An Irish pub seems out of place in the upscale, primarily Jewish neighborhood of Newton Highlands. Yet, it has been there forever because it has found a great formula of great food, great service, nice ambiance and reasonable (even cheap) prices.
The ambiance is very much Irish pub. The outside is covered in wood panels and there is a sign for guiness beer over the front door. Inside, you enter into the bar with more wood panels and low lighting. The decor includes lots of vintage photos and beer signs as well as antiques and a mish-mosh of other old stuff. The overall effect is very pleasant and low key. The smallish dining room is off to your right. There are only about 12 tables, although food is also served at the bar.
This is definitely a jeans place and is a refreshing alternative to chain restaurants with their brass and fake fern appearance. The other refreshing thing about this pub is that it is a real neighborhood establishment. There are no colleges immediately nearby and the crowd is usually older.
The food is pub-style with burgers, salads and such but they also offer quite a few Irish specialties. Lunch prices range from $6.50-$9.00 which is very reasonable given the location, the ambiance and service. The food is good too. On our last visit, I had fish and chips and couldn't eat the entire portion. They were not greasy and had a great flavor. My friend got the Cork County pie which had beef, potatoes and vegetables and it was declared to be excellent. Dinner prices start around $10 and the food is just as good. Even the brewed ice tea tasted exceptionally good here. Additionally, being that O'Hara's is at least half bar, expect to have many beers available on tap as well.
The service here is really, really good ALL the time. The wait staff is friendly, quick and accommodates special orders correctly every time. Dinner and Lunch hours get crowded - get there early unless you want to hang at the bar while you wait for a table.
I don't know if they have a children's menu because our kids find something on the regular menu every time and the prices on the regular menu are very good. Despite the bar, there are usually children in the restaurant. Vegetarians will find a few salads on the menu but not many other offerings. O'Hara's is all good and I highly recommend a visit.
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