I was in town for business and met a local who highly recommended this pub. Â He was trying to figure out what would best fit my personality and style and he nailed it! Â This is definitely a neighborhood pub where everyone knows each other and they are welcoming to newcomers. Â I was there on a weeknight and it was busy! Â But you could still hear the person sitting two away from you. Â Hockey was on, the bartenders were very accomodating with a perfect pour. Â
The wings were spiced just right.
If I lived in the area, I would definitely make this my regular stop. Â I hope to one day return!
Easter has arrived.
Fluffy White Rabbit on Tap.
Breaking Fast with Fries.
This place is a pretty great little Irish bar off the beaten path. Â We went on a pretty busy evening (Saturday after Easter Vigil), but managed to snag six corner bar seats. Â And the bartender? Â GREAT. Â Super friendly, knowledgeable about beer, and complimentary with cocktail orders. Â They have a pretty nice selection of beer that changes. Â The usual American-Irish-y menu you might find elsewhere in Boston. Â
Eggplant fries are a great.
This revue is long overdue. Every time I come to Dunn's, whether for just a drink, some wings, or a full meal, I leave impressed.
The positive energy starts at the top with the owners Bob and Seanna, and trickles down through the excellent managers to the outstanding bartenders and servers. You can tell by every perfect pour of Guinness, every perfectly medium cooked burger and every strong consideration for a brownie sundae even after already being stuffed.
Each person that enters Dunn's is greeted with a smile; and if you've been there more than once, the team will likely already have anticipated your order. A very welcoming effect not seen in many other places.
If you don't believe me, watch their episode of Phantom Gourmet. If you're not at least interested in trying the award winning meatloaf after that, have a friend come check your pulse.
Brown.
Went a few times plan to wait even if you call ahead this place is always busy everyday and super had to park!!
have had the eggplant fries which are amazing!! The steak sandwich is just ok and the meatloaf is not good at all. It was actually unbearable to eat. I don't get why everyone is wearing got meatloaf shirts they should wear got eggplant fries shirts!!!
Also love the chicken sandwich with the vegetable topper.
Came here on St. Patrick's day, since it had good reviews. The place has a nice atmosphere, as it feels more like an old country home than a pub. There is also a nice bar area, too. Overall, though, it is a very small restaurant with the tables set pretty close together.
They have a great beer selection, but way overpriced. My Sam Adams was $8-- you could even expect less in Boston, so I'm not sure why they are hiking the price up so much.
The food was OK. For an Irish pub there is nothing Irish about the menu. It's a mix of wraps, salads, Italian pastas and burgers. I thought I would try their Reuben, but even that lacked flavor. One highlight was definitely the eggplant fries. They come with a marinara dipping sauce and have really good flavor. But when the best item at an Irish pub is an Italian dish, you know something is off. Â Overall, the food wasn't bad but not memorable either.
I would come here if you are looking for a good bar with typical bar food. The prices are high for the quality, though, so the value was not there for me. If you are after traditional Irish food, or anything new and interesting, you can find better places.
Being Irish of course I will be biased on Dunn Gaherins. I love Irish pubs and restaurants. I never been there but my girlfriend and her family love it there. So I was eager to go and check it out.
It's a very small hidden place in Newton Highlands that you could easily drive by. It's got that Irish cottage feel to it inside and out. It's like walking into an Irish pub over in Ireland, they had the high windows and the wooden bar and Irish signs and decor. They have a parking lot you have to back in as well as street parking.
Normally I head to O'Haras not to far from here for a pint or a night out. I guess from what I am told it's owned by the same family which is nice. Both nice upscale Irish fare.
The place is decent in size. A bar right when you walk in to the right that wrap around. Â Tables toward the back in the dining area. It is't a big establishment, so it can get busy during the evening and on weekends.
We were seated right away and greeted by the staff. Made to feel very welcome is always nice. The server knew the menu top to bottom and gave us all the specials.
Can't go to a Irish bar and not have a drink. Â Not this guy anyway. Â I ordered a Smithwick's to start. Laura and her mom got a soda and her sister got a Allagash White draft. My second drink was a martini. Contained Stoli Vanilla, Bailey's, and cream. Pretty good, almost like a White Russian type cocktail.
