Arrived today (Wednesday) just before 2pm. Waited a while to get seated on nearly empty patio after being ignored by host for several minutes. We asked for an extra chair for our party of 5, and didn't want to remove one from another table table since we were told on a previous visit that they are accounted for. Waited 15 minutes and had to ask again, at which point the host grabbed one from an occupied table without asking guests if they'd be needing it. Service was unreasonably slow. Then, at the end of our meal, we asked for ice cream which was 'included' on kids' menu. Unapologetic waitress said we must have gotten wrong menus as they didn't offer that anymore. I asked for manager and was told there wasn't one on duty. It's not about the free ice cream, but the principal. Took kids across street to Sweet Earth for a great dessert! Very disappointing experience for a nearly $90 tab. read more

Dick O' Dows - Misleading and disappointing for kids. - American Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Dick O'Dows is Cheers Birmingham. And I love Dick's because sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name... While I haven't lived in Michigan for over 5 years now, I know that a few hours at Dick's will have me running into all of the people that I miss seeing and all of the people that I thought I would never see again. No trip to Michigan is complete without an evening here. The drinks are reasonable and, more often than not, there is live music in the front room. After making the rounds, I generally opt to head to the less crowded and more well lit back room and snag a table with friends. As everyone always seems to know everyone else, the evening inevitably turns into a musical chairs of catch up. Dick's is a great spot to see people any time of the year, but becomes crazy busy around both Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you aren't up for the chaos and potentially long door lines, I might suggest heading elsewhere. read more

Good bartenders, good beers, good bar top. Nothing fancy and no complaints. Almost never am I up in Birmingham, let alone finding myself wandering around on foot (part of it began with an urgent need to find a public washroom... which was not easy up here!). In any event, popped in here at a late hour on a Sunday, and it was perfectly peopled... one seat left open at the bar just for me. Service was great - on point with no jazz hands. They have Boddingtons on tap which, even though it's becoming less and less of a rarity as euro distributors continue to consolidate and so all our favorite bars are carrying the same imports, still gets me in the can't-resist region of my brain. So I nursed a Boddington's, chatted with some Birminghamers (who weren't as obnoxious as they looked and dressed), and eyed the tail end of a baseball game. All the woodwork along the bar top and the walls makes for a nice old-timey guzzle environment too. read more

We've setup a number of Michigan State alumni happy hours here. So if you have a group of people. Give DoD a ring and they'll give you a deal. They gave us a free appetizer buffet and $2.50 Labatts. Brian the bartender is AWESOME. The staff is pretty friendly though when it gets crowded, the waitresses don't come around as often as I'd like. The bar food is pretty standard but their beer selection is fantastic. They allow cigar smoking in the bar too though I don't think many people take advantage of that. read more

Every time I go in thinking "maybe THIS time it won't be so bad" and I always leave disappointed. Food You pay way more than what is worth! And the service leaves a lot to be desired. read more

They have a nice small patio right on the street in the summer. They have a good dinner/lunch menu I have ate here a few times and liked everything I ordered. Decent beer selection and live music! Great casual atmosphere. Fun for a good night of drinking with friends! read more

Only been once but would def go back. The mushroom burger was fantastic. My boyfriend really liked the Reuben. The backed chips were very good. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is cause a cranberry/vodka was $6. Most places are $4-$5 so that was a little pricy. read more

I've never had a bad experience at Dick O Dows. The only reason that I can't rate it any higher is due to the fact that I've never had that WOW moment there. I do recommend that people give it a shot as it is the only place in BIrmingham, that I can think of anyway, that gives you that pub feeling. read more

I haven't decided if I'm a fan of this place during peak hours as it can get a little hairy in here on a busy Friday night. But on a Sunday afternoon Dick's is chill and quiet with plenty of friendly locals to chat up....I met several on our last visit and we were all pretty happy to have the place to ourselves. read more

Over priced food. I can't believe I paid over 12 dollars for 5 wings. It's like I'm in LA. Service was good but again the food was way over priced. Ruben was $13 and I could have made it myself. Sorry I went there. read more

I've been to this Birmingham staple many times for drinks, but just recently tried to food for the first time for lunch. We sat on the outdoor patio, which was nice, and ordered the ahi tuna and original sliders. The ahi tuna sliders were one of the most "exciting" sliders I've ever eaten. The wasabi sauce on them had a tendency to build up in the back of the pharynx by the end of each slider, causing an intense but fleeting sensation that I found oddly fun. Nonetheless, I was relieved to have plenty of water and the original sliders to calm myself between tuna bites. read more

