The Workman's Friend

If you’re looking for a place with character and a great vibe, The Workman’s Friend is it! We recently celebrated a friend’s birthday there, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The pub has that ideal balance — cozy enough for a laid-back meal but lively enough for a fun night out. The food is spot-on; their fish and chips are crispy and satisfying, and the shepherd’s pie is pure comfort on a plate. The drink selection is fantastic, with plenty of craft beers, creative cocktails, and a solid whiskey list. The staff was super friendly and even helped make the birthday feel extra special. We had such a great time that I completely forgot about my phone and didn’t even take any pictures — a true sign of an amazing experience! Whether you’re grabbing brunch, enjoying happy hour, or celebrating a special occasion, The Workman’s Friend never disappoints!

Had the fried oysters and pickled fried okra for appetizers. Phenomenal flavors, but nothing compared to the salmon I ordered. The skin was mouthwatering. I mean it was out-of-this-world. The salmon itself was cooked perfectly with great flavor. Also tried the vegetable curry, largely root vegetables and super filling but tasty. They give you a huge portion, too.

Needed to get out my house and this was a perfect little place to go. I was with my friend and we sat at the bar, not overly crowded but full. Met some amazing puerile that we talked to while there having drinks. I got hungry and ordered the curry vegetables I saw another patron order because it looked so good. The portion is enough for two people. Very delicious and glad I ordered it. Might need another night out when my work travel is done.

I’ve been coming here with my family since it opened, and we absolutely love the place. We usually go early before the bar crowd gets going, so I can’t really speak to the late night vibe. We always feel welcome by the chill but attentive staff. The food never disappoints. Occasionally we’ve been surprised (in a good way) with a couple of musicians in the front corner playing Irish folk tunes. And I love that they added soundproofing under the tables. Like a lot of newer places, there are hardwood floors, ceilings, tables which look great but reflect sound and turn the whole place into an echo chamber. I noticed it on one of the first visits after they opened, but the next visit I noticed it wasn’t a problem anymore. Looked under the table and saw the sound absorbing material. Super impressed! This level of detail and attention to customers’ comfort seems rare these days. Super Kudos to the staff and mgmt.

We did brunch here one Saturday. Amazing! They do give you a lot of food. Solid version of a Bloody Mary and love the potatoes.

I love this place. I've never had a bad meal or a bad server here. Whenever a friend asks where I want to go, I say "Workman's." The burgers are amazing and there's always Guinness on tap. Can't get any better than that! *Can't say the same for parking--but that's Plaza-Midwood for you and it's definitely worth the walk if it comes to it. Lol

We moved to the area about 1 year ago and the fact that there was an Irish Pub down the street was a major pro for me! We have found that in our frequent stops at Workmans Friend, we have had nothing shy of fantastic food, drinks and service. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, staff is friendly and the food is great. The fish and chips, a great choice and a generous portion. Also, shepherds pie is fantastic. I pair everything here with a Harp! Stop in and enjoy! Cheers, friends!

Wow - I love a savory breakfast, and Workman's Friend delivered. The cheese grits with greens were the highlight, and I can never pass up black pudding. I'd love to revisit and try some other delicious options.

Place is awesome! Seriously great atmosphere and food. The waitress was great, I cant remebr her name but she was tall and a red head. My mother got the burger and said it was TOP 5 burger of all time for her. The fish and chips were out of this world! Seriouslt can't recommend this place enough. They also have a awesome outdoor space when the weather is nice.

Absolutely love this place because it hits all the elements. The most warm staff, truly attentive and accommodating, interior is casual and warm also, food 🔥🔥🔥. I’ve eaten here 5 times in two months because it’s so inviting. Eaten at the bar once, and table seating the other times. If it looks packed still ask about a table because sometimes they have tables even though both bars are packed. My personal favorite meal was Fish and Chips🙌

Bit pricey but overall I really love this place. Food is great for breakfast (weekend), lunch, and dinner. Cozy place, great for drinks with a date or friends. Nice little outdoor space that will be perfect when it isn't swampy as hell outside.