The menu is very top notch. It's a high end pub menu and the quality of the food shows. Other tables food look great. Â We split a order of potato skins. It came with 4 decent size skins. I could have put it down alone, but you just gotta share at times. They were delicious and nice and crispy with plenty of sour scream.
For dinner Laura and her sister got the tuna melt Cajun style and it came in a nice Lavash wrap with spicy potato fries which were great. Their mother got the Reuben sandwich with onions rings which were cooked perfectly. Â I am not a Reuben fan at all. Â Not my Thing.
I ordered one of the specials of the day and sprung for the Shepard's Pie, which I can honestly say was one of the best ever. Perfectly cooked beef with a layer of potatoes on top that had a great crisp to it and it was in a nice brown and delicious gravy. Soda bread for a side and it was served warm and tasty.
Shepard's Pie is a great meal. Not served in enough restaurants around here. No one does it better than the Irish.
So a appetizer, four main dishes and a few drinks and sodas and it came to about $83 and change which was pretty good.
If you'r looking for a great place to go on a date or with family or friends, this place is a great choice. Great service and a very nice and relaxing place to unwind and catch up. The food is good and some of the best I have had in the area.
I'll be back for sure.
Great atmosphere, really nice people and they don't play some stupid music that only the staff likes at ear blasting volume (my pet peeve - why do bars think we go there to listen to their music?). Great beer selection and the wings I got were just right. Oh and a couple of the TVs were tuned to a tennis match .... have to admit, that sent them to 5 stars for me.
Review Source:Our neighbors referred us to Dunn Gaherins. It has a great atmosphere, the owners and waitstaff are incredibly kind, the beer selection here is the finest, and every bit of food here you will have is amazing. I LOVE the eggplant fries! We come here probably too often, and will keep coming back!
Note that they do not take reservations, but you can call ahead. The wait times get upwards of an hour sometimes on weekends. It is worth the wait, and you will not be disappointed.
GUY FIERI (and everyone else), YOU MUST COME HERE!
I have lived within walking distance to DG's for 2 years and I have probably been here maybe 30 times. I am SO LUCKY to live within walking distance to this place.
Food/Drink - The food here is not normal pub fare. It is always fresh, always good tasting - and the selection is wonderful. You can get anything from traditional Irish-pub fare to Asian inspired edamame pot stickers, and everything in between. The specials are always great, too. It is the type of place where you can just tell that everything is made from scratch. The bar has tons of great beers on draught (and in the bottle) and rotate them as well.
Service - the service is impeccable. The wait staff doesn't necessarily have their own tables, and I believe they pool their tips, so you are always well taken care of by multiple staff members. The owners, Bob and Seana (spelling?) are awesome, too - extremely accommodating. Bartenders are great, too.
The prices are very reasonable as well. For example, steak tips (best I've ever had) are like $16.
Only downside is that they don't take reservations, but you can do call-ahead seating. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a clean, cozy, neighborhood pub with food that is well above and beyond the 'normal' pub.
This restaurant has come a long way. And its so surprisingly one of the better "American" or Bar places to go. It's been around for many many years, but still doesn't dissapoint.
My boyfriend asked, "why don't they just move into boston? It's such a weird place to be, in hold in the wall place in Newton."
BUT, I completely disagree! Dunn Gaherins charm comes from being in the suburbs, and having a very close community feel. This isn't your go and get trashed college bar. This is your go-to, where-everybody-knows-your-name, trust the fresh good food, good people, good drinks, kind of loyal place. Its great for everyone, including the family. It will take you through the generations.
The food is always always freshly made, never frozen. The flavors are well rounded and not overly salty. I wouldn't say their food is healthy or fat free by any means, but they have options.
I really wanted to try their Pear and Gorgonzola special but just didn't want to pack on the calories, but the people next to me had it, looked amaze balls!
Don't forget to get the eggplant fries!....I'm coming back, very soon!
Really good. Love this place for a cozy meal. It's clean and the staff is efficient and friendly. The food is pub food prepared with care and a little bit of art. The beer menu gives a nod to some craft beers. There's really nothing not to like here. The only reason it's not five stars is because the menu is not particularly ambitious (although the eggplant fries are as good as everyone says), but this is a great spot for good food and a good pint. Everyone else thinks so, too, so get there early.
