Donnybrook

Donnybrook was a fun place for a nightcap, but it definitely wasn't my favorite bar that I went to while in NYC. It didn't feel like it had that much personality or a unique identity, and nothing about it really stuck out. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing bad about it, there just wasn't anything particularly notable. I would recommend as a place to wrap up your night however.

This bar has a cozy feel, great music, and a laid-back atmosphere. It’s wasn’t crowded, which makes it an easy place to relax and enjoy your time.

Love this place! Very much a local Irish joint. Nice loud music and great service with a smile. Reasonably priced, young, fun-loving crowd. Visit if you're in the area. Open till the early hours of the morning at the weekends from what i understand.

This is a solid local (and very spacious) pub with outdoor seating. I came here for a quick drink before dinner and was attended to quickly. Great service! There are also TV screens here so I'm sure they show various sporting events. Pro-tip: As of this review they don't accept tap pay so have your physical card handy (or cash!)

Great drinks, cool vibe, and super friendly staff, the perfect spot to relax or kick off the night.

Love this place and their picnic tables. The drinks here are priced fairly. Happy hour is between 12-8pm, which is always good. They have snacks from cheese and cured meats, hummus, nuts and etc. Staffs are friendly and nice and the atmosphere feels lively and comfortable. Overall will come back soon with my Co workers.

Stopped in for happy hour before trivia night. Great happy hour, it was half off all beers. The vibe inside was quiet but place is nice.

Nicely sized Irish pub style bar in the LES. This is the place to meet up with a big group. And it’s even better during Christmas!

Not great. Big "Mojo Dojo Casa House" vibes and that's the nicest way I can put it. If you're just a man looking for a reasonably priced beer - this place is for you!! If you're someone looking for a cute little delicious cocktail - look elsewhere. Service wasn't great, the music was even worse, and the bartender seemed to have favorites so it was a constant battle to get her attention. Wouldn't come back.

Decent. I had a coupon for a buy one get one drink that they didnt let me use even though it was not expired. Drinks were ok. Server was rude. I would come back if the weather was nice.

This is the best bar in the lower east side. It's located on a quite corner on Clinton street away from the loud and rowdy crowd west of Essex street known as "hell's square". The dim lighting helps create a more relaxed and casual vibe in an upscale setting. The backlit bar highlights the variety of liquor bottles on display. I noticed they had a bottle of Knob Creek bourbon which I had been willing to try. I ordered one on the rocks and it enjoyed it very much. As I scanned their inventory I also saw a variety of Vodka liqueurs. My next order was a Cosmo made with Absolut Citron, lime, and cranberry. The bartender did a great job preparing the drink because because it wasn't too sweet unlike others I've drank before. It was perfectly balanced and delicious. I definitely look forward to coming back.

Perhaps the weakest "top shelf"spirits / cocktails south of Houston - with the added disappointment of being overpriced. Lauren however is wonderful. Avoid. Do not recommend.

I find this bar very charming. It's quaint and low-key, perfect to sit with a book and enjoy a drink near the window or to being a small group of friends at one of their large tables for some conversation. The drinks are moderately priced and they have a decent selection, which is nice. The service is always great, everyone is super friendly and fast. It's one of the better bars in the neighborhood in my opinion. I would definitely come back. 4.8/5

*****DO NOT COME HERE**** My friends and I were ROBBED on Friday night at 2 am, and DB is definitely in on it. We called the next morning because we didn't have our cards, thinking we left them here, and the bartender admitted to knowing that stolen cards is a re-occurring issue and have had complaints about this before. She called it the new "PRANK" of the neighborhood... We did not get ID' walking in, which is usually never an issue, but given how small the bar was and how little of time we were there for, it was easy for them to target us.

We weren't allowed in, for absolutely no reason. Even though we have been to this bar before and spent thousands of dollars supporting the business!

