Open inguinal hernia repairs are a common general surgical procedure, and it can be divided into mesh-based repairs and sutured based repairs. Mesh-based repairs are the most popular open inguinal hernia repair with the Lichtenstein repair being the most common surgical procedure. The sutured based repairs are not as commonly performed with the Shouldice repair being the most popular repair, but the Desarda repair is slowly emerging as a viable sutured based inguinal hernia repair. We have conducted this review article to look at the varies types of mesh based and sutured based repairs for open inguinal hernia repair including their complications and recurrence rate. We also looked at the effect of chronic pain and the role of antibiotic prophylaxis in open inguinal hernia repair.