Irish Times Pub and Restaurant…A Quick Look

Laurie and I were out running errands the other day and we decided to stop someplace for a quick and light lunch…

This is The Irish Times Pub and Restaurant in the Turkey Creek shopping area of Knoxville Tennessee.  We’d been here once before and we remembered that it was a good experience…but I wasn’t doing a blog then so I never documented our meal.

This is very much an Irish Pub atmosphere…with lots of color, posters and Irish related decor.  The owners of this family run restaurant are Irish and English, while the General Manager is Irish.  From the looks of the place and, given it's hours of operation, the action here is after work and at night.  One hint supporting this speculation is that Irish Times is open until 2 AM weekdays and until 3 AM on Friday and Saturday nights!

As I mentioned, we were looking for something relatively light to nosh on… Laurie ordered these Irish Sausage Rolls, ”savory Irish sausages wrapped in pastry, baked to perfection and served with spicy mustard”. ($8.20) This item from the Appetizer Menu was a winner!  It was very different, very tasty and the stone ground mustard that accompanied these sausage rolls was top notch… 

Other interesting Appetizers include Scotch Eggs ($9.50), Irish Curry Fries ($5.50), and Lobster Bisque ($5.50).  Dinner entrees include Irish Stew ($11.20), Cottage Pie ($11.20), Steak and Mushroom Pie ($12.20), Bangers and Mash ($13.20), Corned Beef and Cabbage ($14.50) and a Traditional Irish Breakfast ($12.50).  There is also a very large menu beyond these items that includes more standard fare…

I stepped a little off the grid myself, ordering the Irish Breakfast Sandwich.  This creation consists of Irish bacon, Irish sausage, Irish black pudding (blood sausage) and an egg fried ‘over easy’.  

While the flavors were all there, the sandwich seemed dry… Part of the issue was that the egg was a tad overcooked…little or no runny yoke soaking into the bun.  A toasted buttered bun would have helped as well… As for the coleslaw, it was much too bland for my taste.

This visit was hardly a test of the cuisine at The Irish Times.  We definitely want to come back for dinner so that we can fully appreciate and evaluate this restaurant’s food and experience it’s ambiance. 

Happy Hour is from 11 AM to 7 PM daily.  The Irish Times has Guinness Stout,  Harp Lager, Smithwick’s Ale and Magner’s Cider on tap.  They also stock 8 different brands of Irish Whiskey.  They have live entertainment every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The Irish Times Pub and Restaurant is located at 11348 Parkside Drive in Knoxville (Turkey Creek) Tennessee. (Note to Travelers: Turkey Creek is right off of I-40 in Knoxville) Phone: 865-675-8800.  Website: www.irishtimesknoxville.com.

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