Hanafin’s Pub

This place is 5 minutes away from closing. I walked in @ 6m of a Saturday night and then was no one there. Really, no one, except two bar tenders counting tips. When I walked I I actually asked if they were closed it was that empty and dark. I heard some story about the owner cooking somewhere else.
Funny part of the story is that a large family walked in shortly after I got there and walked out after hearing kitchen was only doing a few fried apps due to the lack of a cook. They came back 10 minutes later to wait out the 40 min wait at plan b next door. How do you not have a full bar on a Saturday night in gbury?

If you want some nice space to enjoy good beer and some Irish atmosphere, the place is great. If you’re looking for dinner, go somewhere else.
We’ve tried it several times since they opened, and sadly, have not had a good experience yet. They are typically understaffed. The menu has gotten smaller and has nothing creative on it. The fish tacos were very meager. The fish and chips simply wasn’t good; the portions were small, the fries were not handcut as the menu had indicated, and the fish was not beer-​battered, which is what you’d expect. Wings were fine. If you need a bite of food with your beer, fine, but if you want more, go to Maggie’s or any other great place in G’bury.

Terrible. I’ve given it 4 visits and it never gets any better. Flattest, least flavorful Guinness I’ve ever had (& granted, I’m spoiled I grew up visiting in Ireland!) Just an overall «Meh» atmosphere. Cranky bartenders, mediocre beer. Too bad. They need to bring back 4 Green Fields!!! Everyone who was there was talking about nothing else than leaving and going to Rooftop

We have over 40 people here and we booked ahead of time. Food is not here and are you kidding me?! If you suck at dealing with people just say so and we will have our after golfing party sonewhere else. I will give you a zero star if I can.

How can this place be so slow at all hours if the day. 12 people in the whole place at noon and it took forever to get one sandwich for a party of three. I really want to give this place a better rating because I love the atmosphere, but the need serious work on the service and kitchen expediting. Go there for a drink if you’re thirsty, but go somewhere else if you’re really hungry.

You know, this is one of the best places to be on a busy weekend night.
Let me tell you, Hanafin’s can range from just a trickle of people through the door, to absolutely slammed, and either way, you’re going to get your drink in a timely fashion, from a bartender who knows what’s up in the pub world. Now, this is not the time to tell your bartender to make you something creative or special. Just order a pint and a shot, shut your mouth, and tip well.
They also have live music, be it a band or a DJ. The dance floor gets going around 11pm, and the crowd is always a really great time. If you’re looking for a fun, casual night out in Glastonbury, Hanafin’s is always an awesome choice.

Hanafin’s is nice but nothing particularly special. The inside décor did a fair job at trying to be Irish. They had some nice photos of Irish rebels and they had a great quote from an Irishman when he was about to be executed. It was also nice to see old wooden planks as places to rest beers.
The beer selection was fair at best. They had a reasonable amount on tap but not a whole lot and the bottled selection was just fair as well.
I have not gotten to try trivia night or any of those other specialty nights nor have I eaten there.

I probably have a tendency to write overly glowing reviews, but there’s no shame in a 3-​star rating.
When I went to Hanafin’s, I was expecting a yuppified Half Door — i.e. all the touchings of an Irish pub with a side of the usual Glastonbury yuppie-​ness and the associated cost.
What I got was: just a quiet Irish pub, with typical (certainly edible, but not particularly outstanding) bar food offerings all at extremely reasonable prices. We went on a Thursday night and there was a little band in the corner playing some pretty Celtic tunes. I had the burger, which was decent, loaded with toppings and maybe a little greasy and slightly overcooked to my requested medium-​rare, but for the same price or less as Five Guys, who am I to complain? My dining companion had the fish and chips and said their dinner was pretty great.
All in all a nice night out!

This place has steadily gone downhill, i would now consider this a dive bar. It looks like the budget has constantly been reduced as the quality and freshness of the food has greatly diminished. Don’t order anything that doesn’t look like it has high turnover. You are high if you order fish tacos here. Great Irish whiskey selection and decent beers however not enough tap turnover. Don’t expect new things at hanafins.

