We came here on a Saturday night. I love the energy here, but at times, it did get a little rowdy, it is a pub after all. Besides the noise, my only other hang up was that our table was directly under an air vent and I was literally shivering the entire meal. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. Great service. I ordered the bangers and mash and was very thankful with how warm it was it help me out. The sausages are a tad bit peppery, but delicious and the onion gravy was seasoned perfectly. read more

Amazing fried chicken! Amazing staff! Amazing atmosphere! Amazing wait time! Amazing clean bathrooms! Amazing location! read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Delicious fried chicken - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

My wife and I stopped for lunch. We both had the cheeseburgers and fries. Delicious! The fries were homemade so that really topped off the meal. The booth we sat in had duct tape, so that was a bit of any eyesore. The server was pleasant and polite. read more

Great food and service whether eating there or taking out. Excellent service. One of my brothers favorite places.

Food was normal.. nothing that would make me want to hurry back to..service was slow..it was clean and quiet in there

Service was terrible. Waitress forgot our app and had to be reminded. Then forgot my husband's cup of soup and when reminded brought a bowl and charged us an additional $8. Food was mediocre and luke warm. Only positive is the restroom was clean. read more

Their food is amazing, they have excellent ambience, decor, staff, and food. Also an excellent range of reasonably priced drinks. I have been here a multitude of times and I enjoy this place a lot. The only thing that would make it better is if it weren't located in a super busy area surrounded by large shopping centres right by the highway. I prefer a scenic walk and a view for these ideal perfect places that belong in the green countryside. It just seems too good for the area that it's in, so I will rant about it for a while because why not? I think its not meeting its full potential as a restaurant, because even the building itself is gorgeous! It stands out like a sparkling thumb in one of the ugliest places in town. People go to this area typically to go to Chick fil'A or the overpriced sandwich place, or Sonic, McDonalds, Dunkin', and Wendy's since there is no accounting for taste anymore. The general public would rather spend MORE money on deep fried hormone ruining addictive slop....Rather than have a lovely meal in a beautiful restaurant, because it's slightly away from some folks comfort zones and they can't do math when considering whats actually cheaper i guess? This place has some of the best chicken strips ever! I mean if thats what you're trying to get at these fast food places, except with the added benefit of real chicken too. It's perplexing how anyone would spend more to eat less quality food that also has the ability to completely mess up your brain and body. It has the opposite job of food actually, It's anti-food. Food should nourish your brain and body and regulate your bodies function. It's scary that this is the preferred norm. I feel terrible for children with parents that keep feeding that junk to them daily, it should be considered child ab** and I 100% stand by that. read more

Great place. Good parking. Bar and food in separate rooms. Friendly staff. Low calorie meals and lighter meals. Which is what myself likes. I'll definitely be back! read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Wings are great! - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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Us three guys jumped over for St. Patrick's Day, found a merry band of a green festooned atmosphere and very friendly staff that offered a fifteen wait, got seated right on time in a wide wooden booth that proved a trial on the backside. The menus looked fantastic yet I found not one brew to my liking Even after sampling four of them. Should have just gone with the classic Guinness! But I still always enjoy trying something new and that flavor error was more on my spastic tap expectations. We were taking the well care of the entire time and couldn't fall any attitudes. The food menu looked bright and hardy enough, even though my two friends despise sauerkraut which turned out to be quite a difficulty as it was on most everything. And oddly the lack of other options like a chipotle mayo for the fish and chips shut em down on that too, they did a meats only corned beef sandwich and tenderloin. I had to do the very classic shepherd's pie. Food arrived rather quickly. We found rather small portions except for the tenderloin which was spread out like a massive manta ray between buns. That seemed to be the only winner because it got folded in half and disappeared! The corned beef sandwich was missing the sauerkraut, as mentioned above, but left it rather boring. Despite the excellent beat. The real loser was actually me, attempting the most traditional of Irish fair. What I received was in no way shape or form a shepherd's pie. There was no pie format, mashed potato icing, or semblance of rich decadent gravy hugging vegetables and meats. What I got was a Panera bread bowl! It would have been fine in any other setting. I cannot imagine the drunken stupor. The kitchen must have been to end up thinking a sourdough round hallowed out and filled with soup constituted a pie. It was rather annoying to eat, massive chunks of vegetables left at me as I tried to get them on my spoon, and the serious lack of protein further twisted the irony. It seems that only Sullivan's in all the Peoria metropolitan area can properly do the Irish food. read more