The Black & Bleu salad was everything I hoped it would be and more. So good! The service was alright, but there were definition a few times I was waiting on a refill, the tab, and the bartender's general attention because he was more engaged with the group of female regulars sitting down the bar from me. As the evening grew later, music started - pop covers done by a decent-but-nothing-special acoustic group. The place really started to crowd up at this point, with a mix of middle aged housewives imbibing on red wine with their friends (and dancing. Ooooh, how they danced. *shudder* ), and the early-20's crowd who were out drinking too much in celebration of their Christmas vacation from school. One important thing to be noted is that this is definitely a "come as you are" type of place, which is nice - not always the norm in downtown Birmingham. I'd come back for the food, but not necessarily to hang out. read more

Great atmosphere, beer, service and food. I would skip the scotch eggs. Plain. Bland and for $8 you get 2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half, rolled in sausage and fried. They serve this up with diced potatoes... Eh Irish stew was very good and so filling. There was a balanced ratio of meat and veggies and all served up in a bread bowl. I didn't find this to have any distinct flavors- Guinness ???? Bangers and mad potatoes- the sausages aren't appealing to the eye, but they are very good. Served up with real mashed taters and brown gravy. Hubs requested extra gravy. Son ordered a hot dog, which at first we were told they no longer served hot dogs, but would check...dog was good but served on a huge arse hoagie bun. Fries were excellent. We will return. Sandwiches look fab! read more

I'm going with the very neutral three stars because we got there just before midnight and had to stand outside in line and our group was split so that one pair had to stay outside while the other pair was let in. There was a live band there on a Friday night, which I enjoyed, but in the back half of the bar it was so loud the bartenders had trouble hearing the orders. read more

What can ya say about this place? Dick O'Dows has been around for what seems like an eternity in a world where bars come and go faster than you can pound a pint. That says something good about this place. Dick O'Dows is one of the main drinking holes in Birmingham, if not the main one. As the name suggests, the interior looks and feels like a neighborhood pub in Dublin. Wood paneling, a good beer selection, and frequent live music. This is a bar with a lot of character. It gets pretty crowded and loud here, but I've never had any hassle getting getting in. Prices are reasonable, and bartenders pretty cool and responsive. read more

I was here for dinner last weekend with my wife and it didn't disappoint. The bartender Brandon was amazing. He suggested two beers we liked, an appetizer and a main course that were all excellent. Him and "T" the other bartender kept us engaged and laughing. Superb service by both and a great experience. read more

Great place to come after for happy hour at a long day at work. Great people, good food and great service. Lots of great appetizers like the pretzel bites or Buffalo buddies. We also like to get the pizza and fair price. read more

Dick O' Dows - Wide selection of appetizers, burgers and Irish food. - American Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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Atmosphere is lacking and the staff were unusually rude and unfriendly. Wont be returning.

We came for the trivia, which I called ahead to confirm was happening... whoever the booking manager here is has no idea what they are doing, because the band kept playing for 45 minutes past when trivia was supposed to start. Who books a band and trivia on the same night??? The first drink I ordered was a Bloody Mary, which when it showed up was in a tiny glass... i shrugged, chugged, and assumed it was some sort of wimpy size that they served unless you specified that you want a "normal Bloody Mary." Literally the only good thing was the Sporcle trivia guy, who played awesome music, kudos bro, you're the fucking tits. I ordered Smithwicks since it's an "Irish Pub" (it's not, at ALL) and it cost $6.00. It's not even that much at a Conor's! Then when I got the bill I got charged $7.00 for a Stoli Bloody Mary... which was not a pint but was literally an 8oz glass (I confirmed it with him before my rage - I would never complain about selling me a fake well, or a small portion, but BOTH?!), nor did I order Stoli, I just asked for a Bloody Mary. What kind of "bartender" up-sells you without asking if you want well/house/Stoli? Then he claims that their "well" is Stoli/Skyy/etc - yeah fucking right bro. I may have a CO license but I'm not a fucking idiot, I grew up in the "real OC." This guy was also doing shots earlier so I wasnt surprised that he was a fuck-up but I definitely took it out on him since I have a lot of bar experience and don't fuck around with idiots. read more