Review Source:Dunn's is an old standby that I haven't been to in years. I visited tonight, and they have done a nice job with a remodel - a bit of strange re-arrange of the layout, but whatever, it's nice looking. This  place is very much a pub, often crowded, and seems to somehow be a hit with the post-softball game crowd. The noise level can get high.
The waitstaff is competent and attentive. The menu is a pleasing mix of pub food and whatever, something for everyone. The steak tips are a known winner. I had a nice mushroom cheeseburger and upgraded to Eggplant fries. EGGPLANT FRIES! Awesome, I have never seen this before ever, excellent execution, light and not greasy, yummy.
The prices are fair and portions are generous.
I have been here three times now. Â Each time I was amazed by how friendly the staff is. Â The place (bathroom included) is also very clean. Â The food is great for bar food and there are a lot of options. Â I have had the veggie burger twice once with the vegetable topping and the other time with mushrooms and Swiss. Â Last night I had the grilled chicken with the vegetable topping. Â The chicken was a little dry, but again, for pub food...not bad. The sweet potato fries are awesome!
I was a server in college, and I guess I am overly sensitive to two things that are lacking here. Â One, check the order to make sure it's correct before bringing it to the customer. Â For example: I always order burgers without a bun. Â Two out of three times, this was forgotten. Â My boyfriend, who has an allergy to onions always asked for the side salad without onions...gets brought a salad with onions. Â
The other issue that I am sensitive to is that a tip can be made or lost from the time you deliver the check...to when return the change. Â Also, the quicker you turn over tables, the more money you can make in a night as a server. Â The other night, the check sat in front of me with a $100 bill....begging for someone to grab it and make change. Â After 20 minutes I have up...rummaged through my purse and found the exact change myself. Â I wasn't in a hurry to go, but if I had been, this would have really been an inconvenience.
I will say that the atmosphere and friendly staff bump this from 3 to 4 stars, and for that reason I will continue to go here.
This place is very good. The building from the outside in is cool. It's got a great Irish feel. Some may find it small and packed but it adds to the experience. The food is really good. Perfect beet salad, good apps, good main dishes. The wait staff is great. Always friendly and like others have said, they often remember you when you come back.
Beer selection is pretty good as well. I really like this place.
I was looking for a change of pace from the Corib and this was way above expectations.
Try Dunn's, you will love it.
Dunn Gaherins is one of the best run pubs in the area. The pub is bright, airy and spotlessly clean. (It passes my wife's approval including the all important bathrooms with flying colors). The pub is lively but not overpoweringly noisy.
1. Service is excellent and super accommodating. This must be a nice place to work since all the wait staff seemed to be happy campers.
2. Unlike many Irish pubs that pour a thin glass of whiskey; these folks pour a generous glass.
3. Eggplant fries are unusual and delicious.
4. Their sweet potato fries are fantastic.
5. They certainly know who to pour a proper pint of Guinness.
6. Desserts are of vast proportions  so you may want to go easy on the ordering.
You will find great value for you money here.
Excellent pub with great food, really nice staff and cozy atmosphere.
This pub is in a great restored building. The front half is a bar with restaurant seating in the rear, where they've removed the 2nd floor flooring to create a giant open space.
The staff is always extremely friendly and if you go back often they remember your favorites and special orders (dressing on the side, iced tea with splenda, etc.). The food is very well prepared and very good quality for the price. I would recommend the "chop chop salad" "shepherd's pie" or "tuna melt wrap". Â Many dishes come with their amazing sweet potato fries. Â You really can't go wrong with anything.
This is a great place for lunch, dinner or an after-work drink.
I came here based on the reviews and shockingly, the "yummy" Yelp reviewers and their BFF's and boys let me down once again.
It's a really cool looking joint, both from the inside and out. Â Looks kinda like the witches house from Hansel and Gretal on the outside and has the traditional Irish pub look on the inside. Â Bonus points for a 3 Stooges pic near the bathrooms.
