Michael O’Toole’s Restaurant

Closed and changing concept to a seafood restaurant

This place was definitely weird. We stopped in Friday night around 10/​11PM for drinks before walking up high street for a good olé fashioned bar crawl. So, the first thing I notice is the place is huge, but the bar is small and there’s not many people there. We walk toward a long table by the bar and are told immeidately by some guy who looked like he was hanging out there that the kitchen was closed, but they had beer. (We only wanted drinks anyway). So, we sit down and wait for a server and one of the people hanging out comes to take drink orders. out of 7 of us not one person like their drinks. I was told by Keith M. and Bryant M. that they were served the worst Manhattan EVER! My vadoka soda sucked. How can you make that drink suck? I have no clue.
So, then, some of the boys go outside to smoke and a two person cover band starts up. The guy behind the bar (looks like a manager) storms back to the kitchen area cussing that they’re too damn loud and turns the speakers down. We were asked two more times if we wanted more drinks, no takers, and no checks offered. So, hanging out, the band playing decent covers, the bar tender/​manager sticks his head outside like a last call to the guys and when asked if they were closing, the bar guy says he doesn’t know, and doesn’t know when they close, and they may close after the bands doen. WTH?
We rush to get out since it sucks and have to wait to pay our check at the bar because the waitress decided she was done waitressing and only hanging out. Then we try to leave the building and the doors are security locked and we have to be helped out.
Needless to say, never giving this place a second shot. We even joked it was so strange it could be like Brigadoon that it was all a figment of our imagination and may be disapeared by morning. We could only hope!

This was not my first choice for lunch today, however my first two were exceptionally busy and I didn’t want to take a long time for lunch. My lunch partner and I decided on Michael O’Tooles because it was the next restaurant on the street.
After being seated, we received our waters. We then waited a long time for our order to be taken (probably 10 minutes).
I ordered the burger and asked about the fries (if they were house made or frozen). They were out of fries. Really? The other option were kettle chips.
Food came out in an acceptable time after the order. The burger was fine. The chips were pretty much Lays. I was hoping for housemade chips.
The burger was $ 9 with fries or chips. I would have rather paid a bit more at Ted’s for a much better burger and housemade fries. And much better service.
If this place wants to be a downtown lunch establishment, they need to work on their service and value. The only reason we ate there was because the convention center was packed, and so was max and ermas. Should have been an omen that this place wasn’t.
That being said, the restaurant space itself is attractive.

Went for lunch with a group of people from work to celebrate a birthday. There were lots of fruit flies which made me concerned about the cleanliness of the kitchen and state of the food. The server/​host was not personable at all so common courtesy was non existent (she barked at a couple people when they asked for recommendations and for the soups of the day to be repeated). The fruit fly issue was very distracting as people as our table spent a significant amount of time trying to shoo them away from the food. The décor and menu are having an identity crisis with no one understanding the theme or menu choices. Lastly, the beef on the Reuben was leather and the salad served on a hot plate so my lettuce was wilted and warm. Nothing that I would go back to. I was truly worried about the fly issue and wondering what was lurking in the kitchen.

I’m surprised to read some of the other reviews of O’Toole’s because I am a semi-​regular and have never experience poor service, bland food, etc. However, I suppose the wide array of feedback is a testimony to the inconsistency of the customer experience, which is a bit disappointing.
That said, I really have never eaten a bad dish here. I’ve had the caesar salad with blackened salmon, the ahi tuna salad, the reuben, the meatloaf sandwich… all delish! I was particularly impressed with the ahi tuna salad as it wasn’t over-​dressed and the tuna was seared to perfection (I am always leery about seafood unless I am dining somewhere that is known for their seafood). But, O’Toole’s pulls the dish off rather well.
They also have a fantastic beer selection and a great offering of happy hour specials.
Service has generally been OK, but tends to err on the slow slide. Fortunately, I have never been in a rush.