This is the perfect pub. Not quite a restaurant and more than a bar, it is sometimes just what you need. You won't get to sit and have a quiet conversation at your table as it can be a bit loud, but the people watching is fantastic. The food is excellent and I really enjoyed it.

Went to eat here before a concert and the Burger/Fries were terrific! Loved the candlelit atmosphere of the place aswell, Definitely will be back next time!

Shaleen rocks! Superb service. The kind service that’s hard to find. Even better than many high end restaurants. She delivers. The real deal! The food is top notch. Will be back for the super tasty food and Shaleen! My new favorite palace!

Best Guinness pour I've had in The States, and I've had a lot here! Tasted just like Ireland, and the vegan curry was amazing as well and full of flavor! I will say it again - BEST POUR!!! My new favorite pub in Charlotte.

The trout and the chips (fries) are both great. Takes a lot of skill to make a *good* chip using only sea salt, pepper, and vinegar with no other seasoning. The venue is a bit loud but it's a pub so you kinda should expect that.

One of the better spots in a very good area for bars. Gets very busy on a Friday & Saturday night!

The burger slays and the fries with the aioli are hard to resist. If I'm looking for a good spot to grab some quick dinner and a drink when the wife and kid are busy the bar is my go to.

I had my first visit last night for dinner and drinks with a group of ladies, and I must say, it was a fantastic experience! The drinks were delicious, and our server was incredibly friendly and efficient. She immediately offered to modify my drink without any hesitation, which I really appreciated. She also recommended the pear salad, which was amazing, and even had an entree split for me and my friend—so thoughtful! I’m so sorry I didn’t catch her name, but she made our evening so much better. It can’t be easy to wait on a table full of loud, talkative women with separate checks, but she handled it like a pro. Our server was truly awesome, and the food was top-notch. I’ll definitely be back!

This is a cool place! New in town. First time there. It was so chill. Perfect for a Saturday morning! Great service and aweso.e atmosphere!

My wife and I recently came to Charlotte's Midwood Plaza area to visit a good friend of ours, and having lived abroad decided to go to The Workman's Friend as it reminded us of our home away from home. The pub itself filled us with so much nostalgia, in our eyes looking like a fusion of some of favourite pubs back across the pond, and the atmosphere and friendliness created by the staff and other patrons did not disappoint. The food was amazing; I had The Working Man's Burger, and my wife the salmon charcuterie board- each tasted divine and suited our palette greatly. The drinks were of fair and reasonable price, too, and tasted amazing! For instance, a pint of Guinness is around $7, which from £-$ matches what we paid for our drinks across the way. We will happily make the 3 hour drive again just to come back to The Workman's Friend!

This place has amazing food. I tried the mussels, fish and chips, and salmon with Brussels sprouts (with my group) and everything was honestly so divine. I also had the apple cider crush which was a perfectly sweet cocktail- on the boozier side but in the most perfect way. Our server, Jordan was also very entertaining and nice!

I’ve come to this location many times with friends. The bartenders are nice and the bouncers genuinely keep it safe, it is a mix of younger and older people who come to the bar at night but everyone seems to get along very well. A nice variety of music and although I haven’t tried the food before, I have friends who have had some of the dinner options like the corned beef and say it is amazing. The items that I commonly order are the espresso martinis which are the best in town in my opinion.

Bit pricey but overall I really love this place. Food is great for breakfast (weekend), lunch, and dinner. Cozy place, great for drinks with a date or friends. Nice little outdoor space that will be perfect when it isn't swampy as hell outside.

Met here for dinner the other night after not having visited for a couple of years. I was reminded how great the food is with all kinds of irish themed choices. Drinks were also really good. It is a nice neighborhood bar with lots of things to do in the area before and after.

Nice neighborhood restaurant to sit back and relax. Food was well seasoned and tasty. Had Owen as a server. He was very intentional to keep stopping by table to meet our needs. He suggested the trout and it was good. Drink was well made and they have a few vegan options. Parking is difficult in this community. There are a few spots out back, but give yourself time to secure street parking in this neighborhood at most spots.

