Playwright Irish Pub Restaurant

A so-​so restaurant.
One doesn’t expect pub food to be haute cuisine. But it should be good for what it is. And it isn’t, really, at the Playwright.
Fish and chips should be crispy, not mushy. A companion’s salmon dish also wasn’t especially good. And shepherd’s pie in an Irish pub should be made with lamb (SHEPHERD’s pie…).
Service was attentive and friendly. Lovely Irish accent on the waitress. Onion rings were good.
But this was a one-​time experience.

I came for the beer, not the inappropriate commentary from the barkeeper.
My first visit to this bar was in 2004 when I’d come with my mom and her current husband. My last visit was this past week in January of 2016. My partner and I were sitting at the bar enjoying our Road to Ruin double IPAs when I suddenly hear the word «Nappyheadededness». My ears perked up and narrowed in on the direction of the vernacular. To my shock and disgust it was the bartender. He was a younger looking bartender, and the only one on that night. It was a small crowd that Monday night, maybe 8 people all together, all of us sitting at the bar.
I asked for the check. After receiving it I asked him to explain his «nappyheadedness» comment and he went on about how he was talking about Blake Griffin having the right amount of it, that it was the wrong choice of words, and how he’s not racist because he has a black friend. As someone with a Masters in Sociology who concentrated on race relations, I told him that was not a good argument… There really was no talking out of that.
I told him I appreciated his honesty, left a decent tip, and left. I originally thought id be able to let it go, but I just can’t. You start thinking «is this how he really feels?»… «Is he serving me and thinking all the while that me and my partner are «nappy-​headed»? It’s just tainted my feeling about this place and I don’t think I can ever go back. Such a shame. Keep it professional and leave your personal feelings outside of professional settings.
I’m giving 2 stars because their track record before this was excellent. Unfortunately this is one of those things that taints and nullifies.

So… One of my resolutions is to go to as many «new to me» restaurants as possible in 2016. My husband, of course, agreed… :) That being said— where did we go for our first lunch of 2016? The Playwright. I have been going here for the past twelve years– my husband has been going longer… It was pretty cold and gray — so he decided he’d like some potato leek soup…
We arrived and noticed the dining section was closed… so we sat ourselves in the bar area. My husband immediately noticed that one person seemed to be tending bar, waiting on tables, and serving food… Hmmmm. We weren’t in a rush– my husband was a little hungry– but we could survive some slower than usual service. We ordered drinks and they were delivered after about ten minutes. We grabbed our own menus… No big deal. I used to wait tables– so quickly assessing the situation– managing about two dozen people by yourself was going to be challenging…
My husband’s soup arrived after about another ten or so minutes… That held him over until the entrées arrived. He ordered the fish and chips– sticking to the Irish theme. I went with a special appetizer– shrimp quesadillas… I know– why order that in an Irish restaurant? Well– the description sold me, and the meal itself did not disappoint. They were delicious– in fact, some of the best I’ve had in a while. Who knew? I think it was the little bit of truffle oil they used in the dish. I also had the lobster bisque– or intended on eating it– but had a few bites and my husband helped finish it. Delicious. Also ordered a side salad for some greens– it was as expected… I love red onion and there were a bunch of slices in there kicking up the flavor. The fish and chips were tasty as well. The fish was battered just right and was flaky and perfect for what one would expect…
Throughout our meal, we watched more and more people arrive and we wondered how this one guy was going to manage… He actually did a fantastic job. We weren’t sure how he was managing– but he did. We found out at the end of the meal that his name was Luke… Great job.
We have also previously been here for many lunches, dinners, and one time for brunch. I have to say the food did not disappoint… Ever… The service from time to time can be a bit laid back– when we went for brunch– we waited about a good ten minutes before anyone acknowledged us and waited more and more for drinks– entrées, etc…
My best advice is don’t go there if you are in a rush or really starving– it’s hit or miss with service… Go when you have some time– enjoy your beverages and snack on some bread while you chat with your dining companion (s). Also– try some of the non traditional Irish offerings… You will be pleasantly surprised.