The good: great beer selection, good bartenders, vintagey pub feel of the place. The bad: The crowd. The crowd. The music. The crowd. I've never felt like such an outsider walking into a place as when I went to Dick O'Dows. The first time I went was for a private party, which required I walked all the way to the back and past all the peering eyes. The next time it wasn't much better. I'm not sure if the crowd is just all regulars and is not used to new people or what, but it was definitely not the Cheers kind of crowd I prefer in a bar. read more

We headed here because we had a restaurants.com coupon to use--oh, and it was hubby's birthday! :) We lucked out with parking right in front of the place, otherwise we would have had to use the parking garage. We had been a bit hesitant because the other reviews led us to believe summertime Saturday nights were crazy busy, and we were really not up for that. But it was almost empty when we got there at 6:30--so either September isn't considered summer or we were there too early. Either way, we were happy. We started with the sampler platter and probably could have just gotten that--it was HUGE! Three each of potato skins, hot wings, fried mac and cheese bites, and fried zucchini with sides of ranch, their homemade remoulade, sour cream, and salsa. We were impressed by it all--yes, it could be considered typical bar fare, but it was a notch above. The ranch dressing was to die for (I asked if it was homemade, and it was). I got the Doyle's Chipper (Guinness-battered cod and chips) and it was tasty, although certainly not the best I've ever had. And while the remoulade that came with it instead of the tartar sauce was good...fish needs tartar sauce. I did ask for another side of ranch for the fries, and it was brought immediately. Hubby had the Shepard's Pie and that was good, as well. Not outstanding, but good. Very homey feeling and tasting. Since it was hubby's birthday, we splurged on the bread pudding--and holy cow, it's enough for 2-4 people! A table next to us looked over and asked what it was, then ordered it for themselves! It was good, but again, not great. So, overall, good food and service, but nothing to make me scream from the rooftops. Hence, three stars. read more

I met some friends here for dinner and drinks last night. I order a Celtic Reuben and Chardonnay, both were good. Now the service was another story. Our waitress was very attentive at first. One of my friends thought that she was dipping ( chewing tobacco) the whole time. Not very appetizing when you are trying to eat. When we were ready to leave, our waitress was nowhere to be found. It took us about 30 min to locate her, then another 20 min to get our cards back. Mind you, it was near closing time and practically empty. read more

I am actually torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one. Came here while the lady was shopping. NIce people and great staff. They even put me on this drink the bartender created call dangerous (dundee shandy and either blueberry or peach vodka). As for menu I had their spinach and artichoke dip (chips are thin but with that said, The dip is probably one of 5-10 best i have ever had) and their hot wings (dry rub with cayenne pepper, also really good here. Beer is about 6 dollars, and overall is it kind of high but not expensive. I do like this place a lot and will be here again. read more

We had our work holiday party here and the manager and staff were wonderful and very accommodating. We had lots of great appetizers and then stayed for dinner. I had a chicken wrap and chips. Very good! read more

I've been here twice. The first time was for dinner and a couple of beers with my boyfriend. The second time was sort of a double date. The first experience was not bad. The service wasn't great but they were very busy and the food was good. We ordered potato skins as an appetizer. They were huge and delicious. I got a chicken pesto sandwich for my entree which was also great and my boyfriend ordered the Reuben. We had zero complaints about any of the food. On our second occasion here, it was the day of the Woodward Dream Cruise so needless to say it was packed. Once again, service not so great. Bartenders literally looked right at me and did not acknowledge me. But they were slammed so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Still had an awesome time. Always the love the atmosphere here and love the authentic Irish pub decor. We spent half the night at the bar and the other half on the patio which is always a favorable feature of any bar or restaurant. It was a wonderful evening even if it was mostly due to the company and volume of alcohol. Oh and they even had live music this night. The band was not necessarily my taste but it was still cool. All in all I like the place and will be back. read more

