Review No. 187: O’Malley’s Irish Grill
803 Harkrider St., Suite 12
Conway, AR 72032
(501) 504-6949
The Situation
He Said: O’Malley’s is an independent and locally owned restaurant in downtown Conway. It’s another of those that opened here after the pandemic shut down some restaurants and put others out of business, and since we’d been to a few chain restaurants the past couple of weeks, we thought it was about time we gave this one a shot.
She Said: This was suggested by a Dear Reader, and I was grateful because I wasn’t aware of what had happened at the former site of Blackwood’s. An Irish joint seemed like a good place for a leisurely Thursday lunch to pre-game the weekend.
Ambience:
He Said: It has a little bit of the pub feel, with walls decorated around with pictures and symbols of Old Ireland, so you get a bit of authentic feel, even with the authentic big screen TVs like Finn McCool used to watch.
She Said: Haha, Ruud! I like the décor, and only I wish they would lean a bit harder into the pub feel, maybe with more booths, more cushions and curtains, and a fire place! I wanted it to be snugglier, to go with the cuisine. The cozier such an eatery is, the more you feel like it’s the place with the good craic (the best conversation, gossip and convivial cheer).
Drinks
He Said: I was hoping to get the full pub experience and have a beer, but my options are limited since I can’t drink alcohol (remember the pancreas, Dear Readers). In recent years, several brewing companies have come out with non-alcoholic beer (most notably Heinekkin’s 0.0), but none of these were available at O’Malley’s. So, to Dr. Pepper I had to go.
She Said: I wasn’t quite hungry enough for a Guinness, so I chose a pint of Smithwick’s, which is a red ale from Kilkenny, Ireland, somewhere I have actually been. I’m not a big beer drinker in the United States, but do like to try the local offerings when we travel. It tasted so nice, I had one twice.
Food
He Said: It was basically an Irish pub, so my first instinct is to go with the fish and chips. Which I did. But before getting those, we decided on an appetizer of boxty—that is, traditional Irish potato pancakes, because we both really like potato pancakes (see the featured photo above). These were made the old fashioned way, out of mashed potatoes (not hash browns as a lot of other places do). They were fired to perfection and you could taste the mashed potato inside the crispy outer coating. And best of all, they came with an absolutely delicious cheese and bacon sauce on the side that perfectly completed the dish. There were four small pancakes, so we had two apiece, but I could easily have made an entire meal of those tasty little fellers.
For my entrée I chose the fish and chips. I remember a five-week stay in Oxford 20 years ago when I had fish and chips at one of the many pubs in town almost every day, so I often order it here when it’s on the menu. By comparison, the fish and chips here were definitely not bad. The fish filets were sort of rolled up, which was unusual, but the batter seemed a little lighter than is typical, and that was a plus. The chips, or as we say in America, the French fries, were cut in a smaller disc shape, and were very tasty and crispy. There were no peas, or mashy peas, which is the way they are generally served in the British Isles and Ireland, and I did think a vegetable of some sort would have added to the experience, but the fish and chips were very good.
I was getting a bit full by this time, but since we were doing a review, I felt I would only be doing my due diligence if I ordered dessert. Dear Readers, do you see the lengths I go, to serve your needs? The sacrifice in this case involved my ordering what’s called the lava cake. This is described on the menu as “molten chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate core topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and powdered sugar.” To which I reply, “You had me at ‘chocolate.’” But the variety of forms of chocolate, augmented and cooled by the powdered sugar and vanilla ice cream, gives you a festival of textures in your mouth, all having the delicious flavor of chocolate in common. If you have to eliminate something from your order to cut calories, I recommend it not be the cake. I mean, what is life for?
She Said: I wanted the fish and chips pretty badly to complete my Irish pub experience and go with my Smithwick’s pint(s), but He Said beat me to it, so I chose the burger, and for some reason, I asked for cheese on it. This was strange, because I don’t like cheese burgers. It was still very, very tasty, with Swiss cheese, a nicely grilled bun and a tasty grilled patty, pickles and lettuce. The “chips” were wee curly fries that were a perfect accompaniment to the burger (with a side of mayo for dipping). Because I was already filling up from the boxty, which He Said perfectly described above, and the Smithwick’s, I couldn’t finish either. And I only had room for a bite or two of He Said’s lava cake dessert, even though I wanted more of that, too. All the food was very, very good. Perfect pub food.
Service
He Said: Our server was really quite impressive. The service was timely, she checked with us several times and brought me a refill of my Dr. Pepper without my asking (and remembered it was Dr. Pepper and didn’t come back with Coke mixed with my Dr. Pepper dregs, as happens more than you’d think), and best of all noticed that our table was wobbling and moved us to a different table without our ever asking or complaining. She was also handling several other tables at the same time and never dropped a stitch. A-1 service.
She Said: Yes, our server was very snuggly-pub professional. She knew the place and how to handle issues whilst still being friendly and welcoming. I’ll bet she really does have the good craic.
What We Got and What We Paid: Two Smithwick’s Irish Ales, one boxy appetizer, one Dr. Pepper, one fish and chips, one pub burger, and one lava cake, all for $65.10 (before tip).
Elapsed Time from Our Arrival to Food Arrival: We strolled in at 12:05 p.m., the appetizer arrived at 12:17 p.m., and the entrees came at 12:26 p.m., 21 minutes from entry to entrees.
Rating:
He Said: Great potato pancakes, tasty fish and chips, an awesome chocolate dessert, great service and a comfortable atmosphere. What’s not to like?
She Said: It’s a great Irish pub for Conway, with stellar service, tasty food, a good pint or two, and the best craic, especially if you’re there with He Said.
Is O’Malley’s Irish Grill good at what it’s good for? Absolutely. You want pub, they’ve got pub. Comfort food, coziness, and craic.