Awesome bar / restaurant. We all had a wonderful time and the food/drinks were not just top shelf but served by an awesome staff. Their shepherd's pie is the best I have had ever!!!

Awesome food and service. The staff was very nice and helpful. The restaurant is open and beautiful to look at. The Guinness beer was poorer just right! A must stop!

We enjoyed it. Coming from central Mass., the fish sandwich was comparable. Enjoyed the food, scenery and company. Another place to return to, as we explore Utica over the next 4 years.

Visiting our son at SUNY Polytechnic, in Utica and found this gem.

We had the best time. Stopped for some snacks before our next stop. Having an adventure. Met some great people. Very honest barmaid at Celtic.

Owner checking on every table, asking how food and service are. Also chatting with locals and out of towners alike.

The Harp is easily the most packed bar on Varick St in Utica on the weekends. Having an upstairs loft area helps to split up the mind of people and it's always fun. Good service at the bar, responsible and friendly staff and you can plan on hearing a good variety of music when there is a DJ playing.

Limited lunch menu, but the Cienega beef sandwich and the Shepherds pie were both excellent! Both were large and filling portions. Friendly synod kerr

The only complaint I may have was the food took an Inordinate long time. There was nobody there as we were a bit before dinnertime. We assumed it was the reason. No big deal. The food was really 👍🏽

Very good food, and great local beer. Did a delivery to the brewery next door and stoped for dinner. The chicken and biscuits are were its at.

Such a fun place. Have been there twice for karaoke and twice live music. Great crowd and bar tenders very attentive and friendly.

If you looking forward to some good eats in the day this is it but the weekend vibz is a once in a life time

Trivia night, Tuesdays, good food and great company...

We went on a Friday night. The shepard's pie was not as good as I have had it here. We ordered another dish, fish and chips, and that was excellent. The manager took the first dish off the bill. The pesto haddack was awesome as was the Guinness stew. Very happy.

So I haven’t been here yet but I heard it’s good. I am wondering how it will compare to the Irish Pubs in Yonkers NY such as the Heritage or Rory Dolan’s? In Yonkers the staff is generally Irish as Patty’s Pig and have proper manners such as introducing themselves. Unfortunately many bars Ive been to Upstate have staff who seem to care less about the customers and seem to think they are to be held on a pedestal and doing me a favor by serving me. In addition many of the top pubs in Yonkers and the Bronx (and NYC in general) have a buy back policy; the fourth pint is on the house! Barmen and barwomen never ever ask if you want change and never pick up a tip until the patron leaves the premises. I could go on but based on my experience I’m not confident that I’ll be impressed but I’m going to give it a whirl here!

First time trying food there tonight after seeing their specials on Facebook and walked in on trivia night. Fun time, great drinks, and amazingly delicious food! Will definitely be back to try their normal menu that had a large variety. 😍

Nah the dj had it lit this past weekend it was a Friday it's usually Hella packed on sats I think the dj told me there will be a glow party this sat.! So if you're in the area pull up I'd love to party w ya.!

Waitress was incredibly friendly and loved the atmosphere of the bar. The other patrons were less than desirable but that was atypical for the night as I was told by my friends I came with and also the waitress we had.

Went to a B- Day party here and was very pleased with everything. Food was great and the people working there were very accommodating and very friendly. Stop in you won't be disappointed!

Wonderful food. Service, atmosphere

Not from the area, and strongly suggest tourists to grab some if their great food. Easy place with tons of friendly staff and locals who are nothing but nice and welcoming. Got hammered and left my card, the staff were nice enough to hold it for me in the morning.

Had the greats time there after a couple bad experiences in other places in the city, was a ray of sun shine in an other wise shitty day. Kim the bar tender was awesome, very friendly, helpful and a pleasure to talk to. Got take out food was fabulous, had the shepherds pie fed both me and my wife with left overs. Will definitely be a return customer.

