DOHERTY'S IRISH PUB RESTAURANT - CARY, NC

I love an Irish pub! I have very fond memories of Irish pubs, Guinness and good friends. Finding DOHERTY'S IRISH PUB in Cary, North Carolina was icing on some very sweet cake. The big guy scoped this place out as we caught the last day of Restaurant Week here in the Triangle. He knew my passion for all things Irish and thought he would surprise me. Best darn surprise in a good little while!

Doherty's feels like that perfect neighborhood bar. When you walk in the staff is pleasant and welcoming. I was even more excited at the hello! Our waiter was attentive and delightful and at the moment I'm feeling bad because for the life of me I can't remember his name. It was Jeremy or Jacob, definitely a J-name! I extend an apology to him because he was a sheer delight.


Irish pubs are nothing without the Guinness and because I'm on meds I wasn't allowed to have one. Big Daddy isn't a fan of Guinness so he ordered a Budweiser and I did the proverbial sweet tea. Y'all know that's my go-to, non-alcoholic beverage! And it was good tea.

Now they have a very nice MENU! It was actually hard to decide what we wanted because we wanted to try everything. We started with an appetizer both selecting the Irish Boxty. Now a Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake with your choice of fillings. We ordered the The Mullingar which was Guinness braised brisket laced with fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions, and topped with a creamy horseradish sauce. It was superb! The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth delicious! The next time we go I plan to try the Brisket Nachos. I can just imagine this Irish twist to nachos and I'm salivating just thinking about it!

For the entrée it was all about the Fish and Chips!!! Light, flaky, batter-fried whitefish served with hand-cut fries. This was so good I don't know if I'll eat anything else on our next visit. You notice I keep saying 'our next visit'. We are definitely going back!

We even ordered dessert. I ordered the chocolate mousse and he ordered the bread pudding. After our first bites we traded plates. The mousse was good, great chocolate flavor and sweet. Too sweet for me. The bread pudding was perfection. Great texture and wonderful blend off raisins and spices but not at all sweet enough for him. Neither of us was disappointed.

My only complaint is that the restaurant is so far from us. If it were closer we would be regulars. It was just that good! Two thumbs up and five stars good!

Revised: I just had to add more food pictures. I've been back twice now. Of course, I had the fish and chips again, and just like the first time it was sheer perfection. I have also tried the Grilled Ruben which was a healthy portion of corned beef between grilled rye with melted Swiss, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. It was GOOD! But the most outstanding dish for me was the Brisket Poutine, crispy hand-cut French fries topped with Guiness braised brisket, melted white cheddar, brown gravy and green onions. This was so divine I could eat it every darn day and not get tired of it. It was spectacular!