Irish Inn At Glen Echo

Very nice place And locations, We got there for sunday brunch, The food Was very good. The service Was Just ok. Our server did not gave us scones, we asked for that for get IT And did not check If our food Was Good And never Ask for a refile of coffe. But Good for us The runners take care of that And Was so helpfull. The place deserve 5 If The service Was better. I Will come back

Cozy and warm. Drink and food at decent price. However, not too many young people here. Maybe because of the old 80−90s music and location?
A good place to sit and talk.

They have obviously hired a new chef.
I’ve been several times and was always dragged kicking and screaming to the place. However, I dined there last night and the food was amazing. Frankly, I and my dinner partners were shocked by how much better the food was. Good work, Irish Inn!

Lunch times spot with some coworkers. Over all like it, didn’t fall in love. Traditional Irish menu. Fish and chips for lunch is a good way to go. The chips were excellent. Three fish pieces were extra crunchy but not terribly flavorful. Wariness was tending bar as well and was on top of things.

Unfortunately a neighborhood location with cozy bar and no competition nearby draws crowds to this mediocre, overpriced establishment. A simple «Irish» salad for lunch produced a miniature portion of wilted lettuce, mushy cherry tomatoes, tasteless dressing, and odd addition of daikon radish and carrot for an insulting $ 9. Service was careless and slow, although the people who greet and seat are welcoming. Everyone living along the MacArthur Blvd corridor should boycott this place until they get a decent chef and train their staff.

A DC institution where the elite meet to eat. Excellent calamari, and of course the corned beef is very good.
We were taking family pictures at Glen Echo Park right next door and since it was most likely the last good day to eat outside, we availed ourselves of the opportunity.

I went here for an impromptu brunch with my husband and son after an early morning visit to Glen Echo Park. It was great! We both really enjoyed our entrees and the staff was very welcoming to us and our son. The complimentary scones are excellent.
There were several people in workout attire who seemed to be stopping by after a morning run or hike on the canal, so it had a great, casual and local feel. We live nearby and will definitely be back.

I second Ron W., although he is wrong about one thing: Glen Echo is not a «ghost town». The Irish Inn has the distinction of being the only restaurant within walking distance of the historic park’s ballroom (which enjoys significant patronage each week due to all the dances being held there). The Irish Inn is the only place to go if you, for example, wanted to drink away the jitters before stepping out on the dance floor with a thousand other sweaty human beings.
That being said, this is a privilege that the restaurant does not deserve. Neither the drinks nor the food are cheap, though the latter is so poorly executed that it is nearly a joke. The service was atrocious. I showed up about 10 minutes before the rest of my party. I was sat anyways, and the waiter walked by and said «how are you doing», and clearly did not care to hear the response as he walked right on by to a neighboring table. I would’ve like a glass of wine to drink while I waited… no such luck. Once my party got there, we finally got water and about 15 minutes later (after multiple «I’ll be right with you“s from our waiter), we got some service. To be fair, the guy was swamped; his section was the small backroom and he had maybe 7 – 8 tables of differing sizes who all needed his attention. He got my order wrong and brought me a caprese salad (asked for the «tomato and mozzerella flatbread»). He apologized, took it away, then thoughfully brought it back «on the house» for me to enjoy, as the rest of my party was digging into their meal, and, well, flatbread takes more than just a minute to cook (unless they microwaved it… which they might’ve).
Thanks, but no thanks. The caprese salad consolation prize was a little offbeat, with watermelon and cucumber in lieu of the traditional tomatoes to complement the shiny, chewy, flavorless rounds of mozzerella on the plate. The whole thing was drenched in some kind of foul, semisweet vinaigrette (green in color), and sprinkled with mint. It was like a schoolboy put it together at a picnic in a lame attempt to impress a cute girl. No nuance, just gimmick, total yuck. I gave it to the rest of the table to eat. My advice: stick with the original, get better mozzarella. That dish is really hard to screw up, but they managed.
Finally, my flatbread comes out. The «tomato compote»? Marinara sauce. It was tomato compote in the way that a milky way bar is nougat pâté with a chocolate ganache (tip: call a spade a spade). More of the awful chewy flavorless mozzarella. I ate half and was uninspired to eat the rest.
The restaurant seems to do well with the older sect. Besides our table, there was not a single group that had anyone who appeared to be sub-​50. As a result, it was reminiscent of the supper clubs that grandparents take us out to to show off their families; mediocre food, dark, dated surroundings. So it is my impression that the Irish Inn lives on by the grace of its location and familiarity among the people who live in the area.
I’ll be going there to get a drink before dances and nothing else, if I can help it.

