Donovan’s Irish Pub

Okay, so I love chicken wings. I first ordered «hot» wings here right when we moved to the area. They were great! I had been coming here for about a year and tried the hot flavored wings a few times again before giving up entirely. They were loaded with so much black pepper that they weren’t even enjoyable. They were hot but just black pepper hot. I just thought there was a new cook or the bucket of made-​ahead sauce had gotten to the bottom where all of the black pepper settled. Anyway, I decided to enjoy the chicken sandwich and the fish for a few months before attempting to order the wings again. Both, by the way, are delicious… Especially the side of steak fries. I like to dip mine in bleu cheese, ranch or mild wing sauce. Speaking of mild wing sauce… Turns out that’s what was served to me the very first time I ordered «hot» wings. I wish the server just told me so I didn’t keep chasing a dream. Anyway, now that I know, I never order anything else. 10 wings, all flats (because I can hold onto them) with bleu cheese. This place is conveniently located to my home and send to be open whenever I get in the wing mood… Except Monday evenings. There is a packed house for trivia and they close early after that.

We are here weekly. Nice local pub. Good food, drinks and friendly staff. Sara is one of their best waiters. Always personable and hard working. They should have more daily specials to keep the place interesting.

This place was amazing. The corned beef and cabbage was the best I have had in a very long time.

I got fish n chips, my boyfriend had the shepherds pie both of which were hot but not very good just over priced. I feel like this is more of a drinking establishment than a good lunch spot and they should probably lower their food prices for the quality they are putting out.

Over priced. Unfriendly bartenders except two Veronica and Sabrina. They need to step it up have specials, more happy hour items and friendlier staff before that plaza takes off. Gator dockside and Dicks is already giving them competition.

Excellent food and service. Kelsey was our server, can’t ask for a better server. Will definitely return and ask for her.

good guinness but isn’t all guinness good? had the corn beef and cabbage very good, potatoes were good but with a little too much rosemary. would visit again when in the area.

i love a reuben sandwich, however this sandwich leaves a lot to be desired. There was a very little amount of meat. The meat felt like shredded leftovers, the marble rye should give you hope, but this was lightly toasted, not grilled. There was such little sauerkraut, I couldn’t even taste it. I wouldn’t be so disappointed if I hadn’t paid close to $ 12.Sandwich, sprite and tip $ 18.96. Do yourself a favor and save your time and money: stay home.

Stopped for lunch. Not many people in there, but the service was still kind of slow. Food was really bland. It probably would’ve been better with beer but it’s not worth bothering with if you’re sober.

Meh. Took 40 minutes to get our food. For «Pub fare» it’s over priced. I ordered the cheese burger, as I wasn’t feeling adventurous, and it was terrible. As soon as I looked at it I could tell something was off. It was greasy and mushy, almost as if it were boiled not grilled. The server took it off the bill but after 40 minutes of waiting for the 1^st round I didn’t dare order anything else.
Perhaps had I ordered a traditional Irish food item I would have enjoyed it more. What I can say is, I’ve never enjoyed a burger less than this night.

Friday evening, my first time visiting this restaurant. Arrived just before 6:00 pm and there was a short wait for a table. My partner and I ended up in the bar. As noted in Nick N’s review, where he compares Irish pubs by their Irish menu, and in his and my case, we use Sheppard’s Pie as a point of comparison and evaluation. I was underwhelmed. According to the website, this was Grandma Tess’ recipe, but I’ve been to many Irish pubs, and to Ireland and have yet to get a Sheppard’s Pie covered with a layer of thick cheese and thyme. It was enjoyable after I removed the cheese. The filling had a touch of spice that really brought out the flavor of the meat.
My partner had the fish and chips. She felt the fish was flavorful but the deep fried coating was very thick and began removing it about half way through the meal.
The beer was cold and the selection good, the staff friendly and the service was timely despite how busy the restaurant was on a Friday evening.

This place is good and probably one of only a few restaurants in the area that serve bangers and mash etc. no complaints about food or service. Defintely would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants fish and chips or other traditional Irish food. The prices are reasonable as well.

I come here often whether for an ice cold brew or full meal. Have brought first timers and all have returned on their own. All food is excellent and wait staff superior. Best fish n chips. Homemade pub chips are very good. — Bob

I love Irish pubs so we decided to give this place a try since it was close to the World of Golf area where we were staying and it was recommended by the hotel listings of local fare. We went in early evening, late afternoon and there were only a few tables filled and a few people at the bar. We were seated right away and service was prompt. Beer was good and cold. One of the staples of any good Irish place has gotta be Shepard’s Pie and is one of the dishes I use to compare the food so naturally I ordered it. I must be honest and say that it wasn’t bad by any means but it was very ho-​hum. My wife had a buffalo chicken salad and it was sparse on anything with the exception of lettuce. I didn’t hate this place but doubt I would go back for anything other than drinks in the future.

