Donoby's - A Soft Spot in the Night I walked into Donoby's tonight while waiting for the crowd across the street at Toriis to thin out, and honestly... I'm glad I did. This bar has an underrated, easygoing pulse that a lot of places try for but can't quite land. No shouting, no chaos, just gentle conversation, light laughter, and that familiar hum of people enjoying being out without needing to prove anything. The bartender, Amy, we actually sang "Broken" by Seether & Amy Lee together at karaoke here a couple weeks ago, pours with care. You can feel when someone takes pride in the small things, a clean pour, a quick smile, a read on the room. She has that. The crowd here tonight is relaxed. Mixed ages, no pressure, no edge. Just people unwinding from the week. It is a place where you can sit with a beer, breathe for a minute, and not feel like the world is tugging at you. Plenty of seating, the lighting is warm, the décor is classic without being stale, pool tables in good shape, and a vibe that makes you want to stay for just one more....because it is comfortable. That is rare. Donoby's isn't loud about who it is. It doesn't need to be. It just is....and that's what keeps a place alive. I'll be back. read more

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This is a quintessential dive bar that has pool tables & darts. Regular gathering place on holidays for friends to get together from high school. The crowd can vary on any given night. Sometimes you can go and it's old timers playing bingo on Tuesday or hipsters on a Saturday. but it's a staple in M odesto for a lot of folks. read more

Donoby's Bar - Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

What a great bar with some really tasty drinks. This bar was a mix of everything! People, ages, dress styles, but everyone was HECKA cool, friendly and having a really good time! I'm coming back for sure! This place has plenty of ADA, safe, free and well lit parking on all sides of the bar. There is ADA access inside for seating, playing darts and the jukebox too! There are about 12 or so electric dart boards that were a blast to play. Even though I and my Momma had zero clue what we are doing with darts, I'll be dawg gone if Momma didn't get an almost bullseye! and it was her birthday too! We played a few songs on the jukebox that basically has every single song known to man available. We had these REFRESHING and delightful green releases shots! Ohhhhh weeeee; boy they are super delightful! The place is huge and they have plenty of tables and seating available. They also have some pool tables on the other side of the bar, which, did I mention was really spacious and nice! The music was kept at a great level so you can enjoy yourself; dance and still hear the conversation at your table. The bartenders were sooooo friendly and really good at their drinks too! I have lived here my entire life and never been here. I will be back for more of those green tea shots and great customer service! Come down and enjoy a wonderful y atmosphere, humans and a great drink at Donobys read more

Donoby's Bar - Super delicious green tea shots - Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

Amy is the GOAT! She is super attentive and makes great drinks! We are lucky to have her at our local watering hole!

I spent Thanksgiving 2024 here. I got the news that my dad had passed away and I went straight to Dan's. They had free food a whole buffet for people to eat Thanksgiving food and though I don't remember the bartender's name, she was very sweet to me and I made sure I left $100 tip. We're definitely come back love this place. read more

Donoby's is a great safe place to grab wholesomely made drinks and have a good time! They have pool tables and plenty of dart boards! High quality cocktails and if you ever get lucky enough to go in when Amy is working she is not only beautiful, but friendly and has amazing customer service! She's the best. Please come check out a great place in Modesto to get a refreshment after a long day of work or even a night cap and have some fun. read more

One of my favorites. Not enough karaoke but no place is perfect. Come on down and join us for a good time read more

Donoby's Bar - Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

Tara is a great bartender. Fun vibe and good folks.the patrons are local and friendly. Not for the pretentious.

Had an amazing time. Was greeted by the bouncer zach who made me feel welcome as soon as i walked in. The bartender, amy, served me my first drink and took care of me for every drink after that. The atmosphere wasn't exactly my style but i would return just for the customer service. Very comfortable environment in what i would normally call an uncomfortable setting. Thank you Zach and Amy and i look forward to the next time I see you guys! read more

I don't review bars but this place DESERVED it! So It's only fair to let everyone else know. Service, atmosphere or vibes call it what you want but this place has it. I frequented this spot often because it was near my house obviously but what kept me coming back was the service and character this place has. Weekend crew always takes care of me which remembers me before I do to them. Bartender remembers my drink order but also makes HONEST conversation and small talk which is the best and most service you can ask for in my opinion and not to forget security is always friendly but helpful at the same time which is great so cheers to my first bar review and come hang with me at donobys! read more