Service was spotty. Â Ordered a 20 oz beer but recieved a pint. Â Ordered a kids chicken finger, after scouring the menu for several minutes, was told it was sold out. Â Why didn't you tell me that earlier? Â Nachos were brutal. Â Awful. Â Even Applebees would be afraid to serve these abominations. Â 70% of the chips were bare. Â The other 30% were buried in sour cream. Â Cheese was gobbed into 2 spots on the huge plate. Â Guacamole did not appear to be fresh. Â The $1.00 added chili was skimpy. Â There were about a half dzn jalepenos on the massive plate of plane chips and I had to order an extra side. Â Never have I had to work so hard to get a chip covered with several ingredients. Â I'm thinking of joining the Occupy Boston movement to start protesting these nachos. Â
Figured it could not get worse til, fully bloated, I unwisely decided to force one more plain chip into my fat belly. Â Then it happened. Â I
A friend brought me here while visiting for business and I was skeptical since I don't typically enjoy "bar food", but this place is a definite exception. Â The atmosphere is great, a tad noisy, but it's quaint, well-appointed, clean and fun.
I had the beef stew on special with a side of spinach that was absolutely delicious. Â It was so filling that I couldn't finish half of the potatoes. Â My friend had the sirloin tips and remarked how they were fantastic as well. Â There are some fairly unique offerings, such as eggplant fries, which I had never seen before.
You may have to wait a bit for a table since the seating area is not large, but eating at the bar is always an option. Â Service was great, bartenders were friendly and I highly recommend this unique spot.
I've driven by this place many times as it if on my way to my aunts house and everytime i drive by there are cars everywhere. This must mean it's a place worth trying. as most foodies know, you dont go eat at a place that is empty. so the other night, my family and I decided it was time to give it a try. not suprisingly, it was packed inside and we had to wait a little bit. the host was really nice and accomodating.
after got seated, maybe 20-30 mins later. we ordered buffalo wings and fried eggplant. decent, nothing that amazing. dinner...thats when things got, not so great. my mom and sister got the half roasted chicken ontop of rosotto. the rice wasnt cooked all the way and it was literally crunchy...not exactly how it should be served. the sirloin special of the night...dont even get me started. I got the fish and chips, it was ok, again, nothing i'd go raving about. desserts were just blah.
Dont know what the big hype is about, def wont be coming back here.
I went here the other night for the first time and absolutely love it. Great cozy neighborhood Irish pub with very nice beer selection and food to match. I'll be going back. This is great for a causal date or with the family.
The pub feels homey with a small rectangular center bar with some seats to enjoy a cold beer or the pub fare. The back dining area has a very ceiling with 10-15 tables. It is nicely decorated and it feels like a ski lodge (if there was a fireplace there I'd swear I was in VT). There are a few TVs spread through the pub.
The staff and owners are very friendly and helpful. I had lamb tips with garlic mash and spinach. Very good and the price is incredible. Extremely good value. My wife loved her blue cheese burger and eggplant fries.
Great Place To Eat and or Drink
Menu is a creative pub food style menu, all the things you'd expect to see with their own twist. I recently had sunday brunch. the "paddy made benny" blew me away. Their hollindaise sauce was perfect, and they use traditional brown bread from the celtic bakery in newton center which melts in your mouth. I ate at bar and had great service. Definately would recommend. This is no dive, but a classy, clean pub serving the fine-tuned pallate.
Great place. Â Accommodating, kid-friendly, and warm. Â We went for the first time yesterday, and there was a short wait, but they offered us drinks while we waited. Â My son had a great time - he colored as he waited, he loved the food of the children's menu, and they brought him an ice cream sandwich for dessert. Â Santa was even there when we went!
My tuna melt was great, my husband enjoyed his burger, and our friends liked the meatloaf. Â There was a good beer selection, too.
I've lived in Newton for 6 1/2 years - I'm not sure why it took us so long to check this place out. Â I'm a fan. Â Nice atmosphere, too. Â Made me feel like I was on vacation in the mountains somewhere.
Oh, also they asked us if it was our first time there and when we said yes, they brought us warm "welcome" cookies for dessert!
As the go-to lunch place at work, I have been to Dunn-Gaherins more times than I have been to any other burger place.