Stopped in to the Celtic Harp on our way back to Canada from Maine. Was a great experience. Portion sizes were large and the food was delicious. Two people in our group ordered one of the daily specials. The waitress came back and apologized as they were sold out. They ordered another meal and she offered to discount it.

Good! Large portions and accommodating wait staff.

Karaoke night. DJ Strudge was friendly personal. Bar was cozy with friendly patrons and staff. Fair prices. Easy to find

This is my go to bar on Thursday’s in the summer. Wing night on Wednesday with the biggest and one of the best wings around!

Gloriana Munoz

Huge shoutout to Devin and the staff at The Harp for hosting another incredible Christmas party! The attention to detail and level of service is always top-notch. We had a blast and felt so welcomed. Another successful year in the books—love this place! 🎄✨

Matt Kiley

Had our company Christmas party yesterday Devin and Emily did an amazing job. Everyone was very happy with the food and the service. We'll be back!

Valerie Martin

Awesome venue for a party - the staff was so helpful with setting everything up, they were so friendly and accommodating! It's really spacious in there, drinks and food were all great. Would definitely recommend to anyone for a private party/event. And i do like that food tho!! I would stop in there for a bite and drink anytime.

charlie mathland

Just across from the FX Matt brewery this pub provided the right place to relax and get a burger, though the menu has much more. The beer selection is good but Utica Club is a good get here. Indoor and outdoor seating. Staff friendly and food was yummy. Gotta try the shepherds pie next👍 Thank you😁

Lena Joseph

Great atmosphere. Visiting from out of town. We went for lunch, felt like a neighborhood place, and we were welcomed and treated really well. Bartender was clearly working super hard to take care of everyone. Guinness was perfect. Good was delicious. All 3 of us loved it! Highly recommend!

Stanley Miller

My wife and I were in the area to attend an Irish Christmas concert at The Stanley Theater. Beforehand, my wife wanted to find a good Irish place to eat. She found & we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Celtic Harp Rest. Great food menu, service, and atmosphere. Definitely will attend again when in the area.

+3

Kiki Raymond

My partner and I went for lunch while we were running errands in the Utica area. (We live in Syracuse). This was absolutely one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The portions were excellent and the food was HOT and tasty. I 100% recommend this place if you're looking for yummy satisfying food. Service was a bit slow, but I'm pretty sure our waitress was the only one working while we were there and there were a bunch of other tables so totally understandable. Give them a try, you won't regret it.

Ashley Wengert

My future in laws reserved The Celtic Harp for three family events. One of those events included our Jack and Jill party, and I am so happy they chose this restaurant/pub. They did everything from cooking our amazing food, to setting up their own personal corn hole boards outside. I requested a signature watermelon drink, and the bartenders did not disappoint. All of our guests complimented how delicious it was. The owner, Tommy answered all of my questions in a timely manner, and his staff working the event were very outgoing and friendly. Kathy, Craig, Justin and I highly recommend this restaurant & pub for anyone who is planning an event.

Tmoney

Amazing flavor! Finally a place that is not afraid to use seasoning. We were very pleased with the whole experience: food, drinks, server etc.

Duane Shelato

Got to the saranac brewery 15 minutes before they opened so we went across the street to this place. Made to look very old, this place is about 10 years old. Lots of beers on tape, great food very nice people.

Nicholas Salamanchuk (Kamaitachi5587)

Great fish fry and great wings. One of the few places that has hit wings that come anywhere near hot. The Armageddon sauce is to die for, plenty of flavor with just enough bite. I do advise caution for most people with the sauce though. I regularly use sauces that are in the extreme category. They pour a mean snakebite as well.

Alan Semon

A fine Irish pub! Great service, good food and a comfortable atmosphere make for a nice experience. Prices were reasonable for the ample portions provided.

Donald Hodgkin (dj)

Had a great night! Wednesday night karaoke was so much fun! Stopped there on my way from Maine and I couldn't of had a better time! People there were amazing! Can't wait to go back when I get the chance.