Great hot cocktails for the winter time! We had a spiked hot chocolate, rich and strong. Warm heaters at each table. The waiter was very friendly, this is my friends favorite neighborhood spot, I'm so glad I got to visit it with her!

This bar is incredible if you're looking to have a chill night out with your friends. The bartenders are so incredibly nice and so inviting. Shoutout to Dillon, Lauren, Maria and Vinnie! My friends and I come here at least 2x per week - for good reason!!! JAGER BOMB BOYS

They didn't honor my yelp offer. If you have a yelp offer that is active, you must honor. Sign of a horrible business that lacks integrity. My group will never return

Quiet local bar in lower east side with great selection of bourbon. I came in here with few colleagues on a monday night for a nightcap after dinner and ended up staying for few rounds. The place was half full with a local crowd. It wasn't too noisy which is great if you are coming in with a group and want to have a conversation. Drinks were not too pricey and the bartender was very friendly.

We did our best to be friendly, but our server was horrid. Loved this place before COVID, will never come back.

It's Friday, it's been a long ass week, I know you didn't ask but I'm telling you anyway, and I need a pint. Luckily this place is a bar and in a bar they have beer. Sweet sweet beer. So, I order a whiskey. I said it's been a long week. Bar staff, on point. Whiskey....meh. Guinness, not too bad. Ambience, friendly, social and not crowded. So you chaps get 4 from me.

One of the best watering holes in the city. Maria and the rest of the staff are friendly and professional. Nothing better than nice hot toddy on a cold winters day with good ol' frank (sinatra) being heard between the laughter and joy of your closest friends.

Great energy! Amazing beers on draft and lots of outdoor seating options. Pigs in a blanket are just the comfort bar food you need!

Low key neighborhood bar on Clinton Street with huge barnwood tables and a marble-topped bar. Friendly bartenders, reasonable prices and happy hour till 8pm We just had a couple of drinks and an appetizer (hummus) this time but I am definitely coming back. Planning to have my next group happy hour here as it seems perfect for large groups

Donnybrook is the ideal LES neighborhood bar! The staff is friendly, and the drinks are reasonably priced. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.

There are a lot of bars full of complete douchebags that are very hard to get into and enjoy yourself. Donnybrook isn't one of those bars. It's a bit of an "Anywhere, USA" kind of bar. But sometimes, there's nothing wrong with a familiar feeling place when you want a simple Guinness and a conversation with a friend that doesn't necessitate frisking from a bouncer. Easy, friendly staff, a full bar - it simple combo for a good time.

Donny is the best! They've gone above and beyond to make everyone feel safe and follow the rules while smiling and creating a fun and inviting atmosphere. Maria is the best bartender in NYC, her smile is so gorgeous and inviting and she makes a kick ass cocktail. Can't wait to come back!!!

Donnybrooks is always amazing!!! They are SO CLEAN and they always make sure my drink is full. I love it because you can order food in from anywhere in the LES - supporting 2 businesses at once!!! Thank you Donny's!!!

On the wall outside this bar, the following is written: "Home to lively debate, and raucous revelry." I take issue with this. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't; but you can't claim things like that. It seems desperate. However, I suppose this is hypocritical coming from a guy with a sign above his bed that reads: "Home to erotic delights and orgasmic pleasure." But inscriptions aside, I like this bar well enough. The staff is always polite, and It's a good spot to drink during the day. And I find the space just as appealing late night, if not more so. I just don't really enjoy it during the height of business...but I'm old now, and I don't like being crowded. I must admit that it's not my favorite spot in the LES. But that's mostly because I prefer either dirt cheap drinks or great cocktails, and it falls somewhere in between.