I struggle with this one which is probably why I have never written a review. I have gone there my whole adult life... And the bar part is good. Don't go to watch a game, go to socialize. 4-5 stars for the bar. The patio is nice in the summer. Now the not so great. The food isn't great. It isn't bad, but it is inconsistent and mostly fried. The service is even more inconsistent - it seems to depend mostly on the drama going on with the staff. The super not good. Last time I was there (Sunday afternoon) it was like kindercare. As in 100 children under the age of 10. The parents in Birmingham are sometimes not the best (I'm from there, so stop hating) and in my scenario, the kids were playing in the bathroom sinks, unsupervised... If I was at a place that I expected to see a banquet of children, fine. But Sunday night at a bar? Just totally not expected. Based on the good bar, medium food, and hodge-podge service / patrons, I averaged the scores and landed at a 3. read more

If you're looking for reasonable prices in Birmingham, this is pretty much one of your only options. The food is great! The wings are great, the burgers are great, and I had this salad with steak and blue cheese that was delicious. If you're coming on a bar night, be prepared for the place to be totally packed! read more

The food was alright - your standard faux-pub stuff like fried you-name-it and pick-a-sauce. Most of it was pretty bland and not all that impressive, though the portions were huge of course. The beer selection had all the obvious choices, though no real surprises and not a ton of options for a pub nowadays. I would have loved to see a few local brews on tap. The check came out to be a bit more than $20 a person, which seemed a bit much for the food, but maybe that's just Birmingham for you. read more

I am totally surprised by all the bad reviews on here. The food is OK (not great) but the service has always been welcoming, seating outside is nice and the decor different. With all the douche-filled places around Birmingham this one is not all that bad. If you go for dinner you'll see people getting their drink on, families of all ages having food and (especially in the back) a pretty chill crowd. read more

After reading a lot of the reviews, I believe this place is everything people say it is, both good and bad. In other words, I think the entire experience can be inconsistent- some of which isn't exactly their fault. I remember when it first opened and I was just out of college many years go, a good friend of mine was the "social organizer" - you know, the person who makes the decisions about where to go on the weekends, etc. He picked this place a few times and I didn't really care for it. The crowd gave it more of a snobby club vibe than an Irish bar and just wasn't my scene. Remember the good ole days before Uber when you all piled into a few cars together and you were stuck at your destination spot until everyone was ready to go? After couple of visits, I enjoyed the vibe so little, I decided I'd rather stay home than go there. For a drink or two, I could have dealt with it, but not a place I wanted to be stuck in for 3-4 hours. Hard to blame the bar itself for that one, though. I've been back since those days, but more for drinks or food rather than the night life. When the place isn't super busy, it's a much better experience- usually. I've had very friendly service and even some of the regulars were friendly enough to strike up a conversation while I was at the bar waiting for the bartender to get my drinks. Another time I was getting drinks for myself and my friend standing behind me, and as I approached a single open seat to access the bar, the people on either side of the empty chair both immediately jumped up in order to scoot over 1 seat so we would have two seats together. We kindly thanked them and said we were headed to the patio, but as we waited, one gentleman twice more offered to slide down a seat if we wanted to sit while we waited. You don't really see that kind of politeness much anymore. On the other hand, I've also been ignored by the servers or had them too busy fraternizing with said regulars. have been there when it seemed as though they were out of half their beer selection, and had some pretty average food. The pizza for example- looks great, was cooked perfectly, and was somehow tasteless? I admit it, I don't even know how that's possible, and probably my fault for getting pizza at an Irish bar. The prices are fairly reasonable and they do sometimes have good drink specials- the $3 Short's bottled beers are nice. I am not really sure anyone can tell you what to expect of this place in terms of an experience because it varies. Aside from maybe some of the decor, there isn't much Irish about this place. You're more likely to hear 90s hip hop blaring after 9pm than anything else. However, show up on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and it might be just the cozy little spot you're looking for. Rating it is actually a bit tough for me. 2-stars seems to imply I would avoid the place. I would certainly avoid the late night crowd here, but I could see where others might like it. I've never had a terrible experience here, but it's one of those places where I wouldn't doubt it if someone told me they did. I've also really never had a great experience here either. At best it's just been OK all around, and I would not go out of my more than a mile or two to come here. For me, it's been closer to a 3 star experience that it has to a 2-star, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. This place has it's share of fans. I suspect that may be because while it can draw somewhat of pretentious crowd, it's definitely one of the less pretentious spots in the area, and probably serves as the local reunion places that people who grew up in the area meetup intentionally or otherwise (ad hoc high school reunion style). I think those folks are probably getting more out the experience than what they otherwise would on the establishments merit alone. So my parting advice is that it's a bit of crap shoot. If you happen to be within a few miles, give it a shot. I would be careful about someone dragging you from 3+ cities over to make this a destination spot for your evening though. The crowd, the service, the food, the music- is kind of all over the place. read more

