This was a nice bar... the bartender Sean (spelling?) was friendly and made good drinks. He was also accommodating when I requested the Rangers game to be put on instead of the Olympics. I didn't have any food, but the wings my table ordered looked good, so did the burgers. Everyone cleaned their plates, but I can't judge the food. The bathrooms (mens & womens, I saw both since I couldn't wait for the womens room to open up lol) were clean. It was a single bathroom, no stalls, one person at a time. Cleanest womens room I've ever seen in a bar, but I think my friend and I were the only two females in the entire bar on a Thursday night. Good service & good drinks. I'd come back to watch a game here. read more

Such a nice and cute spot. They have a very spacious outdoor seating area. The staff were all so friendly and kept distance when taking orders. The food was really good. Had the fried mac and cheese balls as an appetizer. Fabulous! For the main dish I had the Awesome Chicken Sandwich BBQ style with french fries. It was indeed awesome! Huge piece of grilled chicken and big ole pile of french fries!! If/when I go back to CT would definitely go back! read more

I don't know why are not giving this place full stars when they say they love the food and service?!? The wings are A W E S O M E!! 8 on the happy hour menu is a great deal. And 8 is the perfect amount. The sliders were very good too and the fries are very good too. This place is a perfect Irish bar. read more

Donovan's - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Overall a high performing sports bar that far exceeds your expectations. After all, nobody expects that good of food at a pub; but, the Italian panini certainly did not disappoint! It was better than paninis at many diners/other restaurants I've been too! Good sweet potato fries as well. However, the service reminds you of how old the place is. In other words, be prepared to wait a little even when they aren't crowded. Overall, I'd eat here again but wouldn't go out of my way. read more

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Absolutely love this place! I've been coming here for over 25 years and the food, drinks, and service has always been spot on. I highly recommend the clam chowder it is fantastic. read more

Perfect spot for a local pub! Always excellent service and ambiance. Food hits the spot. We always have a great time.

First thing,server seated us while she was on the phone then it took the 4 of us 15 minutes to get our drinks. Ordered our food, and only 1 order was correct. Server screwed everything up and added gratuity to my check(which gratuity is added on 5 or more people). Called the manager Shawn and never even apologized for service or stealing my tip. He wanted to check withe server before anything. So I was ripped off for the worst service ever read more

This is zero star review. The bartender opening stated calling Hispanics "spics" as I walked in with my family. I am equadorian and do not appreciate the racial slur. Funny enough(sarcasm). The employees are mostly Hispanic. I feel sorry for the lack of respect they must receive on a daily basis. I haven't heard this racial slur since the 70's. And it's still unacceptable in all generations. read more

It was a disappointing trip to Donovan's today. We waited over a half an hour for food. When we asked to have something replaced it took another half hour. We had to go up to the bar and ask for our own drinks. Tip was automatically added for a small table when it was barely earned. The reason for the three stars was that the food (once finally received) did taste good. We won't be returning. read more

Great Irish pub with ample comfortable seating, many TVs for sports, and excellent food. Staff is attentive and helpful. Also a quintessential spot for St Patty's! read more

Donovan's - Old wooden bar - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

So incredibly disappointed with the st Patty's day corned beef and cabbage dinner. $25 for literally bland potatoes and carrots and 3slices of corned beef which were mostly fat. I was looking forward to this meal all day. What a let down. read more

No nonsense, no pretense Irish pub. Exactly as advertised. Bonus is fish and chips with malt vinegar for my fries ( a requirement in Buffalo) read more

Donovan's - Malt vinegar is a must. - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

The food here was good once we finally got it. The blackened cod wasn't blackened but it was fresh and perfectly cooked. The Reuben was delicious. But we sat at our table while all the tables around us, including 4 seated at least 10-20 minutes after us, got their food. And to top it off I had to breathe someone's cigarette smoke sitting at the table next to us because they seem to allow smoking outside. Or maybe they don't but no one made him stop. Won't be back. read more

Dive bars often have a certain smell. The slightly musty aroma of stale beer, fried food and sweat that often guarantees cold beers and strong drinks. Donovan's has that smell, and while I'm not sure I would ever order food here, it's a fine place to cop a squat on a stool and while away the hours with your adult beverage of choice. I'm sure the tiny space gets packed in the evenings and on weekends, but on a lazy Sunday afternoon there were ample seating choices. And clean restrooms! read more

Love the bartenders here. They are as real as it gets. Bobby and Shawn are the best!!!

