Dohertys East Ave Cafe

Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub

BA OVERALL
A
outstanding
w/ 21 Reviews BeerFly Stats:
rAvg: 4.48
High: A+ / 5
Low: B+ / 3.9
pDev: 6.47%
$$ – reasonable

Taps: 48
Bottles: 69
Cask: Y
Beer-to-go: N
[ Beer Bar ]

342 East Ave
Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 02860
United States
phone: (401) 725-9520

Website Map

Notes: None, yet.
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Reviews
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AndyAvalanche ( Massachusetts )

A+ / 4.6
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 – $
rDev: +2.6%

My wife and I went for an early lunch and had ourselves a wonderful time. You walk in and it’s a dim vintage looking pub. It was a Sunday early afternoon and it wasn’t football season so there wasn’t much of a crowd. There are a few flatscreen TV’s all around the bar and then there’s a restaurant part you can sit with a family if you’d prefer. We ended up sitting at the bar because we wanted to see the taps and there were only a couple of people sitting there. They had 48 draft lines, a cask, and probably over 100 other options for beer by bottle. Good stuff on both ends from all different craft breweries from all over the US and several imports as well. The breweries included (but not limited to) Sam Adams, Harpoon, Stone, Rogue, Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, Avery, Smuttynose, Kona, Magic Hat, Hogaarden, Leffe, North Coast, Southern Tier, Clipper City, New England Brewery, Trappist and the list goes on and on. A very good selection. Everything seemed to be very appropriately taken care of, clean draft lines, everything in bottles appropriately fresh. The Bartender told us that the manager was a big beer fan and some of the brews he buys in bulk and ages appropriately for better tasting beer. The Service was very good. It wasn’t busy but the bartender was very personable and she was very knowledgable about the beer as well. She was also very nice, called us both pet names like “sweety” and “honey” made us feel very welcome and comfortable. The food was pretty good. We each got a bowl of clam chowder, which was ok, I actually expected a little bit more from it, but it was decent. She got a burger and fries that she really enjoyed, I ended up getting the shepards pie meal and it was phenomenal, tasted home-made from scratch. We also split a flight with 4 samples to get us warmed up. I ended up getting Stones13th Anniversary, my wife got a Southern Tier Mokah, then I got an Imperial Stout Trooper Stout. It was only about a 40 minute drive for us, so we both decided we want to go back.

Reviewed on: 08-10-2009 02:58:38

basilcrow ( North Providence, Rhode Island )

A / 4.5
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 – $$
rDev: +0.4%

Doherty’s East Ave is my favorite bar in northern Rhode Island. There is a wide selection of draft and bottled beers. You can sample several beers by getting a flight of four or six, but I usually just order from the draft menu. The menu is organized clearly by genre and is updated frequently.

The staff members at Doherty’s are generally knowledgeable and helpful. In particular, Matt (“The Emperor of Beer”) possesses a passion for craft beer and is always willing to answer questions and make recommendations. The staff members at Doherty’s care about their customers and make an effort to remember faces and names.

The atmosphere at Doherty’s is relaxed and casual. This is a great place to hang out with friends at night. The food is decent, as well. Go on Monday nights for 25¢ wings and Tuesday nights for 2 for $12 Burgers. The buffalo fries are also worth a try.

All in all, I’ve had many great experiences at Doherty’s and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Reviewed on: 07-24-2009 05:09:24

BeTheBall ( Raynham, Massachusetts )

A- / 4.15
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 – $$$
rDev: -8%

Went yesterday (Saturday) at about 6:00 after a fun round of golf & rain. Driving through the neighborhoods from exit 26 had my friend worried, as this was our first visit. When we found it, we looked at each other; the paint is peeling, the screen on the side door to the kitchen is broken off, there was a sketchy man sitting on the stoop out front, but we parked and gathered our courage. Opening the door and looking in instantly made me happy. A lovely wodden l-shaped bar with taps all over the place, a large coller full of bottles, and much liquor.
The bar itself was kind of quiet, more people were in the next room at dining tables, but overall the place was not busy by any stretch. The bartender gave us good prompt service. The beer menu has maybe 40 drafts on one side and just as many bottles on the other side. Overall a very good selection containing numerous IPA’s APA’s, Hefe’s, a couple of stouts (Stone RIS!), 2 Barleywines, and some misc. other ales.
I started w/ a 10 oz. Maharaja ($8). Ended with a 4 beer flight (you can also order a 6 beer flight) with Delirium Tremens, Loose Cannon on cask, Harpoon Helles Blond Bock and SN Brown Saison. Great stuff. We also had an order of Buffalo Wings, which were very good. Hot enough that you knew it, but not over done. Just right.
My only concern is the pricing. I think for that area the prices are high.
$13 for a bottle of Rochefort 10? $8 for 10 oz. of Maharaja? These are higher than TPH, my frame of reference for any good beer bar, and this is Pawtucket! Nachos on their menu were $10.99, maybe the highest I’ve ever seen.
Despite the prices, the selection was really nice, so I’m sure I’ll visit again. A breath of fresh air in an area that has too few good places to enjoy beer.

