Irish Rose Saloon

Great Service and the Bangers and Mash were Amazing! Long Island iced coffee will sneak up on you. The purple haze shots were delicious. Turkey deli sandwiches were amazing. Homemade mustard, homemade salsa and this delicious Worchester ketchup mix!!! Yummy! And our server did a great job!

You’d never know by the outside that this was a great place to eat.
Service prompt and helpful in menu selection.
Menus provided but the blackboard highlights the menu. Tip: next to the price is another number reflecting how many portions they have. We missed the fish tacos but the grilled salmon was delicious. Eggplant parmigiana was not deluged in bread crumbs. Instead it was served rolled up on top of the pasta. Nice presentation. Huevos rancheros and other breakfast items were available all day Sunday.

A great looking bar with wonderful Irish and American type dishes in downtown Rockford. This is a great Irish bar and has a unique setting corner bar building look with a separate dining area. The food is diverse and what you would find in a typical irish restaurant and this place is pone od the better bars in Rockford. The service was prompt and attentive and atmosphere laid back.

I really dig this place.
It’s got a really cool, old vibe to it. Everything is made out of wood and it feels super aged and deeply rooted in the world. Like it’s existed forever and proudly withstood the test of time.
So I have to admit that when I went here I didn’t have alot of expectations. I just thought that it’d be a nice place to get a quick bite to eat with a friend, but oh man I was pleasantly surprised. Their food is legiiiiiit! They have a giant chalkboard listing off all their specialty fresh dishes and how much of each is left. And the dishes are more than your regular pub fare. They got fancy dishes like ribeye and filet mignon, and even some vegetarian options like eggplant parmesan.
I was in the mood for a big ol’ burger so I got their house cheese burger with fries. Delicious to say the least. I could not wait to shove it in my face (which I promptly did). You can tell that a lot of effort was put into making the food. The burger and fries tasted fresh and the fries were more of potato wedges. To say the least I left the Irish Rose a happy camper with a belly full of food. Can’t wait to go back, especially to see what they got on tap!

Went before an afternoon show. Fun atmosphere, colorful crowd a plus. Somewhat limited menu but both plates were chuck full. Tasty and great vaue. I’ll be back.

Quaint, cozy restaurant but what a disappointment! Both my date and I ordered the white fish which was tasteless and the side of pasta was dry with no seasoning whatsoever. Oh, and the bread! Served cold and needed to be a sumo wrestler to pull apart.

Such a quaint place. Ate there for lunch with a friend.
Great Bloody Marys, good solid fish tacos for about $ 12, my friend had the salmon with a side of garlic pasta, very garlicky (which I like), for about $ 20. The best thing about the meal was the grilled nectarine with caramel and crème fraîche, out of this world and great for 2 – 4 people.
Friendly staff, good food and good prices. I’d go back.
4 stars instead of 5 just because it could use a bit of updating.

Well, I’ve been here a ton since the future in-​laws love it. Sadly, I don’t really feel the same. I don’t think the menu’s ever really changed since it’s opened, even with the chalkboard showing limited quantity items. Maybe my lower rating is due to the fact that I’m bored of the menu, but there isn’t anything really special here. The calamari is oddly burnt and way too oily, and the pastas are basically carb bombs.
I do find it funny that Thursday is free «hot legs» day. No amount of life experience going to bars nor Googling could tell me what «hot legs» actually meant, other than something I was frightened my fiancée’s family would see me looking up. I eventually learned that meant that they set out a tray of chicken drumsticks out for people who buy a drink, which is a concept I’d never heard of, but wouldn’t mind seeing at other places.
It’s a Rockford institution (I think), and probably a fine place to grab a drink. I might stick with Beef-​a-​roo for food though.

The more I visit Rockford, the more I like it. :) One of the main reasons is: The Irish Rose.
Upon walking through the door, one might think, «Aw shit, it’s an Irish Pub so, I’ll get some chips…» Then BOOM, you take a look at the menu and the specials and you’re like,
«Mmmmhhhmmm, I’m good here. Really, good.»
I like to sit at the bar because the staff at The Rose, is beyond, Fabu
and CAN make a GREAT cocktail too. (Yes, I know, it rhymes)
Let’s get down and dig on the nom, nom, Bread Plate which is FULL of Veggie Love.
Olive oil, Parmesan, Basil Pesto & Sun-​dried Tomato Pesto and of course, the bread. #NomNom
Other things to munch on while awaiting the many Veggie Love entrees offered are:
Wood Grilled Zucchini, Mozzarella with Tomato & Basil on Bruschetta, Peruvian Mountain Asparagus, and a few salads, of course.
You’re not full yet are ya?
Check out these yummies: A bunch of different Veggie Pastas with FRESH ingredients. A HOMEMADE Veggie Burger AND let’s not forget the HUGE FRESH BOARD!
Serving up fresh Guac, Saganaki and my FAVE, Pesto Sweet Corn. #MouthWateringNow
I can’t say enough positive things about this downtown Rockford pub.
Do yourself the favor and just go there now. :)
PS: Was it mentioned yet that Thursdays at The Irish Rose are:
Vegetarian Thursdays? #MostExcellent
PPS: Daily Drink Specials, Uh Huh!
Side Note: There IS, a parking lot AND it’s FREE.
LAST but NOT LEAST, don’t forget to ask about the delectable desserts. #omg
The Irish Rose Saloon — 519 E State St, Rockford, IL 61 104 — (815) 964‑0480
*Eating Out With A Girl* #EOWAG #EatingOutWithAGirl

Don’t go here. First, the service was horribly slow. Second, the food was bad, not tasty, cold, and not cooked. Even the Crème Brulee was bad. Next time, I’ll save my money and visit the fast food place down the street that has the golden arches.

