Best. Guinness. In. Boston. Period.
This is the quintessential Boston Irish Pub. Great Beer, with amazing draft pours, live Irish jam sessions make it feel like a party you were intimately invited to, and traditional and delicious irish fair (the beef stew/shepherd pie/fish and chips-all amazing).
A bartender at another famous Boston bar (I won't divulge where) actually recommended this bar to my husband and I as the best in Boston...so yeah...if other bartenders say it is the best that means it IS the best.
This was our first stop on our first night in Boston. Â What a great pub, exactly what I expected for an old Irish Pub. Â Was pleasantly surprised with the meal, I think it was a few steps up from typical pub food. Â We had the lobster mac & cheese that was so tasty & the fish & chips was the best I've ever had, huge portion & not greasy. Â We a few drinks with our meal while enjoying some live Irish music. Â The wait staff was great & I can't wait to return the next time I find myself in Boston!
Review Source:Went in for lunch and left more than satisified! Â The service was great, the food was amazing and the Guiness was poured perfectly! Â The best dish was by far the lobster roll...it was delicious! Â The clam chowder was nice and thick with a decent amount of clam and some smally chunks of potato. Â The shepard's pie was perfect and the irish coffee was on spot. Â The bar was beautiful and the place just "felt" good. Â I would definitely recommend this to any out of towners looking for an authentic Irish experience.
Review Source:We got recommendations for a good Irish Pub and this is where people said go.. They were right, great food, great atmosphere.. The food portions are huge. Make sure Terry is behind the bar, great guy and very funny.. Make sure you get a pint of Guinness and a bowl Irish Stew, it's the best this side of Ireland..
Review Source:Was recently in Boston on a Friday night and the bf and I decided to find a place in town to eat. Used Yelp App, of course. Mr. Dooley's is easy walking distance from State Street and Faneuil Hall. We got there around 5:30p, so were able to snag a table away from the (very good but somewhat loud) guitar player. The quality of food was amazing for an Irish pub. I had homemade chicken soup and shepherd's pie. He had rib eye with a sweet (booze-based) BBQ sauce. It was so comfy in there that we didn't want to leave. The waitress (Irish) wasn't overly friendly, but pleasant enough and left us to it. My only gripe was the bread...I guess it is an acquired taste?
Review Source:I spent a week in Boston for work. And 3 nights in this bar - that's how good it is!
Real craic! I felt welcomed and at home by everyone - the bouncers, the bartenders, waitresses, the whole crowd. Great live music, tasty food offerings, solid selection behind the bar.
Fantastic place - and if I ever move to Boston, this will be my second home.
This is Boston's number one bar. I was the regular patron of this bar who moved to San Francisco but this place is always close to me. All people who work here , right from Fitzi ( Coolest General Manager of this place) to Jolene, Leah, Terry ( The Best Bartender in this lovely bean town), Kat and everyone of them are most friendly people you will ever meet in your life. I don't eat any beef or pork products but there Veggie Burgers with Garlic fries are heaven on earth.
This is the only real Irish Bar that doesn't have any TV's yet with its Irish Bands mostly on each night draw the crowd it, place is simple yet charming, you can move anywhere but cant take this place out of your heart. Love it, had to be part of your do visit list when you visit Boston.
There are no 7 stars, otherwise I will give it to them:)
After searching online for the perfect Irish pub (not a cheesefest with shamrocks and leprechauns plastered all over the walls) in Boston, I finally selected this one. I could not have been happier with my choice!
From the moment we walked in, there was an air of authenticity. Nobody was dressed in bright green or blasting generic Celtic tunes. There was live music, and they played a good mixture of feel-good rock and upbeat folk tunes (Galway Girl? Molly Malone?? Yes, PLEASE!).
My next test for Mr. Dooley's was in the drink category...and they passed the test! They offered Magners cider; I have no patience for so-called "Irish" pubs who do otherwise. They also carried all the essential Irish brews: Â Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp, etc. Bonus: I was able to order my Irish Coffee decaf! It wasn't the BEST Irish Coffee I've ever had, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt since I ordered it decaf.
Why only four stars? As a vegetarian, my food choices were pretty limited (as I expected). In order to get my much-desired soda bread, I needed to order an entree, none of which were vegetarian (again, not totally surprising). I was stuck with a veggie burger, which was just a run-of-the-mill, cafeteria-like veggie patty. To be more authentic, the menu should offer a nice bowl of potato-leek soup or something. Nummy. :) Every pub I visited in Ireland had soup!
Still, I really enjoyed my time here, and would definitely recommend it to a friend!
