The Dubliner is Boston’s hottest Irish pub right now, and the newly opened McGonagle’s Pub in Dorchester is right on track to join the ranks as a local favorite. Both are welcoming, pour a perfect pint of Guinness, and offer a menu that might make even the most skeptical reconsider Irish food.
The man behind all of this? Oran McGonagle, the namesake of the Dorchester location, who landed in Boston in 2007 from Moville in County Donegal, Ireland, after graduating from university there. McGonagle had family in the Boston, and “I just said I would come here and give it a go. I started off, my first ever job was a dishwasher in the New England Aquarium.’’
From there, McGonagle worked at bars and restaurants around town, like the Banshee in Dorchester, learning about what Bostonians want in a restaurant. Spoiler: It’s not just about good food and drink; it’s about treating people well.
“The big thing for me on the hospitality side is that it encompasses everything for me, regarding lighting, music, atmosphere, and how you treat people,’’ McGonagle said.
Treating people well was a lesson he also learned back home in Ireland, helping out in the family shop.
“It’s such a simple thing, but I just was geared towards that when it came to hospitality and my background is growing up in a shop that’s my family business,’’ he said. “I’ve dealt with the public all my life since a young age, since as a kid we were up and running around the shop. My dad had a little supermarket … so that obviously led towards dealing with the public, and I would be very comfortable in talking to them.’’
McGonagle, who also owns The Cottage Bar in Weymouth, where he lives with his wife and two children, has yet to hit the ripe old age of 40. And, while his establishments honor what most think of as a traditional Irish-American pub, a big focus has been on expanding and changing how we see Irish pubs in Boston.
“I get why an Irish bar is so popular and the history of it all,’’ he says, “And I never want to shy away from that. I’m very proud that people love their Irish roots.’’
However, one big difference you’ll hear at both the Dubliner and McGonagle’s is the live music and events. One of Ireland’s hottest exports, Kneecap, a hip-hop trio from Belfast, appeared at the Dubliner last October. Both pubs have live music every weekend and many weeknights.
“When you come in, you’ll hear a band from Ireland that we’re flying out to Boston and we’re showcasing them in our bars, that’s something we do now. Basically every month we have bands coming out here and staying here and playing a weekend with us, and I feel like the younger Americans are getting what we’re doing,’’ McGonagle said.
“They might not be your mom and dad’s version of an Irish musician.’’
Another notable difference is the food and drink. While both pubs pour an excellent stout, the cocktail menus are well worth exploring, with drinks like barrel-aged Old Fashioneds and Pink Gin and Tonics. McGonagle worked with his bar managers and team “sounding off each other on WhatsApp to figure out which ones would work.’’
Of course, one of the biggest game changers at both pubs has been the quality of the food, directed by executive chef Aiden McGee, who came to Boston after years at Michelin-starred restaurants in Great Britain to open The Dubliner and now McGonagle’s, where he is also a partner. While Friday and Saturday nights are for music and fun, McGee’s Sunday roasts are perfect for the whole family, and the Irish fish chowder with soda bread is a favorite.
Going from washing dishes to owning and running multiple restaurants is quite a journey, and McGonagle is grateful.
“So you talk about the American dream, all these things. It was very much a life for me. I still think it is a life for people. It’s just you have to go and try and get it. That’s the thing behind it,’’ he says. “I’m super proud of it, honestly.’’
McGonagle credits the team he’s built around him.
“I’m super proud of all the people that I have with me. … We’re all a big group that kind of look after each other and I know that my name is probably at the front of it, but there’s nothing that happens without the rest of the crew behind me.’’
McGonagle’s Pub & Restaurant , 367 Neponset Ave., Dorchester.
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