John Martin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Food was awesome, service was great too! Stop by and give it a try. The beef and Guinness stew is outstanding, so was the Shepard pie.

We visited here on a recent trip and enjoyed ourselves. My mom and I both got the salmon which was cooked perfectly. I wish the side wasn’t plain old white rice, but what can you do?! The other side was steamed veggies, which were tasty. There is happy hour until 7pm, which involves ½ off all wine & draft beer (maybe more, not sure) which was nice. The server was super sweet and helpful. We even got to talk to the owner who was making the rounds, and we heard about the Irish woodworkers who crafted some of the furniture. This is a quality place with a good vibe. The bar area is separate from the sit-​down restaurant. The bar looked like a fun place to grab a drink!

We have been here several times for drinks. You have to come early because sometimes in the evenings it is very crowded and hard to get in. The drinks are not too expensivr, they are moderately priced for the Gables and the service is nice. Tends to be more of an older crowd compared to tarpon bend or hillstone nearby.

I love Shepard’s pie and finally I have found a place that serves a good one. The place itself isn’t my cup of tea, but I would come back during lunch to get the Shepard’s pie.

This place has gotten better since the last time I reviewed! The Pub Burger is excellent, the fried mozzarella is yummy, the Moscow Mules are terrific, and the chocolate cake is a winner! And they’re OPEN LATE! Huzzah!!!

This is the first bar I visited when I moved to Coral Gables from Baltimore. The owner is very welcoming and the bartenders are great. Love the jukebox options. Get the escargot, meatloaf or the pub burger.

Thursday’s trivia night is a blast — the shepherd’s pie and fish and chips are outstanding– sit at the bar, best service in town

John Martin’s has great atmosphere on many nights, darker lighting to accommodate the more turby nights, and live music. I’ve been a few times and I’ve enjoyed it each time for that aspect.
Food hasn’t always been that great. I’ve always been disappointed by any fish dish I’ve ordered, even the fish of the day. Not a lot of flavor and way to pricey for what it is.
If you’re looking for somewhere to watch sports and have a few beers, this place will be one of your best bets on miracle mile.

This is my second visit to this bar. This time was a combination birthday party and going away party. Fun times. Staff is friendly and the waiter our group had worked his a** off. He was great and didn’t miss a beat. Live music was a violinist playing Irish music. Great atmosphere but can get loud at times.

Food is average. To be fair I only tried the fish and chips, which comes with a tiny serving of peas. The order came out freshly fried and piping hot. I liked the fish, it was flaky inside with a nice crispy thin coating. The fries were thick cut but tasted like ones I get in a cafeteria, nothing special. For $ 14 at an Irish pub and not a Disney park, I expect better quality. Our server was nice and friendly. The nearby garage parking is very convenient, street parking can be hard to find.

First off, their Pub Burger is amazing, albeit a bit over-​priced ($ 14!), even if it is on the Miracle Mile strip. Secondly for an Irish themed pub they don’t have an impressive beer selection, nothing craft of which to speak of either. And lastly its always empty (at least when I go). So if you’re looking for a low-​key spot away from the hustle and bustle of Miami this is the place, if you’re looking for a lively atmosphere I’d shy away from here

Sixpoint, Sonoma cider, and Kentucky Bourbon in bottles now! Very comfortable, friendly service.

Service/​Management:
First off, we enter the restaurant through the front and there’s no one to guide us as to what the hell to do. I’m there chilling for 5 minutes waiting for someone to notice that i’m waiting to be seated. Finally, my sister decided that we should just self seat. so we did. We ended up meeting three different servers within the first 10 minutes. It’s obvious their management is SLACKING. They don’t have a system for tables, it seems that it’s a free for all.
Service was slow as hell… The server was a nice girl… it’s a Tuesday night… wasn’t packed at all… service was rather slow…
Food: I was actually really looking forward to eating here, trying some authentic Irish food. I ordered off the Coral Gables Restaurant Week menu. I ordered:
— Irish Potato Soup: The soup was good. It was a very finely pureed soup. You could tell the potatoes were pureed as part of the broth. Nothing out of this world, but it was a nice soup. 3 out 5.
— Homemade Meatloaf with Mashed Potato, Peas, Carrots and Gravy: This was a disappointment. Right off the bat, it LOOKED like hospital food lol… The meatloaf had a decent flavor 3 out of 5, average. The mashed potatoes, peas and carrots were blah, 1 or 2 stars.
–Irish Whiskey Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce and Whipped Cream: I find that not many places to bread pudding well. This bread pudding was average, it is better than some I’ve had, but I wouldn’t give it more than a 3 out of 5.
Also:
— Award Winning Pub Burger with sweet potato fries: The burger was the best thing tonight. It was actually very good. Awesome flavors, super juicy, very strong sharp cheddar cheese. 4 out of 5… maybe even 5 out of 5…
— Homemade Bailey’s ice cream: Bailey’s ice cream was a nice touch. It wasn’t very sweet and it did have chocolate shavings in it. ¾ out of 5.
I wouldn’t come back though… except for the burger, IF i happen to be in the area… However, there are so many other restaurants in the area that are tried and true that I really don’t see a reason to come back. Plus, the service really sucked. You’re a restaurant in the Gables, right on Miracle Mile… I was actually surprised by how much their service and management sucked… So with average food and sloppy service… 2 out of 5.