What a great Irish Pub! Â
Dooley's has a wonderful feel that I'm looking for in an Irish Pub.  We came when live music was happening and the place was packed.  The Irish singer/guitarist was wonderful and the spirit  was invasive and  beautiful!
The tap selections were limited...but at an Irish Pub I am more lenient so long as they have some classics, and Dooley's does.
Dooley's has a great Shepherd's Pie and does a wonderful Irish Breakfast...neither of those items tend to be favorites of everyone...and everything else we tried was okay to good, but wouldn't bring back specifically for the food.
The staff is incredibly friendly and we would certainly come back when looking for an Irish Pub.
My parents were in town staying at the Hilton right next door. We went around 7pm on a Wednesday night and it was pretty empty. The establishment itself seems to be an authentically grimy pub, but that's not to say it felt dirty. The table was clean and I LOVED that the windows were open, letting us savor the beautiful evening weather.
The food was so-so. My parents got fish and chips and were disappointed that the fish wasn't hand battered. My dad ended up taking the breading off because there was so much of it and it was so greasy.The french fries were clearly frozen as well. I had the grilled chicken sandwich, which had a yummy scallion mayonnaise on it and the roll was fresh and tasty.
All in all, the food was average, the service was good and the open windows made it a nice atmosphere. I'd give it 3.5 stars if Yelp allowed.
It was strangely difficult to find a place serving a full Irish breakfast on Saturday morning (well, I was limited to this neighborhood, downtown, and South), but I found it at Mr. Dooley's. Â There is the full sized option, which includes two of everything, and the half Irish breakfast option, which is one of everything (everything being eggs, sausage, rasher, pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes). Â The half size was more than enough for me! Â Deeeelicious and satisfying.
Review Source:I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I walked into Mr. Dooleys. Â I guess I expected a more dark/taverny feel to the place. Â However, I was pleasantly surprised. Â We came over here after a Red Sox game to get a bite to eat and get away from the Fenway Park crowds. Â We had a table right by the open window which had a great breeze. Â Our sweet waitress came right over with menus and a beautiful Irish accent.
I ordered the Shepherds Pie and my friend ordered the clam chowder. Â Both were delicious! Probably the best Shepherds Pie I have ever ordered. Â My Harp was refreshing after a long day at the ball park. Â The draft list is somewhat limited but still a good variety. Â This was wasn't what I expected but provided a peaceful, delicious post game wind down meal.
Great Irish pub. The owner is Irish and the staff is very friendly. Â They have a good beer selection and the food is very good. I recommend the Shepard pie.
I'd like to point out that if you're visiting Boston and find your way to Dooley's you're also within walking distance of Cheers. Â Go there, get your picture in front of it, then go to Mr. Dooley's and have a drink. Â
After spending a week in Boston for work I'd have to say that Dooley's is the way to go for an authentic Irish experience.
Sláinte
Bottom Line: Dooley's has a great atmosphere for a drink or two (or 5) with a friend or co-worker. Â Food is meh to ok. Â Wait staff is friendly but not always the most helpful. Â They try hard though!
Came here for lunch with a few friends, figured i'd spice up my life and go somewhere other than The Times a few doors down. Â Prompted seated and given a water (it was never refilled, granted I was the only one drinking water at my table).
Ordered our food pretty quickly and it was served just about as quickly as we ordered it. Â That's good. Â My chicken sandwich was pretty flavorless, but im sure it was healthy for me. Â Didn't have much on it. Â My friends had the lobster roll and steak tips.. I think they were good, but I didn't really hear much news either way, so let's just say it wasn't earth shattering.
For dessert, because we really wanted bread pudding, we ordered some. Â Unfortunately this was the most "it's-apple-crumble-but-we-swear-it's-bread-Âpudding" bread pudding i've ever had. Â The waitress knew it too, but told us the chef swore it was bread pudding... ok buddy. Â But she comped it for us considering it wasn't what we wanted, so that was very nice of her. Â Thumbs up.
Took us a while to get our check so my boss might have been a bit peeved about how long I was gone for lunch, but all in all it wasn't a terrible experience. Â I think i'd skip the food and just do drinks here, like everyone else is saying. Â Save your calories and cash for elsewhere.
I would give this place a three, but I love how it's such a "pub"! The food is meh like every pub food but that's what makes it awesome! That plus my favorite Guinness makes me smile and have an awesome time.. especially with their shepherd's pie!
I came here with a couple of my buddies for a bar hopping night. This was our first stop and boy was it a good idea! Every bar we went to from here was downhill (as far as I can remember). This place was the highlight of our night. Such a chill atmosphere!
