than enough room for a dance, a family dinner, drinks with friends or afternoon catch up in the shaded area upstairs.
Tip: The portion sizes of the meals at the Clare are really generous, so make sure you’re hungry if you’re heading there for dinner!

The Clare Inn is a solid Irish bar. They have that hilarity about them inside, and they provide all the irish goodies, from the booze to the eats. It’s a pretty neat spot to visit for a decent irish pub meal or a night on the pints.
The food they offer is a range of the classics — duck — beef and stout — fish and chips etc. There is also some randoms in the menu like the salt n chilli squid. definitely go there and try the chocolate and baileys ice cream for desert.
The place also has function rooms for hire so it makes for a great spot for group gatherings and parties in general.
the décor is what you expect for a classic Irish joint. Green and wooden panels and slightly dated furniture which somehow looks like it works in there. The little pictures hanging on the wall are expected too. It s a trusty spot int hat sense — you know what to expect and what you will get.