There have been signs up advertising a new chef at the Claddagh Irish Pub in Mason. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, and remembering my previous mediocre experiences with the Claddagh, I thought we could give it another shot. We went on a weekday night hoping the crowd would be low and that we could be seated quickly.

I was surprised to see how many cars were in the parking lot, and even more so when we walked in and found that only the bar had patrons, while the regular dining areas were sparse.

We were seated almost immediately, and reminded by the hostess that they have a new chef and the menu had been through some changes. The interior is pretty neat with lots of stone and dark woods, almost like being in a tavern somewhere in Ireland.

But that’s about where the fascination stops. Despite having ample space in the restaurant, they still felt it necessary to cram too many tables too close to each other, even the hallway had tables in it. It was lucky they didn’t have any patrons seated in the hallway tables, as you wouldn’t have made it through if people had been sitting down.