Definitely order a BOWL of Donovan’s Famous Beer Cheese Soup. Yum. I’m not a huge Irish food fan especially when I’m trying to watch my waistline, but this place is better than your average Irish Pub. The service here was fantastic and the entire staff was super friendly. Our food was delicious, came out fresh, hot and in great time. The portions are huge and very filling. Great for groups and sharing some food.
The inside of the restaurant reminds me of my days back in college drinking it up at good olé’ Bennigan’s (minus the pitchers of beer this time). They have the same layout with the bar in the center of the restaurant and TV screens everywhere you turn. It’s pretty spacious and plenty of room for crowds. I would say this is more of a family restaurant with a very chill atmosphere and proper service located in a small strip mall near the Palencia & World Gold Village neighborhoods in St. Augustine, FL.
I really had a terrific experience at Donovan’s with my family. Our waitress was very patient and accommodating. Only once did my sister need to ask to have her soda filled, but she was taking care of an entire section by herself. In addition, I like how dark it is in there anytime of day which creates a very relaxing atmosphere to eat.
Overall, the prices are standard, but their portions are really HUGE & my mom paid so that wasn’t much of an issue. The burgers here are flavorful and juicy (surprisingly really outstanding). My buffalo chicken salad hit the spot with their blue cheese and ranch dressings on the side. The wings are solid and their Award Winning Corned Beef Reuben was pretty tasty if you like Reubens.
Next time, I’m just going to bite the bullet and get the half order of Beer Battered Fish & Chips like the waitress recommended because it’s not an every day meal and they really looked delicious here. Screw my waistline. And i will have a bowl of that savory beer cheese soup – not just the one spoonful that my mom let me have. :P

The food was ok, beer was flat, and the service was good. Stopped in for lunch with a coworker. Coworker enjoyed his food btw. This a decent spot for the area since there isn’t a whole lot of variety to eat around the world of golf. I had the chicken club sandwich with fries and a beer. Everything was good except the beer which was very flat. The food wasn’t something I’d go out of my way to eat, but it certainly wasn’t bad either. I go to 4 stars on this, but the beer was flat. Maybe it was the beer i got I’m not sure. It was their signature beer that Budweiser makes for them.

Update: I have since discovered a wonderful dish — Fried fish tenders appetizer. These are little strips of heaven! These are NOT boxed frozen fish. They are beer battered strips of haddock and they are awesome! To to it off it is a huge portion. I get this for dinner and always take some home.
Came here because we wanted a good burger and our pallets were satisfied. We both enjoyed the 100% Angus burger and steak fries. I am not a fan of steak fries in general so I got their beer battered onion rings; they were just ok. hubby’s steak fries were better than the onion rings. Next time I’ll get the fries.

A very pleasant surprise! A friend and I were on our way to a concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheater after work and since we hadn’t eaten, we stopped here. The place itself is pretty nice. I’m not sure how long it’s been there but it was nice and clean. Since we were on our way to sit outside for a few hours, I didn’t want to eat anything too heavy. The waitress came over right away and let us know that they had a special of mahi tacos, which was what I ordered.
The amount of food was way more than either of us were expecting. I was given two huge tortillas, 4 decent sized pieces of fish, lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc and a big bowl of rice and beans. The tortillas were so large I actually tore them in half to make more manageable sized tacos. I only ate maybe half of the food that was brought to me, not because it wasn’t great but because there was so much of it.
It wasn’t especially cheap (with the soda I had and the tip, it was about $ 20) but considering it could have easily made 2 meals (unfortunately fish tacos aren’t something I was willing to leave in the car for a few hours in July!), it was reasonable. The place wasn’t particularly busy and the waitress was very attentive. I’m not sure how often I’ll find myself near here but I would absolutely stop it again!

Ate at this great restaurant/​bar on a Sunday a few weeks ago.
I enjoyed one of the best corned beef and cabbage plates I’ve had in the States. Others ordered «Irish» onion rings which were huge, and the fried haddock. Not sure how popular the haddock was.
A real favorite of the group was the patty melt as it was not greasy, and crisp throughout.

Good fish n chips. Friend staff. Seems to be a large population of business lunches when I went in to eat.
Will be back. Nice to have good food in the WGV area.