Shamrocks

While I may be the only guy that didn’t come here to drink beer or… whatever it is Irish folks drink, I can see why the overall rating for this place is two stars. I gave them three based on a recent luncheon I attended. When I say «luncheon», it was actually a luncheon for one. But I digress.
I kept it simple by ordering the Swiss burger, as their menu appears to be even simpler. I gotta admit the burger was seasoned well enough, as far as your average bar and grill is concerned. Best on Bliss? Well, I have a feeling that’s debatable. I haven’t been to Smash Burger yet (maybe I’ll review that one next week).
The bun was greasy, could have been toasted longer, had a sweet tint to it and was about as big and puffy as the Pillsbury Dough Boy’s belly! This is a big problem for me because it makes the already average sized patty look even tinier. So basically, I ended up tearing off half the bun along the edges just to get to the meat. This is why we order burgers after all, is it not?
But the fries… my GOD! I have to say… I was aptly impressed here! Simple, neat, lightly salted and crisp! These are the adjectives I would use to describe the fries at Shamrocks. And while it may seem like a minor point, this got me thinking, «If this place offered fish n’ chips as an entreè, these would be the perfect fries to counterbalance the inevitable ‘fish juice’ produced from said dish!» In other words, eating these fries made me wish I ordered fish instead.
Oh yeah… the service was spot on, too! The waitress was highly attentive though… I am slightly ashamed to admit I could not stop staring at her outfit. The skirt just barely stopped short of her ass. I guess that was the intention anyway… since I inevitably ended up leaving her 20%. Well played, Shamrocks. Well played.
This place is worth a visit if you’re looking for a simple, «Irish» lunch. I throw that epithet in quotations because I honestly can’t determine whether or not this cuisine would be considered genuine Irish. Previous reviewers have suggested otherwise. As for me, I’ll say… they make an OK burger. But perhaps next time, I’ll sample the garlic Parmesan wings. And fries. Fries all day!

If you are looking for authentic Irish food then I would probably not go here. Cottage pie is not good and appears to be ground beef in it. They should probably try again with this recipe. Fish and chips batter was hard and not the greatest either.

Great envirnment and good selection on tap. My favorite-​Travelers Grapefruit Ale. Fish and chips are delicious.

Not exactly a place you go to for food. My fried pickles were very salty. I ordered wings and they did not have my flavor I want which was pineapple habanero. The drinks were great though and so was the atmosphere! My friends nachos ended up being very good actually!

It’s 12 on a Tuesday and this place stinks like stale beer. I think the staff needs a lesson in cleanliness.
I ordered the lunch special. A pulled pork sandwich. It came on a hotdog bun with BBQ sauce squirt on top.
Not sure this is a good place to eat. Maybe more of a bar than a food place.

They serve beer by the pint. Food is typical Irish menu (bangers and Mash, Shepard’s pie) but I have had much better Irish dishes at other pubs. Fries are great. But, I thought that the ketchup packs vs. bottle was a bit cheap. Come on really!
Outside seating is awesome. TVs available for sports venues. They have poker tables and there is always a game going.
They serve Guiness and Smithwicks and other good varieties of beer. No IPA that I could see :-(

Moderate crowd with only one less-​than-​enthusiastic server. Long waits for everything. The bartender wasn’t all that busy and could have helped her but he stayed behind the bar and watched TV.
Out of three different tap beers. How does this happen in a place that promotes a wide selection of tap beer?
Corn beef and cabbage was more like jerky and raw cabbage. Someone let the the corn beef get dry and hard.
Assessment: Avoid. There are a lot of other good places to eat in the immediate Freedom Crossing area. Since this place is on Ft Bliss, I would suggest finding a retired food-​service Sergeant Major to manage it. The current manager is either lazy or incompetent.

I never went back when the other reviewers did, but obviously it has changed since then. There are, in fact, Irish items on the menu, and in my opinion the food is actually pretty good. While a burger isn’t one of the Irish ones, it is probably one of my favorites (yeah I’ve been here a few times). It’s one of the few burgers, certainly in El Paso, that doesn’t need anything extra. The meat itself is delicious and has always been well cooked. I’ve had potato soup and a couple other dishes (sorry don’t remember exact names at this point and don’t want to get them wrong)… all of them have been good. The staff has always been friendly, never had a long wait, and never a bad experience. So I don’t know if they listened to the reviews or what, but their changes have fixed everything the other reviewers brought up. Give it a try!

Would not return here for food, but would consider going back for drinks or watching sporting events.
Food: was disappointed in both the selection and the taste. I got the Irish stew, which was odd tasting, almost as if too much vinegar was used. Otherwise, only taste was salt. Hubby got bangers and mash– the bangers were more akin to hot dogs rather that sausage, and the potatoes seemed to be from a mix, rather than made on premise.
Good selection of drinks and lots of tv’s, so go for the game, but eat somewhere else

Decent atmosphere but with that said not really much of an Irish environment with the exception of a few Irish beers on tap and some shamrocks displayed here and there.

Not a single irish thing on the menu. They don’t actually seem to know what «irish» is in terms of quality or food or decoration. Smacking a shamrock on something does not make it irish. But good try, I guess?
The food is a tragedy. A hilarity. Burritos, salsa, nachos and frozen cheese sticks at an irish pub. If you want cabbage, you’re going to have to go to the commissary near by, because they don’t have a drop of it. No potatos either, unless you count french fries.
Shamrocks is a lousy dive bar masquerading as an irish pub. Thank god it’s on the military base, because if it were in any area where anyone had a clue what irish food is, it’d never make a dime and it’d be laughed out of the city in moments. Hope I helped! Military: Surely you have better taste than this applebees on an infusion of guiness.

How can one cramp Irish Pub personality and years of pub life into a newly opened bar? You can’t. You simply cannot.
This place lacks soul, the irish stuff looks merely transplanted. What can you expect really with an Irish Pub outside of Ireland.
Drink your pint elsewhere unless you are one of the regulars with the intent of getting wasted.