O'Hara's has great, affordable food and a lively bar scene
Written: Jun 26 '04 (Updated Jun 17 '05)
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Pros: Great food, great service, nice decor, reasonable prices
Cons: Limited free parking nearby
The Bottom Line: O'Hara's has survived for many years because they offer great food, great service and reasonable prices. It is definitely worth a try!
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: O'Hara's |
An Irish pub seems out of place in the upscale, primarily Jewish neighborhood of Newton Highlands. Yet, it has been there forever, successful too, because it has found a great formula of great food, great service, nice ambiance and reasonable, even cheap, prices.
AMBIANCE
The ambiance is very much Irish pub. The outside is covered in wood panels and there is a sign for guiness beer over the front door. Inside, you enter into the bar with more wood panels and low lighting. The decor includes lots of vintage photos and beer signs as well as antiques and a mish-mosh of other old stuff. The overall effect is very pleasant and low key. The smallish dining room is off to your right. There are only about 12 tables, although food is also served at the bar.
This is definitely a pub-style jeans place and is a refreshing alternative to chain restaurants with their brass and fake fern appearance. The other refreshing thing about this pub is that it is a real neighborhood establishment. There are no colleges immediately nearby and the crowd is usually older, 30s and up.
THE FOOD
The food is pub-style with burgers, salads and such but they also offer quite a few Irish specialties. Lunch prices range from $6.50-9.00 which is very reasonable given the location, the ambiance and service. The food is good too. On our last visit, I had fish and chips and couldn't eat the entire portion. The fish and fries were not greasy and had a great flavor. My friend got the Cork County pie which had beef, potatoes and vegetables and it was declared to be excellent. Dinner prices start around $10 and the food is just as good. Even the brewed ice tea tasted exceptionally good here. Additionally, being that O'Hara's is at least half bar, expect to have many beers available on tap as well.
SERVICE
The service here is really, really good all the time. The wait staff is friendly, quick and accommodates special orders correctly every time. Our waitress on our last visit could have been featured on an Irish tourism poster with her blond curly hair, blue eyes and charming smile. My 60-something dining companion couldn't resist a flirt or two. Heck, she was so cute, I flirted with her.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Dinner and Lunch hours get crowded - get there early unless you want to hang at the bar while you wait for a table.
I don't know if they have a children's menu because our kids find something on the regular menu every time and the prices on the regular menu are very good. Despite the bar, there are usually children in the restaurant.
The bar is at street level and there is one step up to the dining room. The restaurant is rather cramped and it might be hard for someone in a wheelchair to get around. However, the staff is so friendly and accommodating, I suspect they would work something out.
Vegetarians will find a few salads on the menu but not many other offerings.
There is street parking with meters in the immediate area and some street parking without meters a few blocks away. Boston's T (trolly) stops on the same block. The neighborhood is quite cute with other shops and restaurants. There are actually quite a few independent stores and restaurants - no chains yet.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
O'Hara's is all good and I highly recommend a visit.
HUNGRY FOR MORE? TRY THESE BOSTON-AREA RESTAURANTS:
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Excelsior; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; India Paradise; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; Yeradi’s.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack.
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
BRIGHTON: Tasca.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Bertucci’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; Friendly’s; Bruegger’s Bagels.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Everything is good, try the Irish specialties
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
modernmarvel
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