C.F. Donovan’s

Very suddenly, as of Nov. 12^th, brown paper is covering the windows & lights out = CLOSED. No good-​bye note, website suspended. Booo! Looks like I’ll have to try Amhrein’s pumpkin ravioli. :(

I grabbed a drink here with Ryan B. on Friday night. A very chill place to just grab a brew and kick back and watch the game. They have a decent selection of beer on tap (primarily the standards for Boston: a few Sammies plus Stella, Blue Moon, and others). Prices weren’t bad on the beer either (under $ 5 for Sam Summer, though this was on July 31, so the new taxes may have pushed it over $ 5 by now).
On top of that, it looks to have been recently redone, and they have all the standards you’d expect from a bar (video jukebox: check, Game machine thingy: check)
Also convenient: it’s right across the street from the Savin Hill T-​stop. So if you’re heading down to Ashmont or back up into the city, you can grab a beer and then get on your way easily and quickly.
I didn’t get a chance to try the food, but it sounds like it’s decent.
Overall, this is a decent stop for a drink, and convenient to the Red Line.

Yay for Donovan’s! I’ve lived down the street from it for a year and a half and am still not sick of it. Donovan’s is quite good as a restaurant, but even better as a bar. The bartenders are very perceptive and will chat you up when you’re feeling social and leave you in peace otherwise. Good selection of beer and cocktails, but not really a wine place.
Scene: Donovan’s is a popular place for the local politicians, grizzled old-​timers who love the sauce no matter what time it is, and on Thursday nights&weekends, dress-​conscious 20somethings. It seems like it would be a good place for families, but I rarely see kids there. Also notably absent are any non-​white people, despite the restaurant’s location alongside Boston’s most racially diverse neighborhoods and the fact that Savin Hill is the Little Vietnam of New England. The bar and restaurant are separated by a partial wall, and both include TV screens that run the local sports. In all, the restaurant is definitely evolving in the yuppie direction along with the rest of Savin Hill, and as with all things involving gentrification, that has its perks (renewed attention to quality) and its drawbacks (dilution of the local character).
For the restaurant: Food is very solid upscale American grill-​type stuff. The menu is mostly generic (burgers, filets of several types of meat and fish, fried finger-​food appetizers, etc) but with a few standout dishes (they often have steaks with special marinades which are always dynamite, and the lobster mac&cheese that others have mentioned deserve special mention). Prices are right all around. Only hitch is the service, which though incredibly friendly and amiable, can be slow and/​or ditzy; I think they don’t have their table-​to-​server ratio quite right. Even if it is the servers’ fault, though, they are truly too nice for you to mind too much.
Overall: Great place to go with friends or to take your out-​of-​town visitors, even your parents if they don’t mind the loud ambient noise of your typical popular restaurant. I also like taking visitors here so we can then take a walk out to the Harborwalk and go along the beaches of Dorchester. All in all, a solid meal that combines enough elements of fine dining and local charm (without getting too pricey) to be worth the stop.

Entering C.F. Donovans is like entering a new dimension to me. When I lived in the Dot, I frequented the bar and always really enjoyed it. Its rarely crowded and a great place to converse with friends. They have a great drink menu and plenty of what I need on tap. The bartenders are adorable. I was always really relaxed here, maybe contributing to the new dimension part. A great place just to have a drink and chat (except for the times when crazy men from Ireland serenaded me with oh Shauna)
I had really high hopes for the restaurant, perhaps too high. The food was amazing-​lobster macaroni and cheese! The service was pleasant. But there were some idiosyncrasies that left me unsettled beer mugs were the type when you don’t get as much beer, I had to pay for a dinner menu because they don’t serve lunch on Sundays, and apparently the water was tap (this doesn’t bother me but my dining companions seem to think this will cause them to grow a third arm). Also, I remembered that they had delicious bread but I think when I first requested it, I was denied. (perhaps I heard wrong though) After much grumble grumble to myselfing, they brought out bread and it was clearly warmed over but still glorious.
To be honest, it would be four stars if I didn’t have to listen to my table complain so much.

