Service seemed ok, but not from our waitress. We came in shortly after 1pm (after the lunch crowd) with a group of fourteen. We thought this would mean 'all hands on deck' but we got minimal attention. The food was prepared correctly and timely (4.5 stars for the kitchen) and the location is great. We all had questions about the items on the menu and some wanted extra drinks (cocktails); so lost revenue there, and I wanted to add fries to my order. Just wish the staff we were handed followed a more textbook approach to hospitality. overall betweeen ordering and receiving the food, we got water dropped on the table and no window of opportunity to interact with the waitress, she seemed occupied at the bar. I would recommend you try the place, just don't bring a big group. Groups six and under appeared to get excellent attention. read more

Sorry, but some stepping up needed here. We ordered two things and both were below average in quality and freshness. In addition, two waitresses for an entire restaurant, required me to go to bar for another beer. Difficult understanding waitress, and overall I've experienced better here, and will hesitate to come back anytime soon. Our chicken wings were over-cooked to char, with minimal buffalo sauce, biting into dried out wings with no moistness. These came by themselves, and then I waited for another 15-30 minutes before my mussels arrived. When mussels arrived, I was starving and they were off in flavor and odor emanated that I should have sent back. Like an idiot I ate them, and feeling the results today! read more

Portions were huge and they had no problem serving everything the way we asked. Prices were very reasonable. Great place for lunch!

Donovan's is a great place to hang out in historic South Norwalk. It's been here for 120 years. As I sit here on a Saturday -- I see a ton of people in their 20s as well as 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. This is a real neighborhood restaurant with great food and service. This is the place where you hang with you friends and have a drink and some food. Great place. read more

The bar part is great, especially in the summer. I would go back there for a beer any day. The food is just ok however, and they get their meat from Market Basket, which I've heard sells less than quality beef. I would never eat a burger there as a result. read more

Good food and atmosphere! Lots of kids around lunch time due to the proximity to the aquarium. The only negative is the prices, I feel things were just a bit over priced compared to other places in the area. I would come back again. read more

Popped in after a trip to the aquarium for a late lunch. Ordered the open face steak sandwich. The steak was a little tough and fatty and cooked more medium well, than medium. The dish to try is the shepherd's pie, which my wife ordered. I ended up eating half of it and inspired her to make it twice in the following two weeks. It was perfect. read more

A good casual "old bar" and hangout spot with lots of flat screens for the games. A great spot for casual beers with friends. It's nice to see this place has re-opened as Donovan's. A friend and fellow local commented that when it had changed to Bulldog, the only difference was the bulldog statue at the front door and the doubling of prices on the menu. Now the bulldog statue is gone and the prices are back to normal. The food is typical/OK pub grub, but the price is about right for that. read more

Good place to go to for typical bar/pub food. They do a really good job with their burgers. Good selection of beer at about average prices for sono. Really good nachos piled on with toppings. Eat quick tho bottom layer of chips get soggy towards the end. Wouldn't recommend the pulled pork sandwich did not seem fresh and lacked flavor. Good place to watch sports tvs line both walls but the commentary is never on so don't expect audio. Overall great place to grab a bite to eat and watch sports. read more

Thanks Richie for the best burger and fries in America. I love your staff and you make Norwalk a great and fun place to live and hang out.

So the second star is exclusively for the chowder, which was delicious. But in addition to the chowder, we thought we'd try something we hadn't had before..."steamers". The waitress described them as similar to clams, but with a "tail". They arrived at the table, and the stench overwhelmed us. We called the waitress over and she insisted the smell was normal. We bravely tried to eat one apiece, but they were completely inedible. My husband also had the soft shell crab sandwich, which, while edible, only had maybe one ounce of actual crab in it. The waitress took half the price of the steamers off our bill. Later, I looked up steamers online and, of course, they are not supposed to smell bad when fresh. I feel like they should have been completely removed from our bill. If you're brave enough to come here, have some chowder, but steer clear of the other seafood options. read more

My favorite place on Washington in SONO! Food is priced great and have never had an issue with service. I always leave with a happy belly.

