This is a pub that has upscale decor and had the fish and chips that the boy was looking for. Â I ended up with the turkey burger with goat cheese -- which was a mess to eat but pretty good. Â The burger was pretty big and I was completely stuffed after finishing my burger. Â The boy's fish and chips must have been to his liking since the plate was clean when we were done. Â The fish was cooked just right, flaky and fell off in chunks.
Review Source:4 STARS for service!!
Since I wrote my review on 6/3/2013, O'Hara's has reached out to apologize for their service. It was a real delighter to see that they actually look at their feedback and take it seriously. I will definitely come back and give them another shot.
Everyone has off days even restaurants.
O'Hara's is a cute little pub that we happened to wander into one lazy weekend at lunchtime looking for burgers. The food seems good and very "homestyle" here, which many can appreciate.
We enjoyed our burgers but would pass on the nachos next time (slightly lackluster). Our server got the job done.
For us, actually, it may be a little too similar to the food we serve at home- so we'll have to try some things we don't regularly make next time.
The staff was wonderful!! Even though this was our 1st time here they treated my friends and I just like regulars. They were so friendly, funny, and kind!
The food was great! The Bacon Mac N Cheese was great! It was not too heavy and there was a lot of bacon. It was prefect comfort food and it was just awesome! Â My buddy got a burger and it was huge! He did not even stop to talk while he was eating it and then he could not stop raving about it.
The beer selection is great for a neighborhood place! They had Sam Seasonal, Kona Big Wave, Leinenkugel, Stone IPA, Wachusett, Dog FishHead, and many others on tap and bottled.  The prices were great too!  We  will be back frequently!
The reason I gave it two stars and not one star is that I've been to this place a couple of times and the food has been decent. Â However yesterday, I went with my friend and our food arrived undercooked. Â
Not just barely undercooked, but rare. Â I had the Bobby Flay burger, which I've gotten before - it's a turkey burger. Â Once I cut into it (I ordered it with no bun), I noticed that the turkey meet was virtually raw inside. Â I put the piece I cut off to the side and flagged down our server. Â She was apologetic and said that they would cook another one. Â Instead of actually cooking another one, they just overcooked the burger I sent back and the plate came back to me with an overcooked burger and the raw piece of meat that I cut off previously. Â It was disgusting.
Then, my friend had a salad with grilled chicken on top of it and 20% of the chicken pieces in her chicken were undercooked. Â She ate the majority of the salad, as the rest of the chicken appeared to be cooked - but ended up getting food poisoning later that day. Â
On top of this, they charged us for the burger. Â
I don't think that there is a chance we will be going back there any time soon.
Love this place. Great atmosphere and food. I have been here dozens of times over the years, more often when I worked in the area, now just when I'm in the neighborhood. Â
Last night my wife and I both had the fillet, which was amazingly tender and perfectly prepared.
I also recommend the steak tips and cal zones. They are amazing as well.
The only down sides of this restaurant are:
1) like many great restaurants, they get very busy. There is no waiting area so you have to wait at the bar, which will usually be full. Â They have expanded the dinning area, which is great, but they could easily fill a much bigger space.
2) parking is limited to on street, which can sometimes be a pain.
3) when it is busy the service can suffer. We were in on a Saturday night, only had to wait about 30 min for a table, but once there had to wait quite a bit more between visits from our server. Our server forgot to bring out my chowder and sister  in laws salad. She was working hard, so I don't really hold that against her.
To sum it up, a great value when you consider it was only 17.95 for an amazing fillet, Â which I would put up against some of the better steak houses ( capital grill, Morton's, Smith & Wollenskys). But the service is more like a family run pub, which is exactly what it is. They could probably use more staff because they all seem to work pretty hard.
Love this place. Â Will keep coming back....
Sunday late lunch/Patriot's game viewing plans were foiled when we saw that our favorite Newton Irish pub (DG) was closed yesterday afternoon. Â So, we thought we would try O'Haras instead.