Colin Wiley

Really good food. The Philly steak was great and juicy with nice seasoned fries. They serve Super Funky which is one of my faves from the Saranac and the waitress grabbed me the WiFi password. All for well under 20$ and great atmosphere. Lots of tvs and space.

Painted Black was playing and it was a fun atmosphere in the outdoor area. Helluva time for us out of towners. Funny story though, we had leftover pizza from dinner at another place on Varick St. and the bouncer wouldn't let us take it in the Celtic Harp. There was no trash can on the street so the bouncer said he'd throw it away for us. At the end of the night (1:30), my buddy asked the bouncer if he still had the pizza and a guilty look came over his face. The bouncer brought back our two boxes of pizza with a couple slices gone and a half eaten slice still laying in the box. Why wouldn't he just lie and say he actually threw it away instead of trying to play it off like we wouldn't know that he'd eaten our trash? Obviously, we threw the remaining pizza away for fear of pubes.

Excellent food, reasonable prices, great service, good atmosphere, dining so fresco option, just slightly noisy - but it is also a bar.

Was a Great place to have burgers and beer with my son and Best friend. The service was courteous and timely. It was so nice that I had the attendant write in her own tip.

We stopped here for a late night cocktail. They had a great dj and it was a full house. There were a couple of little punks fighting, it seems to be like that each time we go to this place.

The food and beer were excellent. Service was a little slow. They could use more help. Ask the bartender what it means winning the best Guinness pour.

The Celtic Harp hosted a great Game of Thrones themed Halloween party that I attended. Their band was very good! The food is decent here, but they were out of a couple of items on their menu. The staff is friendly and the establishment is clean. Definitely worth visiting if you're in the area.

I’ve been going to the Harp a long time now but mostly at night for Saranac Thursday or on a Friday night but a couple years back went there to eat with a friend in the early evening and I learned they are more then just a bar. The crowd is more mixed agewise then and the atmosphere is not busy like at nights. Very well executed bar food superb Reuben. More than just shots and cold beer

When I first visited Celtic Harp soon after the opened, I was less than happy. We ate dinner there and the music was so loud it gave me a headache, you couldn't talk with your dinner partners and so we never returned. At a friend's urging, I decided to give it a second chance-this time in their outside dining area due to Covid-19. It was a pleasant surprise. The area had low background music, the fish fry was fantastic and we played music Bingo which was fun. The big downer was there seemed to be only 2 waitresses on and they must have been doing inside duty too, as it was very hard to get their attention. I was disappointed that they had neither the shepherd's pie nor the Irish stew - both great Irish/Celtic favs, but I know every restaurant has to change to meet the challenges.

Probably the second best bar on Varick Street. Food is good, drinks are reasonable, and there's always something going on. It does get a bit crowded, but that's sort of expected on a Friday or Saturday night.

Wednesday nights are 2 for 1s and karaoke. Drinks are affordably priced and taste great. Karaoke is always a good time, but there's usually a long wait time if you want to sing, so get on the list early! Parking is pretty easy around here if you get there early enough.

I always have a great time here. Drinks are reasonably priced. My only complaint was my most recent visit I approached the bar money in hand and was passed over for 4 men who arrived at the bar after me. I waited 15 minutes and still enter up without a drink.

We came here for a late lunch while buying a new vehicle. It had enough good reviews to give it a try wanting something different. Our waitress was great. Quick accommodating and helpful. I got the goat cheese balsamic burger. It was pretty good. The combination worked very well. My wife got the bangers and mashed it was decent. The gravy was the downside being a generic canned gravy. Bangers were okay but don't believe to be fresh made. We also got the beef barley soup which was decent. If we are back in the area we'd go again. Parking can be a bit picky as there isn't much available and a very small parking lot on the property

Dined there for lunch, food and drinks were great, service a bit slow but they were quite busy. My half/half (Guinness/Harp was poured to perfection) and really enjoyed the fish fry. Looking forward to our next visit there with friends!

Attended a catered party with so many food choices. My favorite, believe it or not, was the fresh cooked greens. They were delicious and made just right. Friendly staff. Nice atmosphere, inside and out. Would consider returning one night when they have live music. Nice spot on Varick St.

