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Y! MyWebFlanagan's Pub, Dayton, review
Friday, August 29, 2008
DAYTON — We're sorta new to the neighborhood, y'know.
Sure, we'd all been by Flanagan's Pub before. Been driving past it for years. It's something of a landmark in its UD/Stewart/Brown Street area, known for its jolly leprechaun logo, its St. Patty's Day blowouts and, we've heard, for more than a few decent sandwiches on the menu.
Extras
Flanagan's Pub
- WHERE: 101 E. Stewart St.
- MORE INFO: (937) 228-5776
But the sad truth is, that until the Dayton Daily News moved its offices to South Main Street last year, we just hadn't stopped by very much. Now that we could literally see the place from our front parking lot, a Leadbelly visit seemed inevitable.
Thank goodness.
Sister Laura had already turned Flanagan's into a regular lunch joint since we moved nearby, and she was amazed that Brothers Ray and Ron hadn't taken more opportunities to check the place out.
"The tenderloin sandwich," she said. "That's the one you want."
And it was easy to see why she always gets it — it's not tooooooo darn big, the way most breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches tend to be in eateries around here, and it's lightly seasoned in a delightful way. Be sure to ask for mayo on the side.
Flanagan's, we found, is a fine place. The service is fleet and friendly, and the prices are pretty reasonable, even for the style of bar food in which it specializes. Sandwiches run from $3.50 (grilled cheese) to $5.95 (that pork tenderloin, the Reuben and the grilled chicken breast, which you can get plain, lemon pepper or cajun; yummy). Burgers run $3.95 for the 4-ounce, a buck more for the 8-ounce large, salads top out $6.50. We've gotten good reports about them, too.
Brother Ray's chili was tops — cubed meat and a rich, thick sauce. Brother Ron usually judges places by the quality of the Reuben, and this one on a light rye was also a winner, based on the tanginess of the sauce and the fact that it wasn't so overstuffed it was like an explosion on a plate.
We thought about pizza, but did find a chink in the Flanagan's armor — the pizza oven isn't usually turned on for lunch, so that's off the menu or you wait about 20 minutes for the thing to warm up. Unless your helpful waitress advises that next time, if you call ahead, they can fire it up and have pizza ready for you.
Laura: If you've read this far, you know I love the tenderloin sandwich, and I love it better with fries. We've also done salads — which are huge — and the burger and fish sandwich have been ordered more than once. Best part about the place, though, is the wait staff — they're young, friendly but not too, and quick. Owner Pat Flanagan is usually hanging around, too, shaking hands and making sure everything's OK — which it invariably is.
Brother Ray: Many years ago, when I lived in the Bronx, N.Y., I used to get good, inexpensive food at the neighborhood bar at either 11 a.m. or 11 p.m. — later if I wanted. Flanagan's reminds me of that place. It ain't fancy. Not much decor. But it is what I need when I'm hungry, a dependable place at a price that doesn't require a second mortgage. And, the Reuben rocks.
Brother Ron: Yep, the food's fine 'n' dandy no matter what you try, but what I really like about Flanny's (can I call it that? I feel we're already on a first-name basis ...) is what Brother Ray said — it has a laid-back, homey feeling to the place that smacks nicely of classic neighborhood joint. And we can all use one of those. Glad we're in the neighborhood, then.
The Leadbellies are three DDN staffers who taste and test the grub at local mom-n-pop restaurants, bars and grills, county fairs, diners, fast-food eateries and other artery-clogging joints so that you don't have to.
