If you live in Carlsbad or just love Smash Burgers then you wanna check out Hennessey's Tavern. On Thursdays, you can get a Smash Burger and Fries for $7. It's all day, every Thursday. The Smash Burger comes with two patties, cheese, onions and bacon...YUM! The buns tasted slightly sweet so it paired well with the savory burger. The fries were great too. Not overly crispy. They run specials every day on different items, but the Smash Burger is for sure one to check out. The service was awesome. Our waitress was super nice and kept checking in on us. Great Service always makes a difference. Hennessey's is pretty big. They have indoor and outdoor seating. They have booths, tables and bar seating for whatever your preference is. They also have TV's so a great spot to watch the latest sporting event while enjoying a great meal. Definitely recommend trying their $7 Smash Burgers on Thursdays! read more

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AT THE INTERSECTION OF REGRET AND REMORSE At what point does a cover charge become just a discrete way of saying "you're not welcome, only tolerated"? Nothing humbles you faster than paying a $40 daytime 'cover charge' to sit uncomfortably with alchy-bros and their untreated mental health issues. We came to this Irish Tavern because...well... St. Patricks Day. The bouncer wouldn't let us in until we paid the extortion. It's no wonder millennials are broke. I didn't really wanna pay, but we found such a great parking spot... He took my cash and stuffed it in his pocket. For $40, we assumed something legendary was awaiting us inside. Is Cillian Murphy here? Or maybe a Glen Hansard cover band.? At the very least a Conan O'Brien blowup doll? Nope... just canned music playing over speakers that crackled like grandpa's radio. So there's no band... But, for $40 there better be at least something I haven't seen before. Perhaps they've summoned St. Patrick from the dead? Or figured out how to make everyone's red flags visually appear. Or how to uncrack an egg... Something! But nope, it was just like a regular day that wasn't $40 to get in. And here's the thing: the food and drink are ALSO more expensive than usual! So they already fleeced me for $40, and now two drinks are also $40? Two corned beef plates: another $50!? It was average to below average. It was like they took every Irish Tavern in the world, put 'em all in a blender, and hit puree. It was just... easy-to-chew mediocrity. Honestly, I've been to better pubs at Holiday Inn. As we walked out, the same bouncer was still collecting his shakedown fees. But this time the cover charge was only $10. Only 45 minutes later, the cover charge for the privilege of... well nothing... lowered exponentially!?! This isn't an Irish tavern, this is a scam with a jukebox. Pro tip: I've paid $40 for many things. A glow-in-the-dark toilet seat. A Texas-shaped waffle maker. A desktop punching bag for when Yelp takes down my reviews. But I'd rather pay $40 to NOT go to a mediocre Irish bar. Next year, I'm staying home to enjoy a $3 Guinness in my garage. No cover. Curated playlist. Parking's up front. Just me, my red flags, and zero regret. read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

First time here. Went around 1030am on a Thursday morning. No crowd. That means fast service and hot fresh food. Ordered the smash burger which was a steal deal. So I ordered two. Fat succulent burgers, and fries, total of 15 bucks. Can't beat that. The vibe of the place felt like a well, a tavern. Inside and outside options with semi comfortable seating. Great wine menu and decent beer on tap. Only downside is I didn't see a beer menu, so I had to look to see what they had on tap at the bar. read more

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Went for a World Cup game and rarely saw our bartender. It took ~50 minutes for our appetizer to come out and it was the wrong one, so it took an additional 10-15 minutes to have the correct one come out. By the end we asked for both to be taken off our tab as we saw multiple others who came after us get our food and while the took the wrong app off they were mad we requested the first one off. As someone who works in the restaurant industry I wouldn't go again. read more

Ummmm best deal in town in 2026... $7 smash burger and fries!???? Delish! My dog loved the fries too, shhhh. What more could you ask for. read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Smashburger ThursYAYs - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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It was super salty. They don't even give you water unless you ask. It appears they make their money. Visalia salty food so you order lots of alcohol drinks read more

The bacado burger in the picture, pretty tasty! Fries were a little saltier and a bit overdone (too crunchy) for my liking. Bogo Tuesday is a great deal tho forsure read more

Why the heck do restaurants put lettuce greens in a container that has fried food! It makes the food limp and soggy! I ordered Irish sausage rolls and was hugely disappointed. Door dash delivered since I'm disabled and can't drive. They arrived on top of wilted lettuce. Cold. Greasy. Flaccid. Did not enjoy them in the slightest. Such a let down for this Irish lass read more

All the newer Restaurants in Carlsbad are getting all the business but don't sleep on this dependable spot. Breakfast is always hot and steamy, coffee is consistently hot and delicious and you're not fighting for a table! Best Old School hidden gem for Breakfast! We've tried omelettes, pancakes, bacon, sausages, French toast- whatever you choose it'll be hot and delicious. Staff are all friendly they do substitutions and have whatever morning cocktail you like with breaky! Give this place some love they put out great eats. read more