Been here a Couple of times for Dinner Donovans has great food they have Soups Wings Shrimp Calamari good options for Appetizers they have Salads Sandwhich's Burgers Ribs Steak Fish they have pretty much everything so if your not a Meat eater dont worry they got plenty of Vegeterian options for you read more

My family of 4 ate here on a busy Sunday. Service & food were good. Tables are situated a little close together but it's a good place to watch the games. Kids were happy with the fried mac n cheese balls. I thought they were a little bland. Enjoyed the spinach artichoke dip and my salad topped with salmon. read more

Donovan's - Spinach artichoke dip & Mac n cheese balls - American Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Food is very food, especially for and old word tavern. The building is amazing. Windows alone are something to see and make it a really good place to go during the day actually. Good beer selection and nice place to watch the games. read more

Congrats to Donovan's for winning their third consecutive best in CT New England Clam chowder at Chowdafest. The competition keeps getting steeper and they continue to voted the best! read more

This is the best Pub in SONO. The food is great, prices are reasonable, good selection of beer and booze. Great place to stop for lunch or dinner. read more

Came here for lunch and to watch a game on their big tvs today ! Service was excellent! Salads are fresh and clam chowder is amazing! Big chunks of clams and potatoes and very creamy! read more

Solid for a pint, low key, old school feel. Beautiful bar and woodwork. Nice new patio is a plus.

We used to love this place. It was on the corner of Washington Street for generations. They made the best hamburger in CT, and that's not hyperbole. Good NE clam chowder and other reliable comfort foods. The atmosphere was of another era. Originally, the place had been frequented by local fisherman and other workers but as Washington St. was revitalized, the patrons tended to be young people on dates and families who'd been to the Maritime Center. The walls above the booths were chock-a-block with old prize-fighter photos with a punched tin ceiling and a moose head over the bar. Funky and fun. Then it changed hands and was called something else. Then it changed hands again and renamed Donovan's, but now the booths are gone and so are the great hamburgers. The one I ordered was barely edible. There are WAY too many flat screens for a place of that size. Very disappointing. read more

Delicious food! Decent prices. Some of the nicest servers you've met, but a few with nary attitudes too! It's definitely worth it though for those burgers! read more

I was in Norwalk visiting the Maritime Aquarium for my birthday and this place was perfectly located within walking distance to stop for lunch. There were other restaurants closer but they just had seating at the bar area with live music or too upscale for a casual lunch. The outside decor and advertisement stating "the best clam chowder in the state" made me stop in. I was not disappointed. The clam chowder was the perfect consistency of creamy with just the right amount of thickness. I also ordered the lobster sliders which was probably the best lobster meat I have ever had. I've eaten many lobsters from all over CT and MA and for whatever reason the flavor and tenderness of these lobster sliders were perfect. The service was more than I expected from such a small restaurant. Our waters were filled throughout our meal without having to ask, friendly waitstaff in the dining areas, and prompt food coming out to our table made my birthday something special. I would definitely come back to eat there when I am in the area again. read more

I normally wouldn't take the time to write a review on a place.. I just wouldn't go back, but in short , my friends and I have been having trouble finding a good place for good quality wings on Football Sunday. We decided to give Donovan's a shot last night - what a mistake that was!! From the Moment we walked in we felt unwelcome.. the bartender who was also our waiter clearly did not want us there .. it was 8:00 on a Sunday night and not busy (there were only 2 tables of guests) but you would have thought we were inconveniencing this man by eating there. Our menus were slammed on the table, when asked what was on draft he turned the menu around aggressively and pointed to the list behind the menu, he was short and very dry with us and actually turned his back in annoyance on me when I was trying to order our food. Overall it was a very bad experience but I have to say the busser made it slightly better by picking up the slack and checking on us - because the waiter never came back to our table, refilling our drinks and bringing us our food. It is really a shame because the food was very good and we all were happy with what we ordered and I used to have fond memories of going to Donovan's with my dad years ago and the food and environment was always great but I definitely will not be giving them business again.. I have never felt so disrespected in a public place where I am clearly not asking for free food. Needless to say it was a very bad ending to my weekend. read more

Food isn't bad. Good place for a beer and burger. Service isn't too good though. Probably won't be back.

Recently re-opened. I had the black bean soup and wings. Two things that are nearly impossible to screw up. Both were inedible. I think the dishwasher (moonlighting as their chef) dumped a pound of salt into the mix and called it "flavor". Service was pleasant and plenty of great spots to watch a game. Stick with bottled beer and you'll be fine. read more

Stopped in here for lunch after going to the aquarium. Had the chicken Caesar wrap and it was the best I've ever had. Got it with the onion rings. Was expecting big beer battered ones but was pleasantly surprised when they were shoestring. Did not think I would like them as much as I did. Hopefully we will be back soon! read more

Not impressed. Went with kids after a day at maritime aquarium. Staff very nice but food not so good.