The Dottie Hottie family discovered themselves wanting something more than leftover marshmallow Peeps for supper on Easter evening. The fam was collectively craving something substantial, some meat and potatoes, maybe some tasty greens on the side. But who would be open on Easter to provide such fare? And further, who would offer it to go and for not so many Dottie dollars?
A quick call to Patrick at CF Donovans on Savin Hill Ave. answered that question quick smart. A hearty portion of steak tips, garlic mashed, green beans and a side salad was fixed and ready in 20 minutes. The steak tips were outstanding — nicely marinaded and coupled with the mushrooms and peppers? Magnificent medley. The garlic mashed were not super garlicky, but evenly-​cooked, and the green beans were superb.
The Dottie Hottie did discover a price discrepancy between the receipt versus the ToGo menu that is on Donovan’s website. However, a quick call to Patrick informed that the ToGo menu was outdated and that Patrick would kindly make it up to Dottie upon the next visit. Good moves, Patrick, good moves.
***
C.F. Donovan’s
112 Savin Hill
Dorchester, MA 2 125
617/436.2226

Still a good place, but probably not a 5.
We went to Donovan’s for birthday dinner last night. As usual, they are always out of something — tonight it was the Haddock and the clams. No worries, I had the Veal Chop and it was fantastic. The dining room was loud.
Still a neighborhood favorite, but after several visits, thought it was due for an update.

Wow, this place is struggling.
I returned to C.F. Donovan’s after an extended break (maybe about 4 years). What I remembered was a place with great service and reasonably priced tastey food in a comfortable dining room. What I found upon my return was anything but that.
My experience started this time with the shock that the dining room probably hasn’t been maintained since its opening. The tables and chairs are slightly unsteady now and the paint has all but worn off. The entire interior could use a painting. They must be cutting down of expenses because the heat for a January day was literally at around 50 degrees. It’s never fun to eat while you’re freezing with your coat on.
We ordered the nachos for an app, which took about 35 minutes to arrive and basically were a plate of chips with some diced tomatoes and some cheese scattered here and there. I recommended the lobster pie to my friend because it was my favorite from times past. Unfortunately that recipe must have changed a bit. Despite the recent decline in lobster prices, the $ 19 lobster pie offers lobster lobster meat and even less flavors from the other fillers. I ordered the chicken pot pie because it was a favorite of the Phantom Gourmet and that was a disaster as well. Although it a complete pie crust, they might want to consider putting more than three (literally) tiny pieces of chicken in that thing. Boston Market (even the frozen kind) has them beat every day on this one.
Needless to say, I think that C.F. Donovan’s has gone down hill a bit. It used to be an old favorite but I have to be fair here and give it a not so happy review. When you combine poor food with a poor atmosphere you’re going to come out with a poor experience and the desire to try one of the many restaurants that are popping up around the Savin Hill area. The only two things that this visit had going for it was good bread and friendly staff. The waitress was very down to earth and made you feel like your friend’s mother was serving you… although maybe a TV dinner.

Donovan’s is a decent spot, and literally across the street from the Savin Hill T stop. I like that it’s so close in my ‘hood. I’ve been here a couple times, for a drink and once for some dessert. I did taste a few bites of friends dishes, and all were very good. They had a special pumpkin ravioli thing goin on the last time I was there, the small nibble that I had was amazing.
I got a chocolate cake dessert, and oh-​my-​gosh was it HUGE… I had to share with people and take some home… that’s how big it was!
Also, Donovan’s has recently been featured on
— so you can get a $ 25 gift certificate to go there for $ 10 or less. A good incentive to try a spot… albeit in Dorchester… that you might not have ventured to otherwise. As I said, it’s LITERALLY across the street from the Savin Hill T stop, so those of you who are «afraid of Dorchester» — you’d be perfectly safe anyway… but in this instance you should have a little more ease of mind knowing it’s so close.

