what we love: being transported to ireland, the wait staff, the authenticity
what we could live without: the grease, the onion rings that were missing the onions, tasteless plastic american cheese on cheeseburgers
burger scale: C+
price range: friggin' inexpensive
payment method: cash
We were a little bummed by what we found at Donovan's.
The burger was of the good ol' classic American variety -- juicy, meaty, sandwiched by two slices of American and your standard sesame seed bun. It came with a hunk of iceberg the size of your fist (yours, because our fist is rather small), a slice of tomato and french fries that were more like steak fries on steroids or small potatoes.
While we loved the heft and juiciness of the Donovan's burger, we were unprepared for the fat and grease by-products. We suggest asking for extra napkins before tucking into your Donovan's burger and coming armed with spare cholesterol meds.
The onion rings, ordered separately as a starter, were fine except someone had already been by and stole all the onions out of them. Technically, we only had rings, not onion rings...
The burger came with the option of a side of fries or a baked potato. The baked potatoes were good. The hand cut steak fries were fine, although a little too hefty for our taste. We prefer our fries on the skinny side.
We thought the burger was fine, possibly even good. Unfortunately, word on the street is that Donovan's burgers are AMAZING so that was what we expected. Not surprisingly, we were disappointed. We've had similar classic American style burgers, except better. At similar prices, even.
The Pub itself, however, is magically delicious. It's a true Irish watering hole that doesn't play dress-up with fancy mahogany bars or gastropub affectations. Its clientele are obviously neighborhood regulars, and the waitstaff has been there since the beginning of time. (We suspect they might actually be the owners.) There were times when our waitress' bum hip made it difficult for her to manage the stairs leading into the dining room, and we had to refrain from standing to assist her.
Summary: Decent burger at great prices. Classic case of over-hype creating unrealistic expectations. Go for the experience but not for the burger alone.
For more pictures of our Donovan's outing, click here.
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