As we walked up to the restaurant from out on-street parking spot, I got a bit excited. Â It looked so charming from the outside, I was convinced that this could be our new lunching/game viewing spot. There were about 6 people eating at the bar, and the restaurant was a1/3 of the way full. Â Which I thought was a sign of promise for a Sunday afternoon. Â The interior was gorgeous, with a beautiful wooden bar and tons of wooden trim. Â My guess is that the bar was recently refinished? Â As the smell of polyurethane was still thick in the air. Â We sat at the bar....and a bartender with a authentic Irish accent took our order promptly.
I ordered a diet soda was pretty flat...and tasted stale.  I also wondered how a chunk of lemon pulp (?) ended up in my glass when the soda was not served with  a slice of lemon?
I ordered a cup of chili...the boyfriend ordered a burger and fries. Â Two things that seemed pretty easy not to screw up. Â Wrong. Â The chili was disgusting/inedible. Â It had chunks of onions in it that were the size of nickels, and the low quality beef that was in the chili was left in large unseasoned meaty chunks. Â I tried picking out some of the onions, took a bite and realized there was nothing I could do to fix the chili with salt and pepper. Â So the chili sat there in front of me, uneaten and without the obvious question being asked by a server "is this okay? Â Would you like something else...". Nadda, it was cleared without question 20 minutes later...and appeared on the bill, which I paid.
The boyfriend's burger was definitely a low quality meat, as the color was gray, not pink/red and looked rather unappetizing. Â The fries on the other hand were thick steak fries and were very tasty! Â There was an ample serving of fries, which was fortunate, what I could mooch off his pile of fries turned out to be my lunch.
So maybe this place used to have decent food but they are now cutting corers by subbing in low quality ingredients? Â I'm not sure. Â With such a great location and decor this place should be doing well. Â We will not be back.
Great menu, large selection of beer. Only drawback I've seen here is it's hard to park close by and the bar was very crowded on a Friday night. But I'm sure that's to be expected. Overall it was good food and a good crowd. I'd recommend it to most anyone and I'd like to try it on a night that may not be as crowded.
Review Source:This is one of our favorite lunch spots for work when I'm in the office.
First, it's just been remodelled. The ceiling is about 2 feet higher at least. Gives this neighborhood pub a much nice feeling.
I've had a lot of the items on the menu, so on this day, I ordered a calzone. Â Actually I ordered a pizza, but really wanted a calzone. The friendly bartender and staff double checked with me and made sure I was ordering what I wanted.
My bbq chicken calzone came out wicked hot, but was really good, and it was huge. Their bbq sauce is incredible.
It's a fun place with plenty of new TVs and a handful of regulars.
Wonderful pub in a quiet section of Newton with easy access to parking at least during the day. The bar area is light with comfortable high backed seating. Service is attentive and prompt. They make great sweet potato fries; thick and perfectly cooked. The menu is extensive for such a small pub. Well worth a visit.
Review Source:So it's 7 or 8 PM on St Paddy's and the bar area is pretty full, mostly middle aged people. 5 of my friends and I find a spot near the back of the bar and start to have some drinks. Not a bad little spot!
Then, a manager comes over to ask us to watch our language (because of the families and kids). Fine. I get it. We're in the 'burbs, but it's St. Paddy's, on a Saturday night, at a crowded bar! Fine. Then the bartender informs us that they don't serve shots!
Let's break this down. An "Irish pub", on St. Paddys, doesn't serve shots and doesn't like our language? NEXT!
Servers/Bartenders were great, but this is a Friendly's, with Irish decor, nothing more.
Since moving to Newton Highlands/Newton Centre, this is one of our most visited spots for the atmosphere, food and beer. It's a homey Irish neighborhood bar that serves pub/comfort food that delivers on quality at a great price. This isn't a fine dining experience, but the food is consistent, tasty and very satisfying.
One of its greatest strengths: O'Hara's has a great beer selection that is updated regularly and seasonally. There are approximately 12 available on tap and 20+ by the bottle. Both include American and Irish stand bys, but also some stellar craft brews, including Dogfish Head, Brooklyn and Mayflower. Drink beer here; don't be silly and order wine (although they do offer some decent wines). I find the Guinness to be great, but maybe a tad thin. They are known for pizza, steak tips and fish and chips. Lately I've been on the Chicken & Vegetable Risotto kick. Dessert is sort of secret. You have to ask for the options that day.