We love Dick O'Dows - whether for meals or for barhopping. There are multiple seating options - an outdoor patio area, the actual bar, a main dining area, and a backroom dining area (with larger tables and more quiet ambiance). The food here is great. I think we ordered a stew and a shepherds pie, and both were great! The drinks are strong, but not obnoxious. And the service is great. If you're looking to hold a party here, they will hook you up with appetizers and party trays at a discounted price and will section off an area for your group. I would highly recommend this bar! read more

Sunday night family night dinner! Great place, great atmosphere. The owners generously sent over a slice of cake for the kiddos...

The worst service I have gotten in 20 years, the owner has no idea what she is doing and is rude, basically a shit show and all they did was raise prices and destroy service. read more

Visited this place on 01/27/1012 (I forgot my Review was in Draft mode) Nice decor, very comfortable. Service is a bit slow, but did not mind, because in great company. The food looks and taste homemade, which is a plus for me! read more

Dick O' Dows - American Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

I owe the place a review. I don't like most of the social places in Birmingham but I like this one. It's a fun place to hear live music and get a small group of friends together. When I've been here with a few friends who wanted to hang out and listen to music is when I've had the most fun. Also, for some reason, we've always had more fun if it was later in the evening. I generally haven't cared much for the crowd here. We've met a lot of pushy people here. Thankfully the servers are great and very funny. When we went with a big group who wanted to order a lot of food, it wasn't as much fun and took forever. Otherwise no issues with anything. I think it's more a casual spot, better for after dinner. Again, I do not fit the Birmingham social scene in general (no fake accents, hair gel, or excess cologne for me) and am thankful for that but this is a place I like and would go back to. I wanted to get this review in before St. Patty's! If you do go out for that, I don't know if this is right place to celebrate the holiday. It's worth a shot and probably would be fun if you're thinking about it. read more

Fun atmosphere!! Came here for the Hype the Vote event and the servers were very friendly and on there A game with tons of people!

I've been to Dick O'Dow's numerous times. It's the local pub of choice in Birmingham. For a great place to get drinks, enjoy cover bands, sit on the patio, I would rate this place a 4 star. For food though, it's lacking. Since I couldn't give a half star, my otherwise 2.5 star rating has been elevated to a 3 star. Of course, a caveat -- I ordered a few appetizers and one entree salad, nothing truly authentic Irish. The calamari was not good -- over-fried, something I could imagine you'd get at a diner. The Irish chips were very good (this is usually my fav accompaniment to a good beer), the mahi taco appetizer impressive (for an Irish themed pub), and the ahi tuna salad (yes, I realize it's an Irish pub), sub par with wilted lettuce and fair tuna. I enjoyed sitting on the patio, and the wait-staff was friendly. The food though wasn't that great, and I probably won't be back for more (except the Irish chips when I go for drinks). Perhaps a burger and fries would be a better bar food option, or maybe the traditional Irish fare - bangers and mash, shepards pie . . . read more

Horrible slow service. Took 45 min for appetizer; over an hour for the food. Chicken in Michigan wrap sandwich was burnt, no cherries, etc.; beef burger meat is cheaper stinkier quality than before, fries were cold, failed to make a true Rubin sandwich---no coleslaw! Used to go here all the time when I lived here; now it is a big disappoint. read more

Dick O' Dows - American Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

This place is okay. Not amazing. I had the boneless chicken wings for appetizer 6/10 Main meal: french dip 6/10. Larger pieces of meat versus thinly sliced at a more premium restaurant. Service ok. read more

Friendly staff, huge portions..their fish and chips are a must have. I've never been to Ireland but the pub gives an aura of nostalgia. It's cozy, rustic and dark. We also ordered sweet potato fries with bacon bits and they're a wonderful appetizer. I tried the shepherd's pie because I was feeling a bit adventurous and I think that's the last time I would order it. It looked delicious and maybe fantastic to some but like most things, it's subject to an individual's preference. I will come back to eat here again...their sliders looks nomilicious! read more

Dick O' Dows - Crisscross sweet potato fries, a heaping serving of fish and chips and the classic Shepherd's pie at Dick O'Dows - American Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

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