We happened to be walking by this bar the other night. There was a dog outside in the 90 degree heat panting. There was a couple there with the dog and since we had water, we asked if they needed help. They said it wasnt their dog, but they were worried. I went to the bouncer and he said it was the OWNERS dog. I asked to speak with him. I went over to tell him his dog was not well and he scoffed at me. He FINALLY came out after I convinced him. He proceeded to tell me the dog was fine (it was not). He was rude. I'm sure he was embarrased by the fact that he almost let his dog die in front of his bar, but he treated all of us like assholes. We were just trying to be nice and help. The bouncer was the one who told me it was the owners dog. He was in charge of something there, I suppose.

I found Donnybrook to be a no frills place with good service and where it's easy to have a fun time. It's a good spot to watch a game, dance your heart out, or simply have a drink with friends. Their cocktails get the job done and their beer list wasn't bad. The crowd seemed to overall be pretty chill too.

Bartenders are the best, there's always a place to sit, and pricing is reasonable. Love this bar!

The servers here are NOT nice! They take forever to get to you and then when they finally do decide to take your order that have the worst attitude. I'm not sure what the deal is but, these same two women are the main reason why I tell people not to come. They yelled at my friends and overall I don't ever feel comfortable coming back.

After a night out at a few places I realized I had lost my wallet. When I opened up Instagram the next day I was incredibly happy to see they had looked me up and messaged me that my wallet was there. I am unbelievable thankful that they went above and beyond to reach out to me. This place is a welcome reprieve from much of the rest of the LES. It has a classic interior that is dark, warm, and inviting and the bartenders are friendly and unpretentious. It's great place to go with friends and enjoy each other's company.

Stopped by for lunch/brunch on a Saturday. Busy but not crowded. I had a seat at the bar. Their Shepherd's Pie is pretty good - not the best in NYC but a good choice. Beer selection on tap looked good - I was too far from the taps to make a detailed list. Just a couple of blocks north of Delancey near to the Williamsburg Bridge. Way out of the way but I will find an occasion to go back.

I held a 25 person company happy hour here last week and it was absolutely perfect. The space was comfortable and accommodated my group nicely, and the in house caterer, Lisa, was exceptional and truly can work wonders with a shoe string budget. Lisa kept consolidating the platters so it appeared more presentable, and after the initial rush moved the food trays to our table to folks could pick at it throughout the remainder of the night. It is small gestures like that that made me realize how attune she and the rest of the staff were to our group. I highly recommend Donnybrook for small corporate events or gatherings like a birthday. The drinks and food are also amazing.

One of the pits of the LES that attracts loud and rude crowds. The bar itself isn't bad but don't count on a cold drink every time or fizz in your soda.

I'm not sure why this place is always packed. I definitely won't be coming here again. I came here after work and the only thing they had on the menu was hotdogs not to mention they "ran out" of wine glasses. Their tables are not wiped down. It was just gross.

Without a question the best pub in the city and the bartenders are absolutely the best around. Definitely a must go if you're in LES

Came here for my 21st bday and the bartender was terrific! Great environment and delicious drinks. Can't wait to come back on our next trip to New York!

This has been my go-to bar in LES for a while now. Unlike many other bars in the area, it has a relaxed vibe and doesn't have scores of drunk college kids causing a scene. Friday and Saturday nights fill up a bit more, but always a great time. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive (shout outs to Kayla, Maria, Vinny, Noah, and Andrew!). I've also had multiple private events here, which have all been great. When it comes to a fun, neighborhood bar, DB is as good as it gets.

Skip this bar. Better service elsewhere We got one drink and never saw our server ever again. The worst service. I first thought It was do to the full bar was attended by only two servers. But I walked up to the bar and they were just chatting with a friend. I sat here for an hour and could only squeeze out 2 drinks. A friend I was with flagged down a server and asked for a beer. The server/bartender told him he would come back after he served another table and never returned.

Love the bartenders here and I have to give a mention to my new favorite, Veronica! Such a sweetheart and hard worker!

Dropped in 'fresh' (am sure we were anything but!) off the plane from Denmark to keep ourselves awake. Met by a super friendly bar tender who made our first few hours in NYC brilliant. Great beers, good conversations, seemed like a great place to start our trip. Hope to pop back before we leave. Magne tak

Service was horrendous. Waited 2 and a half hours for 2 beers and some cosmos. Still haven't gotten my food yet. If you love horrible service and free shots then come here.