It is busy from 7-9 pm, especially at the bar, but then quiets down and it's easy to get seated. Even on busy nights you won't wait too long. My wife and I usually opt to sit at the bar. O'Hara's is great for lunch too. There are 3 TVs in the bar area that feature local sports. I find the staff friendly and helpful.
I wish it wasn't but O'Hara's is closed Sundays! I also could use some more Irish music (either on the speakers or maybe live on occasion) as they had playing on Saint Patrick's Day. That would this great place even better.
I've never eaten inside O'Hara's...but the take out there has always been out of this world.
I think the Broc-Chicken Calzone, is the bomb....i've never had a bad chicken salad. Their rolls are amazing as well. I think that the prices are fair, and they treat everyone VERY well. Doesn't matter if you are a public servant or a lawyer...everyone is treated very well, and I can recognize that. As long as I work in Newton, I'll be eating here.
I've never had a bad meal at O'Hara's. Â The food is reasonably priced, they'll let you take it to go, and it's good. Â The menu isn't terribly exciting - mostly sandwiches, pizzas, and burgers, but it's tasty. Â I'd rather have not terribly exciting food that is well-done than something really exotic that didn't taste good.
Just be prepared that there is a TV in the bar, so the place tends to be unreasonably crowded when there is a Red Sox game. Â You really wouldn't want to go for drinks if you weren't watching the game. Â Dinner is in a separate room, but be prepared to wait awhile - and you'll likely have to stand outside, so you won't be able to get a drink. Â Really, that's the only bad thing I can say about O'Hara's - it's too popular.
I've been to O'Hara's many many times over the past couple of years and have always had a pleasant experience and tasty meals. Â They have great sandwiches, salads, and comfort food like chicken pot pie. O'Hara's has always seemed to me a comfortable, family friendly, neighborhood place.
However, during my lunch today I was NOT impressed. After a playgroup, my friends and I arrived at O'Hara's with our kids at 11:45am for lunch. Â The restaurant was practically empty. Â The host/manager asked us how many and then said he didn't think he had enough high chairs but he would check (there were more than enough, I noticed). Â Then as the table was being set up he said "Did you ever think about Chuck E Cheese?" and my friend asked if he would like us to leave. Â He said "No, just kidding!" But he was very rude and didn't seem to be kidding at all. Â
Throughout our entire meal, the manager was shooting us dirty looks! Â It was so uncomfortable! Â The place was not at all busy and all the kids were very well behaved. Our server was very nice and friendly.
Although O'Hara's has a kids menu, it seems like they rather you leave the kiddies at home. Â It was before noon on a week day, not 9pm on Saturday night! Â I didn't catch the manager's name but he was bald and incredibly RUDE! I was so disappointed!
Cute neighborhood Irish pub with good prices, good food and ok beer selection.
The beer selection is certainly not overwhelming, but for a neighborhood joint it was decent. The list of seasonal bottle specials was actually pretty good. I had a black and tan which was good.
Started with the boneless wing sampler that came with buffalo, honey mustard & O'Hara flavors. The buffalo was decent, the honey mustard was pretty tasty and the O'Hara was a spicy BBQ flavor that was really good.
For my meal I had the steamed O'Brien sandwich with sweet potato fries which was awesome. It was a pastrami sandwich with grilled onions, cheese and horseradish sauce. The pastrami was very high quality and it was steamed in beer so it tasted very good. The horseradish sauce was also pretty good. The sweet potato fries were steak cut so the flavor was very strong which I really liked.
What a let down. Â I was so excited to finally try O'Hara's as a new Newton resident. Â I called ahead, because we had a big party. Â Upon entering the restaurant, we were not greeted, yet stared at by the large "host". Â We told him we were a party of 9 and he walked away without a word. Â Amidst our wait, I purchased a round of drinks for our party and we stood chatting and waiting.