1^st things first, if you are looking for Irish pub food, this is not the place or you… not that MOT touts itself as this type of place, but i did notice some complainers writing reviews. I won a gift card from (614) magazine during rest. week, so we decided to try it out. The food was good (meat loaf sandwich, clam chowder, onion rings), but the service left a bit to be desired. Our server brought out meatloaf dinners instead of the sandwiches, and seemed a little miffed that we sent them back & requested our actual order. Not sure if she was upset @ the kitchen staff or us, but either way, she was not in a very good mood about it. The menu had several items I would have tried, but we were trying to have four people eat on a $ 50 gift card so the full entrees will have to wait. There is a very nice beer selection, with lots of craft & micro brews available. The prices for a bottle were a bit steep though ($ 4.60) for my taste. The place was clean & comfortable, but finding parking was a bit rough. I think there is a garage on the other side of the building, but we did end up finding a meter.

Food was pretty decent, but the restaurant is terribly run. Our waiter was working his butt off while the other staff sat around and watched. The bartender was very rude and served a glass of wine in a glass that had lipstick on it and didn’t even apologize. The manager acted like he was oblivious to any of the the problems and spoke volumes for the why the restaurant was 90% empty. We mentioned to him that our waiter seemed a little swamped and his response was, «He’ll be okay». Our talbe was not cleared once and we even had to take cups to the bar. The hostess had little to be desired as well. I would not recommend going to this restaurant and we will never go back.

On Tuesday I ventured into Michael O’Tooles for Restaurant Week. I had befallen some recent good karma lately and won a gift certificate courtesy of 614 Magazine for Restaurant Week to this specific place. I was really excited to go because I pass this building every day on my way to work and have never been inside.
First off, the space is truly amazing. Located across the street from the convention center and really in the «thick» of downtown, this building couldn’t be more perfect for the downtown traffic. However, when we got inside it was empty. Literally empty. 1 Bartender, 2 waiters, a host and no customers. We arrived at 7:00 so it was a bit strange to see no one. Inside, the place is huge but the décor is nothing special. With such a great view of the city, I am surprised they didn’t try to go all out with this venue. I am curious as to what someone else could do with it…
So the atmosphere was a bit weird just because it was only my date and I dining. It is hard to complain when that was what made the service phenomenal… loved it! It was like being the only child once again (damn you little brother! kidding) Our waiter was really great.
But the free food and service couldn’t save this sinking ship. My meal was so unmemorable and bland that I can’t even tell you about it now. My date’s steak was primarily fatty pieces and my salmon sat atop a bed of instant microwave rice with some watery-​looking veggies to match. Meh. The blueberry bread pudding dessert was very good, I’ll give them that as a win.
For such a great location, it is a shame the food and ambience is not even in the same league as the Cbus restaurant scene. Like I said before, I truly wish I could see someone work their magic and redo this venue. It could be really great (irish themed or not)

I’ve eaten here a couple of times and I’ve kept it simple — sandwiches or burgers — all of which have been delicious — and their fries are awesome as well. It’s off the beaten path, yet somehow manages to have some great food and a reasonable crowd (lunch has been «busy» but not too crowded).
The staff was great, the manager was amicable and the food was delicious.

I had a Groupon to eat at Michael O’Toole’s and I thought the food was overpriced for what it was. Vegetables were oversalted and the service was spotty. Very open atmosphere (almost cavernous) and limited selection of food. I imagine MOT’s proximity to the convention center is why it is able to remain open.

Wound up here twice while nearby for a conference, both times for dinner.
Between the 6 other people I ate with I think I saw a wide variety of their food. One person got the reuben which came with onion rings as big as her head. Another had the plank salmon which was declared tasty, and the person who got the meatloaf said they usually are iffy about meatloaf but the description sounded great [wrapped in bacon!] and it lived up to hopes for it. Vegetables were fresh, sauces were not overwhelming. I don’t usually drink but folks exclaimed over the beer selection, especially the items on tap.
Service was prompt, attentive and friendly. My only complaint was that while they are in fact handicapped accessible it’s not easy to find the accessible entrance — you basically have to go around towards the back of the building and then through a gate to the patio that surrounds them. Once inside pathways were clear, and the tables were not too close for mobility devices to travel.
Prices were a little on the expensive side but the food made that ok. Very nice place, I’d like to go back next time I’m in town.