Had lunch here today nice bar atmosphere and food was good beer was ice cold. The waitress was attentive.

Food is definitely yummy. Great burgers and chowder. Fun dive for football and the winter but the service is lacking. Mostly polite but inattentive. Sitting for 10 minutes while starving seems like an eternity! I'll still keep coming for the burgers! read more

I didn't check the reviews before going, but I had heard good things from a few people about this place. I had the blackened fish burrito. I chose the salmon. The fish didn't taste fresh and had a very strong fish taste. The tortilla was mushy and appeared to have been brushed with too much butter and then only lightly grilled. The whole dish didn't have much flavor. I liked the fries though. I would return to Donavan's but I would be trying a different dish. My friend tried one of the authentic German dishes and said it was legit. read more

Took my daughter to supper at Donovan's on a Saturday night in May. We were greeted at the door and seated timely. My daughter had the fish and chips and said it was good. I had the buffalo shrimp po boy and it was spicy but good. When I am back in Norwalk I will definitely eat here again. read more

Went here with my wife and three sons recently for lunch. Having grown up in the area I was surprised that I somehow never heard of this place. My wife ordered a beer that she found to be a little flat (she ''made'' me drink it so she could have another one!)...the waitress didn't charge us for it. Our meals were affordable and awesome (cant wait to go back for another blackened chicken sandwich). The Guinness was just right (trust me, not every bar can say this) and the bartender friendly. One of my kids dragged his feet eating his grilled cheese, so we asked them to ''nuke'' it for him to heat it up...the waitress brought out a freshly made sandwich. Love this place, we will be back! read more

Donovan's is our favorite spot in SoNo to watch the game and grab a beer and a burger. It is much smaller than the other sports bar in the area and is the only one that doesn't turn into a nightclub late night. The atmosphere and service are great. The food is moderate. The wings and burgers are very good but the other things we have tried were just ok. read more

No better place to watch a game. Great wings, cheap beer. Pub food is above average. Chowder is great!

Went for a final beer around 12:30 pm. When I opened the door the server standing on the other side said "What do you want?" Then 5 of us order drinks and sit outside (we're the only customers) at 12:50 he starts chaining up the other outdoor furniture and the tells us he's closing up and dumped me and another person unfinished beers on the sidewalk and walked inside. I understand if we were late and keeping them open, but we paid for those drinks, and their hours are until 2am on Friday nights. Needles to say none of us will be going back anytime soon. Perhaps when their servers learn what service is. read more

Went there Friday night for the first time. Our waitress, Nicole (I think?) was AWFUL. She seemed very grumpy and inattentive. The other waitress who was working was really upbeat and quick. Wish we had switched. She never once came back to check on us...we had our food brought out by someone else both for soup and main meal. She didn't ask if we wanted refills on drinks, either. So my husband had no drink the entire main course. Even when we tried to make eye contact, she'd look the other way! The food was lackluster, too, for the price. I ordered a cheesesteak. The meat was cut way too thickly, which was gross. Not thinking we'll go back there anytime soon,.,,, read more

Your average neighborhood bar/bar food. Had fish burrito which was pretty good. Wait staff a little slow and inattentive, and that was a slow lunch hour... Not a big deal, but worth mentioning. read more

Was in Donovan's just this weekend. Was great- Seafood Linguine was amazing. Couldn't believe how much shellfish was in it!! Chowder was great- can see how they won the ChowdaFest. Not sure what others are talking about when they mention a smell. Donovan's is a great neighborhood bar with great food. Staff couldn't be more friendly! I go in every time I'm in South Norwalk! read more

Dive bar atmosphere with plenty of flat screens for your enjoyment. Bar tenders were pleasant and quick. I tried their burger, which was thick and juicy with a lot of flavor. I had to unlock the jaw to take a bite. I upgraded to the thinly sliced onion rings, but was a little disappointed because they weren't crunchy. They had good flavor but were greasy. They came with a side of BBQ sauce. Great location. IMAX theater just across the street. read more

I came upon Donovan's after spending a Saturday with my family at the Maritime Aquarium. Donovan's is the ideal place to spend an afternoon or early evening. Plenty of Tv's to enjoy sporting events. Great food and wonderful atmosphere. Delightful staff, serving ice cold beer. read more