Finally after seeing a big table sat ahead of us, I inquired as to where we may be sitting since he just sat the only open big table. Â He rudely pointed at a corner table and said he "had it covered". Â I mentioned that I'd called ahead and he said there would be no problem seating us (it had now been 15 minutes). Â He said "yea, and you told me 8. Â There's 9 of you. Â Not my fault." Â When I remarked that he hadn't told us how long our wait would be he said, "You didn't ask." Â My understanding of a restaurant host is apparently outdated. Â
Everyone in my party was appalled by the host's attitude towards me. Â I've NEVER been so rudely spoken to by a service employee. Â I was more shocked to find out this was the owner.
Finally, after being sat, we were greeted by a lovely waitress who took our orders kindly. Â After 45 minutes of waiting, my "Very rare" steak tips were well done, my mashed potatoes were cold, my friend's salad was made with things he asked to be excluded, two friends orders excluded items they were supposed to have, and another meat item was not cooked to the right order. Â She DID promptly correct almost all of the errors and with a pleasant attitude, but it was extremely frustrating after a long wait to have to wait again. Â
I do have to admit the steak tips were some of the best I've ever tasted.
As we left, we also heard another patron remarking on how terrible her service was. Â The owner's brother owns Paddy's (also in Newton). Â Try to take your business there.
O'Hara's has a real pub charm that makes it stand among others in the Newton area. It's somewhat isolated so you won't see a row of competing pubs nearby and you are unlikely to stumble upon it if walking around Newton Higlands.
A large bar dominates the center of the largest room in the restaurant and it is almost always packed with patrons, making it hard to navigate around the small spaces between the bar and the walls surrounding it.
There are lots of beers on tap, around twenty if I had to guess, and if you are there for beer you are sure to find one you like. The Guinness is poured traditionally in two pours, letting the first half glass settle before pouring the finish, and they have 16 or 20 oz. Guinness...nice!
The food is great here. My wife had Shepherds Pie and I had a French Dip. Both were excellent.
Parking is on side streets only as there is no official lot for the pub.
O'Hara's is a crowded, fun pub with prompt service, delicious food and a welcoming atmosphere, but it is loud and hard to navigate due to cramped space. Come to think of it, anyone in a wheelchair might have real challenges in there. That said, O'Hara's is probably the best pub in Newton. Pull up a stool!
Maybe it was because I just finished the last bit of school work ever for the rest of my life, maybe it was because the weather today was beautiful, or maybe it was because bf and I were completely starving, but I'm in love with O'Hara's after dinner there tonight.
It's totally a locals place, but in a good way. The bartenders knew the names of a lot of the people in there, which made it feel kind of nice and welcoming. It's also a nice place - cute on the outside and inside - so I was pretty happy from the moment we walked in.
As for dinner... way better than I would expect for a small-ish local pub. We got the Portuguese Mussels appetizer... it was literally the size of an entire meal. I don't even really like mussels but these were SO good and so tender. Yum. Our meals were also (a) huge and (b) delicious. Can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow.
And as others have commented, yes, their drinks are really strong. Always an added bonus :)
My friend lives right around the corner from this place, and though we've made it the local mostly through process of elimination, that does not change the fact that it is an excellent place to down a pint, and consider dinner.
The bar has a broad selection of beers, both bottle and draft, and a few times when I was there they had Narragansett on tap (!) which was a treat indeed. Â The Guinness is solid, and although we had a few strange incidents with the barman over the timing of shots and drinks (apparently it's one drink per customer at any one time), after he saw we weren't trying to shotgun the entire bar he calmed down and gave us our beers and shots in a reasonable and timely fashion.
I was originally concerned when I saw their menu since just about everything is around $13, with some entrees going up to $18 or so... but having eaten here I must say that the plates are huge, the salads are colossal, and the food seems to be fresh and of the highest quality, thus justifying the prices.
There's usually a strange mix of people at the bar, but everyone seems convivial, and the waitresses are helpful and friendly (some are rather comely as well). Â All in all, I have to say that O'Hara's provides good hospitality to a broad range of customers, and is an excellent place to get a pint.