For the dozens of times I used to go to the Playwright in New Haven, you’d think I would have been to the Hamden Playwright at least once.
I hadn’t. Ever. Until Wednesday.
Friends wrangled me into playing trivia and I was finally able to step foot into the mysterious «other» Playwright. We sat at one of the high tops directly in front of the fireplace (a tid bit roasty after a few hours…) and played a fun game of «How Do We Fit More Than One Plate On This Table?» whilst also balancing glasses of cider with the huge bottles it comes in. Moral of the story is: we should have gotten a bigger table. Since there were 16 other teams that night, in addition to patrons just trying to get a decent meal, we settled for the high top and, in the famous words of Tim Gunn, we made it work.
I want to go back this week. Trivia was fun, we missed 3^rd place (and a $ 20 gift card) by 5 points, tragic. Our waitress was all over the place but she got to us rather quickly, as did the food that was ordered. The truffle fries looked and smelled delicious, so they may be on my list for next time. They were easily able to accommodate a huge crowd that all wanted their tabs at the same time; not every bar or restaurant is good at that.

Great Irish pub and restaurant atmosphere. Even our waitress and bartenders had lively Irish brogues
Food was exceptionally good for a pub too! Lobster mac n cheese, French Onion soup, buffalo tenders and their special Wedge salad were all delicious.

Solid food. Very good onion soup and potato skins. Playwright Steak was thick and solid — although a touch over done.
We moved to the bar to listen to the 10 person musicians play traditional Irish folk music (Tuesdays and Sundays)

The food was absolutely wonderful and the food to cooked to perfection very tasty. I would definitely recommend anyone to go to this restaurant very nice atmosphere a pleasant place to be.

Chose this place for a post graduation luncheon for 10 people. Very rustic ambiance inside with interesting décor. The waitress was awesome with excellent service. Menu had something for everyone and prices were amazingly low for the amount of food served. Table started out with nachos, corned beef stuffed potato skins, hot and barbecue wings. All were delicious and large servings. You never go thirsty as she kept the water, soda and beers flowing like a river.
Everyone’s meal came out at the same time and were exactly what was ordered which is unusual for a large party. Many times something is missed but not here. Orders were spot on! Food was piping hot when it arrived and everything was seasoned beautifully.
Overall the experience here was excellent. Great food, great company and great service all at an affordable price. Who could ask for more when celebrating a graduation! Great job to this establishment!!!

+ The Playwright is a fun place with good food and tons of Irish warmth +
The Playwright has been around for a long time. There’s a good reason for that. Several, actually. Most times I have gone, there’s been live music (Irish folk. What else?). The food is good with some of it being meh and some of it being amazing. The shepards pie was meh, the corned beef was good. The baby back ribs are my favorite. For any place to be a good pub, the ribs have to be good. The ones at the Playwright are like the ones from the Flintstones. They’re flipping huge. And delicious. The atmosphere is split between the dining hall which is good for families/​couples and the pub area. The pub atmosphere is always friendly. It’s not the kind of pub where you walk in and everyone gives you the stink eye. In fact the musician (s) usually pause their playing to greet you. The staff is great, lots of personality to match the restaurant.
In fact, I’d say personality is the main reason to go to the Playwright. It’s the reason I keep coming back.

I enjoy this place as it never disappoints with food, drink and good Irish music.
It does empty out quickly though so if you are in the mood to jam later into the evening this would not be a the place for you.

Won’t be going back for some time. Poor service. Not family friendly atmosphere.

I’ve eaten here twice and the food is consistently average. Had the shepard’s pie, which was kind of tasteless. The corned beef sandwich was also a little bland. The Irish place further up Whitney is a little better.

I used to really like this place but today’s experience really put me off. My daughter and I stopped in for lunch after seeing a large sign proclaiming «Kids eat free on Tuesdays» outside. We went in and had the place to ourselves. When the check came I found out we were charged full price for her meal! I pointed out the sign (there was one in the dining room as well) as was told with a shrug «that’s only after 4:30». The sign says nothing about a time restriction nor does it say dinner only. We only came in to eat there because of the sign. It was a complete bait and switch. I pointed out the sign had no such restriction and was met with a blank stare. On top of this, the kids meal price did not include her drink, which we were charged for AND for her refill. When I asked I was told the meal doesn’t include the drink but includes dessert (which was not mentioned or offered to us until I started questioning the bill). I can’t remember a single other restaurant that doesn’t include the drink in the kids meal price. A simple lunch of a hamburger and a hot dog ended up costing $ 30. I don’t think I’ll be back again soon.

