This was our first time ever going out for a St. Patrick's Day meal and celebration. A really great idea from my wife! The goal was to listen to some good Irish music, have different types of Irish food, sample some different beverages, along with being family friendly. After driving through downtown Lowell and seeing the VERY populated and congested pubs & restaurant we chose something a bit more quiet. Owen and Ollies in Dracut, MA met all our objectives and did not disappoint.
We expected a crowd so we arrived around 4PM with absolutely NO wait. Had our pick of a table. By the time we left at 6PM there was a small wait and a larger crowd in the open lounge area. We sat in the front .
For our Irish beverages my wife chose the Magner's Cider Beer. She enjoyed it so much she ordered another one! To stick with the St. Patrick's tradition I had a Guinness with my appetizer and a St. Patricks for dinner/desert. The Guinness beer is quite dark and different (for those who never enjoyed one). The St. Patrick's bear is a bit crisp.
Dinner
For dinner my wife and I ordered the Corned Beef and Cabbage special and I ordered the Bangers and Mash with the agreement that we would share.
I didn't care for the Bangers (sausage) while my wife enjoyed this when she had it with the brown gravy. We both liked the Mashed potatoes. Those were very tasty. The brown Irish bread that came with the meal was very good!
The Corned Beef and Cabbage was VERY good and tasty. The boiled potatoes and carrots were good too. Just what you expect at St. Patricks Day. PERFECT. We all shared. My 15 year old choose a non Irish meal - a cheese Pizza but didn't care for it. I have it for left over lunch tomorrow. I thought the sauce was a bit different (a little sweet). My 5 year old didn't like his pizza either. My daughter got a Chicken Caesar wrap. She enjoyed it. It was large enough that she has something for lunch tomorrow.
We all loved the Brown Irish soda bread.
We ordered desert. The kids had sundaes and cake. My wife and I split the Maple Pumpkin Pie trifle which was garnished with a gingersnap and walnuts. That was very rich but very good! We ate every bite.
The restaurant is in an old but renovated mill (near Beaver Brook) in the Collinsville section of town. From the outside it doesn't look like anything special. However it is absolutely gorgeous and modern inside. Most of the comfortable seating has a TV where you can play and watch Keno as well as watch TV if you choose. Very nicely decorated for St. Patricks Day and they had an Irish singer "Shamus Pender" . I absolutely loved the high ceilings and mill environment. Even though we were at the farthest point from the lounge we still got to enjoy the Irish music yet were able to have a nice conversation. This place is NOT loud. Perhaps its because of the very high ceilings The lounge area is very large, spacious, open, and modern. They have wifi as well. I have yet to bring my computer to a restaurant and don't plan to start now.
The service tonight was exceptional for a holiday! No waiting for anything!
Overall a great place and a nice setting for our St. Patrick's Day celebration. I love being Irish!!!
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