Great food. Lively atmosphere. Always busy. Great place to sit at the bar or get a table. Bartenders are straight from the old country.
The only reason I don't give this place 5 stars is because the don't have a host or hostess. Sometimes you have to stand around the bar area looking for a manager in order to put your name down.
Overall, a great place.
Totally a neighborhood place. Â It was packed for a Wednesday night with a mix of families, ladies out and groups of co-workers.
We got seated pretty fast and three of us got salads. I had the JB Chicken sandwich which was pretty good. Dripping in BBQ sauce. Â You can replace the potatos with fries or onion rings as well.
Service was good, portions are large and it is a fun atmosphere. Â Parking can be a pain in the area, but check the side streets for 2 hour parking.
I've been here a few times, most recently last week. Always a very popular after work place. Seems like an older crowd normally frequents here... by that I mean 40+. The space has a regular pub/sports bar like feel, mixed in with a hint of a local VFW bar.
Nonetheless, the staff is friendly, and the food is great - especially the onion rings. Decent selection of beers on tap.
Be careful when going in on a packed night, can be hard to find the host. We never did so ended up sitting at the bar, which I would suggest anyway.
O'Hara's is everything I want in a neighborhood pub - other than a permanently reserved seat at the bar. Â Located on Walnut Street in Newton Highlands, it hides in plain sight. Â If someone doesn't point out that it's there, only the hanging baskets of flowers or greens (in the winter) attract the eye. Â Stop in, though, Â and you find a friendly, crowded, convivial pub & restaurant filled with locals and people who work in the area and have discovered this gem. Â
I LOVE Guinness, and at O'Hara's,they know how to pour it. Â Ask the friendly bartender, wait a couple of minutes and a tulip-shaped pint filled with Ireland's greatest is in your hands. Â O'Hara's does not take reservations, so if you want a table, you'll have to give your name to one of the brothers and loiter in the bar while you wait. Â Have no fear - they'll find you when your table is available.
So what to eat? Â Well almost everything is very good. Â O'Hara's has some fantastic food, but does miss the mark in a couple of areas. Â The appetizers are uniformly weak and after several attempts, I stopped wasting my money on them. Â It's not really a problem, though, because their portions are so generous that I'm more than satisfied with my entree. Â What's great on the entree menu? Â There's one thing that isn't - the burgers. Â Don't bother with a burger here. The buns are hard & in every experience I've had, the burgers are overcooked.
Don't despair. Â There is so much else on the menu, you won't miss the burger (and if you're really in the mood for a burger, then head to Union Street in Newton Centre). Â The pizza at O'Hara's (yes, pizza in an Irish pub!) is hands-down the best in the city of Newton. Â Crazy as it sounds, the chicken caesar salad pizza is astounding! Â And if you enjoy a little zip, ask them to buffalo the chicken. Â Outrageous!
Pasta dishes are uniformly excellent. Â Chicken Molise - wow! Â I always order it with the ziti, as the other pasta choices aren't hefty enough for the flavorful sauce. Â I dare you to finish it! Â Seafood, french dip sandwich, calzones (bigger than the plate), sandwiches - all of it is great. Â 16 beers on tap, all fresh, and a full bar. Â And the whole menu is available for take-out. Â
By the way - Paddy O's on Elm Street in West Newton is owned by the same family & has the same menu. Â Uniformly delicious, but somehow it lacks the charm of O'Hara's. Â Whenever it snows enough for a parking ban, I always walk over after I shovel out for a couple of pints & a bite with the snow crowd. Â I'm sure the bartenders hate the light crowd, but it's the one time we can go and know we'll get seats at the bar!
Oh - and O'Hara's is not open on Sundays, but Paddy O's is!
A great little place that has a lot of local traffic and regulars...it's one of those places that you either love or hate, and for me, i'd say its pretty close to love.
We got here after a long work day to a packed house, weirdly stood around waiting for a table for about 10 minutes, but you can't beat two beers, soda, and a 7'7 for 14 bucks.
