Donnelly’s Public House

I’ve been to Donnelly’s a couple of dozens times to have a beer. They have just about the best beer selection of anywhere else in Rochester.
Every couple of years I give the food another chance as I did last week, and it was totally mediocre. It’s almost as though they buy the cheapest food available. I had a crispy chicken sandwich which was made with chicken fingers that I’m pretty sure were breaded and frozen in a factory.
The service was top notch. Service and beer will keep me coming back but this will never be a food destination. It’s too bad because the menu items are all the right bar food that gets you drooling when you read it.

We’re not from the area, but our daughter goes to college in Rochester so we go back often. Each visit we seem to gravitate toward Donnelly’s. Great food, excellent beer selection and the atmosphere are the draw. Staff is always friendly and does a great job. I don’t think we’ve had a bad meal yet. We’ll be back!

My go-​to local hang out during the G.T. days of quarter drafts and huge mile high cheeseburgers. Moved back to Rochester to find its gotten bigger and better. Although the days of 25 cent drafts are long gone, we love the craft beer selection. Donnelly’s will not disappoint.

Today was our third or fourth visit and we’ve always been very happy with the food and service. This time was no exception. Stephanie was our waitress and was very polite, helpful, and friendly. The food was great like normal and their draft menu always has a good variety of craft beers, so I can usually find 4 that fit my taste for a flight without issue. I would definitely recommend it for the food or just a drink with friends, its warm and inviting inside and has a great atmosphere.

Great place to go and whether you are going to enjoy a great meal (great specials by the way) or to enjoy the atmosphere at the bar. Very friendly staff, the service is top notch and the food is great! Fairport is lucky to have a place like Donnelly’s Public House!

I have been to Donnelly’s many times and while I love the beer selection here I am not that impressed by the food. I have never had anything that would make me come back for. I am not saying the food is bad, its just nothing special. Staff is pleasant and its a good place to go for a beer.

Love this hometown pub! Great service and a cheerful hometown ambiance with good food!

Great restaurant with good food– perfect for my girls night— but it gets really wicked crowded with locals and no one seems to want to move out of your way. Also, they have this new «up to date» beer app thing they bring to the table, but ours was so small that my friend could not read it and it had sauce all over it from the last person. Kind of gross– but I guess it is a bar so what can you expect? Go here for a loud, local bar experience. And if you grew up here don’t expect not to run into at least 5 people you knew in HS who will want a life update whether you were friends or not. Do not go here if you want to actually hear what someone else is saying and are not accustomed to middle aged drunk people.

Love this place especially on Sunday during football season. Great selection of beers, terrific serve and good selection of food. I enjoy outside seating in warmer months.

I would give this restaurant 2.5 stars. The atmosphere is quite homely and a little awkward. The food is decent, but not great. I had a bison panini that was more like a bison burger on soggy bread. The fries and wedges are excellent though. The waitress was fairly nice, though very short with us. My hubby found several hairs on his plate — though he didn’t bother complaining about it. (He’s a trooper!). All-​in-​all, it’s an OK establishment, but nothing to write home about.

Best Pub food in the area! Always fresh, hot and delicious. You have to try the hit turkey sandwich

Went to dinner last night with a big group. We were all quite happy with our choices and the service. Our food came out exceptionally fast. I had the turkey Reuben and a flight of beers. The Reuben was excellent, and the flight was populated with great dark stouts and porters. Everyone seemed pleased with their choices.

Been coming here for years. It’s always consistent and it’s always packed. They are always accommodating and friendly and that is what makes this place great. No matter how busy or long of a wait, I will wait! Fast service and the food is great. Sherry the bartender is also my favorite.

Nice outdoor seating for a perfect summer day in Fairport, NY. In walking distance to the Canal for a stroll after dinner. We were there o. A Sunday evening around 6. We were seated outside as requested — but we had to wait a few minutes which wasn’t a problem at all. After reading through Unilocal reviews, we ordered a large order of chicken wings (18) split between Garlic BBQ and Bourbon BBQ, a Donnelly Wrap and a Burger Quesadilla. Wings were okay, but not very special. The wrap needed something more like a tastier sauce. And the Burger Quesadilla was actually pretty good. Good fries. Reasonable prices. Good service.

