After experiencing two fun happy hours at Dolan's I took my husband out this past weekend hoping to have a great night with dinner and karaoke.
Upon our arrival around 8:30 we were told there was a 40th birthday party at high top tables towards the back of the bar who was "controlling the pace of the music" and they hadn't decided whether or not they wanted to allow karaoke. Â From my past experience I thought the GM decided whether or not to allow karaoke, but I guess not! Â We ended up being "allowed" to sing karaoke, but the crowd was just not into it (no fault of Dolan's).
Hubs and I ordered from a very limited menu - fish and chips ($14) and a Belfast rose ($7) aka a "bloomin' onion". Â We fully expected that the fish and chips would be several pieces of fish that we could share - especially for the price. Â The food came out as one 6 oz. piece of white fish that was under-seasoned, overly greasy, and not crispy, although obviously fried. The fries were average. The Belfast rose had at least 1/8" of oil on the bottom of the plate, had no seasoning, and wasn't even cut through to the core. Â Needless to say, I sent that back and got Irish nachos ($10). Â Although it took more than 20 minutes to get my replacement food, the cheese on the nachos was not melted all the way. Â
The ONLY saving grace was our friendly, knowledgeable and caring server. Â She was excellent - sad to think she may not be making as many tips as she could at a better restaurant.
We decided to call it a night around 10:30 and went to our local bar where we had mozzarella sticks ($4) that were much better than anything we had eaten at Dolan's. Â Overall, a very disappointing evening out. Â We won't be going back.
This place is a hidden gem. Â It's at an odd spot on Route 130 with only one-way access, and I've seen at least three different restaurants come and go in my life. Â I hope thought that Dolan's stays.
A family friend mentioned the place a little under a year ago, soon after they opened up. Â I was skeptical at first, but the food convinced me that the place is a keeper. Â Everything is rich in flavor whether it's the burgers, the appetizers, or any one of the entrees. Â Ingredients are mostly local as another reviewer said, aside from a few oddballs like their sharp Irish cheddar which is imported. Â (Sent as the entire wax-packed cheese wheel as one waitress said. Â Very classy.) Â Draft selection is good. Â Chips are fried in house, and they make their own ketchup which is nothing short of delicious. Â (This is coming from a guy who doesn't like ketchup.)
Service is slow as someone else mentioned, but I imagine that it's due to the food being cooked mostly start to finish at the time of ordering for freshness. Â (For better or for worse, it's usually pretty quiet. Â Best to not to let ingredients sit out for too long by the prep station, waiting to be cooked, you know?) Â It's not a bother though.
My only major complaint is the acoustics. Â The restaurant is all hard surfaces, and it's amplified echoes galore wherever you are. Â Don't go talking about your recent colonoscopy or workplace drama as most of the restaurant will hear it. Â Also, they have themed nights. It's a nice idea, and some stuff looks fun, but Friday night--if I remember correctly--is live music. Â When I was there, it ended up being a folk singer with a hi-top table of his homely, old groupies catcalling throughout every song in his set, perfectly timed as if it was a bloody live showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Â Loud, annoying, and truly dreadful. Â In fairness though, that's what happens when you put live music and groupies in a small, resonant space. Â Fortunately, the food was still good, and the show eventually stopped.
Anyway, go bring this place some business. The food is great, the drinks are good, and the waitresses are cute. Â It's good stuff.
Our party of 4 was here for lunch on the weekend. Initially, I was a little worried as the place was almost deserted. Decor is clean and fresh inside (don't judge a book by its cover, people).
Service was excellent from both the bartender (who indulged my in-laws who live locally) as well as the waitress. They had specials for the Flyers game, but we did not partake.Guinness was a perfect pour. We had chicken fingers, "naked" fish and chips, and the burgers. Tempura batter on the chicken was surprisingly light and airy. Fish wasn't my favorite. Ground beef was locally sourced (so or they tell me) and free of gristle. Burgers were very large. Fries are cooked with skin on and sprinkled with sea salt, also generous portion. In-laws weren't impressed by the "crisps" that come with the burger but there were more than enough fries to go around.
I'd like to try it again another time. Glad to see another option for a place to eat in Burlington.
Dolan's has very good food. Â I have not been disappointed with a single item that I have ordered. Â They have a number of locally sourced items such as cheese, grass-fed beef and pastured chicken. Â This is awesome. Â They have a relatively small, but thorough menu. Â There is a nice selection of beers. Â However, the place is so SLOW. Â I've been there a couple times when there were almost no people and it still took forever. Â The time to get drinks and in between courses is way too long. Â The last time I went it took us almost 2 hours for dinner and we left right after finishing our entrees (of a burger and potato pancakes). Â I would easily give them another star if they worked on their service (too many mistakes and too forgetful servers) and timing.
Review Source:I took a group to the grand opening weekend of Dolan's. Â I was worried it would be a mad house and that would negatively impact our visit. Â I am pleased to report this was not the case. Â It was busy, but we were able to get a table. Â Our server (Carissa?) was extremely friendly and helpful. Â We ate a mix of things from the menu: the wings, Irish egg rolls, fries, burgers, and salads. Â Everything tasted fresh. Â I had Guinness from the tap, which tasted just as it should: creamy and delicious! Â Carissa was prompt even though she clearly had her hands full with lots of other responsibilities.
The only constructive bits of feedback I would have are all sort of "wish list" items. Â The restaurant is not accessible for anyone in a wheel chair or who otherwise cannot climb stairs. Â I would also love to see one vegan option besides a house salad (black bean burger?), but I realize it is a traditional pub, so that kind of option is probably not very high in demand.
The interior is also beautiful: lots of polished wood and nice paint. Â There are also tons of flat screen TVs if sports is your thing! Â
We look forward to returning for a drink soon!
Good food and beer. Grilled cheese was great, menu stated it's made on Irish Soda Bread but seemed more like Irish Brown Bread, either way, it was delicious. The staff was friendly and the owner and his son made the rounds greeting diners, very nice. Â Hope it makes it, not enough choices for casual food in the area.
Review Source:Awesome homemade food! Bartender was very friendly! Overall service was good. I had the fish and chips and you could tell the fish was fresh. Prices for drinks and food were very reasonable. It was very clean but could use some kind of a soft touch like a rug or curtain because the wood furniture and the hard floors made a lot of noise and it carried throughout the place. We also tried the bread pudding and Jamesome pie for dessert. Both were good but the bread pudding was to die for!
Review Source:
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