Been here twice now. Good first experience, so-​so second experience.
Dave G’s review (dated 1÷8÷2014) is spot on. Place is really well decorated, and authentic looking with the wooden floor and wobbly tables (yes, I’ve been to Ireland four times now, and even lived over there on a business assignment for three months straight, so I’m familiar with pubs)…but the large projection screen is kinda’ old school. In fact, a support strap is partially covering the projection lens on the right side, causing the screen to blur on about 20% of the screen. But besides that, the place does need to get more flat screens and show some EuroSport events (Rugby, Soccer, Formula 1, WRC, etc…)
Myself, I come to Hanafin’s to have dinner. A good beer and some ‘pub food’ dinner. My first stop there in January, I sat at the bar, had fish & chips, and they were excellent. Large pieces of haddock and fries… and a nice Smithwicks draft. No complaints… except yes, they should be playing Irish music in the background… not Robin Thicke’s latest single.
But last night wasn’t their best effort. Slightly crowded, I only found a round high-​top table right in front of the projection screen. The table top was so wobbly, I dared not rest my elbows on it. Service was a little slow, but the waitress was really busy. Where the wheels came off the car was with the food… and noise.
First, my French Onion Soup used bread on top that actually had caraway seeds in it! Bleh! Now, being ½ Czech, I grew up to love caraway seeds in a lot of my foods, but as the top layer of bread covered in cheese on French Onion Soup? Not good.
The second thing were the Fish Tacos (ordered from the appetizer menu.) They came out on an ice cold plate and were themselves ice cold. First time I’ve ever had COLD fish tacos. Aren’t they supposed to be served hot? No?
Third, they were out of my favorite beer… Smithwicks. So I had a Kilkenny (made in the same factory… so no complaints.)
Finally, the damn M/​C for the pub quiz/​trivia game had the volume turned up so freekin’ high on the PA system that I literally had to cover my right ear. YES, I CAN HEAR YOU… and so can the clientele over at Plan B across the parking lot. Damn.
So…I left hungry and thirsty, and with a ringing in my ears. Oh, I’ll be back, but it sure won’t be Tuesday nights.

First time I went was when they just opened so forgave the awful burger and service, gave it a second try and so disappointed at the food! It was not edible! Don’t bother eating there just a big disappointment and over priced to add insult to injury!

Man, Hanny’s is taking a beating in here! Let me set the record straight. This place has HUGE potential, but they just need to tweak a few things.
1) WHY is ²⁄₃ of the establishment reserved for restaurant dining? Guys, people are not coming here to dine. They’re coming here to enjoy a fun Irish Pub atmosphere! Furthermore, the ‘dining area’ is completely cut off from the bar area creating about 1500 sq feet of wasted space. I’ve been here about 10 times, at various times of the day /​night, and I have NEVER seen more than 1 — 2 parties sitting in this area. My suggestion — combine the entire establishment into one open space! It would be so much more enjoyable (and profitable)
2) I actually like the food for what it is… bar food. You can’t come in here expecting top notch cuisine. That said, they could specialize the menu a bit, and not try to do some many different things! Keep it SIMPLE
3) Get rid of that large projection TV that sits in the middle of the bar, and just add a few more flat screens. Make this an enjoyable environment for someone looking to come watch a game.
4) For some reason this place attracts a very young (like fake ID young) crowd at night. It just becomes an absolute $h!tshow. This is a huge turn off for anyone outside of college, and it’s scaring away all of the ‘real’ customers who are willing to drop some actual coin. They need to do a better job catering to their ‘base’. There’s no place for a DJ playing house music in an Irish pub!
I will keep giving this place a fair shake, but I truly hope the management takes some of these suggestions to heart. I’m rooting for them!

I have been to Hanafin’s several times now each time for pub trivia. I have always had a really great time at trivia night but to be honest Hanafin’s is lacking in some pretty important areas.
First off the menu is pretty lacking and doesn’t seem to have any signature items outside of the typical Irish pub food. The problem is they don’t make those dishes unique at all. While I love the corn-​beef sandwich, it’s troubling when a cob salad comes out with an overly cooked hard boiled egg; an egg being something one should generally know how to cook.
The other big issue is that one of the drinks that came to our table had a dead fruit fly in it which means the drinks are being properly covered.
Hanafin’s has a ton of potential especially since their waitstaff is the single nicest group of people ever, but until their food and drink are improved, they will unfortunately be a sub par pub.

Atmosphere: I like the atmosphere here. Not one of the best Irish places around but lots of wood and a cozy feel. Service was pretty good at the bar. Never had to wait long and was able to sample some beers.
Beer: This is tricky because they have a lot on tap as well as drink specials but at the same time they don’t have enough. No good stouts or porters to finish with. They filled their taps with «ok» beer.
Food: I know from experience that their dinners are not good at all so it’s definitely not a place to grab a bite to eat. The last app I got (BBQ pizza) was horrible as well. Quickly thrown together and not even cooked. I noticed in a crowded bar I was the only fool with a plate.
Summary: I used to go here for the sort of Irish atmosphere and beer selection but in Glastonbury one could do a lot better so I probably won’t be back.
Message to Owner: Dumb down the menu to a few easy things you can make well. No one eats here. Also there’s potential for this place to be a great beer bar but the beers on tap are off a bit. Have more local beer events to bring in craft beer drinkers.

Horrid
Place is way too loud and food was lousy. You’d think if your signature item was corn beef and cabbage, you’d at least be able to cook it.
Tougher than shoe leather but with less flavor. Returned it for greasy fish and chips.
Staff seemed overwhelmed with just a small number of customers.
I came here because Plan B had a wait. Next time I will wait.