I've been coming here for years. I don't live near by but when in the area, I always stop in. This place has kept tradition. Can't say enough good things. It just makes me happy. Great service, food, and, well, vibes. It's a pub but more. Owners/staff make it a true hangout & gathering place with all the makings. I like that it's not, well, perfect! It's a bar! Have fun and definitely have the clam chowder, a must in my book. Fish & chips were great, and lobster rolls amazing but too much bun. Can't mess up on cheese burgers, yum. A great drop in for lunch coming in from Maritime Aquarium/Museum! Children friendly. Walking distance.... Oh great shops to walk off your meal. You'll find a gift for any occasion... read more

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Food and service great. Mahi-mahi sliders combined with best onion rings I ever have had,Malu's truly attentive staff. Thanks folks.

Best Octoberfest lunch I've had in year's. The chefs' Weiner Schnitzel with Spazle was out of the world. Make sure you get down there before they're no longer serving it. read more

Not my night. Ordered a cup of their famous chilli which comes with sour cream which is awesome and I ordered Donovans's burger - rare with Swiss cheese and white onions - not red. He asked me if I wanted them sautéed or raw. I specified raw white onions - not red. Well guess what? I got red onions, no sour cream and the burger was cooked medium. Oh well. read more

Very nice staff. Love the atmosphere, loud, fun, and energetic. Bathroom super clean and trendy. Food was ok. read more

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Been here 3 times in the last couple weeks and I'm a big fan. Food has been excellent, for pub fare. The coleslaw is top-notch and any of the sandwiches very strong. Good chowder. Outstanding bar service. read more

We enjoyed our family dinner outside. Nice view. Great food. Wonderful waiter and bus boys. Very polite! Will be back for the lobster rolls :) read more

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You know what.... I really liked the food here. I had the onion soup which was pretty traditional everything I was expecting. The turkey Ruben and fries was excellent. Loved it. It was stuffed- so much so that I actually regretted getting an appetizer! Recommend. An coming back! January 2018. read more

Donovan's - Guinness! Peter and DJ at Donovan's in Norwalk CT for some great pub grub! January 2018 - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

So glad to see Donovan's is making it through COVID. We order from here regularly and the food is always delicious - the side of pesto Mayo is our favorite...great on sandwiches and to dip fries into. Staff is also super friendly. read more

Great place to have a couple of drinks and watch a game food is great and service is good happy hour specials are good fun place to hangout

Nice little pub in a good location. I came by for a Saturday afternoon lunch, I dined inside, but there is a nice little patio section outside the restaurant to enjoy a beautiful day. I had a burger and a beer which were fine, friendly and attentive service. Dining here won't change your life, but they serve good food at a decent price, I would consider coming again if I'm back in the area read more

Walked in and bartender called my kids Spicks. So we left. All the employees looked Hispanic. What's wrong with this guy.

The bartender was a pompous jerk. I was on a business trip with a coworker, our company policy requires that we pay for our beer/wine and the company will get the food. To make things easier, we ask for separate checks. Usually people understand the reasoning behind this and are very understanding and willing. The bartender, Bobby, had to be asked 4 separate times to do this... every time we would try to explain this very simple request he would walk away before we were done talking, shaking his head and go help another customer... we finally got him to give us our checks and he charged me for an extra beer and got the bills completely wrong... when we addressed this he said "what do you want now?" I could go on and on about this but I will only say that there are many many other places near there, do yourself a favor and don't stop at this place. I travel alot and this was the worst service Ive ever had, bar none. For average food and average prices, it's worth looking somewhere else. There is nothing special about this place. Not to mention they were to be playing "quizzo" that night which is just a game of questions. When one of the teams asked why it hadn't started yet, the bartender said that they decided not to do it since there were not enough teams. They never made any announcement to the three teams that were there for no other reason than the game and had to be asked about it... this place needs to clean up its act a little. read more

Donovan's you owe me $47.00!! (Actually you owe my boyfriend $47) I have never been so disappointed with "Pub Food" ! Ok, so the story goes as follows.... Friday night my lover and I walk into Donovan's. Tables are packed with loud college kids watching sports, men after work and a few couples. After an hour ride on the train to CT from NYC, I head straight for the women's room by pushing my way through obnoxious yelling jocks who were blocking the walk ways. I get back to my table & we order the pear salad to share... (ICK). I barely touched my plate but my boyfriend being as hungry as he was didn't mind the blandness and finished it off. Our food arrives. I ordered Fish and Chips and he ordered a steak sandwich. AN IRISH PUB THAT HAS NO CLUE HOW TO MAKE FISH AND CHIPS REALLY?! Seriously.. Mcdonalds probably could have made me a better plate. It was AWFUL. Soggy breaded fish and chips that was so goey inside I would not be surprised if they used fake fish. It was frozen and reheated.. cold in the middle, the fries were better.. but not great. My boyfriend tried a piece of my fish, but it was so mushy it did not stick on his fork. We ended up sharing his Steak Sandwich.. it was pretty decent actually, but nothing to rave about. When it comes down to it.. DONOVAN'S is only good for BEER and fries and maybe chicken fingers. Otherwise... please keep walking if you want a decent lunch or dinner! Never going back! read more