Went there on a Friday afternoon @ 4:pm. Waited at the bar to order a drink, the bartender stood there washing glasses while stood there. We walked out . Don't waste your time, worst service.

This was the first bar we decided to stop by when we visited when visiting New York. The bartender, I believe his name is Ian, was super friendly and even went as far as giving us an entire list of places to see and a bars to check out while we were there. Drinks were great. Definitely an overall great experience. Would recommend to all our traveling friends.

Best bar in the city! The Donnybrook staff always offers service with a smile- especially Maria and Lauren! I was glad to see that they are strictly following the covid regulations which made our outing safe. Keep it up donny!

Best Guinness in nyc. I've had the real stuff in Dublin and this is not far off! A really friendly staff too!

This place is good to catch up with friends (but only weekdays). Nice seating options with large wide tables. The music is insanely loud on Friday nights. Ended up here a couple of times on Friday nights with friends/coworkers. Everyone agreed it was too loud. At one point my friends and I had to move the conversations downstairs by the bathrooms so we could hear each other.

Was here on a Friday night. Attentive bartender. However, the music was way too loud and the men to women ratio was skewed in the wrong direction. Probably won't go back.

As a Clinton street resident, I greeted the arrival of a nice-looking corner bar with cautious optimism. So often in the LES, moreso than anywhere else, expectations and reality diverge. Prior to Donnybrook's arrival, the corner of Stanton and Clinton was occupied by a ratty, mixed-use bar/sandwich spot/cybercafe known as Lotus. It was assuredly grimy, but with that treasure of grime came a dearth of pretentiousness and, invariably, the neighborhood's fondness. Enter Donnybrook. I was skeptical from the start, as the place looked too manicured for its own good. Hipster havens across the hood know that too much polish can work against you. The crowd also, at least from outside, seemed to be mostly folks from elsewhere in the city, trekking here because they read about it on a blog (or Yelp) and wanted to try some new LES joint. No matter. When Donnybrook plastered fliers all over the neighborhood advertising a Clinton Street-themed Happy Hour to meet, and enjoy drinks with neighbors (none of which I know - seriously, where are you hiding guys?), I called up my sis and said let's check it out. So we get there, the vibe is relaxed, the music is low, but not inaudible. There wasn't much of a crowd, but the folks there match the venue. I had to remark to my sister that the place felt less like an actual bar than a TV show's set for a bar. It's an odd feeling, but I go with it. I ask about the Happy Hour specials, bartender says they're still going, and I and my sis order a round. Nothing crazy, two basic cocktails. The bartender serves them, and asks for $28. Excuse me? Broheem, what about happy hour? These drinks aren't covered. Perhaps he could've said that *before* he made the drinks? I wanted to ask him, "Homey, we're in a recession, and you're going to charge me $30 for two cocktails?" but I sucked it up, paid, tipped, and sat down to enjoy my $14, South of Houston cocktail. Strike 1 against Donnybrook. So we sit at one of the three or so tables there. The tables are arranged in an uninviting way, so it's difficult to get a seat anywhere other than the bar. But we do. As I'm drinking, I notice that they have several busboy-types who are constantly walking around briskly, adjusting candles and picking up glasses. Great. But about halfway through my drink, a busboy magically appears at my side, and takes the still half-unconsumed drink off the table from in front of me! I was too disinclined to make a stink about it, so I just let him take it and scram. Sigh. Strike 2 against Donnybrook. There's a Knicks game on, and some people are freaking out (I used to be a Knicks fanatic, but short of a 30-year-old time-traveling Michael Jordan descending from the heavens in a Knicks jersey, nothing can get me insanely riled up about the team now). They're loud, and the whole bar seems kind of muted in contrast. They get louder, rowdy, and the place's vibe suddenly changes to "sports bar." Strike 3 against Donnybrook. The place doesn't know what it wants to be: sports bar, hip bar, neighborhood bar. It tries to be everything, and succeeds at being nothing but the place on the corner of Stanton & Clinton where you'll pay $15 for a gin & tonic which will be taken off your table before you're finished while overzealous sports fans flip out over inconsequential games. I won't be back. Yelper James M. said it best: "an experience in banality like no other."