Excellent local hangout, little rough around the edges, but that's coming from me... No food at 830 pm, ahh one less star. Great cherry wheat on tap, and special price so good there! Check it out karaoke starts at 10pm.

Waitress was tending bar and waiting tables. She was great at multitasking. Food and drinks were both good. I recommend. The outdoor seating area is nice. The building and grounds look well maintained.

Fantastic fish fry. And the rest of the menu was great. It's a bit loud, but worth it. Not a problem with the six of us. We don't mind the noise at all. A matter of fact we probably create some. I was just giving a honest review. We've been going to the Celtic for about 4 year's. Thanks for it all.

Ate there after touring SUNY Poly with our daughter. My wife had quesadillas, I had wings, and we split the chili fries. The chili fries were really good, I had to start fending my wife off with a fork. She enjoyed her quesadllia, and said it was pretty good. The wings weren't ones that would standout, really. It wasn't a house sauce, it was just the store bought Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. They weren't terrible, really. The service was a little slow, but there was one woman running all the tables and the bar that day, so it might have been a little busier than they were expecting at 2 pm on a Friday. We'd go back, it was good pub food.

Lisa

Everything wasn’t just fine. Cesar salad was okay- toss it with homemade Cesar- add more steak strips and you’ll have something more than store bought croutons. Shepard pie was yum. Fish sandwich and sweet potato fries were good too. Check your bill. We had a major mess up- but sweet server made amends. If we didn’t look it over, we would have paid $37more. Check your bill. 😎

Teresa Rudd

Corn beef and cabbage was ok. But I have had better tasting dishes.

Kelly Miller

The food and the service was great . Unfortunately we picked a night when they were hosting a company Christmas party upstairs so it was extremely loud in there . Couldn’t even talk to my husband because we couldn’t hear each other. I would definitely go back another time when it might be a bit quieter

Mandilynne

Always a good time, great food, nice fish selection, craft beers, and a decent crowd. Too much of a good thing this place is often packed, and sometimes a little rowdy. They also follow Saranac Thursdays, and stay open later with live band outside. Downside two ladies bathroom stalls only. The staff gets overwhelmed and gets orders mixed up frequently.

Good food, drink and atmosphere. Great place if you like saranac IPAs and other unique tap beers. Kitchen is a little slow, and I often have to flag down wait staff for refills etc.

Nice bar with good service. They just pack this place so full with people that it's hard to move or hear anything. Very popular bar with a lot of action, personally I prefer something a little more laid back.

Visited on a Wednesday afternoon at 2pm..the music was soo loud we couldn't hear one another. We asked to have it turned down a bit..but no noticeable difference. Food was very good .

Great food and nice place. But. Was cold, celing fans were on high blowing cold air. Asked to turn off. And bartender made up an excuse. Would rate higher but. Just cant.

Great beverages, so,so Shepherds pie. Excellent service. My friend who had one of the specials thought it was great.

Workers don't seem to understand how licenses work for residents outside of New York and will gladly remain ignorant until pressed to get it right. Once they actually learn to accept legal IDs it's actually a good place to go.

Very nice and clean bar. Food was served cold to us. The dishes didn't have much flavor. The vartender we had it must have been her 1st day. She wasn't sure how to make simple drinks. Or what alcohol the bar had on hand. We will try the place again though.

Sandwich was fine, small issue with not getting correct change back, overlooked. BUT... they are serving these disgusting Tater Tots, literally the 2nd worst thing that was ever served to me. They were not only re-warmed/re-cooked but burnt so bad there was 0 potato inside so gross and INEDIBLE. Hopefully owner sees this and corrects this or takes them off menu, never again. (I opened every one looking for potato lol) none 12.99 online menu says 10.99

Food was great, it was a large Order of the Amaranth group party, upstairs and only 1 server, then we were asked to leave and some of us just got our food as another party was arriving. Really not a good experience of the day for all of us including the GRM/GRP ok NY who were our Host and hostess.