Donoby's Is Where Modesto Connects Donoby's isn't your average bar--it's a place where the city's heartbeat comes together. You'll find veterans, healthcare workers, small business owners, and thoughtful locals all gathered under one roof, exchanging ideas and stories. It's one of the rare places where you can have an engaging, even eye-opening conversation with someone from a totally different walk of life. The team here sets the tone--professional, welcoming, and always on point. They've got a great memory for faces and are quick to make you feel at home, whether it's your first visit or one of many. You get the sense that they actually care about the people who walk through the door. One night, I even found myself in a spontaneous arm-wrestling match with one of the staff members--he had quite the reputation in that world, and it definitely made for a memorable moment. If you're looking for a genuine, grounded place with good people and even better energy, Donoby's delivers every time. read more

Drove 10 hours down from Idaho for a funeral back where me and my brother grew up. After we thought it'd be cool to grab a beer at a spot we've been to so many times before and grew up next to. The bartender thought both of our licenses were fake, we're both 28 and 31. Said her machine wasn't working to fully authenticate that the licenses were real. If you're an out of towner I wouldn't recommend going here, unfortunately the staff is incapable of recognizing a foreign ID/license. I had multiple cards with my name as did he but apparently that wasn't enough, P Wexfords hit though!! read more

Awesome night! Bartender was quick and drinks were . Bouncer was chill -- felt safe and welcome.

Amy Bartender or owner is extremely disrespectful for no apparent reason, my friends and I did absolutely nothing wrong, couldn't tell us what upset her and asked us to leave. Not sure how a bar can operate when you single out customers for just socializing... terrible management and nobody should come here read more

Love Amy she always pours my drink right!!! Shes so sweet n always knows my drink it's my favorite bar in Modesto. My husband and I love to play pool! read more

I've been frequenting Donoby's since 2002, mostly late at night on days off. I've seen a lot of bar tenders and bouncers come and go. Generally I thought they handled the Donobys crowd fairly. The last 10yrs at night there has been very few staffing turn over, so the same bar tender and bouncer has remained. I think that has fostered a friendly warm atmosphere with patrons and staff developing meaningful relationships. There is always a few people who drink too much and become unruly to the point of needing to be talked too. General those patrons will calm down. The other 1% seem to feel entitled having antisocial and belligerent behavior. They seem to think that if they spend a certain amount of money they can say and do what ever they want without repercussions. I have witnessed those confrontations and I believe the night crew have handle those situations appropriately and fairly. I guess what I'm trying to communicate here is that Donobys is a safe environment for all people. The bouncer and the bar tender are watchful for problematic behavior at all times. Feel free to visit enjoy a warm friendly atmosphere and a cool one. read more

There is no place in the valley like Donobys. Amy is hands down the best bartender in the area, I literally don't trust anyone else with my drinks. Zack is the best bouncer around. Not only is he hospitable and funny, he makes me feel safe and always makes sure we're taken care of and the bar is clean. There has never been a time where I felt like the staff wasn't looking out for me, and that's why I keep coming back. I've brought my friends here and they swear by this bar. I truly think people like Amy and Zack are the reason people come back to the bar and if they weren't here I don't think it would be the same. I just had to come on here and say that because it's truly a blessing that I feel so safe at a bar in the area, and it's thanks to them! read more

I love & pick Donabys whenever Miss Amy is the bartender. First thing I do is give her a 20$ tip before we even order because it's always spectacular service!! Amy is family to me & my family!! Big love to Amy! read more

Everyone leaving a bad review for "rude" bartenders like to spin a real good story about how they're just some innocent bystander catching heat for no reason. If you come to the bar and are disrespectful, don't act right, already drunk, don't have ID then expect to be thrown out. I've seen people argue like toddlers about being asked to leave, threatening the staff, refusing to leave, promising to come back and "do something" and you want the bartenders and bouncer to be nice to you? On top of it all, you have drama coworkers trying to get all their friends to gang up on bartenders they don't like by leaving negative reviews. It's petty and pathetic. There are two sides to every story. There's no world where someone who depends on tips would be rude to you for no reason, so maybe accept your culpability in the situation instead of trying to get someone fired. Respect is a two way street. I've had drinks in likely every bar in town and Amy is hands down the best bartender around. Period. read more

As soon as we walked in the lady bartender confused us with someone else saying we were telling people about her giving out free shots to people. Angerly pointed at the door. Not going back there. read more

Amy bartender is always really short and rude yelling and screaming at people who she doesn't like. She definitely doesn't belong in this industry any longer I've seen her be rude to myself and plenty of other people. I don't know why she is allowed to do this and still have a job. read more