Do not drink here. Place had potential until some random guy that worked there yelled at my girlfriend who was going wrong way for bathroom... crazy rude and loud while he sat at bar drinking Budweiser. Any establishment that allows this behavior is not for us... Respect your paying customers. Bartender great though otherwise...

Great place to hang out and watch games even with covid restrictions. Their outdoor set-up was great for our group (celebrated a friend's birthday on 1/9). Was a cold day, but space heaters helped. NFL playoffs were visible on multiple outdoor TVs. Service was really quick, friendly and accommodating for our group.

Stately and romantic, with a beautiful wood bar, aglow with candles- Donnybrook is a destination. The bartenders are super friendly and offer a great selection of beer, wine- plus a talented cocktail expertise. The whiskey smash, omg, made me so very happy. It's a delicious rendition of a mojito- but with whiskey. woo! AND: They just started serving food! Their Shepherds Pie is the best I've ever had.. Savory, rich lamb covered with these amazing mashed potatoes that were seriously better than my Grandma's. It was broiled on top to perfection, creating a buttery shell. The fish pie, a recipe from the owner's mother, was mentioned - and I will definitely be trying this on my next visit. I'm a whore for crab cakes- and these were delicious.. full of crabby meat (and not just breading with some crab), accompanied with a light salad. Perfect touch. French fries (crisp! tender! fresh!) are served with a curry sauce, making me reminiscent of my last trip to Ireland. They already had me at the word "bar"-- but this menu adds a great touch to this already well established neighborhood pub.. or, correction, now "gastropub."

Came in here and thought it was a lovely place with good music. Bought 2 cocktails and 4 shots (for three people); tipped $2 per drink as i have done at every single bar I've ever stepped in in 9 years of living in NYC....at this place I was told I couldn't get a second drink because I didn't tip enough on the previous purchase (I tipped $2 per drink). So let me get this straight: a bartender POURED LIQUID from a bottle into a glass, and they expected the same tip as a waiter who is tending to me for 2 hours and serving me multiple dishes/drinks in one sitting? Please take a fucking seat.

I was in the need for a much needed romp with Rose Y. and Jen N. We finally settled on Labor Day weekend, I believe on the Monday of the actual Day of Labor. While this place wasn't our first choice, the wait was over an hour at the initial place Rose chose. Jen took charge of our motley crew, promised we'd bump into a good place, and this is how we happened upon Donnybrook. And oh man, it was pretty much the best EVER. First off, our waiter reminded me of the cute younger brother of a sexy celebrity I now forget. Maybe Cillian Murphy? He might have had a slight accent, but he didn't take much. Maybe that's how I like 'em? Anyway, super attentive without being overly annoying (as if he could, with THAT smile) and delivered us surprisingly delicious food. It's worth noting that he did fuck up Jen's order though, when she asked for no mayo or something like that. It had whatever she asked for on it, probably 'cause they used the same knife :-/ I got something... french toast something or other? Probably? I don't remember, because I was eating edible heaven. Rose was happy with hers (a salad? Maybe?), and Jen was okay despite the mayo/possible mustard snafoo. It was also SUPER AFFORDABLE and drinks are included in the brunch price which hey, is now something I actively look for in places (it just makes it easier to price it ahead of time). I not only recommend this place, I'll probably be bringing a cadre of gay brunchers back here at some point. No free wireless and no AC in the summer, so plan accordingly. Still gets my top rating irregardless.