Adore.
This is my "kind" of place.
This is where the final 3 stumbled to after my friend's 24th birthday....pre-game at the Holiday Inn, then two bars in Fanueil Hall (sigh, I know.) What is it with people from outside of Boston loving Fanuiel Hall? I mean yes there are plenty of bars within stumbling distance. But it is not my first choice when going out in Boston for the night....
The GEM of the evening was finding Mr. Dooley's. The rest of our group was too drunk to make it here. I'm so glad I took it easy because this was so fun!
Yes, they charged 5$ but they had live entertainment! I felt like we were joining a post-Thanksgiving family party. People were dancing. The space is intimate. Everyone was jolly and holding a beer. One girl took off her heels to give her best Riverdance impersonation. She nearly fell over and her boyfriend had to hold her upright. It was hilarious.
After a night of standing in loud, sticky bars (An Tain) it was a relief to sit in the warm wooden booth, drink my beer out of a glass and enjoy my company by the twinkle of Christmas lights in the window. :D
Could arguably be the most authentic Irish style pub in Boston. Â Excellent menu, great draft and drink choices. Â Excellent staff. Â Mr. Dooley's has the clout to bring in the crowds. Â And at many times it can be very crowded.
My only gripe is Mr. Â Dooley's is pricey. Â Especially compared to other competitors that are nearby in the same part of town.
Mr. Dooley's Irish Sampler  16
Try a Trio Selection of our House Specialties: Homemade Irish Beef Stew, Traditional Shepherds Pie and Country Cottage Pie served with Irish Brown Bread & Butter.
[Homemade Irish Beef Stew  - 12
Tender Prime Beef slow cooked in a traditional Irish style with Fresh Garden Carrots, Onions, Celery and Potatoes in a Rich Beef Broth and served with Irish Brown Bread & Butter.
=
Traditional Shepherds Pie  - 13 Â
Prime Angus Ground Beef sautéed in a little Merlot Wine with Fresh Garden Carrots, Peas, Onions and Herbs with Irish Brown Gravy topped with Homemade mashed Potato and served with Irish Brown Bread & Butter.
=
Country Cottage Pie  - 13
Tender Diced New England Chicken Breast prepared in a Savory Supreme Sauce with Fresh Garden Carrots, Peas and Mushrooms topped with Homemade Mashed Potatoes and served with Irish Brown Bread & Butter.]
The Irish Sampler sounded like a nice way to sample Mr. Dooley's kitchen. Â As a take out order, the white shopping bag was quite hefty, and ready and waiting for me very quickly - perhaps no more than 5 minutes after I had called it in.
Irish Stew - As a sampling, a decent portion of a pool of the brown soup containing  three sizable chunks each of beef and potatos as well as a smattering of soft carrot bits.  Wait, I found a 4th chunk of spud.
Brown bread - 3 slices of the coarse bread along with two chilled butter pats of Pure Irish Butter from Kerrygold.
Country Cottage Pie - The white meat chicken was a bit tough. Â Good flavor otherwise. Â It filled a small aluminum tray.
Shepherds Pie - good mashed potato to meat filling ratio. Â Carrots were large pieces just cooked, not mushy. Â Of the three, I preferred this one.
The mashed potato here is the smooth sort, rather than the chunky, and is piped on top of the pies.
The sampler could have fed two diners for lunch easy.
From my brief glance at the dining room, it felt dark but spacious.
I'm not 100% Irish, but I did go with some great friends from the old country on a couple Thursday nights around 10pm. They say this is closest thing in Boston to the stuff back in Derry, Ireland.
I love this place. The crowd has a very casual pub feel that reminds me of the stuff in London when I was stationed there in World War 2. London, or UK pubs in general, have a much more relaxed feel compared to those in New England. That is, until I came to Mr. Dooley's.
Thursday nights, they have this 50's trio, who are the most magnificent group of yesteryear singers that I've ever seen in Boston. Everything from Elvis Presley, to the Beatles, to Johnny Cash, to Buddy Holly..... I loved it. Their whole set up was authentic, and the atmosphere and crowd was perfect.
Definitely going to become a regular.
Love Dooley's! Definitely the best Irish bar I've been to in the city.
Great pour of Guinness, no TV's, live Irish music, lots of Irish natives, no Fanueil Hall rif-raf (the bro's, girls in dresses** and suburbanites who don't venture far past the Purple Shamrock). Mixed drinks are legitimate, not watered down or weak!
