Rí Rá Irish Pub

The Mrs. and me love to visit and enjoy some top notch food when we are in the area. The service is always great. I love the shepherds pie! Be prepared, this place can get busy.

I love this place great beer and morsels. They have daily beer specials and food. Everything here has been great. The bartenders are the most friendly and always asking if you need anything no matter how busy it gets. Been there for lunch and dinner and always have the best time.

I love RiRa! I’m glad they brought the potato cakes back to their simple form & took away the salmon & other things on it. I love that they have Magners — on DRAFT – be still my beating heart. ;) the Beef stew with the bit of mashed potatoes is to die for.
Yet the last time the sandwich I love –Kilcooly was sub-​par, the mashed potatoes were embarrassing, as was the rushed service. Kick it up a notch guys– you’re usually on it. Please keep the good quality I know and love.
Would love to see a Unilocal event here.

This place is great. Spinach and artichoke was the best I’ve ever had. Great views of the water, great beer, and great service. We both had burgers and were very happy with our choices. Put the spinach and artichoke dip on the burger, it’s great.

A fun place to stop for a Guinness and a munchie. The staff treat you like old friends… always welcoming.

I’m not sure this is a 4 star because I have only eaten here once in the past 7 years and last night my husband and I only had appetizers and sides, but the food was great! I’m a huge fan of fried brussel sprouts and they were yummy. Only note would be that by the time we got to the bottom of the large bowl they were a bit too salty and oily, of course we ate them anyway! Also had avocado toast and chicken bites. Chicken bites were supposed to be tossed in BBQ sauce and had hardly any sauce at all. We got some extra on the side to make up for it. They were very good as well. The toast was unique and had 2 of my favorite things, goat cheese and avocado, yum! Wine was perfectly chilled and service was friendly and attentive.

This place is huuuuge. A strange mix of college kids and much older folks. The drinks are ok, the appetizers are pretty good. Its a good place to have a drink or two and move on to the next place.

Chose RiRa tonight for a quick bite and a beer. We wanted to watch the USA friendly on the bar television. RiRa is known for it’s televising of soccer games.
We were surprised that the game was not on any of the downstairs TV’s and were told by the hostess to try upstairs. We were the only people in the section of the bar so, we asked to watch the game. The bar manager finally changed the channel (a half hour later). We said, «thank you» and he grumbled and rolled his eyes. Strange.
We ordered a Guinness stew and chopped salad. The stew was tasty but, the portion small, small, small. The salad had an overpowering taste of Fish. Unfortunately, it was a chicken chopped salad. It was also warm as opposed to chilled. I would have sent it back but, we already felt like we were in «trouble» for asking about the TV.
On a positive note, our server/​bartender was professional and sweet. And, the Beers were yummy.

My friends and I were in town for 3 days, and were here 3 times! We never actually ate here, but, we did spend quite some time enjoying a few cocktails. What a great place with such friendly staff. Our bartender Alicia was wonderful, and, really the main reason we kept coming back! She was so friendly, and down to earth. She gave us some info on where to go in town, and even took the time to write down a list of all the places we had to try! Great beer selection, great atmosphere, great crowd and the food looked amazing!
If you’re in town, do yourself a favor and stop in!
Enjoy!

Three words: Hot. Irish. Staff. Seriously, all brogues, all delicious, attentive and Charming, and quite competent with the shake and the stir. If a hot hard working man with an accent is your Thing (as it obviously is mine, Lol) then this is the bar for you! Wandered in on a weekend after a concert, the clientele was hipster yippie ghastliness, the music was worse, and from the greasy wafts and faint garbage smells from the kitchen area no way in hell would I eat there. But who needs food or music with all the eye candy and lilting accents and charmth?!? Seriously, ladies, if you’re looking for that Sex in the City, fabulous Cosmo moment, this is the ultimate destination, the location is awesome and the décor is charming, with lovely bars, tables and nooks to tuck into. Enjoy ;)

Having never been to Maine, this was my first meal there. While it’s an Irish Pub their menu seemed to have a nice mix of Irish food and seafood. It is in a prime location in Portland and was one of the few places we could get a last minute reservation at… should have been a sign.
Our waitress started right off the bat telling us how extremely busy they were… i. e…don’t expect to see me. She seemed annoyed at our presence the entire time.
The food was… meh. The lobster mac and cheese was good, but about luke warm. 2 of us had the seafood chowder and while it had plenty of good stuff in it, it was just about room temperature. We would have asked for a warm up, but again… our waitress was just so busy.
For being a prime location I would have expected better. We were seated outside and when I went inside to use the facilities, I wouldn’t have described it as busy by any means. There are so many other places in Portland to eat… go there.

