I've been here three times; once for just drinks, once for an "attempted" dinner, and one for the worst dinner I have ever paid for. If you just want a drink, this is an okay bar for that. The crowd is pretty mixed, so I recommend going to this bar with a group, rather than trying to meet people here. The attempted dinner consisted of party of 5 us. We got our drink orders taken and brought over, but literally had to wait at least 30 minutes before our waitress came back to take our dinner order. By that time we decided to just cash out because we were starving and didn't want to wait any longer for some food. Finally, the time we did eat here, we sat at the bar. The bartender ( who was wearing open toe shoes, a big no no as other people in food service should know) took our order. I got a ploughmans plate and my dining partner got a burger. The ploughmans was the most sad attempt at the British Classic i have ever seen. It literally tasted like a few slices of Hannaford's baguette, some Cabot cheese, Smuckers jam, and a few pieces of Oscar meyer ham. Gross. The burger, supposedly cooked medium, was charred and black and bitter on the outside, and nearly raw on the inside. And the menu prices definitely do not reflect the poor fare at this place. I feel like I gave this place a fair shot, but they got three strikes. If you have a choice, I strongly suggest skipping this place. read more

We arrived 10 minutes after the posted opening time for Sunday Brunch. The pub looked great, freshly painted with shiny new floors and linen. We were not greeted after entering and were told by someone passing through to seat ourselves. After 10 minutes a waitress appeared and apologized saying that no one told her that we were there. She gave us menus and we gave her our order for coffee. After another 10 minutes we still did not have our coffee and I looked around for someone to ask about our service. I could not get anyone's attention so my wife and I left and went down the street to our regular brunch place.We will try again in a couple weeks to see if the management is addressing the problems that this new establishment is obviously having. read more

We went for dinner at 7:00 PM. They were pretty much out of everything. Service was really, really bad. I had read the reviews on Yelp, but decided I wanted to try a local pub. There were 8 of us, so we did expect a little delay. However we waited a little over an hour for pub food (burgers, fries) and they were just average. The service was simply awful and all we got was "thank you for your patience". Not going back there. read more

We have dined at this new pub twice--- The first time was with a group of friends for an early Sunday dinner, and the second time to meet my Dad and stepmom for a Saturday lunch. This place has huge potential with a cozy atmosphere and beautiful bar. We liked that they had roomy booth seating with tvs inside. But, unfortunately, it really falls short as far as service. Both times it appears they were extremely understaffed. For example, the first time, just one lone waitress in the entire place and the second time it was just a bartender serving both the bar and the entire restaurant... On a Saturday afternoon. Really?? As a result, we waited FOREVER to get our entrees, get drinks, get our bill. The food is actually quite good, once it finally gets to your table. We'll probably give it another shot, as they may still be working out the kinks, but hopefully they get it together soon. read more

Stopped by for a late lunch after looking at other reviews of Dover pubs. Server was friendly and met us with a smile. Haddock nuggets and banger melt were both delicious. Hand cut fries are some of the best we have had. Many, many choices of beer on tap. Would recommend this to friends for a great place to meet. read more

Would like to give this a good review but it just falls short. It's a decent attempt at authentic Irish food but falls a little short. What really kills it is the place was infested with drain flies. Throw in the fact it was very slow and the food took forever - service was slow as well. Sorry gotta take care of the infestation as swatting fruit flies at dinner is really unappetizing. read more

I have to retract my negative post towards this place I underestimated what they truly were. I gave my rating strictly on one visit. Since then I've been back and they absolutely amaze me every time this is definitely a great place to go in downtown Dover read more

I have gone several times with guests to Cara's. The food is always good and the service is great. The wait staff checks on you but they don't hover around like vultures. It is nice to go somewhere where you can sit and have a conversation without being hustled out the door. It has always been quiet when we have went but I could see this place getting crazy around St. Patty's day. read more

If you want to eat dinner I would suggest you choose a different restaurant. There is no one at the door to seat you. We waited 15 minutes to be followed up with for drinks and menus. It took 30 minutes to get a soup and Salad. Over an hour for food, with no follow up on drinks. Asked for a tea waited 15 minutes ten finally cancelled the order. Ordered scollops as my meal and thy were fishy and disgusting. We will never be back. Very poor experience. read more

I have only ate here once and we were the only ones there at the time. The service was good and the food was decent. I would give it another try. read more