Love to party here, reallyyy wish they’d stop letting so many underage kids in tho lmaoo

The food is absolutely delicious. The atmosphere was funky and fun too. The issue I am having and thus giving 3 stars instead of 5. They charged me like $2.70 for the smallest amount of ranch for my chicken wings. $2.70?!?! That’s insane for ranch mind you? I was having a good time until I found that out. I am so dissatisfied and dissatisfied by that fact.

Food is exilent but the service is terrible waited hours other people up and left and then to top it off every one in my group was served they forgot My order so everyone else was done before I got my order

Walked in about 6:05 Sunday. Have to seat yourself and the only table downstairs was half "clean" so we sat there .Within minutes a waitress came over and told us it would be a 30 minute wait for food .Ok np, we could tell they we're busy so we asked for menus. Few minutes later another waitress came over with menus. They had a poster in the window advertising flavored Bud Lights so I ordered a Bud Light Lime and was told they didn't sell that. Then went to order a chicken sandwich and was told they had run outta chicken. So I wanted the exact sandwich but substitute a burger instead. Was told it might be an upcharge. Not my fault you ran outta chicken. It came with a basil pesto mayo on the sandwich and I asked for extra on the side for my fries. Only received it on the side. None on my sandwich. I ordered it medium well and it was barely medium. My bf asked for his medium well also. And his was well. Strange cuz we ordered at the same time. Had to ask for napkins cuz the waitress brought over menus and silverware and set them right on the dirty table. Which she did not attempt to clean for us. Only reason why it's 2 stars instead of 1 was because the bathroom was clean. Surprisigly. Myabe I caught them on a bad day or weekend. No idea. But don't want to risk ever going back. Food was nothing special.

Visited for an early afternoon lunch after shopping at The Brewery Store. Setting is wide open, barren and loud. Menu is moderately large and varied with good selection of "Irish style" offerings. Our food (Shepard Pie and Mac&Cheese) was excellent. Service friendly. Upon leaving, I visited the men's restroom. It did not lock. There is no seat on the toilet and there was no paper of any kind in the room. Liquid soap dispenser was heavily watered down. For that reason alone, I would never return.

I ordered the Reuben and it was disappointing; I agree with one if the other reviews. The bread was hard and the sandwich was dry; it had very little sauce and kraut and was flavorless. The fries were very tasty but they were cool. The Corned Beef Cabbage meal I ordered to go looked like only half a portion ( I should have checked it before leaving); the portion size delivered to a nearby table was a lot bigger. The Sheppard Pie my fiancee was Very Good though.

Attended a business gathering at the Harp. Although there were snack type food, I was looking forward to ordering off the menu. I and a friend asked for a menu and was told by the bartender that she would have to go downstairs to get one. I remained at the bar waiting. About 10 minutes later (she never left) she asked if she could help me. I said I was waiting on the menu to order dinner. She then told me the kitchen was closed. This was around 6:30 pm with a full bar downstairs as well as our group. Very disappointed, as I needed dinner and was supposed to bring home food to my husband. Then on top of that....I was way over charged for a simple rum drink...$11. Unless I go to a very high end restaurant, I have never paid that much for that drink. I've never paid more than $8. Again, what a disappointment.

Second visit (first was more than a decade ago). Initial impression was VERY mixed. Good ambiance and decor but also physically uncomfortable. Visited yesterday (1/25/25). Outdoor temp was hovering around 25F. The establishment couldn’t have been more than 65F as it felt QUITE cool. Not so warm and inviting. Owner might consider allowing management to keep the place warm. Our waitress: Taylor- and she was lovely. Personable, reasonably warm- no complaints whatsoever. She was also quite attentive. The meal: subpar (at best). We ordered the Irish meatloaf and Guinness stew entrees. We started with the fried pickles. They were a mess. Overdone, overly oily. Batter lacked flavor and the overfrying made the batter downright crunchy. Not good. Irish meatloaf was hardly “Irish”. Bland ground beef- nothing more. Virtually zero flavor. Served medium rare which was very odd. Guinness stew was just- strange. Gravy tasted very much like marijuana smells. Not entirely off-putting but CERTAINLY not a Guinness based concoction. Very, very “hop forward”. Wouldn’t recommend. Both entrees were served atop INSTANT potatoes. And not the good kind. Textureless, flavorless. Very disappointed. Takeaway: the only thing “Irish” about the place is the abundant liquor and the decor. Management may want to consider firing the cook(s). He/she/they clearly shouldn’t be working in that capacity.