Everyone had an excellent meal except me. The cuban was PERFECT! I could tell from trying it their pulled pork has to be good. I ordered the Po Boy fish sandwich and I sadly can say mcdonalds fish sandwich is better. If you get that sandwich make sure the fish was just cooked. Mine was not and I didn’t bother sending it back.

Checked out Donnelly’s with my boyfriend during the dinner rush last Friday. Upon walking through the front door you can immediately tell: this place is a local favorite. There were SO many people, you could hardly move at first. We were about 8 people deep waiting for a table, so we gave our name to the hostess (who quoted us a 40 minute wait) and headed for the bar.
It was kind of hard to read the bar menu from where I was standing. The bartender noticed me doing my very best impression of a mole-​rat squinting at the menu, and promptly handed me a tablet! They have little tablets loaded up with info about all of their current beers and any other kind of alcohol they have there. HOW NEAT! Everyone should do this. I approve. They had a very nice selection of craft beers, AND they had Bulliet Bourbon, which I love, and I don’t see very often.
About 20 minutes in the hostess came to find us and let us know that all was not lost, and that she hadn’t forgotten about us. I love that kind of thing. I wish every restaurant I went to was that on top of their hospitality game.
We were seated about 10 minutes later and put an order in for wings and a fish fry to split. We did notice that even at our table, it was LOUD. We sort of had to lean in to hear each other talk. That’s one of the only downsides to this place that I think of.
Fish fry was great! Not too much breading on the fish, and not horrendously oily. Just the right amount. The tartar sauce was also flavorful and soooo good.
We ordered the bourbon BBQ wings and the garlic BBQ wings. The bourbon BBQ-​sauced ones had some heat to them that I didn’t expect, those weren’t my favorite. The garlic wings were fabulous. The actual chicken wings were nice and meaty, I feel like you really get a good bang for your buck with those.
Our waitress wasn’t as present as I’d have liked, but it was also probably their busiest time, so I think it’s excusable.
Can’t wait to try more things on the menu here, I have high hopes!

Always love this spot! Specials are great adds to their regular menu. Today’s Sunday meatball special not only smelled great, they tasted great. Though I picked the specials today, love their wings and burgers. The beer list is full of craft taps as well as a few steady regulars and a cider option. They’ll pour a few tastes to help you select if you need or if you tell them your beer tastes their keen bartenders can off a few suggestions.

We stopped at Donnelly’s while visiting my boyfriend’s parents in the Rochester area. As craft beer lovers, we were excited to give this place a try. Unfortunately, our experience was a bit of a bust.
The Beer– Donnelly’s has an outstanding beer selection. Take a peek at your choices on your server’s iPad, and dive in. If I could rate them on beers alone, it would be five stars.
The Service– This is where Donnelly’s loses three stars. Our server seemed more than slightly annoyed that my boyfriend asked to sample two brews before making a decision. (Hey, I work at a brewery, so I know that grabbing samples isn’t the most convenient process, but it’s your job.)
I ordered the «build your own turkey burger.» It looked delicious when it arrived, but I soon realized that the burger was pink and cold. Not wanting to take my chances, I sent it back. The server was responsive, and then– like a troll coming out from under a bridge– a manager appeared. She didn’t apologize, she simply looked at me and said, «Just so you KNOW, it wasn’t UNDERCOOKED, it just has ground ham in it.»
Why do you put ham in a turkey burger, and why doesn’t your menu mention that? Even if I wanted ham, I didn’t want cold food, nor do I want to deal with the Wicked Manager Witch of Fairport. I’ve never been treated so poorly in a restaurant before, and Donnelly’s owners and management should be ashamed of her behavior.
So, I passed on the option of trying another dish. (Who know what is ham-​free in this place.)
Will we go back the next time we are in the area? Doubtful. There are too many other places with far better management.

After our prior experience (in 2012) we had swore this place off as too loud and having had a really disappointing experience with the «Irish» food we tried, the Shepherd’s Pie and the boxties were not good (way, way below our expectations), but at least the waitress was good.
We were brought back as a group of friends ended up here for a gathering. On the positive side, they have pretty much redone their menu and it is more pub grill fare (than the previously Irish focused menu) and the do these better, much better. Salads and sandwiches and standard appetizers. Decent service, not great though.
The place still draws in a loud and boisterous selection of patrons which makes conversation without shouting difficult, even in the dining area slightly off from the bar. So if you are already deaf or just a loud person you’ll be fine.

Best specials in Rochester
Check their web cam special board on their web site
Their special dinners are great too