I guess it's technically an Irish pub with great pub food. Â Occasionally I have strayed from the burgers. Â Their tuna melt is more than popular with my coworkers and the list of daily specials always has something eye catching. Â I've never heard anyone be disappointed with anything, but I'm still going to recommend putting technicalities aside and call it a burger place.
I started off ordering the regular burger, but have since progressed to the turkey burger. Â I love a good turkey burger that can stand on it's own. Â I have had it plain, but the toppings here are great. Â Most recently I had the veggie (caramelized onions, spinach, roasted red peppers, and blue cheese subbed for smoked gouda cheese), but the mushroom & swiss or north ender have never let me down either.
The real winners here are the sides. Â Not being a huge french fry person, I normally sub out. Â This used to be the hardest part of my meal decision but recently I discovered a new love. Â I'm sorry delicious sweet potato fries, perfectly crisp onion rings, and indulgent garlic mashed potatoes, but you cannot hold a candle to the eggplant fries. Â Individually sliced eggplant pieces fried to perfection and sprinkled with parm? Ohhhh myyyy gooooooodness. Â My delicious burger was totally neglected as I indulged in this side of perfection. Â I cannot recommend them high enough. Â Seriously.
I'm sure I will be back again as I work my way around the menu. Â I might even have to come after work after seeing a sign for Harpoon Pumpkin on my most recent trip...
This place wins the friendliest staff award, hands down. And the food is consistently awesome... what more can you ask for, really.
Parking can be a bit of an issue but not enough that it should keep anyone away from this place. For the love of mike - they have eggplant parm FRIES. That's right... eggplant parm, in french-fry form, with a marinara dipping sauce. Genius.
The 5 Stars of Dunn-Gaherins:
5.) Festive, Friendly and Irish.
4.) While you are waiting for a table, you can order your entire meal and they will just bring it to you where ever you are, bar or dining room.
3.) At least half the people sitting at the bar had ordered an entree, and I found out why when the food hit my taste buds.
2.) Clean Bathroom.
1.) Not a skinny waitress in sight = great food.
We ordered the calamari... in an Irish Pub...
It was the best calamari I've had in Boston, which surprised the hell out of me. Light batter, tasty sauce, not over cooked or too chewy. Good sign.
There were 4 of us and we each ordered a different entree. I had salmon, Kelly G. got the pork chops, Dougie D. got the Lamb tips, and Joe S. got the Lasagna. Not a dish on the table was lacking in flavor, the proportions were perfect, and everyone loved what they got.
Then we had to order dessert, and there was this vaguely described chocolate dish on the menu. We asked our waitress to tell us about it, and she was like, "It's chewy... chocolaty... crunchy, Â and warm with whipped cream." Not feeling that we had really gained any more information from the conversation, we decided to order it. It turned out to be a disk shaped, semi solid of brownie batter-like chocolate...something served warm with whipped cream. Weird. And delicious. Like any good lesbian, my conflicted emotions will bring me back.
5 Stars!
After tennis during the summer, we usually end up at a bar in the Newton area, and that bar is almost always Dunn Gaherin's!
They're tucked away a little bit away from Rt 9 but it's not that difficult to get to.
The service here is fantastic, the food is tasty and reasonably priced, and they have a great beer selection! Â Lately, I've been fixated with the sirloin wrap and the wraps are something that I haven't seen anywhere else, it seems that they're either put on a grill or a sandwich press, which really adds to the food!
The staff here is awesome. Â More than once, either the manager or the owner came by, just to ask how everything was. Â They keep blank journals at each table so guests can leave reviews, musings, greetings, etc (I bet reading those would be anthropologically fascinating). Â
The food has always been excellent - try the bubbly dip. Â And of course, they make a good martini.
I love this place. This is about the only perk as far as working in Wellesley: proximity to Dunn Gaherin's. Truth be told, it was actually during an office outing that I discovered this place. The service here is great. There was a bit of a wait, but to accommodate us, the owner handed out menus and took our orders so that our meals could be cooked as we waited. After sitting down, lunch was served in about ten minutes. Pretty awesome. Not to say that the owner is the only attentive one, each server and busser I have ever had there was phenomenal. Clearing plates, filling waters. Great.
