Irish pubs are characterized by a unique culture centered around a casual and friendly atmosphere, hearty food, drink, sports, and traditional Irish music.
On Saint Paddy's Day, a group of four of us traveled to the Pocono mountains to stay at our cabin in Blakeslee, PA. for a few days. Down the highway, about a quarter of a mile is Da's Pub. An Irish oasis in the Poconos and a favorite of ours for many years.
Owned and operated by the O'Leary family the quaint pub has been a fixture in Blakeslee for many years. It has gone through many owners in the last 50 years, and when the O'Leary's took over, there was a "New Beginning". Mr. O'Leary is the other half of the "Shake & Bake" cousins according to my good friend John. Mrs. O'Leary is always on hand as the hostess, and their son is the chef.
You enter a small but quaint 10-seat bar area. The dining room was to the right with a few tables. We have been here many times over the years and always there were the smiles, laughter, and of course the beer. My go-to is the cheese steak a nice crispy but chewy roll, tender shaved steak, and melted cheese and onions. Superb. The pork chop entree is to die for. Succulent 1" chop grilled perfectly with mashed potatoes. The hamburgers are smashed burgers on a roll, OMG.
But it was Saint Paddy's Day. When we arrived, the parking lot was jamin. We opened the door to what can only be described as a celebration and party. It was packed and there was Mrs. O'Leary dressed in her Irish garb looking beautiful as ever with that great smile. "Come on in fellas" We made our way to the dining room because the bar area was packed. The waitress a small woman with glasses came over within 10 mins with menus and our drink orders. We all ordered Harp and Guinness half & Half and a round of Tully shots. The drinks came out with our very efficient waitress but in plastic cups. A half & Half in plastic cups, really? As the evening progressed, we got hungry. The menu was for St. Paddy's Day. 1-appetizer; a corned beef slider. Entries were Shepherd's pie, Banger & Mash, Guinness stew, and a Corned beef sandwich. My son and I ordered the Guinness stew and my other son, and my brother ordered the corned beef sandwich.
Well after another few rounds of Guinness, our great and efficient waitress who mind you was tending at least 8 packed tables and was doing a great job bringing out our orders. Now I am not sure if it was just because of the sheer volume of patrons due to the celebration or what, but I have never in all my years going to Da's Pub have been so disappointed. The Guinness stew was a large bowl of wide egg noodles that needed more time, a slurry of meat, brown gravy, and a slice of bread. That's it. No peas, no potatoes, no onions, or carrots. It tasted burnt and horrible. The Corned beef sandwich was equally as bad. A few slices of corned beef on two pieces of white bread. Nothing else. No mustard, pickles, or chips. Just two slices of corned beef on two slices of dry white bread. We ate as much as we could. Watching my brother eating the extremely dry sandwich was actually funny and reminded me of the three stooges skit chewing a dry leather bootsole.
Like I said I am not sure if Da's was overwhelmed with patrons, but it pains me to say the food really sucked. However, every time we have been there before and that is many over the years, we are always not only satisfied but surprised by the size, quality, and fine preparation of our meals.
So, the big question is would I go back there? Absolutely. The O'Leary family puts in their all for Da's and it shows. They persevered through the COVID shutdown, and modified seating and now that we are back to "Normal" they are doing great. We all have a bad day, and I wonder if it was just the sheer number of patrons on St Paddy's Day that lead to the shortfall this time, but Da's Pub is a piece of the Poconos, and let me tell you this place is great. read more