Reviewed on: 07-04-2009 11:03:19

GJ40 ( Apex, North Carolina )

A- / 4.25
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 – $$
rDev: -5.4%

I’ve been to East Ave for the great beer selection several times now. The atmosphere is just what I like… a comfortable, relaxing pub environment. It’s on the dark side with lots of bar space, quite a few tables and a mix of beer and sports paraphernalia. My last visit was on a Monday night. They do 25 cent wings and the place was packed.

They keep quite a few on tap (maybe 30+), one on cask and many more in the bottle. The numbers were pretty impressive while I’d previously felt the draft selections lacked a little, they seem to be doing better now. There are quite a few New England beers (Smuttynose, Wachusett) along with some great American breweries (Stone, Sierra Nevada, DFH, Brooklyn) and a fair number of Belgians (Chimay, Leffe, Delerium). If you don’t find something on draft, they’ve got many more in the bottle.

The servers are very patient and attentive and the food is very good. The steak tips are a bit of a house special and won’t disappoint. The chicken sandwich was fantastic as well.

Doherty’s is about as good a beer bar as you’ll find in RI.

Reviewed on: 06-30-2009 10:25:45

bbeerman ( Dighton, Massachusetts )

A / 4.45
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 – $$
rDev: -0.7%

Made my first visit to Doherty’s East Ave Pub yesterday to watch the UEFA Champions League final (Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United).

A..Atmosphere is nice and cozy. Several little nooks hide tables of various sizes, so even though it is a somewhat small establishment, it feels bigger because it is sectioned well. Feels kind of old in a comforting way, but not ancient.

Q..The beer quality was just above average. To be fair, I only had a four-paddle sampler (samplers come in four or six-paddle options) and a short glass of Smuttynose Maibock. The samplers were decent and fresh but I felt the Smuttynose was a bit flat.

S..The bartender was our waitress at the bar and she was excellent. Patient during our drink selection; made sure a couple of televisions were turned to the correct channel for the game; polite; asked about our next “flavor” appropriately and was not pushy.

S..Beer selection is what Doherty’s is apparently known for and it did not disappoint. About 40+/- on tap and nearly another 120 bottled. Very diverse selection: this pub has a beer for you regardless of your tastes.

F..The food was good. Large portions on the app’s (chicken fingers w/ honey mustard) and sandwiches (BBQ chicken sandwich w/ bacon & cheese), above average quality. Certainly better than most (if not all) chain restaurants’ similar items.

V..I said reasonable. Prices can seem a bit high, but you get what you pay for here. Yes, some of the bottles and drafts can run your bill up ($7.50 for my short brandy snifter of 8oz Maibock), but you’re not drinking Coors Light or Sam Adams here (unless by choice). Food was a little higher priced than some places, but again, the quality is a bit higher too. Just because a place is a little pricey does not mean it is not well worth the time and money…and Doherty’s pub is worth both in my opinion.

Reviewed on: 05-28-2009 11:40:54

DTavares ( Rumford, Rhode Island )

A / 4.5
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 – $$
rDev: +0.4%

I went to Doherty’s for the first time last night with a few friends and I was pleasantly surprised. They have decent selection on tap (20-30 beers) but I was really impressed with the selection of bottles (Victory, Stone, Dogfish Head, Rogue…) all of my favorites.

It was pretty busy for a Tuesday night but that could have been due to the fact that the Sox were playing to clinch a playoff berth. They have plenty of TV’s including a projector and the Sox game was playing on all of them (definitely a bonus)!

I did not eat but my friends said the food was pretty good. They tried the burgers and the chicken sandwich.

If you’re looking to drink some quality beer, hang out with a few Sox fans, and have a good time Doherty’s is a decent option. I will definitely be back!