I have been frequenting Donovan’s for a couple of years and used to think it was the best deal in Dorchester. Friendly service, reasonable prices, and great food– all at your neighborhood restaurant. But I have noticed that the prices have jumped quite a bit in the past year and the food quality has declined. I had actually wondered if they had a new head chef because of the decline in food quality– Shannon’s review now clears that up.
Expect a wait on Friday or Saturday nights and if I were you, don’t wait, go somewhere else.
We still go to Donovan’s once in a while, but 224 Boston, Blarney Stone, or Ashmont Grille are a better bet these days.

Was wholeheartedly impressed with Donovan’s last night. It’s 10:45 the next morning and I’m still full!
Where to begin? Ok, it’s obviously all about the food, so here we go: had the Pot Pie, which was HUGE and very well done. The crust was flaky, chicken was perfectly done, sauce was not too lumpy or thin, and it stayed hot until I was so full I couldn’t manage another bite! Others at my table had the Buffalo Chicken Salad (which she loves and gets whenever she’s there), the Pumpkin Ravioli– a special that I hope stays on their menu for a long, long time– and a GIANT piece of chocolate cake! And with huge portions that blow your mind, everyone was fat and happy by the time we were done!
The wait staff was very nice, however I felt bad for what seemed like the only actual waitress– she was swamped. The rest of the staff seemed like runners– serving food and filling drinks. But the waitress was super sweet and genuinely excited that we had a coupon, so I hope they get more staff in there to help her out on busy nights!
Definately a great place to go if you’re looking for a nicer dinner in the Dot! I’m a fan.

Dorchester has a bad rap. You are not walking over tape imprints of bodies when you venture down the street. There is also some decent food. There is the Blarney, Dbar, 224 Boston and a number of good Phở places down Dot ave.
CF Donovan’s is off Dorchester ave and Savin Hill (formerly known as Stab and Kill before gentrification). It is a pleasant enough place in a pub/​bar type of way. Dining room, bar and about 12 flat screens.
Pubs have a way of serving tons of food and CF is no exception. Typically in the South End, when you order scallops, you have 4 maybe 5, not 12 like at CF. This also includes soup or salad, vegetable and your choice of potato. My colleagues also had a massive amount of food for very short money
The food is good, which certainly helps the experience along. Cf is perhaps the best value in this city on a cost per morsel basis

Big portions of food w/​a very friendly staff. Its nothing really special inside but it did the trick for my group of friends looking to have a decent meal and a few drinks. I have the feeling this place is one of those reliable standbys.
Oh, and get the swordfish. It was surprising how good it was!

Really good.
I have gone a couple times lately. Once I got the lobster stuff raviolis… they were completely awesome but not a big portion. And a triple layer piece of chocolate cake which was awesome.
The other i got calamari– good– steak tips which were ok a little over cooked.
The service everytime– lately and when i used to live next door– has been very good. The food has been very good but slow.
Go there but make sure you have the time– try a mojito while you wait! The have a little bar scene as well.

Gary has been away for a while. Living in Dorchester and planning a tight wedding to the tight girl. While living in Dorchester, Gary has found tightness in the pasta feast at Donovan’s. This feast allows you to feast on sausage, meatballs, and chicken parm all together atop a mound of pasta with cheese. While this won’t help Gary fit into his tux, this does make for a tight dinner. Also, the bread? Tight!
The best thing about Donnie’s is the take-​out option. Tight bread, salad, and pasta feast in a white shopping bag. Granted, the feast weighs about 30 pounds, but it’s totally worth it to watch On Demand and feast on tight. Move to Savin Hill.

Good place for comfort food, but I wouldn’t go out of your way for it. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Be sure to tip. A couple of times, there has been some confusion over our tipping (e.g. we paid with a card but left cash), and the wait staff got very defensive.
Awesome note: one time, this older gentleman walked up to the bar, called the bartender by name, and ordered «a beah and a chahdonnay.» I thought people just ordered «a beer» in old movies.

Excellent place. Excellent food. Lovely décor and CLEAN ladies room! Try it out for a change! It is a nice little restaurant and pub in the heart of Savin Hill. It has a charming down home and friendly feel to it – and the city is literally a stones throw away. Ok, maybe not literally, but it’s close to it!