Workman's friend was very dark - great if you want some privacy, or peace and quiet, perhaps not great if you want to socialize with friends or focus on interacting with others. This is definitely the type of place I'd go after a long day at work or if I want to focus on my own thoughts.

The atmosphere is amazing especially if you sit by the window on a nice day or the fire on a chilly day. The beer is amazing! The Fish and Chips portion is smaller than I’m used to for the price but still good if you’re coming for the atmosphere and drinks with friends. Would recommend if you’re looking for a nice cozy spot to hang out and don’t mind spending a bit.

Went with friends for St. Patty’s day. We were all slightly disappointed that they were only offering a limited menu, however we all found something to eat. One of my friends got fish and chips which she liked. She ate all the fish, but didn’t finish the fries or the peas. My second friend got the Workman’s burger and both of them said it was one of the best burgers they both have ever had. I don’t eat meat, so I didn’t try it. I had really wanted the purple potato gnocchi and or some mashed potatoes and cabbage or some other vegetable vegetarian dish, but they refused. So I went with the grilled cheese and it wasn’t anything to write home about. I had the potato leek soup, which tasted more like flavored mashed potatoes, but it was ok because I was craving mashed potatoes. The staff was cordial. The ambiance and decor was really nice. It reminded me of being back in Belfast. I really liked sitting by the fireplace as I was cold and it warned me up! It was quite clean and the restrooms were sufficient. Overall, I would visit again when they are offering the full menu or if I was talking friends to the bar- the bar is partially outside and fully stocked!

Definitely a great place to stop after a hard days work on a Monday. Great drinks and pub food. I tried the beef stew and a side salad. The salad came in a Togo cup but it was delicious either way. Definitely stopping by here again.

First brunch experience at Workman’s friend! We sat on the patio and the vibe was perfect for a Sunday afternoon. I had the Spring Spinach Salad and Blueberry Lemon Waffles, which were good but not outstanding. The salad was a little sparse - mostly just greens and lacking a good amount of toppings. The Evelyn cocktail was awesome - so refreshing! I’ll try it again for brunch but would order different items.

The full Irish breakfast was best I’ve had in years! Too many other places think the English/Irish breakfast platters are a bunch of separate ingredients slapped on a single plate. Workman’s Friend got it right, with quality ingredients cooked together for proper cohesion. Very nice atmosphere too. The cocktails were okay, but I feel they were overpriced being rather small and light on the liquor.

Fun bar, great street counter. Seems like a great place to meet friends and share a drink or two. Bartender friendly, good service and suggestions. Would really like classic cherries instead of the “fruit cocktail” version for my upscale drink. Will give them another chance to get it right though!

Food overall is good. Not the best fish and chips. I would try something else as others have mentioned that the food is good.

Drinks were pretty good, atmosphere was chill but also slow (it wasn’t a weekend). It took a bit to get our drinks despite it not being crowded. Our server was nice but seemed annoyed when more people would show for our group and then rushed to get us to close out because she was off. Definitely understandable and we did close out but all that rush was for her to go sit at the bar herself… I’d recommend this place but maybe not at night on a weekday lol

Not a bad little spot for a quick morning bite to eat. This was our first go at an Irish pub & food bar. The atmosphere was very laid back and dark when we arrived “they had just opened” but very clean and neat. We were greeted and seated right away. Our waitress was amazing and very knowledgeable of any and all questions we had. I wasn’t disappointed in the food by any means, just hit my taste buds a little different than usual. I’d definitely go back to try their lunch menu. All in all a great little spot to hang out and chill.

Came here after dinner to grab a couple of drinks. We came around 8 pm and it was already busy! This is a restaurant, but they have an outside room/patio that has a bar and table seating. You can see this room from Central Ave if you're driving by. We were able to snag two seats at the bar and were able to stay there comfortably until we were ready to go. They offer IPAs, wines, seltzer, and hard liquor. Bartenders were super friendly and attentive. They had about 4 working the bar, so there was always someone there ready to take your order. It was a very lively place and your typical bar scene, but no issues at all. We had a great time just sitting and enjoying our drinks. I would definitely come back to try their food as it smelled wonderful. They are located off Central Ave. So, of course, parking is crazy but easy to find location.