The food is comfort food with a pub/beer touch. Fried foods, irish stews, no frills attitude combined to some great flavors to wash down your beers. The prices are relatively good (about $8-15) depending on how crazy you get. Â I had the rueben and the pupu platter - everything was perfectly cooked, not too greasy, (opted for the coleslaw instead of fries so that probably helped).
The parking is easy, the food is quality, the drinks are cheap, the atmosphere is good, the place is quaint. what else could you want?
This is what a pub should be - good cold beer, tasty food, friendly staff, neighborhood crowd, family friendly.
O'Hara's is good for so many things. Â I can enjoy lunch with clients or co-workers, I can meet a friend after work for a drink, and I can even take the family for dinner. Â My little girls love going here and I'd rather support a local restaurant than take the family to Applebees or Unos. Â
The Mayo County beef stew is my favorite item. Â It is rich, warm and FILLING. Â This and a pint on a cold day is heaven.
They don't just have great Irish fare but great food in general. Â I've been going there for the last 6 years almost every friday before home hockey games at the heights. Â Even if the bar is packed Carl will get you seated in the dining room(usually in less time than he tells you up front) or you can wait for seats to open up as turnover at the bar is high. Â Bartenders and servers are friendly as well. Â Too many great choices to list so I'll give you my top 5:
Chicken Pot Pie
Pizza (Regina's style) Â
Pan fried Haddock
Any Burger (cooked m-r to perfection and the roll/bun is tops)
Irish stew (special only)
We went to O'Hara's this past weekend. It was a good restaurant but I remain a loyal fan of Matt Murphy's in Brookline when it comes to Irish food.
I had the Irish Country Side Shepherds Pie. It's a seasoned ground sirloin topped with whipped potatoes, corn, peas, diced carrots, caramelized onions and whipped potatoes - all for $9.50. Â
My husband and friends had the Chicken Pot Pie  which was served inside a freshly baked round bread and had cranberry sauce on the side - just $9.50.
So it is fair to say that the price is fair. The food was good and the atmosphere was very laid back. Â There is also seating around the bar for those who don't want to wait in line.
I don't go to O'Hara's often, but that's because I live around the block from its twin restaurant, Paddy's! Â It's the same exact thing, except the decor is different...O'Hara's has old photographs which I find both creepy and cool.
Friendly service, solid food, and comfortable atmosphere. Â Gets really busy around dinnertime.
Tough call. Much as I'd like to rate O'Hara's higher, I just can't. I've been here five or six times, twice on weekdays and the rest on weekends and have found there is a difference in the dining experience depending when you visit. It's a big enough difference to add a qualification to my recommendation.
Although the menu doesn't contain a lot of variety, the food is cooked correctly, service is fast, and prices are a bargain compared to most other places around here. Burgers are very much a strong point, as are the steaks. Portions are always generous but not overwhelming. While I have never tried the seafood selections my dining companions have, and report that they've received nicely cooked fresh meals. Good.
On a weekday O'Hara's isn't too crowded and service is fast, yet not rushed, and always friendly. Weekends, though, are another story. Waiting times of 45 minutes are common and service seems rushed, taking away something from the dining experience. It's a small operation too, and the journey past the bar crowd to the wait station is like running an obstacle course. Kudos to the bar staff, though, for keeping everyone served quickly.
My recommendation? O'Hara's is worth it...just don't go on the weekend.
Best food out of any Irish pub I've ever been to. Â The vibe in O'hara's is laid back to the max. Â They have excellent pizza's which is semi surprising for an Irish pub. Â I don't know how, but they do it up right. Â
There are two small dining rooms on either side of the bar. Â The only thing to watch out for, is that the lunch crowd there can get kind of crowded, so if your in a hurry, its probably not your best bet.
My favorite thing to get for lunch there is the blue cheese bacon burger. Â Nothing else in this world can induce the post lunch coma like a bluebacon burger from Oharas... Â Let me also mention that if you want, you can substitute Onion rings for fries with your burger. Â Big ups for that...