I always love going to Hennessey's! My boyfriend and his friends go to trivia on Wednesday nights and I've joined on many occasions. We always have Leila as our server and she's just the best. She's so sweet and friendly and delivers exceptional service every time. I really enjoy Trivia Tim. He's a great host and is really funny. I enjoy participating in trivia when I'm there. The establishment is really laid back and somewhere you can be yourself. There's no pretense and everyone belongs. I love the food here, as well. Their burger is one of the best I've ever had. I'd recommend Hennessey's to anyone looking for a fun outing and enjoy some good food. read more

Service was great, friendly bartender. Fresh, yummy brisket sandwhich despite the 10PM order (on a Monday nite). Would def recommend! Bartender w/cool tats was super sweet. read more

Holy smokes, the people of Carlsbad are lucky! We have practically nothing like this, within reasonable driving distance, on our Santa Barbara Central coast area. Wifey and I were in town for a couple of days and started to explore. We went to dinner one of the nights and afterwards wandered the old town area and found this gem. The ambiance is fantastic. Having lived a few years in the UK, this place gave me welcome chills of memories of yesteryear. Since we had already ate, we had a few drinks and were served by Guy at the bar. Besides the old-world ambiance, Guy was on-point and poured Wifey and I a couple of good ones before we split to head back to the hotel. The clientele was mature, no drama, initial observations revealed a coordinated & harmonious staff, and we saw plates coming out of the kitchen that made us regret not making Hennessey's our original destination. Our adult "kids" love a good Irish/English themed pub, so we plan on coming back with them in 2025 to knock down some ice-cold adult sodas and take in the wonderful location and attentive staff. read more

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I've been missing a strong Irish pub. So, I am on the hunt. This was number three on our recent track in North County. It reminded me of Dicks Irish Bar in Maui. Full bar. Full kitchen. Full sports. Nice outside area. I ordered the shepherds pie, TallGirl had the fish and chips. She sent the plate back, clean as a whistle. My plate was about 1/2 finished. I prefer more potatoes in my shepherds pie.. I'm Irish.. potatoes are a thing! The ratio of potato to meat seemed off. Like 2/3 meat with "some" peas and 1/4 (or less) potato. If I were to go again, I'd try the burger of the month. If you go after dark, have enough adult libations or focus on the sports you won't see the wear in the carpet. It could be refreshed, but doesn't take away from the food. Service was great! The waitstaff was quick, friendly and got all the things right! read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Fish N' Chips - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Great service and great food. I love the Irish feeling and of course the pickle backs are notch! This place is a must stop dinner spot if in the downtown Carlsbad areas. read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Birthday pickle back shots - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

good comfort food and fun to be around for games. we had problems coming in during games read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Bloody mary - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Four of us popped into Hennessey's Tavern for some drinks and to check out the Burger of the Month. We were celebrating my birthday. (Shameless self-promotion) None of us were overly hungry and we had food plans for later so we asked if they'd split the BOM into fourths, which they happily obliged. We also shared an order of Frings. The BOM was pretty bomb. Burger patty, garlic aioli, smoked cheddar cheese, grilled mushrooms, A1 Sauce, tomato, lettuce, fries, and a pickle wedge. I enjoyed my quarter of the burger. For the frings they simply added three onion rings to the fries for the four of us to share. LOL. It was my birthday so I got to have the pickle wedge. I really liked the burger. Had I been ready for dinner, I could've crushed a whole one. Good service on the covered patio in the back. read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Bomb BOM! (Photo from the menu) - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Not bad honestly. Was expecting the worse after seeing a lot of reviews about bad service however the service was great! No issues. I had the Cobb salad and my only complaint is the lettuc pieces were very large and they don't give a proper knife to cut it. We also had the sausage rolls. I was expecting more of like a smoked sausage inside but it was like ground cooked sausage. Hubby had the burger of the month which was with egg and beer cheese. We'll probably be back. I'd like to try the homemade chips. read more

Mikey the bartender is the king of Hennessy's. Holding it down on MLK with drinks and food. He is a real one and took care of us with the best hospitality. He cooked AND made drinks!! He set the vibes right for a perfectly quiet night in cbad read more

Fun local lunch spot with a nice patio, great back patio and bar/restaurant inside. You want breakfast? No problem. Lunch? Dinner? All kinds of Irish type dishes and drink specials all day long. Great service, today was Michelle who took good care of us. Tuna melt, good.... Chips were worth the trip. Frisco burger was perfectly cooked and fries great. Overcast today so it was quiet, but great when it warms up. Fun spot! read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Frisco Burger.... Nice - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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A traditional Irish pub. You know, kinda awesome when you're in the mood. Had the shepherd's pie, definitely worth it. It was authentic and delicious. Julianne was a great waitress. She was skeptical of my shepherd's pie wxperience, but in the end, it was worth it. read more

Great spot, open late. Great smash burgers too! Leila is a beast, great service, overall such a fun time.

