Michelle and I were out and about running errands yesterday in Northern New Jersey and saw a place that seemed like it would be great to have lunch. It is called the Shannon Rose Irish Pub. There are a few of them in Northern New Jersey and it was the first time we had come across it. Since it was lunch time anyway, we figured we would stop in and give it a try.
The site in Ramsey, NJ is quite spacious with a very large bar in the center room. We were greeted nicely by a hostess and offered the opportunity to sit outside and eat or dine in. We opted for inside and enjoyed the decor that was around the place. Our server Ryan immediately introduced himself and offered us drinks while we looked over the menu. Michelle opted for a Diet Pepsi (no Diet Coke, to her disappointment) and I decided, since we were in an Irish pub, that I was going to have a Guinness. I noticed that they offered a Black and Tan made with Guinness and their own Shannon Rose Amber Ale, so I decided to give that one a try. our drinks arrived quickly and I have to say the Black and Tan was very good with the right balance of Guinness and ale.
The menu itself was plentiful but not overwhelming. There was a great choice of typical pub and bar fare mixed in with some entrees. Many of the dishes offered also include and Irish slant, which is a nice touch. Since we were there for lunch, we opted to go for burgers to keep it simple. Michelle decided to have the Dublin Burger. It is a hamburger with Irish cheddar cheese, Irish bacon, onion and tomato. The thing she loved the most is that you had the option between french fries or tater tots! Of course, she chose to have the tater tots. I went for the Guinness Burger, which was a hamburger with their own specially made Guinness barbecue sauce. It is typically also served with the Irish cheddar, which I opted not to have. I went just for fries myself.
The burgers arrived in a very timely fashion and we were very happy with them. First off, the burgers are served on toasted English muffins, which we both loved. They were cooked to perfection, nice and juicy and medium, just the way we ordered them. The fries I had were also cooked perfectly, not soggy or over cooked, but just right. Michelle loved the tater tots. The burgers were a pretty decent size and very filling (and also served with a nice deli pickle spear on the side).
While we would have loved to have room for dessert or another drink, we were both pretty full. Ryan did let us have a look at the dessert menu as a reference for the next time we return. It has some great choices, among them a homemade Irish soda bread pudding, Bailey’s ladyfingers and a Guinness cake. The table just behind us had ordered desserts and they seemed like large portions that looked great, so you could easily share.
I would definitely go back to Shannon Rose again. We had a very nice meal, great service and the prices seemed quite reasonable for the drinks and the food. They have live Irish music there often; on every Sunday at 4 PM in fact. They also offer a Sunday brunch that you could check out. It seemed they have a great balance of pub food and dinner food to choose from. I could easily see just sitting at the bar and having a drink or two and hanging out to watch a game or just be with friends. If you live in the area, I would recommend stopping in to check it out.
That’s it for today. Michelle and I don’t go out that much so it’s nice to be able to say we went to a place that we enjoyed. Give them a look if you are nearby Ramsey and see how you like it. Until next time, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!
onedadskitchen 