My work buddy usually gets the soup/ 1/2 sandwich combo which is a good choice for those who want a light lunch. Â Its a small half of sandwich and the cup of soup isn't too big.
The prices are most reasonable for this Irish pub. Â My entire family enjoys eating at this spot. Â From my grandfather who likes the steak tips to my mother who likes the calzone, to my brothers and I who like, well... everything. Â I would recommend this spot to anyone anytime...
I am also partial to Ohara's because i won a Guinness Snowboard in a raffle there. so... respect..
O'Hara's is a nice little pub-like, loud, crowded place in the quiet town of Newton. It's a fun, little hidden jewel away from the busy streets of Boston and they serve the typical pub fare but much better in both taste and price. It's not too expensive at all and very tasty. My few meals there were very enjoyable and the beer is always cold there as well.
The staff is also great and quick. Even at it's busiest you won't have to wait a very long time for your meal; speaking of which, the portions are huge, and very satisfying, so you might want to share with friends.
Love this place! It's your typical suburban-Irish bar, packed with the afterwork crowd, but the dining section also caters to a diverse crowd of families and elderly looking for a good affordable meal. It's become our "local" over the years when I trek out to the 'burbs to visit family.
The food is pretty good - I usually only ever get fish or burgers (the salads are kind of eh), all of which are great for the inexpensive prices (ie, $7 for burger, $13 for salmon). My mom is also a freak for their shepherd's pie, which has an amazing gravy and hits the spot at only $9.
But the service is where this place really shines - all the staff, from host to waitresses to bartenders - are very friendly and efficient. They always manage to find space in the cramped waiting area to put out a chair for my mother (who has trouble walking), and get us seated within 20 minutes. Even when it's a total zoo, the staff are smiling and accommodating, a dining experience which really makes this restaurant worth my time.
The only downside: Not open Sundays... which is a shame, since I have a feeling O'Hara's would make a kick-ass brunch!
So the bf and I just put down a deposit on an apartment in Newton Highlands and decided we should have dinner at one of the local joints to see how it is. O'Hara's did not disappoint! The place was packed on a Friday night, perhaps because it seems to be one of the only restaurants in the area... but regardless of other options, the food and drinks are solid. We had a party of 6 and were seated within 30 minutes, despite the rather small size of the restaurant and the incredible crowd. For smaller groups I think it'd be easier (or you can ease on up to the lovely huge bar).
The menu offers a combination of Irish pub fare and hearty Italian food. My shepherd's pie ($9) was unbelievable. I make shepherd's pie at home, from scratch, and I think... it pains me to say, but I think O'Hara's version is better. Seasoned ground beef topped with veggies, creamy mashed potatoes, and a delicious-ass gravy. I had it with a Murphy's on tap (mmmm...) and one of the tasty little white rolls. Other people ordered pizza, pasta, etc. and seemed to enjoy their food as well.
Beer options included some local microbreweries (Harpoon, Long Trail), some standards (Sam Adams and seasonal), plus the Irish treats of Murphy's and Belhaven. Some wines by the glass were offered (starting around $5). They also serve Irish coffee and hot toddies made of Jameson, for those cool nights.
The staff was nice, although we thought it was a bit unnecessary that we were all double-carded (once coming into the place, once after being seated and trying to order drinks). When I move down the block I can see myself becoming a regular...
This is the closest pub to my office, yet I never feel like I'm settling for it just because of its proximity. This is a top-notch Irish pub with a great menu and very friendly staff (quite a few are actually Irish).
I like the bar a lot more than the dining areas, which are cramped unless you're lucky enough to get a booth (this place is always busy). The dining area is also where you'll typically find families and older Newton residents, while the bar is almost always populated with the after-work crowd.
For food, you'll find a broad range of options, from typical bar food to rather creative entrees. I recommend trying the O'Hara's Wings, made with their own special spicey BBQ sauce. The nachos on the other hand just don't do it for me. You'll get chips with melted cheese (always good), but then they just drop some iceberg lettuce and tomatoes on top. It's like a nacho salad.
It's generally just a cool bar, and if you equate the number of patrons in a bar with it's success, this place is a sure winner.
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