The Irish Inn at Glen Echo… co…co…co. Take a pass… ass…ass…ass. This relic should be relegated to the Ghost Town that once was the draw to the area; The Glen Echo Amusement Park, now deserted and closed. The Inn should share the same fate or make an attempt to re-​invent itself.
There is a nice outside patio set in rustic surroundings and inside there is a rat’s warren of tired rooms with a vibe from shabby clubby to employees lounge in a mortuary.
I needed a drink after making the trip from Rockville. After having one, I still needed one. A watered down Whiskey Sour (with a mix, I suspect) and a squishy Maraschino cherry instead of a luxurious Luxardo. (Bring a flask from home.)
I ordered the Mediterranean Platter. Okay, my bad to order mezze in an Irish Pub. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Direct from the Kirkland Brand purveyors they served jarred pickled vegetables, Sabra Hummus (hopefully not the one recalled due to Listeria), a few olives, some sleepy Pita, something called Pesto Pita (right from the package) and Japanese Eggplant bathed in a heavy batter, fried, and topped with store bought salsa cold and soggy as a Golden Retriever puppy that fell in the pool.
The basket of bread arrived long after the mezze. Well, actually it arrived two days before and had been sitting on the counter ever since. The doughy White Bread and the faintly molasses laced Soda Bread were as cold as the eggplant. Leave them both, you don’t need the empty calories and if you must have something with your mezze or cocktail, just eat the butter.
The menu was large. Fine. Choose wisely would be my caveat. The Rueben was as thin as Mom’s after school grilled cheese if you were underprivileged. The Corned Beef, what little showed up was acceptable, but the Swiss Cheese was a dried lattice work of something long out of the Salamander and probably the Sell By Date. The few threads of store bought Sauerkraut were barely there and the Russian dressing had defected.
Three types of mustard in jars appeared 15 minutes after we’d been served sandwiches. Irish Whole Grain with Stout, Whole Grain with Irish Whiskey, and Strong Irish (whatever that was). All pretty good, but who knows who’s snot nosed Grandkid tasted each one with a wet finger? Just sayin’. Maybe put the mustard in little ceramic cups?
The Irish Burger featuring Irish Cheddar Cheese bordered on inedible. A skinny dry patty (maybe the recipe was handed down from the famine years) on yes, a purchased bun, with a limp Romaine leaf, a mushy tomato one step from a Waste King and maybe the chef dragged a thin slice of cheese over the mess before service. Maybe.
Dessert: A tasteless, flourless, room temperature disk of chocolate with Costco Dried Morency Cherries. (Hey, Chef, cherries are in season. How about something fresh?) along with a melon ball of Vanilla Ice Cream. Suitable only for a sales meeting at the Holiday Inn Express or a base line Bar Mitzvah at the Veteran’s Hall.
The chef must have come from a Mine Sweeper, a Minimum Security Prison or an Assisted Living Facility as the food was your basic industrial fare.
The staff, in all fairness was friendly, and helpful. Although, if we’d complained we’d still be there.
If it’s a choice between The Irish Inn at Glen Echo or frozen Ledo’s Pizza from last week? I vote you break out the hair dryer and start defrosting.

Good food and good beer. I liked their IPA on tap best (not Irish, I know), followed by Guinness Stout. Service was friendly and prompt. Not too many options for vegans.

Drove by and it caught our eye. We stopped, were seated promptly, and the service was prompt and friendly.
Fish tacos were tasty. Not traditional, but very good.
The fish sandwich was ok, but the curry coke slaw didn’t really compliment the fish. Scraped it off — it made the bun soggy. The sandwich was good — maybe ask for the slaw on the side.
Nice outdoor seating and a comfortable location.