This is a great bar!
Typical bar/​comfort food but a great rustic atmosphere. When the place is packed expect service to be slow.
The food tends to be thrown together on the busy nights, like the chefs scrambling to keep up.
The music is phenomenal when they have live music on Fridays.
My advice would be do a Friday night to experience the music but, if you’re going to make this a regular stop avoid the wknds after 5.

Excellent meal here last night. New menu options, the food was better than ever and the staff were super friendly.

Great atmosphere at this place. I had the chicken francese lunch special with the Ceasar salad. The salad had the good white caesar dressing, not the clearer version and it was dressed well and tasty. The chicken came worth roasted potatoes and it was all a good time. I would recommend and definitely go back for lunch. This place looks like a good place for drinks at night as well.

Cozy pub environment on one side, restaurant on the other. You can get food on either side. I’d choose where to sit based on ambiance.
Best part about this place: TRIVIA on Wednesday nights! I love trivia, and playing for a gift certificate to a tasty restaurant is even better ($ 50, $ 25 or $ 10 depending on how your team does). It starts at 8:30, but arrive early to grab a seat and take advantage of the ½ price apps (beginning at 8).
Service was just alright, but I understand that could be due to the huge volume of people visiting on a Wednesday for trivia. Still, it was a little frustrating to have to flag down my server when I needed something. Even more irritating was being brought the wrong beer (which I drank because I didn’t feel like waiting 30 minutes for another one), then being asked if I wanted another wrong one. Despite that, though, I loved the Playwright and will be back!

The food here is pretty good. I ordered a shepherds pie and my friend ordered the fish and chips. Both were fresh and tasty. The server was friendly and prompt. It’s not a place that I would go to frequently it’s a bit rowdy for me.
However if I was in the area and I wanted Irish food I would certainly not object to going back.

I can’t call this place expensive or overpriced because you absolutely get what you pay for at the Playwright. This was my first time here simply because I’ve never had a reason to go — it’s just not in a location that I’m ever in while I’m looking for food, and although it’s not geographically far away, Hamden is just a pain in the ass. That said, I’ll definitely make it a point to return here in the future! The food, service, and experience was awesome. We stopped in on Wednesday night because I had a LivingSocial voucher to use. We got there around 6:30 and the place was pretty dead, my friend & I were wondering what the hell we got ourselves into — in reality, it was just between the happy hour crowd and the trivia crowd.
First up was drinks, Eric the bartender was friendly and quick. The beer was cold and the shots were full. We split a corned beef sandwich and I swear, we got our meal before I even finished ordering it. The service was incredibly fast, I’ve never seen anything like it! The sandwich was huge and came with a ton of steak fries, so splitting it was definitely a good call because we weren’t super hungry. The corned beef was delicious! It was flavorful, moist, but not very fatty at all. We didn’t eat the sandwich, just picked at the corned beef and fries while we threw back a few beers.
Another friend ending up meeting us out and she got the shrimp & artichoke dip. Holy. crap. It was so flavorful and I was shocked at how much shrimp they actually put in it! We expected them to be the crappy little shrimps that people use in a bad shrimp cocktail, but no, they were huge, meaty, real shrimp. And there were six or seven of them in the little appetizer! We added spinach to the mix too, which was definitely a good addition. This was served with pieces of garlic bread, but we ended up needing more bread. I’m going to make this at home and throw it over some linguini.
Trivia started around 8 which was fun, and we won, wooowooowoo! Paid for our tab with the money, so that was a nice surprise as well. We’ll definitely be coming back here. Apparently apps are half price during trivia, which is good to know for the future.
In a nutshell, I loved their food and can’t wait to try more of the menu! The prices may seem a bit steep, but the quality of the food is well worth it. It’s not standard, mediocre, «bar fare». I highly recommend it. Great good, drinks, and absolutely awesome staff.

Not so great for vegetarians but my beau had a lovely pot pie with mashed potatoes on top, which I had a couple bites of.
Live music and Guiness on tap are enticing.
Will I be back? Not likely… it’s not my sort of place but don’t let that stop you from going.