Keeping the Irish pub alive. I was feeling a little fragile when we went here for lunch, but I was quickly cheered up. There's not too many Irish pubs left, this offers the lovely dank decor you want from an Irish pub and is more set up as a restaurant. It offers well priced, comfort food (exactly what I needed) and Irish beers on tap. The staff were lovely, it seems to be a family business that looks after the patrons. They offered us a tab to keep drinking, however we drove but we'll take them up on that another time. Excited to find a welcoming, comforting little place to chill out, will be back.

Great Home Cooked Meal. Had a wonderful chicken, veg & mash meal here, but for $20 for lunch, I really can go anywhere else. Not that there was anything wrong with the place, but some lunch specials would have been nice.

I went to Celtic Corner midweek for lunch. I wanted to try it as I had walked by many times before and it looked interesting. Looking like a pub, but with more of a bistro feel, I was greeted by a friendly waiter with a relaxed and pleasant demeanor. Although the restaurant, which is situated right on the corner, has some great outdoor tables along its two facings, it was too windy so I sat inside.

The waiter brought me a bottle of water and glass right away. It was a little after noon and with me included, there were only three tables occupied.

I looked over the menu which was on the table and noticed that the mains were roughly $20-26. Even the Light Fares section’s meals were $17.90. Sadly, there were no lunchtime specials. There was an All Day Breakfast section which seemed a bit more reasonable with nothing higher than $13.90. In that I had a 25% off coupon I decided to splurge and go for the Garlic Chicken ($20) and chose to have the garlic mash and vegetables on the side.

I ordered and paid for my meal at the counter and the waiter said it wouldn’t be long. I sat back down to catch up on some reading, noting when other customers showed up filling the restaurant to only about 1/3 full for the entire lunch hour.

My meal came out approx. 20 minutes later, but it didn’t matter; I wasn’t in a rush and the reason I came to Celtic Corner was because it had that feel to it.

For the price, my meal was quite a large serving. All of it hot and fresh! The garlic mash was the first fragrance I noticed. The waiter, who was still standing there, asked if I’d like fresh ground pepper. I certainly did and this was an unexpected, but appreciated gesture!

Having to try the mashed potatoes first, I dug in. Definitely like homemade – both smooth and lumpy in texture! Although fairly creamy, I doubt this was made with whole milk or butter, but still pretty good. The garlic was a great addition to what can sometimes be a bland side.

My vegetables were fresh and I’m guessing steamed but almost had a hint of being roasted. Still with a bit of firmness to them, they were not al dente. I had a generous selection of carrots, green beans, zucchini, broccoli and a small bit of corn on the cob. Tasty, healthy and a nice colour addition to the presentation of the plate.

My chicken, still with breast bone in it, was beautifully roasted. It did say on the menu it was stuffed, but it looked like it was cooked with the ingredients on the top. I say this as the skin wasn’t crispy, but very moist and succulent as was the chicken breast itself. The bone-in makes a huge difference in flavour! All over my plate was the juice from the roasting pan; not gravy, but a delicate, yet savoury au jus that finished off the dish perfectly!

Over all, it really was wonderful. Worth the $20, but for me, this is something I’d rather be having as a dinner. I would come back for this and even recommend this spot, but for lunch, I find it a bit pricy and not enough choices to suit every budget. I’d like to see this place come up with a few more inexpensive options or a lunch menu and I’ll bet the customer traffic would increase.