We are new to the area and have been coming here to play pool. Have met some nice people. We are seniors, so don't come at night. Bartenders are nice, but we don't really know all of them cuz we don't come often. My roommate is a St Patty birthday, so we try to come for the holiday meal they serve, and they do it right! Always nice to know the Irish Pubs make that on St Patrick's Day! read more

Izzy was so nice! Attentive and friendly. Best new bartender I town! I'll be coming back read more

Love this down home spot! Always enjoy a few Corona Premiers with Amy great bar tending service! She's a lot of fun! Keeps me laughing! Thanks Amy!! read more

I used to have a lot of fun there. One day the bar maid double charged me. I pointed it out to her and she denied it. It was a simple human error but she took it wrong. Now I can't go there anymore. She 86d me. Kinda hurts my feelings. read more

Donabys is a really kick back place. The bartenders are awesome. Raymond is probably the best bartender in Turlock. Everyone knows his name. Not a club. A great chill place to go. read more

Terrible experience. The place was empty. We asked for a tequila sunrise and a s*x on the beach, bartender came back and asked how to make it. The drinks were disgusting and not even close to being what we ordered, we didn't complain but we did ask for water. After 20-30 minutes water still didn't make it to us. A new bartender was coming on shift. She was going on about some drama from the night before and how she will come over that bar, just a bunch of fight talk, we were there to have a good time not listen to someone be ruffled. Then she started spraying the bar with some strong cleaner and saying she is OCD and the bar is nasty, look at the black rag *which was dry btw). The place smelled disgusting and someone had a huge terrier with them. We decided this was not the place for us. read more

Haven't been here in years and the bartender gave us a stank face and took our payment and left out drink in front of someone else she was Asian and to be honest the security guard said she had some rude costumers which doesn't give her the right to be rude to new costumers so better Donoby's read more

Great place to hangout on a Saturday afternoon. Play darts or pool. Sit at the bar and enjoy a game of poker dice or play hotspot. The crowd is welcoming and the bartender friendly. Location Is key with this spot. Check them out read more

Donoby's Bar - a pool table and arcade machines - Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

I had such a good time. Izzy helped us and was super sweet. I'll be coming back again!

Not LDBTQ friendly. Got kicked out for using the "wrong" bathroom. I would not recommend.

Been going to donobys regularly for 16 years. It's a chill vibe and fun atmosphere. Drinks are reasonably priced for the area. It's the kind of place where your orders are remembered and you feel welcome. It's always a hello and a hug for me with my drink ready to go within minutes. It a great place to stop by for a drink after work or to meet some friends for the night. read more

Overall good bar but one of the bartenders (I believe her name was Amy) is exceedingly rude to the patrons. If I ever go back and she is working, I will not spend my money. read more

This is the worst bar EVER!!! Ordered 2 drinks, not only weak pour, but $32. What!??? Bar tender was rude too. This place is a total joke...run, do NOT walk to another bar... read more

I love Donoby's BUT Amy is not a good server very rude and disrespectful, Nothing like Tara. We usually always call to see who's working but it was a spur of the moment and we went for drinks and Amy was very rude!!!!!! read more

I would just like to say I was at the bar Wednesday when "Jay" the last bad yelp reviewer was there, and he was rude to all the patrons trying to stand in front of them while they were karoke singing and trying to out sing them. Amy was well within her rights to ask him to stop. As far as I am concerned, "Asian Amy" yes racist you jerk, she is the only Amy there... and she is HANDS down the BEST bartender I have ever come across. She is no nonsense, but she gives great service if you know how to act right in a public place! read more

I absolutely love this bar!! Amy always has my next drink ready before I even ask. she's so friendly and makes my day better with her witty humor!! The regulars and the staff make you feel like family! read more

I absolutely love this place!! Amy is vy car the BEST bartender everrrrrr!!! She has a fresh beer in my hand before my last one is finished!

Fun place to go for a drink or two. I go here and there and Amy is always helping me. She's so sweet and friendly and quick ! Love her drinks and service. read more

I came here to meet a friend and regretted it immediately I sat down for at least 15 minutes before anyone came up to my table as I watch the bartender go smoke twice and then go around to a bunch of tables hugging customers like they haven't seen them in years and then proceed to go grab a drink from the bar and bring them to other customers how much a better way to spread Covid then hugging and kissing customers and then grabbing drinks for the other customers and bringing them to them ? I left so quick and definitely not coming back! If you're going to be open and pretend to have food now at least have your bartenders take the precautions and show customers respect ! read more