O'tooles Midlothian

I went back to Midlothian O'tooles last night for dinner with my neighbor, who had never been there before. I had been there several times myself and was curious to hear his thoughts. We sat at the bar and were greeted promptly. The service was good, with attentive bartenders being a highlight of the experience. However, the quality of our food was disappointing. My neighbor's BBQ sandwich was dry and lacking in flavor, while my fish and chips were overly breaded and drowned out the taste of the fish. Both of our steak fries were undercooked and soggy. Additionally, the bartender forgot about my salad until after our dinners arrived, and it contained hard and unappealing chunks of lettuce. There were also an excessive amount of croutons. This visit was not up to the usual standard for me, as I have generally had great experiences with both the service and food at this restaurant. I also noticed that another nearby diner seemed to have a similar fish entree experience.

The staff at this restaurant were lazy and unapologetic. I ordered takeout and when I got home, I realized the sauces for my order were missing. I returned to the restaurant and was greeted by a member of the wait staff who seemed reluctant to help. I explained that I was missing sauces for two of the items on my order. They only brought me sauces for one item, and when I asked for the rest, they rolled their eyes before reluctantly getting them. Overall, I felt like I was being treated like a burden.

The steak and cheese was mediocre at best, seeming to have been microwaved with tomatoes. The ribs that followed appeared to be old, topped with BBQ sauce. The overall food quality was poor and the waitstaff seemed unprofessional.

Holding up the local tradition in a new location with quality food, fast friendly service and a casual comfortable atmosphere. All your favorite English and American pub food options.

My wife and I are Irish from immigrants 3 and 4 generations ago so we were not impartial to the atmosphere and decor. But dinner this evening was a home run as well. Great, fast service, a great rib-eye steak I had, and the prices were awesome too.