Terrible customer service. We placed a delivery order and only rec'd half of it. Grubhub driver said Celtic called to tell us their oven broken. They did not. We would have just cancelled the order. Great job ripping off your customers so you can sell a few appitizers.

The most racist, disrespectful establishment I have ever been to. My boyfriend and I were not allowed inside due to the fact that he was wearing a durag. We were told these are “the owners rules”. Yet, there were people inside wearing hats. A durag is a protective hair covering used to secure moisture - distinctive to people of color. I am beyond disgusted.

Server is terrible been mutinle visits where you can't get anyone to wait on you outdoors. Granted, she was probably only server there, but it's middle of the week, post dinner rush, 3 tables tops?? Wanted to cancel when she got.our order Wrong and drinks wrong inside not much better went inside for help and they were more concerned about who's was gonna get tip now than giving us better service The 1 star is for the food, delicious Out don't stress not getting what u asked for from Server Order take

We have dined here many times with good experiences, but tonight was unacceptable; only 1 waitress who was also the bartender, the potato leek soup was cold but tasty, the shepherd pie was cold in the middle and it took forever to get a replacement, and very salty when it finally did arrive. The dinner roll was stale, only 1 butter pat, the waitress was nonexistent when we needed her. I hope someone reads this and takes care of things. We will come back again and give it another try, but if the next visit is similar we probably won’t come back as there are a lot of restaurants to choose from.

Stopped in for the first time to have a drink and some lunch, we weren't sure if we needed to wait to be seated so we waited for a minute, then we went to the bar to ask if we could seat ourselves at the table and we were COMPLETELY ignored by both the male and female bartenders. The male bartender who we stood directly infront of, continued to talk to other customers and made it a point to not even look at us, even as we moved closer to the bar. He was also drinking a beer while working the bar, maybe he was too drunk to see us💁🏻‍♀️ We left after a couple of minutes of waiting with absolutely no service.

Buy didn’t want to work and decided to lock the door and stop checking IDs an hour before close.

I’ve had it with this place. I understand when you’re closing early. But telling someone on their birthday “You don’t care whose birthday it is… when I get home it’s my birthday too.” I’ve had it. Won’t be there tomorrow and the business I was bringing won’t be either. DISAPPOINTED IS NOT THE WORD. I eat here for lunch, I enjoy dancing with my friends. This behavior and the way staff act is not professional. I swear I’m gonna start recording them.

Honestly disappointed to write this but I went for 2 beers with my buddies and was charged for $30. Happy to say I will never be back to this place again it’s time for MAJOR change. Lol.

I have been there in the past and enjoyed the restaurant. After finally finding a parking place and entering the restaurant I was told about the 630 closing of the kitchen on Saturday night so all the work to park out the window and to Del Bueno and a great meal. With plenty of parking! If I can find a score card and kitchen hours, maybe give it a try again...

savva portnov

Came here at 1 pm only got my food at 4 pm. Me and a pretty big group got a table right away. And only and hour later the waiter came to get our order. And two hours after that we got our food. Do not recommend to go here unless you want to wait three hours before you eat.

Hellnay Shoo

While many love the harp I am not one of the many I've been on 3 separate occasions and had awful service each time. I honestly feel hurt that everyone raves about this place and I was treated badly. I also approached someone with a chefs coat who was extremely rude to me and made me uncomfortable. I will never return I wish I could enjoy the harp like every one else