I have to admit that with so many other options in the Gables, I have only been to John Martin’s one other time before this last time.
I have a monthly book club and we usually meet at Books & Books. This time when we went, there was an event going on and we were unable to meet there so we walked over to John Martin’s.
They were incredibly accommodating and sat our party right away. They had no problems giving us separate checks and the Pinot Grigio was actually pretty good (good wine at a pub always surprises me)!
Our waiter was very nice and service was very efficient. I had the Philly Cheesesteak and although the steak was a bit too thick for my taste, it was still good.
Overall it was a very nice experience, especially since it was a last minute change of plans. I will say, this was at noon on a Saturday so they were not busy — not at all.
We’ve decided to make this our new book club meeting place for the summer, since sitting outside at Books & Books in the sweltering heat can be a bit uncomfortable.

What a joke! I came here with a friend at around 10:15 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day for a Guinness or maybe 2. Based on past experiences at John Martin’s and other Irish places, I was expecting to see a street full of people dressed in green as I approached, bartenders under the stars serving up cold pints, and lots of traditional Irish music or at least an attempt at doing it up as big as possible with Irish spirit for the biggest Irish themed holiday of the year.
Sadly, as we approached, I saw no partiers reveling in the street, no bartenders in the street out front or in back of this bar. We made our way inside, and the place was jam packed, certainly over capacity. The bar was crowded 2 people deep along the entire length, and rather than Irish or Celtic music, the DJ was spinning LATIN tunes and people were friggin’ SALSA DANCING! Mind you, John Martin’s bills itself as a traditional Irish pub, and has worked hard to make their establishment look and feel as traditionally Irish as possible both inside and out, but the DJ was spinning salsa music on St. Paddy’s day! After about 5 minutes I finally got my Guinness. As we waded through the crowds, I was bumped into at least a few times by couples trying to salsa dance (in this packed Irish pub on St. Paddy’s Day) but I held my beer out as far as I could so they got drenched in it rather than I.
I finished my Guinness, and satisfied that I’d done right by my heritage by at least trying to have a Guinness in an Irish pub, we left and made our way to another non-​Irish bar down the street… Where they were actually playing Celtic music and even some tunes featuring bagpipes!

Went to John Martin’s for an afternoon of revelry for St. Patrick’s Day 2015… to be expected, it was really crowded, but the bartending staff was working furiously to get the orders out. I thought the Irish Car Bombs were a tad pricey, but it IS the Gables. As we stood waiting for a table, an attentive server named Micah assisted us. He found us a corner table at the bar, and quickly fetched 2 stools. An aspiring actor, Micah showed a formidable knowledge of the different ales and drinks offered. He amused and entertained us in spite of the madhouse atmosphere… Our order of Shepherd’s Pie and corned beef and cabbage were delivered promptly, and, while not out of this world, was just really good «comfort food» Any future visits to the Miracle Mile area of the Gables will warrant a return visit to John Martin’s.

We have been going to John Martins for years, and loved it so much that we decided to have our wedding after-​party here. It was amazing!
Mr. Martin (the owner) was great to work with, gave us a great deal for a group of 50 or so people, and allowed us to fill up a good portion of the bar so we could have it to ourselves. The bartenders were so nice, as well.
Everyone had an INCREDIBLE time, and raved about it the next morning. Thanks for the great memory!