Pub burger and Guinness BBQ burger were very good. Fish and chips didn’t have much fish, it was mostly batter. Fries were freshly cut and excellent!
Service was not very good however, we only saw our waiter for drinks, to order, one time to check on us, and to bring the check. A member of our party also ordered a salad that was never brought to them. Food came out extremely slow too.
Overall, it was ok. Fries were the best part ;)

Ri Ra is Ri Ra. Don’t expect a really great meal but it’s okayyyy pub food and for one that’s a chain. I would probably just stick to a sandwich with fries. Like DC, this one seems to be a good late night spot and seem to have a bunch of cool bands play there. It has a sort of dark/​dingey vibe.

I remember trying Ri Ra back in college when a friend who loves all things Irish dragged me here… and I just didn’t care for it (their menu selection, actual food, etc.). I then came back a couple of years ago and it was like a different restaurant (I’m not sure if I changed, or they did!). I’ve come several times in the past couple of years and have enjoyed each experience. The menu is great, with traditional Irish fare food and pub favorites — their cheese fries are excellent. My husband likes their burgers too, and their Guinness beef stew is really good. I have a friend who loves their potato cakes.
Their trivia night is also really good — one of my favorites that I’ve been too! The best questions and scoring methods — I also love their handouts.

The food was very tasty, but there’s also the service aspect of enjoying dinner. The service was slow in a Friday night, and although it was a little busy, there were still open tables. We also didn’t learn about a list of drinks until we asked later on. A great selection though, they should show their pride in this selection.

Award wining clam chowder was a good one. The spinach artichoke bake, buffalo wings are good to try.
Overall the food is good!!!

Cool bar don’t get me wrong, food needs help, no one in our party could finish our meals :/​. Service was good at least and it’s cool that actual Irish folk work here. Good trivia nights too. Drink only here eat before you come here

It’s only taken a decade, but I’ve finally begun to really enjoy RiRa. A national chain owned by a local Irishman, Rira is every bit as contradictory and frustrating as the previous sentence. But it’s also mostly great.
Greatness: Rira consistently has the best cover bands in Portland. There isn’t a close second. Whether you’re interested in 80s, country, rock or hip hop, this bar will have talented musicians playing the hits every weekend.
Frustration: The layout is terrible for live music and dancing. There’s a narrow corridor near the bar and then an elevated space that holds the band, but it isn’t nearly large enough for the crowds. RiRa, take a page from Infi… err Liquid Riot and make the downstairs one level. It would make your bar 1,000x better!
Greatness: it’s in an ideal spot on Commercial Street. With two floors the bar can accommodate big crowds (just not for dancing).
Frustration: You’re paying expensive rent to be on the water and you barely even have windows? There really isn’t a way to add a deck? Come on!
Greatness: Trivia on Tuesdays is the best that Portland has to offer. And is really tough!
Frustration: I love the Irish accent of the host but can’t understand a word (if he’s still doing it). There’s also some ringer teams of rocket scientists that remove any suspense of victory.
The food at Rira is excellent. I think they have one of the best burgers in Portland, and it isn’t $ 15 like the new wave of trendy bars. The beer selection is also expansive and service is usually friendly. It has great local character and you would never know it’s a chain. RiRa may frustrate me, but it’s also grown on me over the years. I’m finally ready to embrace it.

Six of us went for dinner on a Wednesday evening around 7:30, the place was seemingly empty but the service was so.slow. Took forever for our apps to come out and the food was very underwhelming. Burgers were overcooked, which is a big turn off for me. Fun place to go for drinks on the weekends, though.

Enjoyed this local Irish pup in the Old Port on the edge of the tourist district. Upstairs bar was lively and a lot of fun. Super bartender, good drinks and beer, with fair prices. Irish coffee to die for.
Tasty calamari and shrimp small plates. Nice fireplace seating with comfy seating.

Service here is always spectacular. The food is great Irish style pub food. Try the Guinness stew, or even their buffalo wings if you’re in the mood for more American style fare.
The atmosphere can’t be beat here on a chilly or downright frigid winter day. The upstairs, looking out onto the harbor, or on the comfy sofas in front of the fireplace is somewhat of a hidden gem if you’re not used to venturing up the stairs.
Great for an intimate lunch or noshing with a group of friends. This is one of Portland’s best.