Walked in to have a drink and a chowder and proceeded to get verbally abused by the old and cranky bartender. Older guy in the chair next to the one I was about to sit down in told me to tell the bartender to "fuck himself and take a seat." Not sure if I can ever go back there lol pretty sure the bartender was drunk and unruly ? Just in case anyone's wondering, it's 6:28 on a Sunday. read more

Fun place. A friend and I sailed from Northport, NY and walked around SoNo. The place was recommended by someone we met on the dock. It was sold to us as the oldest bar in all of Connecticut. Nice pub atmosphere. The food is better than the average pub food, but not outstanding. I had a shrimp po'boy sandwhich. It had a nice bite to the sauce - but it didn't change my life. I would go again - but am more likely to try some of the other places on Washington St (there are many). read more

This a a lovely place. It was on the list of reccommendated restaurants at our hotel. The Mac & Cheese balls were excellent and the burgers were cooked to perfection... the roll on the burger was a little tough so I couldn't eat it but I took it as a sign I needed less carbs this meal and had dessert instead...the apple crisp was worth it and the kids devoured the lava cake. Would definitely come here again if we pass this way again! read more

Oof.... talk about divey. The atmosphere is okay but that's about all they've got going for them. All the food is cooked in the same fryer so the fish, fries, and fried food all taste exactly the same. The booths could have definitely used a wipe down too. Overall pretty disappointing. Fried mac and cheese balls were the only thing that stood out, but come on - it's mac and cheese! Drinks were pretty watered down but the prices weren't terrible. Don't think I'll be coming back here. Went on a Wednesday night and service was great, but nothing else made it memorable or had me thinking I should come back. read more

Came at 11.30am on a saturday when they just open. The waitress was cold at first but turned out to be really nice. Didnt try the drinks but their fish and chips was fresh and great! Great sweet potatoe fries too! read more

Donovan's - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

We had a very nice late night bar dinner here. Outside on a warm night, not the best corner, but roomy and breezy! We had steamers (20 and delicious with broth and butter; I asked for a piece of bread to sop up the broth, and they toasted a bun, which was fine). The clam chowder is really great, creamy, not too thick, flavorful. We also split a burger, which was huge, medium rare, and included very crsip, skinny fries (very crunchy and hot). All in all a very nice dinner. Oh, and we had an Irish hard cider... good combination all the way around. read more

Walked in...looking to grab a small table for some drinks and it was apparently above and beyond what the "broads" at the door could muster. What the hell? They pointed to some random bar stools that we could yank over ourselves (through a narrow passage with some people in the mix) to sit at the bar because they wanted to keep their pub tables open for diners. Customers are customers. What does it matter if they want to eat and/or drink? Poor front-of-the-house service. One of the few times I walked in and walked right out of a restaurant. read more

I would never recommend, the bartender was belligerent and cursing at us to the point it was violent all because I was on my cell phone. When I finally realized why the bartender was yelling curse words to us, I apologized and explained that I have hearing loss which causes me to speak louder. He didn't care " I don't give a shit, get the fuck out of here asshole". A off duty police officer witnessed the entire event and to avoid a confrontation we decided to leave without pressing charges. To top it off, he wasn't masked the whole time I sat at the bar while I waited for someone to join me( abt 30mins ) read more

Excellent clam chowder, fast service. We also ordered the mac and cheese bites, which I wasn't a huge fan of. We left three of them b/c they just weren't great. The mac and cheese wasn't cheesy enough, but maybe it was just us. Definitely will return here. read more

Extremely good food. Old local pub that may not be welcoming to new comers. Dont let that turn you away! The food is fantastic...get the seafood or a burger. It's not dirty just old... great for friends & family read more

The food isn't as bad as the service. If I could remember the waitress we had I'd warn everyone to avoid her. She was only concerned with the bartender's attention and came over reluctantly when we stared at her. The food is OK but seems to be going downhill...maybe we went on an off day with a terrible server but we haven't been back since. read more