I considered moving to Savin Hill after the first time I ate at Donovan’s. Any neighborhood I would ever live in needs to have a jack-​of-​all-​trades American restaurant, and C.F. Donovan’s certainly fits the bill.
I’ve been there for weekly trivia, I’ve been there for lunch and I’ve been there for dinner with friends, and each time was fantastic. The service is extremely personable and friendly. The atmosphere is an unassuming Bar-​on-​one-​half-​Restaurant-​on-​the-​other kind. And the food is very, very good.
I’d recommend the Pasta Feast, which may well be the most reasonably priced meal I’ve eaten in years. For $ 16, you get a massive pile of pasta, with meatballs, fried mozzarella, chicken parmesan, peppers and onions. I eat like a hungry coal furnace, and I still got a dinner and two lunches out of one Feast. Also, the steak tips are definitely worth trying, as they are seasoned well and grilled to your likings.
Overall, it is an amazing place for lunch or a casual dinner. The parking is easy, the food is fantastic, and the service keeps the neighbors happy. Go. Enjoy.

CF Donvans is why I miss my old neighborhood. The food is amazingly good, no matter what you get. But the best is the steak tips. I think those are the best tips I’ve ever eaten and they come with a huge order of garlic mashed potatoes. It’s enough for two meals.
The owner is also very friendly and walks around and chats up the customers to see how they’re doing and if they’re enjoying themselves. He knows the regulars but also is friendly to first timers. The trivia here is fun and it’s one of the more friendly places to go, where people actually interact with each other.
It’s got a good mix of long timers from the neighborhood mixed with people who recently discovered Savin Hill, and everyone mixes well.

I really like this place as it is simply tasty and a good value. The portions are huge and dinner includes a salad and a pleasant little warm loaf of bread. It’s a place where everyone can find something to suit his or her dining mood for the evening. I have had very nice fish and beef dishes there and always left with a full tummy and take-​home container.
The only issues with the place aren’t that critical. It’s tends to be noisy and a bit drafty. Conversation is with a strong Boston accent, but the manager and/​or owner seems like a nice, older man who greats people warmly and pitches in busing tables when needed.
The one thing I wish they would add would be more appetizers that do not have chicken as a main ingredient. After going there a few times I started to wonder how many boneless tenders this place prepares every week.
A pleasant place, right on the Red Line — it’s a good find.

C.F. Donovan’s deserves 5 stars. It’s a neighborhood gem.
C.F.‘s is one of those places that inexplicably «got it right.» I say inexplicably, because there are dozens of bar /​restaurants which are set up with style and appeal, and located in well-​trafficked areas, but inevitably fail due to lacking that certain inexplicable something.
Then there are other places that don’t even have to try (e.g., a Beacon Hill Pub, Model Café, Foley’s), but they are mainstays and seem to have that certain something that continues to draw patrons.
The menu is affordable, and overflowing with a thoughtful array of choices, ranging from the unbelievable Thai-​spiced calamari salad (how this heaping plateful of calamari is only $ 7.95 is beyond me), to good ‘ol traditional fare such as Shepherd’s Pie or a French Dip sandwich (Thursdays only).
Entrees include great cuts of beef for prime rib or steak dinners, as well as fresh seafood. And if you’re a fan of mozzarella sticks, but have been too embarrassed or health conscious to order them in years, don’t pass up Donovan’s sticks, as they are made with real buffalo mozzarella, and come with a delicious red sauce.
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with a cast of locals, good service with friendly sass, and ‘real’ conversation rather the bottled «my name is Suzie, and I will be your server this evening, can I start you off with a drink?» Also, the dining room frequently accommodates families on weekend lunches, without ever taking on an Applebee’s franchise-​like feel.
The bar is fully stocked, the taps include Guinness and Smithwick’s (who needs more?), and the games are on, for those sports fans who are poor at making conversation unless it’s related to Pats, Celtics, or Bruins (go ahead — stare some more)).
C.F.‘s is located on Savin Hill Ave. at the edge of the bridge that crosses the expressway to the Savin Hill peninsula. Especially on weekends and during the evenings, parking isn’t usually a problem, as parking on the bridge is allowed, and the neighboring streets aren’t limited by commercial or residential parking zones.