This isn’t an Irish bar but the menu says the owner’s great-​grandfather was Michael O’Toole so that’s where the restaurant’s name came from. French Dip sandwich was one of the best I ever had. Washed it down with a Brooklyn IPA. Great beer list for a place with full service and extensive menu. We also tried the blackened Mahi Mahi special. It was absolutely delicious. We went with a few friends and service was great. Matt was our server. They are still working out some kinks but I loved the beers with Dogfish IPAs, Jever Pilsner, Korbinian, Chimay, Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, about 40 more and even had PBR and Rolling Rock.
Saturday night was not too busy. I think they get slammed from conventions which would explain some of the reviews about slow service.
Another thing I loved — sitting at the bar, they had a decent Single Malt Scotch Whisky collection with my favorite, Highland Park.

This brand new Irish restaurant bar just opened last week (well I thought it was an Irish Bar) and I live around the corner so I figured I’d stop in and decide if it’s for the tourists and hotels in the area or is it right for the natives as well.
Let me start with saying yes It is for the Hotels/​tourists and that’s okay with me, being a native I will probably choose a handful of other restaurants and bars to hang out in before this one. Primarily because of the price and the bland tasting food. I ordered the Spicy Shrimp app 7.99 and the Reuben 9.99 (they claim it to be the best in the city) and the fact that they are not an Irish Restaurant or Bar, that is from the words of the bartender «they do not want to be an Irish bar», Huge mistake in my mind if they want to be a fan of the natives.
The Spicy Shrimp app — Not Spicy at all and was pretty much boiled shrimp in buttery cream sauce, not really tasty at all. Big shrimp tho.
The Reuben — Best part of this was that everything was served Hot, Decent amount of corn beef but the lack of Russian dressing as well as the lack of taste from the Russian dressing was not good. I also ordered a side of ranch. I noticed that the dressing they are using is pretty runny, I personally like a little bit thicker dressings and I find they have more flavor. The corn beef was sorta fast foodish?
The Fries — Fantastic and I leave it at that, big potato slices and whatever oil they use for the fryers works well with them.
I will probably end up in the bar again on a Saturday afternoon just because it’s around the corner form my house but that afternoon will probably not come anytime soon. Also they only have one TV and you have to be sitting at the bar to be able to see it. I think they only had about 20 seats around the bar.
Now with all that being said the menu is decent size so if you’re visiting the city and don’t want to walk or take a cab try the place out but if you live here full time I would take a pass, you aren’t getting anything special.
I wish the owners the best of luck and recommend they capitalize on the Irish name otherwise they might be in for a shock from the crowds come St. Patty’s day.

So a few of us decided to go try out this new Irish Pub/​Restaurant. I thought, love it! Maybe they’ll have some good Irish food!
Now, walked in at around 5:00 and thought, ok, it’s kind of quiet. Not a big deal. The décor was ok. Seemed relatively clean. I wasn’t in the mood for too much food, but if they had some good grub, I could be convinced to eat.
Looked at the menu, and it was just allover the place. The appetizers consisted of generic spinach and artichoke dip, wings, some fried oysters (which could have been good, but didn’t opt for them) and some other generic bar food. They had burgers, they had ribs, some seafood, king crab legs. What is going on? There is no coherence with their menu. The only thing Irish about the menu was the font and decoration. It’s like they had an after thought to make this place more special to add king crab legs. Guys, hate to break it to you, but it just doesn’t work that well. I was pretty disappointed and just settled on a combo of ½ reuben and house salad figuring it was a safe bet since nothing else looked appetizing or not overly priced.
The waitress takes an HOUR from the time we ordered to when the food actually got to our table. No apologies, nothing. And when the food came, didn’t even have my dressing on my salad. I was more appalled by how nonchalant she was — taking the time to chat it up with other patrons. So onto the food — the reuben was disgusting with the meat dry. Took one bite and put it back onto the table. I’d rather have spit it out, but thought that might have been too rude. My salad was ok. You can’t really screw up a house salad, unless you count forgetting the dressing as one. Another from our group ordered the spinach artichoke dip that well, had more mayonnaise than actual greens in the «dip». The chips for the dip had a shine to them that just screamed, we just deep fried these. (I took it further and thought, you couldn’t have shaken off more oil? Take it how you will, because some may like it.) The burger that someone else ordered, well… nothing was said so I guess they didn’t screw that one up.
The manager did take it off my bill, which I thank him for. But the damage was already done.
HOWEVER, the one saving grace that they have is that the Guinness here was good.
I have never been so appalled by how terrible a place can be. Some may like it, but I say, save your money, time and calories and go eat a bag of dorito’s. It’ll be better worth your time…