The food is also great. They have all sort of fries (regular, spicy, eggplant, sweet potato...) and I love me some fries! I am very partial to the buffalo chicken wrap. It is so tasty and packed so perfect that you don't end up wearing the blue cheese and buffalo sauce. The brie wontons are also delicious. And I can never resist them despite my sensitivity to lactose. The pastrami sandwich is also very good, the pastrami is very tender and juicy.
It is small, but if there's a wait- it's well worth it.
I live within walking distance of this place, and have for almost 2 years, and hardly ever went here. Â Seems incredibly silly to me now. Â It is a great little Irish bar right in Newton Upper Falls. Â The employees are super sweet and friendly...even when I got into an arguement with a friend. Â We were not agreeing when sitting at the bar one night and then the bartender came over and settled our disagreement. Â Yeah! Â That was amazing. Â And my friend and I still go there often.
The burgers are great and I love the little journals on the tables, super cute. Â Everyone comes here from office workers to construction workers to families. Â Its a great neighborhood spot for everyone. Â I love my 'hood!
I lived in Upper Falls for 6 years, three blocks away, no less, and it took me four of those years to actually manage to go to Dunn-Gaherins. Â And of course (especially now that I've moved), I'm kicking myself for it. Â One night we went there after getting back from a ball game, and it was literally right in time for last call, Â Despite that, not only did they they happily pour us a round of the black stuff, but they brought us a couple bowls of yummy snacks to boot. Â Entirely typical; the people that run this place are the nicest folks in the world. Â
It's no wonder that it's a menace to traffic on many nights, and that Fridays in summer have people waiting all over their front porch. Â They're closed Mondays, if I remember correctly, though.
The food is excellent--their hamburgers are probably the best I've had outside of the city. Â The appetizers are solid. Â The beer selection is superb. Â They work hard to accommodate larger groups (i.e. more than 6), but you will be in for a wait if you have more than four, probably. Â The crowd's good, too; this is a place where even if you can't see the TV, you'll know if the Red Sox are winning. Â
One of the very best I've been to.
Call me sentimental. Â Boston has certainly evolved its bar/restaurant scene over the last 10 years. Â Unfortunately, most bars have invested more into atmosphere and the latest cosmo or martini concoction.
How about a place to serve...a beer?
For the old timers out there, D-G used to be Lewis', an old bucket of blood joint in the middle of Newton Lower Falls. Â Its safe to say that D-G is anything but. Â It is an interesting lay-out with a dimly lit rectangular bar in the front and an informal dining area in the back.
The most surprising part of this experience was the service. Â I expect this level of service at Tremont, Sibling or Union. Â From the hostess to the waitresses to the bartenders, all young girls BTW not that it matters, they were all friendly, attentive and efficient.
The food is good as well. Â I had a tuna wrap with sweet potato fries(YUM). Â The beer was refreshingly cold. Â This bar is a hidden gem in the Newton area...definitely deserves a peek
On a side note, actually saw some people I knew from high school. Â When did I get so old?
This Irish pub has a bar section as well as a more family friendly dining area. Â The booths are wooden with pillows and cushions, the tables have little journals where you can write messages, sort of a interesting guest book idea. Â Waitresses and waiters typically speak with an accent which I'm pretty sure to be genuine. Â :) Â Â
Do NOT come here if you are vegetarian...there isn't anything on the menu that is specifically vegetarian. Â
I decided to give this restaurant four stars because what it does do -- American favorites such as marinated sirloin steak tips, twin chicken breasts, some seafood and the burgers and large array of pub appetizers -- it does extremely well. Â Each entree is served with a choice of two generous sides. Â Since they aren't aiming to be health conscious or vegetarian-- I didn't these were fair items to use in judging. Â
The dessert menu is nice. Â They do have some chocolate free options, but they are well known for their chocolate decadence which is a chocolate cake with fudge inside and drizzled outside with fresh whipped cream. Â
The atmosphere is what I enjoyed most. Â While my dining companions enjoyed their dinners, I also found a few things to enjoy as well...they just weren't entirely on my plate. Â :) Â Dunn-Gaherins won't rush you out the door and pillowed booths make it easy to settle into a deep conversation.