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Have eaten at Donnelly's a number of times over the years. Was surprised last Friday about 6:30 pm when we were seated in a booth in the bar (not many tables were occupied inside, several were filled on the patio). No server came for more than 30 minutes. We asked a passing waitress if we should order at the bar. She took our order, brought drinks then nothing for another 30 minutes. Our dinner came then but no appetizer. When we asked, she was surprised but then brought it out. My husband didn't get his special side & had it taken off the bill. The food is good but not worth the wait. Very disappointed & unlikely to return read more

Been here twice now. Food is exceptional, but the service is horrible?? They seem to have enough servers and I'm not sure how staffed the kitchen is, but both times we've had a 30-45 minute wait for our main courses to come out. Just unacceptable. We won't be back. read more

Food quality was good and it was lunch time but service was slow.Roast beef sandwich was the best according to our group of three read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Rueban - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Delicious food. Great for take out. Dining in is an excellent experience as well - comfortable Irish pub. Would greatly recommend

Went there for the first time, had very high hopes. I'll save the long story -- Food was good! The servers were also nice. The manager was pretty rude and unprofessional. Never will be back again until that changes. read more

Donnellys is doing catfish right. In all my travels I have yet to find better catfish. Friday, 7 others and myself decided to reserve a table, enjoy apps and drinks, ending our night with catfish dinners. And it was one of the most pleasant dinning experiences I've had in a long while. As much as we wanted to sync out drinking and cause the waitress less trips to the bar, it never did happen. But to my disbelief, when one was empty our waitress was there with another. This combined with the homey atmosphere made for a great couple hours for all of us while we caught up. We ordered bacon blue fries and cheese curds. Both were top notch. Being from WI I know my cheese, and this was good cheese. Not over or undercooked and thin breading, these puppies are sure to please. After 2 hours of chatting and apps the catfish got ordered, even in a full house it came out within 30 minutes. Hot, fresh, crispy, this thing was so go I had only bones to prove what I ordered. This thing was purrrfect. My whole experience was out of this world. Drinks, apps, dinner, service, atmosphere, you name it, I was impressed. I will be back soon! Thank you Donnelley's! read more

We stopped at Donnelly's about 5:00 for an early meal. We were promptly seated a given food and beverage menus. The table was pretty sticky and the menus were well used Xerox copies. Not an appealing beginning! However, our waiter appeared quickly and took drink orders. Water was quickly brought to us and our drinks soon after. I ordered a small tenderloin and onion rings. My partner order a chicken sandwich. After a normal wait and another stop by the waiter to check our drinks, our food arrived. The tenderloin was hot but a bit dryer than a really good loin should be. The chicken was done well and the beer-battered onion rings were served with a side of ranch and were hot and tasty. The waiter checked on drinks and how we liked our food a couple more times. When asking the second time around, he also asked if we wanted our bill yet. It was nice not to have to ask for it! Our bill was $61 for two wines, two Captain Morgan and Diet Cokes, and our food. Overall, service was good and the food was fine, though not outstanding. read more

The watergate chicken sandwich is absolutely delicious, even the next day it was good as I took home half of it. Service was great. Take a sweater it was a bit chilly where we sat. read more

Old Peoria institution normally with lively bar. Food has taken steps back in recent years, order a burger and ketchup and mustard are free, but mayo costs $.65. These little things plus dwindling quality makes this place a pass for now. read more

Excellent onion rings, which are hard to find. Service was fantastic, and the rest of the food was very good. Rueben with extra kraut, Baby!

Beautiful employees with great personalities And amazing food and drinks . They have a amazing beer selection too

Love this place. Been here many times and the food is always great. Very nice waitresses too. If you only feel safe when a marine cooks your food, come here because they have two in the kitchen lol read more

Food can be hit or miss here the one item that never gets messed up is the spicy chicken salad which is delicious. Service is also hit or miss you can get your food fast or it can take up to a hour to get food. Place is clean tables need refinished they're always sticky but it's not cause they're dirty read more

A rainy day in Peoria just chilling at an Irish restaurant.. food is delicious, especially the tenderloin.. service was absolutely spot on, Kim is the best! I must mention the wash rooms were absolutely clean. I will be back and I hope I meet all of you. read more

I have had fish and chips alot of places. Will skip theirs. I should have found captain d or long john silver. 20 bucks for some chips and 2 pieces of fish that i could have bought at hy vee and cooked myself. Sad. Lesson learned. read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - a tray of chips and coleslaw - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Great extensive menu. There is something for everyone. Very friendly staff. Food was great.