We came in on a Friday evening about 5:30 to meet with a friend. There were 3 of us, and sat at the bar in the small sitting area in the front of the restaurant. The bartender was waiting on other patrons at the bar, and didn't even acknowledge us for a good 10 minutes. When the bartender came over, we were asked what we liked, the men ordered their beers, and I had asked for a drink menu for suggestions. I was told there wasn't a drink menu, you just have to know what you like. So I asked for one of my favorites, they didn't have it.. After asking about the beer selection, I was given a sample in something "close", which I chose, but with no explanation of what it was. The bar area was nice, and it got crowded fast, im assuming typical for a Friday evening in downtown. Again for some reason there was no attention to our end of the bar, the bartender(s) had to be waved down when the men's beers were done. we ordered food a short time later, and took approximately 20-25 minutes, for one appetizer, which was Foiled Chicken thighs in a teriyaki & Guinness marinade.. The charge for them was $10, and seemed a bit over priced. Overall, Im not sure i'd come back on a weekend or when this particular bartender was on. Not sure what it was, and we don't ask for much out of a bar, but good drinks, good service and a good time. read more

Just had to let you know that came in for the mussels and was not disappointed! Also got the Black and Tan chicken appetizer and was so good too! read more

Found Cara's on Yelp, stopped in after boating for a few hours out of Portsmouth Harbor. Looked like it would be a fun place at night, but we were there late afternoon. My husband and I both had the burger with goat cheese, we substituted root vegetables (with butter!) for fries, and a Guinness. Delicious! They had a lot of different beers on tap. We had to pass on the Baileys Irish Cream Mousse Sundae and the Salted Caramel Sundae but they sounded tempting! Very glad we ate here! read more

This is a real Irish pub! The owners are Irish and they have a large selection of drinks and beers on tap. I've been to Ireland twice and this is the real deal. The food is great- I especially love the cheese and fruit platter. Great place to eat inside or out. read more

Awful. Place has potential, but it really is horrible. The bar tender was a young girl who looked like a deer in head lights. Everything is pretty much over priced and the food was terrible. I always walk by this place and see it to be mostly empty, but it is nice inside. After going I now realize why it's empty. The staff is all out of sync and to be honest kind of trashy, from the weirdo bouncer to the bartenders. I will never go back. read more

Bartenders were rude, short and not at all knowledgeable about cocktails or even their whiskey or beer selection...this is supposed to be an Irish bar, right? Drinks were extremely over priced and the bartenders there were more interested in gossiping about the owners and taking selfies. Didn't bother looking at a menu because I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Not welcoming at all. read more

We have dined at Cara several times, and found the food good and the staff quite attentive, making very good recommendations. We rcently went there on a Saturday night to listen to music with friends. Music started at 9:00, which is when the kitchen closes, and apparently when service stops. We sat at a table for almost 10 minutes before we discovered that you had to go to the bar for service, and I use that term very loosely. Four of our fiends joined us, some intending to have dinner while enjoying the band, very disappointing. More disappointing was the 10 minutes it took for the bartender to pour a couple beers. If there had been a lot of customers, perhaps I could see why service was so poor. But really, Saturday night, with a rocking band, this place should have been packed. Maybe they left because no one would serve them. read more

Complete miss..to sum this place up. So many negative things on the food and service. Between mix-ups and poor tasting food. Won't bother trying this again. We eat out 2-3 times a week and this place was a huge disappointment. read more

Really nice place with a decent selection of beers. My wife and I have been there many, many times and have always been happy with the food as well (the Applewood burger is awesome). Pool and darts are free, and there is a room upstairs with a 25 foot TV with a great sound system for watching sporting events (part of the Chameleon Club). The waitstaff is nice, friendly, and attentive. The only thing this place needs is more customers, as it is pretty empty most of the time. read more

Top notch service from the staff and friendly atmosphere. The food and drink are excellent! Different events scheduled each night of the week keep things fresh. This is my favorite Dover bar! read more

This is a great place It's a real shame the female bartenders are cold and rude. Myself and a few male friends 4 total decided to give this place a try. We had never been there before but were told it was a nice place to drink and have a good time. One of my friends asked for a beer and when he was served he said thanks sweetie and from that moment on we were all treated like dirt. The two lady bartenders gave us dirty looks and made it very hard to order more drinks. You would think a person in this type of job must hear this all the time and should know how to handle it and be professorial. My friend was not disrespectful in any way but we were all treated badly after that. I want to add that we are all in our late 40's and 50's and the girls were treating the younger guys like rock stars. I guess you have to be young and good looking to be welcome in this place. Needless to say none of us will be returning. read more