The place was clean and well lit. Plenty of dinning space. They have a front patio as well as an inside patio dinning with a covering that is not seen below. They also have a bar area which is separate from the dinning area by a half wall so it's still close and visible. The service was nice and friendly we had Chloe she was very polite and accommodating with the menu. She check on us as well throughout our dinning which is always a ++ She would be the definition of what good service should be like. The food was good we had a fish platter which the hubby and I shared. It was definitely an enough food for two. If you have a big man hunger then this would be good for one person but we weren't looking to get guy busting full. The fish was season and fried golden brown and crispy fries seasoned perfectly. The coleslaw was good as well surprisingly (you never know what you gonna get with coleslaw) I will definitely be back and will try the burgers or chicken strip next time. I recommend giving this one a try. Prices range from $10-30 depending on what you get but worth the price for the amount of food. Parking is along the curb which can be tricky and why I gave a 4 but all is all great place. read more

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Our neighbors love a good burger so we invited them to join us on Two for the price of one Tuesday at Hennessy's. It was a hit and now it has become our go to burger date. Kelly was our server and she is very personable and got our order perfectly. We really enjoyed our evening at Hennessy's! read more

Rachel is the most amazing bartender! She is so attentive and warm. We will be returning because of the excellent customer service she provided. read more

No problem with the food, drinks or service, but I have a huge problem with an Irish bar charging a cover charge on St Patrick's Day. It is sacrilegious, to say the least. What do you get for $20 per person (cash only) - You get no Irish music, no bagpipers, no Irish step dancers. Those are typically at an Irish bar on St Patrick's Day - and they are there for free because it is a day to celebrate! Probably 50 years of St Patrick's celebrations for me and this is a first. The "cover charge" was not even going to the bartenders or staff (we asked). Many people left when told there was a charge. I applaud them. I would have too, but we were in from out f town and meeting people there. It was truly the most un-Irish thing I've experienced on St Patrick's Day. Shame on Hennessy's! read more

We came for the two for Tuesday burger special. I got the bacon avocado burger and my wife got the Irish burger. One of the better burgers I have had in Carlsbad. Definitely coming back! read more

Visited this restaurant based on a burger special. Burger was rather small and lacked flavor. Our server was friendly and offered the special. It just didn't deliver. Restaurant appears to be the original decor when it opened many many years ago. Sorry, this will not be added to my rotation. read more

PLEASE NEVER CHANGE THE TENDERS These are the best chicken tenders i have ever had in my life. My husband i come here all the time and we love these and the burger of the month each month. Service is always amazing. 10/10 read more

Hennessey's Tavern - Dublin Benedict - Irish Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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We love Hennessy's. Lauren and Jenny are the best bartenders ever. The food is great.

Best Sheppards Pie!! Very fun atmosphere. It has a fun back porch. My husband and I just bought a condo across the street from Hennessy's.... I will frequent it for the Sheppards pie! read more

Went here with a couple of co workers. And it was great, it was a great place to unwind with good drinks, not overpriced. Food was great too! We had some mimosa, hennesy lemonade, some beer and shots of tequila. Our server, i forgot her name, but she was so patient and friendly with us. They had live music too, which was a little loud if you were seated outside and want to have a conversation with your group, luckily they took breaks in between so we were able to talk to each other. Overall, a great place to relax and have a good time! read more

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Always great no matter which location you go to! Tuesdays are my favorite because it's buy one- get one burger day! While the beer prices have gone up it's still a great place to be! read more

Omg. Food was so delicious and Leila was the best server ever. Get the chicken club sandwich

We live here and dine here regularly. The menu is awesome and why we return. LOVE the Reuben, so good. The one thing we really dislike is the store-bought ranch dressing. It kills everything it should be paired with. The fries, onion rings, Irish nachos, wings are all so good, but if you don't like catsup then a great house made ranch is needed. Pairing good food with processed store bought ranch just is such a rally kill. Nicks on State and America's Heroes both nearby have amazing ranch that is like a cherry on top of anything dip-able. We have asked the managers multiple times for so long now for a decent ranch and at this point, it's an insult to be served crappy ranch. read more

We had such a great time at Hennessys! We always try to sit at the bar because Jenny is the best! We just love her!! Also the food is always so good! Can't go wrong. read more

Jenny at the bar was amazing. We felt right at home. You could tell everyone knew her and loved her. We felt the same. We can't wait to come back! read more

Friday afternoon at the bar is the best!!! Lauren makes the best cocktails!!! Worth every penny Hennessys has that small town Irish pub vibe, You can walk in and sit next to a stranger and next thing you know you are best buddies. Their burgers are delicious,as well. read more

Food was mid at best. Sausage rolls were 100% microwaved. Brussel sprouts and cauliflower were so drenched in balsamic that they were soggy. Reuben sandwich was sliced in about centimeter thick pieces that fell out of the bread with every bite. Coors Light was flat. Might be the only kitchen in Carlsbad open past 10pm (lol) but it's still not worth it. Worst part about this meal was that I had to pay for it. read more

Been coming to Hennessys for years and my favorite part is always the bartender Lauren. She's always got a smile on her face, knows my drink and even if it's busy makes sure I'm always taken care of. She's the reason I always come back! 10/10 read more

The first time I went to Hennessey's Tavern, Leila was my server. She's so bubbly and excited to give you the best experience possible. Ever since my first time there, I've always requested for Leila to be my server because she is that amazing. The food and drinks are delicious. Plus, live bands play from time to time which makes the experience that much better. read more