I was in the area and stopped here after seeing a four star rating. My experience was opposite. The service was absolutely horrible, I lended up going to the bar to get my drinks, bar tender would rather be on the phone than pour a beer. I have no idea where the wait staff was hiding as the place was not very busy When the food finally arrived it was very average and certainly overpriced. There are so many other places within a couple of miles that I found where the food and service are outstanding. Perhaps I just picked a bad evening but I will never return read more

Great atmosphere and wonderful food. Like the outdoor area. Little pricy, but delicious. Waterford chicken (yum!) The soups are tasty and made there, and my husband loves the specialty drinks they have created. Service is feeling almost back to precovid times, which is great! read more

Great food and service would recommend. I enjoyed the mild wings especially. They were flavorful and tender. The service was outstanding and made the experience way better for me and my family. Food came very fast and overall was a great experience. read more

The service and food was horrible . We waited 40 minutes for food and it came out cold . After eating and getting to the bottom of a burger there was hair . Informed the waitress not asking for anything at that point and she comes back the first thing she says is you cant have your money back as if i asked that (she assumed ) and says we can make another one but the wait was so long for the first time we didnt want to wait .. No manager on duty to speak with. First restaurant in Peoria ive ever been to with the worst service . read more

It had been a while since we had stopped by Donnellys for a bite. We were very disappointed on this trip. Very poor service, our booth was so dirty our menus were sticking to the top. Many menu items not available- the items we decided on ( Reuben and Vietnamese Salad) were not as described on the menu. Sincerely hope they get it together- but we won't be back. read more

The place was busy and we were seated right away. We both ordered the fish and chips.Our order can with three large portions of fish that were lightly breaded. The chip were homemade and I could not stop eating them. This place is looking located west of Sterling and it is worth the journey! read more

The food was alright but I would not use the ketchup. They have been reusing the same ketchup bottles for years with an expiration date of 05/17. There is also rust in the lids of the bottles. When told about it the server told us they empty out the bottles every night. If you have a low immune system do not go here. read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Rust inside ketchup bottle. - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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I was staying in town and wanted a nice place to grab a drink. Since the surrounding area was mostly fast food options, I tried Donnelly's. I started with a whisky ginger which was made with their homemade ginger - delicious. Then we got the spinach and artichoke dip which was actually really delicious and a really good size for an appetizer. Then I got chicken fingers and fries because I was tired and didn't want to be adventurous. The chicken fingers were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and the fries were delicious! Highly suggest for a simply good time. read more

I used to like this place, but I have had two bad meals in a row. First of all, I like the new location compared to the old one. But the food has been disappointing. I ordered Fish and Chips. It came with a salad, which was almost entirely iceberg lettuce, and a tiny strip of carrot, and a tiny tomato, and I think one other piece of vegetable. But it was 99.9% iceberg lettuce. The Fish and Chips were burned. The breading was rock-hard. The inside was flakey, but the outside breading was inedible. I ended up just scooping out the inside. Also, my fries were burned to shriveled brown twigs. The thing is, this is EXACTLY was they did to my food last visit. 0 for 2. Furthermore, my wife's tenderloin sandwich was also burned. She had to slather mayo on it just to be able to choke it down. That's 3 burned meals in 2 visits. I don't know if they changed their breading mix to something that comes out like concrete, or if their cook just doesn't know how to deep fry (or is just too disinterested to care). Either way, I won't be back. I will post the pictures of my food to illustrate just how burned it was. read more

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Love this place. The atmosphere is warm and cozy during the winter, the food is great, and they have a decent beer selection. They have one of the better kids menu ranging from sandwiches, to burgers, to soup, to fried chicken. I love their Lucky Horseshoe, but can only eat it when I'm not dieting. It is huge and topped with great fries and cheese. Today I ordered the fish and chips. My wife ordered the Irish sausage sandwich. All excellent. read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Love this place. The atmosphere is warm and cozy during the winter, the food is great, and they have a decent beer selection. - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

