O’Hara’s Irish Pub: An emerald gem in Newton

617-965-678NEWTON — Our Visit to O’Hara’s Irish Pub was quite a treat this weekend.  The food was excellent and well worth a short wait.    The freshly squeezed lemonade and homemade dinner rolls were a great way to get us started.

Moving into the main course; the chicken Parmesan with toasted ravioli ($13.50) was both very tasty and well proportioned.  A generous piece of chicken with 6 fried raviolis was more than enough food for one person.  Since the back of the menu is completely dedicated to O’Hara’s pizzas and calzones, we decided to diversify and go for a pie.  The Buffalo Chicken Pizza ($14.95) was excellent and very fresh. It is not your typical pizza shop buffalo chicken pie thrown together and boxed up.  Notably, the hot sauce was perfect, (probably a medium hotness on a typical restaurant scale) and it did not make the pizza too runny or messy.

As it was 8 p.m. on Friday, we did have to wait about 20 minutes for a table, but there is a nice square wooden bar upon entering the restaurant, so we didn’t mind.  The dining room was a bit smaller than anticipated — around 20 tables — but the staff seemed very efficient with keeping track of who was next to be seated and adjusting tables to keep things moving smoothly.

But if you’re looking for a loud hot spot for young people or college kids, this is not your place, it tends to attract more of a middle-aged crowd. Everyone was very friendly though, and the staff was welcoming and attentive.  O’Hara’s is located a short walk from the Newton Highlands stop on the Green Line/D-Branch. There is also well-lit metered parking in the area as well.

In short, for a tasty reasonably priced meal, O’Hara’s is definitely worth the short trip to Newton Highlands.  It’s something different that’s just outside Boston.