Nice place. Classier than I am used to, but not off-​putting. Great ambiance, but you can’t eat that. I had fish and chips and it was all just fine. Thin-​cut fries, as God intended. I asked the waiter for extra tartar sauce and he brought it without having to be reminded, so this place is already one step ahead of most other places. I would consider going again.

Depending on whether you choose the bar or the restaurant or the outdoor seating, the experience is very different. The bar is about beer (mainly), Irish music (at times) and traditional Irish food, though I believe anything on the menu is available. The bar is often jammed and noisy but you may also find it empty. The restaurant serves quality food and a reservation is advisable. The patio is relaxed and is a great spot overlooking Glen Echo when the weather is good. If you like black-​and-​tan, which should ONLY be ordered in an Irish bar, the Irish Inn does it right. I often order the lamb chops at dinner and the ala carte brunch menu has considerable variety. I’ve been here for lunch, brunch, dinner and happy
hour – and the experience is different for each. I’m not big on the music evenings. Too noisy and too crowded for me.

Wow, great meal! The wife and I took my parents to this place to give my dad a taste of what «good» Irish food should taste like. The Irish Inn knocked it out of the park, the Shepherds Pie and Irish Beef stew were «the best we ever had» according to my parents. As for my wife and I, we were equally as happy, but we are use too the likes of this place because we frequently drive back to Glen Echo to get our Irish food fix.

I adore this place. Been going for years, and always look forward to the next opportunity to do so. The reuben is amazing, as is the calamari, the fries, the shepard’s pie, I could go on and on! The service is reliable and everyone does their job with a smile, even when the place is packed to the gills!

Service was great! And the place is really adorable and cozy. Food is kind of pricey but great appetizers and Irish entrees.
I really recommend the shepherd’s pie, smoked salmon appetizer, fish and chips, crab cake entrée, and the flat iron steak! The Bloody Mary was DELISH and I loved the free bread.

Cute place.
Attentive staff.
Family-​friendly.
Decent selection of wine if you don’t drink beer.
Haven’t tried the food, but will go back sometime to try some based on the reviews.

My ethics were severely compromised upon eating at The Irish Inn. The five choices on their «children’s menu» were all $ 11.95!!! I mean, the food was pretty good, but it wasn’t good enough to justify the cost. Go somewhere else unless you’ve already shelled out $ 3.7 million for your house in Glen Echo. The cherry on top was that we were charged an extra $ 3 for a small plate of bread, and I was billed $ 2 more for my entrée than it was listed at on the menu!
They have a nice selection of Irish and Scotch whiskies and a small selection of beers. However, no self-​respecting Irishman would pay $ 7 for a pint of Guinness. The meal was decent, but way way way overpriced. I expect to be nourished at lunch without having my financial and philosophical ethics compromised. It may look cozy, but you should go elsewhere.

Before my first night of blues dancing at Glen Echo, I stopped by the Irish Inn with a group of people in order to loosen up before the dancing commenced.
When we got there around 8pm on Thursday, it was fairly crowded because (I’m told) a group meets there for drinks every Thursday. They eventually thinned out around 8:30 or so. I got a few beers and wasn’t sure if I should eat something small for dinner but then saw the chili on the menu and gave in.
The chili is «texas-​style» (I’m still not exactly sure what that means), and uses stew meat rather than regular ground beef. I thought it was pretty tasty, and the cup for $ 8 was especially filling. My only small complaint is that it didn’t seem very hot. After i mixed the sour cream in, it was almost lukewarm. But the flavor was perfect, and had a bit of peppery zest.
Next time I come here, I’ll try to work up an appetite so that I can try the mussels. My friend who raves about them ordered a bowl and they looked delicious.
Also, Diane is the best!

Had an excellent meal here over the Christmas season. It was decorated so nicely for the holidays and was very homey. Our little group of six had an entire cozy private room to ourselves for dinner!
The beef stew and potato leek soup were delicious and their bread pudding dessert was outstanding. The Irish aren’t exactly known for their food in general but this place could change that!
Excellent service as well.