Comment Card: Donovan's Pub

A Donavan's Pub Hamburger. Meh.

Last Sunday afternoon, en route to a beer garden in Queens, Sabina, Jason and I made a pit-stop to Donovan's Pub to sample their much lauded burger, which was favorably assessed on Burgerrankings.com's Burger of the Month review. Based on my experience at this Irish pub, I must admit that I wholeheartedly disagree with BOTM's collective opinion.

Getting There
If you quaffed a mixture of vodka-based cocktails and slushy mickey finns in celebration of your birthday the night before, the train ride to Queens will seem interminable. However, if you"re not suffering from a horrendous Sunday morning hangover, then the 20 minute train ride to Queens from downtown Manhattan will be tolerable, or perhaps enjoyable.

Once we arrived, we were greeted with this glaring sign:

                                          You wish.

...our expectations were lofty and our stomachs were rumbling with hunger. All of us needed some nourishment, preferably in the form of a big, juicy hamburger.

The Verdict
I eagerly ordered a hamburger and a coke. Sabina and Jason ordered cheeseburgers. We painstakingly requested medium-rare burgers--all to be served with lettuce and tomato and a side order of steak fries. When we received our plates, the cooked meat was not made to order, which was disappointing and a sign hardly indicative of its supposed #1 standing. My burger was a dull piece of dry, crumbly beef patty, even with a generous amount of ketchup splattered on it.



The bun was the best part of the burger--nothing special, but well-toasted and fresh. Had I ordered a cheeseburger, like my lunch companions, the burger would have been moister. We did not get anything CLOSE to juicy. Plus, the waitress forgot my coke!

Good points? The meal was affordable and the venue displayed some Celtic charm and cozy whimsy (more appealing during the winter months), but the food was, at best, second-rate.

Donovan's Pub

57-24 Roosevelt Ave., Queens, NY 11377  at 58th St.  718-429-9339