John Martin’s is an institution on Miracle Mile. It is supposed to be one of the better Irish Pubs in town and boasts great food and even better service. So, what happened???
The menu is simple and affordable. It has a bit of something for everyone and from all walks of life. I had high hopes for what should be a staple, The Corned Beef Hash and Eggs. As described it should have two poached eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce. It sure was a lot different. I had two practically hard boiled eggs with what looked like curdled yellow sauce. It was not looking good. I asked for coffee and rye toast to accompany my breakfast, and that was pretty much the only thing that sat well with me. Strike one…
Brunch service is supposed to start at 11:30 on Sunday. This means everyone should be ready, alert, and awake. What greeted me was a half asleep bushy haired kid with unlaced shoes (no socks) and an attitude to match. Mind you, I was their first customer of the day and no one was ready. Strike two…
I asked my «server/​waiter/​sleepyhead» several times for coffee, sauce, butter, etc… Things that a good wait staff anticipates a customer would need. I lost track of how many times I had to call these things to his attention. Strike three…
I’ve been to John Martin’s before. I have had lunch and dinner numerous times, not to mention their St. Patrick’s Day parties are legendary. I’ve had drinks with friends, wobbled away a few times, and have done crawl or two up and down Miracle Mile. But, for the life of me, I cannot explain what happened on Sunday.
This review will have two stars. I will come back soon and try again. Hopefully the experience will improve and so will the review…

Ducked in to meet some long time friends visiting from outta town and it was a fine time, here’s why:
* Festive and happy holiday energy abounds!
* Excellent service.
* Attractive servers
* Located on Miracle Mile in gorgeous Coral Gables.
* Better-​than-​fairly priced for the neighborhood.
* Irish Pubs ROCK!
* Somebody else bought!
* Public Parking garage a block North
My last visit here was during St. Patrick’s Day and I didn’t get to see the inside of the place because it was too crowded. Sad face.
I shall be back to try the fare soon and will advise.
Cabeza OUT!

This is a large establishment in a great location on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. The bar area, where we sat, is pretty dark as very little light comes in from the street.
I have been here several times. Always meeting someone and never my choice. Food and service has never been great. Atmosphere is worse. So, when my dad chose this place to meet last weekend, I begged him to choose somewhere else but, in the end, I gave in.
Service = horrible. The kid was clueless and slow. At one point my dad reminded the kid of his lemon for the ice tea, as he had naturally forgotten despite the 3 reminders. The kid literally walked with a slice of lemon in hand, and dropped it inside my dad’s ice tea. I realize this is not a fine dining experience but c’mon!
Food = just okay. My nephew’s pasta with meatballs was pretty bad, although my turkey burger was okay.
It did take almost 45 minutes to get our food.
I probably will not be returning… I hope.

I was a bit in a sullen mood, but a visit to John Martin’s easily took care of that. The ambiance is so jovial! There was a live band, an authentic Irish band, playing Irish tunes and other classics. People were tapping, and some were dancing. My friend and I sat in the balcony area and had a great view of the patrons and the band.
We browsed the menu and choose our dinner entrees. Our waiter cheerfully took down our orders and we enjoyed the music in the meantime. My friend got the bangers and mash, which I thought was only a British dish. I got John Martin’s signature dish, the meatloaf. It was very flavorful, especially the gravy, and quite filling. Apparently, it’s one of the most popular dishes. My friend enjoyed his bangers and mash. We enjoyed everything about our experience. Even the décor is pretty, with dark wood, and an area that has a fireplace and flowered wallpaper, very cozy and homey.
The dessert menu looked pretty good, and we could not resist. Surprisingly, my friend got chocolate cake, which is odd, as he does not like chocolate. I got the Irish bread pudding, which is made in-​house. It was delicious and moist, though not overwhelmingly sweet. The service throughout was friendly. We sat around for a while listening to the music and we were never rushed out, even though we had already paid. We had a good time and then headed to our screening of The Wall at the Actors’ Playhouse. We asked ourselves why we don’t come here more often and have considered changing that. It’s safe to say we will be back!

Came in real quick after the Unilocalies for a night cap. I was only there for about 30 mins…
Walked in intrigued by the live music, which I can always appreciate, but was quickly disappointed by the fact that we had to wait to be seated and the hostess was no where to be found. Ok, fine it’s late, lots of locals, I get it, but c’mon man, my feet hurt lol…
Finally sat down and ordered a few drinks. Service was nice, our server was really sweet. Ordered the fried calamari. They looked good but we’re not :0/​.
They were flavorless and over cooked. Very chewy texture and the sauce they served it with was mutually tasteless. How could marinara be tasteless? Tried to make it better with lemon and that didn’t work.
With all this, I still would give them another try but only if I am in the area. Hey I believe in second chances.