Reviewed on: 09-24-2008 19:15:23

RunawayJim ( Providence, Rhode Island )

A+ / 4.8
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 – $$
rDev: +6.7%

All I have to say is “WOW!” My wife and I decided to try something new for dinner last night. We headed to the Bucket to try Doherty’s. Upon arrival, it looked just like any old dive bar, serving nothing but BMC. The interior was filled with a bunch of locals watching various games on the many televisions around the bar and even the table area. We picked a table and began to read the beer menu. I didn’t count the number of taps, but it looks something like 30-40 and it was pretty much all craft beer with a few larger imports. The back had their bottle list which had to be over 100 beers, including some imports, some 750′s and bombers. I ordered a Rogue Imperial IPA and the wife got Magic Hat’s Odd Notion (the summer sour grapefruit ale). The beer was served in proper glassware and we were given their food menu. They had all sorts of interesting items from regular pub fare to some interesting pasta dishes. We both got pasta, I got the Rasta Pasta based on what I read in one of the reviews here and she got the Pasta Jordan. The waitress even brought us out some corn muffins while we waited for the food. The portions were huge and the quality was excellent.

If you haven’t been, you need to try it. The beer selection and the food are out of this world.

Reviewed on: 07-27-2008 15:16:05

Will46andbrew ( Warwick, Rhode Island )

A+ / 4.9
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 – $$
rDev: +8.6%

Went to Doherty’s East Ave Cafe for the first time last night with my wife and friends and I can tell you that it won’t be the last.

The selection is excellent and the prices are good. There are many American Craft Brews on hand along with several excellent Imports. The beer manager Matt is bringing in a great selection always bringing in new beers as they become available to him. He is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to chat beer with.

The food was very good as well, we had the Steamers, Fish & Chips and Southwest Pasta.

Definitely worth the trip and if you’re in the Providence area, it’s a must!

Reviewed on: 05-04-2008 20:17:11

sp115 ( Rhode Island )

A- / 4.25
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 – $$
rDev: -5.4%

A year ago I walked in and swore I never set foot in the place again. The case selection was expansive, but mainstream and week.

A nasty review follwed. Matt (the bar manager) who apparently was born with an olive branch in hand, sent an email – come on in, let’s talk, things are changing, don’t worry.

HA! Is there no end to the lies!

Last week I was drinking Arrogant Bastard on Tap, follwed by three knock-out Belgians (all served in proper glassware).

So here I am, foot in mouth, tipping my hat to Matt. He said all along be patient, he had to bring people along slowly. I just didn’t think he would/could do it.

I couldn’t be happier to be wrong.

Read the comments below, the accolades are well deserved…

Reviewed on: 04-30-2008 17:18:48

Gunnz ( Warwick, Rhode Island )

A+ / 4.85
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 – $$
rDev: +7.6%

I have to say that when I first drove up to Doherty’s that it did not quite look like I had expected from what a friend of mine had said. But when I went in I was pleasantly surprised. Walking in the front door, it looks a little on the small side as you face the bar. if you go in a little further you will see that there are a few tables on the other side of the wall that guides you into the building. Also as you walk more into the building you find that they also have a small dining room where there is a very large projector with screen which at the time was playing the Red Sox game.

Right away I looked at the place mat which had the list of all of the beers that they currently had on tap, roughly 40 or so. On the under side of the mat was an even larger menu of beers served by the bottle, roughly 120 more. The waitress explained the “flight” which was either 6 – 5oz samples of beers ($9), or 4 – 5oz samples ($6) from which you could pick from any of the beers on tap excluding any written in italics, which in this case was only one. If the idea of going through the 40 or so beers and only picking 4 or 6 is intimidating the owner, John Doherty, had put together a list 8 pre-made flight lists that he thought would pair nicely together. The beers that I tried in my flight included Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, Blue Moon white Ale, Hoegaarden, Leffe Brown Ale, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, and Magner’s Cider. I really enjoyed the flavor of both the sunset wheat and Blue Moon, however my taste tends to lean towards the Witbeir anyway. As far as the white ales went that I tried the Hoegaarden was not as full bodied as the others and had a little watered down taste when compared to the other two. Leffe Brown was not among my favorites however when paired with my meal te flavors were complimented beautifully. Dogfish Head being one of my favorite Breweries I had to try their 60 Minute IPA, as far as IPA’s go it was much like most of the others I have had in the past, however I must admit an IPA is one of my person least favorite styles of beer. Finally the Magner’s Cider was very mild and was much like a mildly carbonated apple juice with a small kcik of alcohol, but still very enjoyable.

As far as the food went their menu included a great variety from BBQ to Italian Chicken Parm to Jamacian Jerk Chicken and more. I enjoyed a great Jerk chicken on liguine with a rich chipotle cream sauce called “Rasta Pasta.” It was a very gernerous portion for 12.99 and was amazing. As stated the Leffe Brown ale paired beautifully with this dish. They had suggested the Left Hand Juju Ginger beer as a pairing, however I felt that the brown ale complimented the dish much nicer.

Overall I completely enjoyed my trip to this place and would not only go again but would most definitely advise everyone I know to try it out.

Reviewed on: 04-28-2008 04:49:42