Bog & Barley

It Was My Birthday

This review is VERY LATE in coming, with the reason being that I wasn't inspired to write it (I'm posting this on September 23, 2025, a day before my next birthday). It stems from my sense that none of the meals that I ate at Bog & Barley were noteworthy. I hate starting a review negatively, and I'm not implying that the Irish Pub puts out bad food, but it falls short when compared to the other restaurants that I previously visited on my birthdays. From having Creole-inspired catfish to Branzino (another fish, from the Mediterranean) to one of the best burgers ever, my birthday dinners have been memorable. Unfortunately, I can't say that for the dinner I had at Bog & Barley. Overall, the restaurant has a menu of good items that are satisfactory for most occasions and, depending on one's taste, could make for one of the best meals ever. That said, I tried my best to find something positive for this review that I hope will reflect well on the restaurant.

For starters, I got the gazpacho because I was interested in how good a Spanish dish would be at an Irish pub. From what I can remember, the cold soup was strong in tomato flavor with a slight presence of olive oil and accentuated with Ricotta cheese. Overall, it was refreshing and probably the best part of my dinner. Unfortunately, it is no longer on the menu but I hope it returns soon.

The main course of my dinner was the Newman Farm Pork Porterhouse that was a glorified pork chop. As far as pork chops.... er, pork porterhouses go, it was juicy and seasoned with just the right amount of cider reduction and grilled char on its surface to make it interesting. Compared to similar pork entrées at other restaurants, the Newman Farm Pork Porterhouse holds its own with most of them. As good as it was, it lacked the "wow" factor that I experienced at other restaurants that I dined at on my birthday. The Newman Farm Pork Porterhouse is what it is, a glorified pork chop that is decent but not impressive if you're looking for something special.

14 oz. Ribeye Steak from Bog & Barley in Memphs, Tennessee

SIDE NOTE: I eventually went back a few months later to get the entrée that I really wanted, the 14 oz. ribeye steak. Although I assumed that I made a regretful decision of not getting it on my birthday, it turns out that I made the right choice. The steak, although cooked a perfect "medium rare," was nothing more than average. My "porterhouse" was far tastier than the steak that left much to be desired. By the way, the "porterhouse" is much better without the Irish cider reduction (you can get it as a side and add as much as needed).

For dessert, I got ice cream and a piece of Irish bread pudding with a candle on top. It was delightful and a nice finish to my birthday dinner.

Overall, the experience at Bog & Barley was okay but not nearly as memorable as my other birthday dinners. Of course, using a weird criteria for picking restaurants in which the name had to start with a "B" meant that eventually I was going to get an underwhelming meal. That might not have been the case if Bounty, the restaurant on Broad Avenue that specialized in wild game meats, had still been around. Unfortunately, it went out of business before my birthday so I had to choose another restaurant with a name having "Bo" as the first two letters. Sometimes, it's better to stick with conventional methods for making good decisions when it matters.

I want to add one caveat to this review. When I typically go out to dinner, I usually go alone. In doing so, it's imperative that I get the best dining experience possible in terms of food. While that's not a bad standard, it ignores other factors that can contribute to a good dining experience. For the sake of argument, if I had a dining party of several people accompanying me to a place like Bog & Barley, I'm sure that the dinner would have been far more festive. Especially in a place like Bog & Barley that is beautifully designed and probably the best-looking Irish pub that I've ever been to. The interior design is almost perfect with a high ceiling and lighting that perfectly sets the mood. In a party atmosphere with plenty of beer and whiskey flowing (maybe coming from the barrels stacked atop of the bar), I believe my party would have been a blast (in more ways than one) if I had others with me. I'm not saying this for sympathy, but it's a lot different when you're partying with friends compared to dining alone. In some ways I prefer the latter because I'm a selfish food snob who is not that sociable. It's something I can live with even when I'm surrounded by groups of people in a place like Bog & Barley who are partying it up. Even though I'm a loner when I'm out, I occasionally run into a friend when I go to Bog & Barley. With it being so popular as a bar, it's inevitable that I run into friends that love the place. In fact, I really like it, except on lonely birthdays.