Some really great bands come around - the whole bar is usually singing along and having a blast. It's small but doesn't get crowded easily. Haven't tried the food but I've been there around dinner time and it looks like authentic Irish dishes, more than just fish & chips and nachos. ...enjoy!
**By dresses I mean shirts pulled down over lady parts (just barely)...just being honest, folks!
Mr. Dooley's actually felt like I was back in Dublin. Â And that's about the best compliment I can give an Irish pub. Â Despite its location in the financial district, this place really feels like a neighborhood pub (complete with the regular drunks!). Â They have live music on weekends, and it was PACKED. Â Having gotten there early and gotten a table, I loved our night, but I can understand people getting frustrated having to stand all night.
What really makes Mr. Dooley's stand out is that the food was actually quite good.  **Try Mr. Dooley's Irish Sampler: Irish Beef Stew,  Shepherds Pie, and Country Cottage Pie.  It was an awesome way to sample the fare at Dooley's.**  The burger with Bushmills Irish Whiskey Chef Sauce sautéed Mushrooms and onions was also really good.  The website lists it as the President Obama burger, but I think they've changed that name.
Go for the beer, stay for the music, be surprised with the quality of the food. Â Mr. Dooley's is one of Boston's best pubs!
This is one of my favorite bars in Boston. The food is mediocre at best, but what would one expect from an Irish bar.
The atmosphere is perfect. Everyone is friendly and always appears to be having a great time. And there's music - Irish music, which I adore. Staff is friendly and quick and there's a great selection of beer & wine (and obviously Irish whiskey even though I'm not a fan).
The crowd is so diverse here that this past Sat night while there, a 70 year old man chatted me up at the bar while a 3 year old girl danced to the band's rendition of the Unicorn song and my husband and his friends gawked at a trio of college girls in hooker stiletto's and micro-mini's who were pre-gaming in the corner booth before hitting the clubs for the night.
Aaahhh Mr. Dooley's.
The kind of place that makes me wish I was an alcoholic.
I love it here. Â Terry is the best bartender. Â Takes wonderful care of us, always greets us with a kiss on the cheek and some chit-chat.
A good, proper pint. Â Generous pours of wine.
Fantastic live music. Â Come Tuesdays for Johnny Cash night with Dave Foley and the crew. Â Ask Rich to surf on the stand-up bass!
Saturdays feature killer live Irish music. Â Everyone up on their feet dancing.
It's tough not to stay til closing.. Mr. Dooley's will just make you too happy to leave.
I don't order much food here, but I will recommend their spinach and artichoke dip!  We ordered it once on a night we didn't get to eat dinner, expecting it to be a tolerable, microwave-and-tostitos way to get fats and carbs into our bodies to bed the alcohol, and were pleasantly surprised to  find that it is wonderful!  Paprika and pita, creamy and spinachy :) .
Don't miss Mr. Dooley's.
It doesn't get much better than Mr. Dooley's. This is an authentic Irish Pub in the Financial District that I have frequented for years. Actually, it was the very first place I ever ate in Boston, and I fell in love from that point onward.
The food is good - a tiny bit overpriced perhaps, but it's worth it. I've never had anything here that I didn't like. Service is not always the quickest, but it's friendly, and a lot of the servers and bartenders are indeed Irish. (And generally the bartenders are up for a chat, so if you feel like making some new friends, sit at the bar.)
The drinks are also great, though I don't like that they charge more for Paddy's whiskey than Jameson. Yes, Paddy's is less commonly found in the states (it used to be found ONLY in Ireland), but I feel like it's of a lesser quality than a lot of Irish whiskeys, so I don't see charging $11 for it. But whatever. On my most recent visit they were out of Jameson, Paddy's was there, and I was in the mood for some whiskey and on vacation.
Atmosphere - another 5 stars here. First of all, there are NO TVs!!! I LOVE that. The bar is dimly lit, with creaking wood floors and dark wood paneling. There's a little "library" corner around one side of the door, and you can tuck yourself in a little booth on the other side of the door. As I mentioned, this is a proper Irish pub, not one of those plastic places that slaps a shamrock on the wall and calls itself authentic.
Dooley's has live music almost every day - everything from traditional Irish seisuns to some more common Irish music, and I believe they occasionally also have DJ's, Johnny Cash night, etc. There's just a bit of everything here. Again, all of the music acts are enjoyable, whether your in for the night, having a quiet lunch, or closing down an evening of pub crawling. At times there is a small cover charge, but I've found it to be worth the extra cost.