This is an Irish pub as the name suggests. Really liked the ambience. Our server Eli (sorry if I spelt it wrong) was soo courteous and sweet. Ordered our drinks tea and 2 honey badgers for cocktails and really liked it. Ordered the cauliflower pate for app and it was a bit sweet-ish to a point that he couldn't taste his tea nor could I taste my cocktail. I don't know how better to explain this - overpowering flavors. Ordered another cocktail with the raspberry and he enjoyed it. For mains he ordered the lamb and beef Shepard's pie topped with mashed potatoes which was good. Really good. I ordered the chicken curry soup as soup of the day and it was delightful. Heere are the issues I faced which were the put offs - 1.the server wasn't really sure and didn't have the chef to ask if the soup has any seafood in it 2. Chicken soup that came out with sliced bread was cold. The server politely took it back, heated it up and brought it out and it was warm - mostly cold again. I didn't send it back. 3. This is embarrassing but the bread that came with soup, even tho came sliced but not to the end - I literally had to tear it apart as I couldn't slice it to the end with the knife. Now, im not sure if I was to use my hand or was it the knife or was it the bread .. either ways it tasted good. I have to say I highly suggest you try the beef lamb shepards pie and the chicken curry soup. Tasted good. Very clean rr. Might be back.

The atmosphere with dim light, the leather, the candles and decoration in general makes it more than a pub, a rather romantic restaurant, of what we ordered, the appetizers (asparagus and scallops) and all drinks were delicious, the scallops are somewhat overpriced for the amount they serve 😵‍💫 I don't recommend the tomato bisque, it only tasted like tomato puree, we had to return it 😕 my soup of the day was decent but like the 🥧, it was short of salt We are quite patient, however the food took a little bit more time that we expected to reach the table and the appetizers were served with the soup, as everything was at the same time on the table, almost nothing fit well. Another thing that happened is that, before we left, apparently the waitress was really distracted or busy with something else because she completely forgot about us to give it the check (that we had already ask for it) and I had to got out from my seat to look for her 🤷 I don't know… It’s 40-60, they have very delicious dishes and others that are not worth it, they have attentive waiters and others very distracted, the place is beautiful but I don't know what to say about it

Reserved a party here to surprise a friend for their birthday. Showed up 45 minutes before the reservation. Checked in and confirmed, they took our boxes of cake to the fridge and told us they’d get us after the current party left the tables. Another group of us came in and confirmed / were told the same thing as well. After 8, we checked in again and were told by the manager that we never had a reservation. That even though we booked on the website, emailed with them several times etc that they didn’t book our reservation and someone else reserved the table. We explained our frustration because we did everything we were supposed to with reserving the party, we were there super early and confirmed with several people, our party was 20 people so they all showed up within this time frame, and then right before our reservation, right before the surprise guest was supposed to show up and BE surprised, we are now being told we have no reservation. The manager was extremely nasty, rude and argumentative. She offered zero apology, she offered zero resolution or care. All she did was aggressively tell us that it was our fault that it wasn’t confirmed. We again explained that we showed up so early to make sure nothing went wrong and that now we had zero time to go somewhere else because they confirmed with several of us that we had our reservation when we arrived. She then told us that we were attacking her because we were simply and calmly explaining this all to her. We decided to leave so I asked a waitress if she would get our treats out of the fridge so we could get out of there. She said oh someone over there will help you (rudely) and abruptly left. I had no idea who she was referring to. I have never experienced such awful customer service in my life. The “manager” should be fired, the next person should be taught what customer service looks like, and if your booking system is this complicated and requires so many extra steps aside from emailing/talking to staff over the phone AND booking on the site then clearly it needs to be fixed. I want to lastly add that the party names were completely different so there was no confusion between our party and the other party they actually booked. What a horrible experience that was supposed to be an amazing night for friends and family and was so thought out for weeks. Do better.