From about the year 1200 to 1855, the neighborhood of Donnybrook, Dublin, held an annual fair that was so rowdy and beer-soaked that the word “donnybrook” has come to mean a public quarrel. A new Irish pub of the same name has opened on the Lower East Side, serving hearty stuff like Irish breakfasts, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips.
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The fish pie ($15), a bubbling, buttery crock of shrimp and cod in bechamel, tastes as rich as a bisque, especially since the “aged cheddar crust” turned out to be not a crust at all, but a layer of the melted cheese flopped over the cream sauce. It’s a bit much, but in a tasty enough way. The crumbly brown bread that comes alongside is pleasantly rough-hewn.
A simple plate of smoked salmon with a sweetish, tangy mayo sauce, red onion, capers, and pickles is fine for those who aren’t feeling up to black pudding and butter.
35 Clinton Street
212-228-7733