It can be hard to get a seat at the bar sometimes, or even a seat ANYWHERE other times, but I've been when the pub is packed and been for a quiet meal, and enjoyed myself each time regardless of what is or isn't going on. In the winter Dooley's is warm, cozy, and inviting, and in the summer, they open the windows to let in the fresh air and light.
You'll find that this place is popular with Irish folks, Boston locals, and tourists alike. I will go back again and again, every time I'm lucky enough to be in the area.
Brilliant Irish bar in Boston. Live music. Â Chips and curry sauce are SUPERB (I'd hold the cheese but I'm English and in my opinion curry and cheese don't mix)
Mr Dooley's manages to be an Irish Bar without resorting to throwing up Shamrocks all over the place and playing U2 and The Corrs on repeat (hello Kitty O'Sheas?!)
Wait staff are no-nonsense and fast. It was packed but we still managed to get a table for 7 with no reservation on a Friday night with maybe only a 40 minute wait.
Great atmosphere, live music, good beer and wine - what's not to like?
I am completely in love with Mr. Dooley. Â He has an Irish accent. Â He plays the fiddle. Â He only charges me $5 for a night's worth of fun, AND he keeps the drinks a'flowing. Â What's not to love?
We stopped in after dinner on a Saturday night and the place was packed - with mostly Irish folks - bonus! Â We managed to find one stool at the bar, I sat down, and we made a night of it. Â The bartenders were incredibly friendly and the live band was such a crowd pleaser. Â This place had a totally different feel than the other frat-tastic bars closer to our hotel by Faneiul Hall. Â It was like we crossed the threshold and were transported right to the Emerald Isle. Â Friendly patrons, friendly bartenders, great music, tasty bevvies. Â More, please!
I found myself wandering aimlessly downtown....
It was one of those moments when you are starting to feel hungry but you don't know what you are in the mood for. It didn't help matters that I walked into the markets in the square and smelled all the food cooking. WOW! Now I had total taste bud confusion working. Finally that little voice whispered: Hamburger and don't forget a beer too!
I was walking by Mr. Dooley's and decided to stop in. I mean an Irish Pub with open windows on a nice early spring day. Sold. Mr. Dooley's had the look of a serious drinking pub that serves food. The place had that old and worn pair of shoes look that you don't want to part with.
My waitress took my drink order. i really needed a Bud Light in the worse way. The beer was cold and find the right spot. It was a too warm for Guinness. Â I figured I would go with the Ted Kennedy Burger (Cheddar, BBQ Sauce and Irish bacon). The side of spicy fries was a great recommendation by my waitress.
The fries were a home run but the burger was just a bloop single. The burger was a good size and cooked fine. The BBQ Sauce was bland and the Irish Bacon wasn't crispy more chewy. I wish the burger would have came with a pickle spear.
I would recommend staying for the drinks and apps but pass on the Ted Burger.
Cheers!
This is a cool little spot. I originally gave it three stars, but I can go with four (for the reasons listed below).
After a shitty flight from SFO, I stopped in for a drink or ten and some food (this place is around the corner from the hotel I was staying at). The food was average, but the service, patrons, and overall atmosphere (essentially, Ireland) make this place alright with me. Plus, the people got more fun the more they drank (as opposed to violent)! I will be back the next time I'm in town.
I love this place! This is the real deal when it comes to a great Irish pub in downtown Boston. No need to look elsewhere.
The bartenders are fantastic! They are so friendly and smiley, you can't help but smile back. I wish they weren't working so I could drink with those guys...
And the music is phenomenal! There is live music 6 nights a week, traditional Irish music that you'll dance to sober and sing along to drunk. On a good night, the entire bar will join in! Plenty of local bands play here (and hang out here too), as well as bands all the way from Ireland. Of course.
Grab a Guinness or a whiskey-- or both-- and enjoy a great night of dancing, drinking, and jigging here.
Walk in, you're in Ireland. Walk out you're back in Boston.
Everyone inside is smiling and ruddy cheeked. The bartenders are irish. The band is irish. There are grandparents, young people and everyone in between. People are happy and drunk. Sing and be merry.
This is an irish pub. Forget everywhere you've been in boston with an irish sounding name that puts green food coloring in bud light on st. pattys. This is an irish pub.
Teetering between 3 and 4. Ate at Dooley's last night for a quick supper and am excited to go back and try other things from their menu. I had the Chef's salad and my boyfriend had the Beef Stew. Both were  good and came with delicious warm Irish brown bread. Although I liked the salad alot, I have to admit I was jealous of the stew.
Enjoyed the atmosphere and the service was friendly.
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