The fact that you can go to a place that has fresh, hand picked fish and meat displayed on a chalkboard for customers to see so that they know how many of each items are left, blows my mind. The quality of ingredients is top notch, and prepared in the same fashion. My girlfriend and I went here for dinner last night, we got saganaki as an appetizer which was awesome especially paired with zucchini, the mixed greens salad that came with both of our meals was terrific with the handmade basil vinaigrette. She ordered the walleye and I ordered the 24oz ribeye. The walleye was perfectly battered and had a wonderful flavor, it had a few small bones in it but that’s walleye for ya. My ribeye was amazing, perfectly cooked and lightly seasoned. The marbling throughout the steak was ideal for anybody who knows what a ribeye should look like, you could almost pull it apart with a fork. With an appetizer, two entrées (including a massive 24oz steak), a few cocktails, and tip, our bill was still under $ 100 out the door. I will definitely be spending more Saturday nights here!

Wish I could tell you how the food was… but I can’t because our waitress was drunk out of her mind when she approached the table and never came back. A bartender stepped in several minutes later and harshly asked us «food drinks or both?» As if we were bothering her during employee gossip hour. We decided this wasn’t going to be a good experience so we left. Better luck to you all! My recommendation? Don’t go in past 10 o’clock for more than a few hastily prepared cocktails.

I’ve enjoyed the Irish Rose many times over years but on occasion they drop the ball. Decided to invite a friend who never has eaten there for lunch. Arrived at 11:30, we were the first customers there, received our drinks and place our order at 11:40. I ordered a burger, my friend orders a turkey sandwich, food arrives 30 minuets later? Burger is Luke warm, send back burger, takes another 5 minutes to receive my order. Time now is 12:15 and I am unable to finish my lunch within the hour. What might have helped this disappointing experience is the waitress offers no appolagy for the delays or any other comps. I’ll be back for dinner only but my guest will not be back. Unfortunate these things happen, better customer service goes a long way.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

The atmosphere here is a casual trendy restaurant, however, the food here wasn’t good. I only ate the meat in my meal, the sides are disgusting. I’m rather reasonable when it comes to what I eat, and I’m not too extremely picky. The only item I really enjoyed was the crème brûlée, it was really delicious, but the amount of raspberry they put on top is absurd. I don’t think I’ll come back.

Great food and service. There were 4 of us, we ordered different foods and we all loved what we got. However, the restroom was not clean.

holy crap!!!
absolutely the worst service I have ever had in 20 years of dining out.
such a shame, the food was up to par but our server was beyond worthless. took 10 minutes for our first visit from him, another 10 to come back and take our drink order.
after we finally ordered our entrees another waiter had to bring us our food. our server never once checled on us, Mary sat with an empty drink, my water wss long gone and our table was a mess.
after 20 minutes I finally waived down someone who appeared to work here and asked for our check. she swore at us and then screamed at the waiter.
never got a chance to order desert or another drink.
do yourself a favor amd avoid this place… such a shame, used to be our favorite place to eat in Rockford.

The corned beef and cabbage was amazing, and I don’t usually like it! we’ll definitely be back! Our server Megan was fantastic! She didn’t hover to much and she was sweet and bubbly! Couldn’t ask for a better St. Patrick’s Day!
p.s.
If it wasn’t for the fact that we came for the corned beef & cabbage we would have tripled our order of the wood grilled zucchini :-)

The burger was greasy and flavorless. It was overcooked. I ordered it medium-​rare. It came out well done. It took forever to get another drink. After she dropped off the check. After I filled it out and took out the plastic. She came over pretty quickly. Figures. The entrance is not easy for me to get in. I use a walker for mobility. The bathroom stall was just as cramped. If somebody has a wheelchair, forget it.

Really good food! Great service. The menu has a very good variety. Their food goes very well with beer.

I have always been a huge fan of this place. The food is always great and prices are on point! Me and my family have been going here for years. However, you come here for the food and not for the service. You will get what I am saying… just read further.
The calamari w/​rosemary olive oil and lemon is just delicious! Yes, I know why would you want something fried hanging out in oil at your plat… that is just crazy. Just try it and you will be like oh damn this is good. I am a huge fan of their pastas and fish plates. The pastas are flavorful and light, never drenched in sauces like other places. If you are like me, a huge soup fan, then you will love their soups. Sometimes I wonder if they could have the soup on the menu in a giant bowl.
So why not the four stars or five? Easy. the service. It can be hit or miss sometimes. Some days we go there and we get great service. Other times you are trying to flag down a waiter even though the place is empty. If they had more consistent service then it will be a 4 star. Even thought the service is hit or miss. I still like coming here every time I am in town visiting the folks.