One of Peoria's best restaurants. You really need to try the wings. Great beer selection on tap, and an impressive wine list! read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Outside seating - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Donnelly's is like a roller coaster - up and down in service and food quality. It's October 2nd and they're out of the Octoberfest beer special. The 25 minute wait on the catfish dinner would have been acceptable if it wasn't a greasy mess. Never again on that meal. No chili AGAIN. It's fall and people want chili if there are only two soups on the menu. The other was chicken enchilada - at an Irish joint? The waiter at the next table discouraged them from ordering it stating it was disappointing at best. Black bean burger is fantastic. Long Island good but weird color due to not enough Coke in it. The employee with the man bun and pajama - just rolled outta bed look - needs to stay out of the front. He's out there every time I am there. It's like watching the living dead when he strolls through. He's probably the one in charge of chili making and ordering beer? Nice mix of customers. Old, young (crying babies) and in between. I'll keep going back. Roller Coasters are fun and exciting and Donnelly's can be too - if you catch the right night! read more

Great place to eat dinner or grab a drink. The food is great in my opinion and their french fries are Amazing. Large food menu and large drink menu. As for food I would recommend the tenderloin (get the full), any of their choices of fish, or the chicken strip dinner. There are a decent amount of seats so I wouldn't worry about getting in. As for a place to go watch the game, this is not it. There is only 4 TV'S in the restauran, although you can see them from most of the tables. read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Chicken tenders with fries - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Went to Donnellys yesterday for a late lunch with friends. I ordered the Salmon Caesar Salad and it was perfection The salmon was grilled and had a little crispy crunchy edge that I just loved I would have it again today if I was in town My friends had the fish and chips and it was great too Those fries are so good too fresh and home made Cant wait to return read more

Donnelly's Irish Pub - Salmon Ceasar Salad was lunch yesterday. Perfectly grilled and oh so tasty. I want it again today. - Pubs Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

This place has a lot of great reviews, but after just my second visit, I won't be coming back. Nor will my family. On 12/12/17 we spoke with Dan, one of the managers. We reserved the "Cottage Room" (big room in back) for my mother's surprise 60th birthday. The party wasn't until January 13, 2018, therefore the room was booked over 30 days in advance. He confirmed the reservation with the party beginning at 4pm, but made no mention of an end time. Our party had around 15 people, many of whom my mother had not seen in many, many years. This was a big deal. Fast forward to the evening of the party... Our planning crew arrived at 4pm, right on time. Upon arrival they were told that another large group had reserved the room at 6:30, and that we only had 2.5 hours to get in, eat, and get out. The party didn't start until 5! Who reserves a room for 15 people, but yet expects them to meet and greet, order drinks, order appetizers, order salad, entree, dessert, AND open gifts in 1.5 hours? I'm sorry but a party of 5 couldn't do that, let alone 15. Service was lacking. You could tell our servers were inexperienced in serving a somewhat large group. The place was packed, therefore I understand the wait. However, if you asked a server that wasn't the server for "your half" of the table, you would have to ask again. The food was good. No complaints there. Here's the worst part: towards the end (6:20ish), people FROM THE OTHER PARTY started coming in and sitting at our table, waiting for us to leave. I would normally say that this wasn't Donnely's fault as they can't control what other people do, but IF THEY HADN'T HAD OVERBOOKED THE ROOM IT, WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. There is nothing more aggravating and awkward than complete strangers sitting at your dirty table while your family is giving each other tearful goodbye's. I called the following week to speak with the owner. I spoke with Dan again, who, after I explained the situation, blamed it on the owner, Ryan. He said it was his fault that the room was overbooked and that he would have him call me. Here we are in February, and I have yet to receive a call back. I actually just reached back out again before submitting this review, as I thought perhaps Ryan would have a good excuse. He wasn't there, and Dan seemed less than interested in having him call me. He took my name and number (again), but I doubt he will reach back out. I'm not looking for free food. I'm not looking for comped meals. I was looking for a valid reason as to why we were treated the way that we were. I see no reason why, as they obviously don't need the money. Thanks but no thanks read more