Had dinner here tonight.
Hanafin’s was pretty empty, with just a few people at the bar, and two tables occupied by dinner guests. Great juke box playing Beatle music all night. Service was very good, and I didn’t experience any of the deficiencies cited by other reviewers.
I had a nice cold draft and a chicken BBQ pizza, the pizza was $ 8 –nice thin crust, lots of chicken and a very good BBQ sauce. I was totally happy with the taste and the value.
So my first experience at Hanafin’s was A-​OK indeed.

I was really excited to read in the papers that Glastonbury is getting an awesome Irish pub with excellent comfort food options…
Turned out this place will be in a busy plaza with limited parking but still hopeful, I gave the place 2 months after opening to get organized and figure things out, (I also hate a big crowd).
First expression of the place is that it was a cute little bar, the staff was really nice and friendly and knew how to sell the product, but once the food came out, it left me wanting more. There was barely any flavor, just absolutely bland… The only tasty thing on our table was the beer. Our dessert was old and dry. Since then my husband has came back with his friend 4 months later to give it another go, but he said besides the band there was nothing good there and they ended up going to tilted kilt to eat.

Hanafin’s, Hanafin’s, Hanafin’s…I’m going down the middle on this one because there is a lot to like and a some serious misses… And actually, depending on what you’re looking for, you’re probably going to love or hate it…
What’s to Like: For starters the bar area is beautiful if you’re into the Irish pub vibe. Dark wood, cozy tables, great looking bar, and nice placement of TV’s to watch a game (always showing the European «futbol» if you’re looking for a place to scratch your soccer itch. Bar selection, likewise, has all of your faves on tap including both Guinness and Murphy’s (My go-​to stout when available) and a bunch of micro’s and other Euro options for you. Nightlife seems to have it’s fair share of acoustic and authentic Irish groups playing most nights I’ve been there as well. Overall, if you’re out for a drink with friends and like the Irish pub vibe, this could be your place…
What’s not to Like: …Buuuutttt…If you’re looking to find a place for a nice sit down meal and service or if you’re looking for a place with well prepared food in general, you might want to seek out other places. The dining area, unlike the bar, is kind of meh and a little cold actually. The wait service was OK. Server was very friendly, but food arrived slowly on a slow Monday night. And the food itself was underwhelming. My Guinness stew was average at best and the Shepard’s Pies ordered by the rest actually did not look good at all (and got less than stellar reviews from my dining companions). Nothing was bad, mind you, but the whole dining experience was just underwhelming.
Bottom Line: When I return to Hanafin’s (and I will), it will be to drop in for a pint or 3 in the bar and to listen to some traditional Irish Pub Music. I’ll just make sure I swing by another restaurant in Glastonbury first to get a proper meal first. :)

Food was 4 star, but service was 2 star, so I’ll average it out to a 3. I only went here on a groupon, so I was hesitant to put in a review on one experience. However, I’m seeing a lot of my feelings about the visit echoed in other reviews, so it seems that my visit was more typical than I had hoped.
The shepherd’s pie, the fish and chips and the burger were all well done. The fries were yummy too. For dessert, they had a really good Kentucky pie (a chocolate chip cookie pie). The fries, the dessert and the fact that they pour a good pint of Guiness may be the reasons we try this place again.
The service missteps were pretty bad. We got there pretty hungry, so I ordered an appetizer for the table. It never came. Our waitress never noticed. Also, I was never able to flag her (or anyone) down to check on it. 30+ minutes later, our entrees arrived. She brought the wrong kids meal for my younger daughter. Waitress apologized and TOOK THE FOOD AWAY FROM HER. Seriously?!? She’s 5 years old! I’ve been a waitress. You never leave a kid without food while their family is eating. Just apologize, leave the wrong food (chicken fingers with fries), and offer the bring the correct food (a hot dog) on the side. On top of that it took over 10 minutes for the hot dog to come out. Now my daughter has filled up on our fries.
The waitress apologized several times, and was helpful with the bill. Still, missing an appetizer, bringing the wrong food, and then leaving a kid without anything in front of them for over 10 minutes is not okay. I was hoping it was an off day, but the other reviews have me pretty nervous. I may try it again when I have plenty of time.

I rarely throw out 2 star ratings and my posts make it obvious that it takes a LOT for me to not enjoy a bar but this place was pretty weak. Was visiting a friend in the area so we stopped in here to watch some MLB playoff games. Service wasn’t bad, drink prices weren’t bad, but it was just an incredibly boring bar (translation old people).
Why are they playing Biggie Smalls at a «traditional» Irish bar in suburban Hartford? Maybe I’m being a harsh critic but I just was not digging the vibe at this place and the tables all over the place made it hard to move. I also cannot say anything about the food that they have since we just came for drinks. To be fair I’m also comparing it to the fake Irish Boston bars (which is unfair) but it was still a step below what I normally find.
Advice: Set up the DJ booth somewhere not directly next to the door and move your tables out of the floor if you want people to talk to each other. Would improve this place a lot.