To most students in Iowa City, Donelly’s is probably just another Irish pub, one of several you could walk into on any given week night and enjoy a stiff pint of Guinness with a shot of Jameson. What they don’t realize when they walk into Donelly’s, however, is that they are walking into an important piece of Iowa City history. While not in its original location, its influence and impact helped shape the downtown that exists today. Donnelly’s is Iowa City’s oldest Irish pub, opened by Harold Donelly in the 1930s on Dubuque Street and being the haunt of local famous writers from the Iowa City Writers’ Workshop for four decades. It was the place to be, garnering all sorts of patrons, from the writers to businessmen, farmers, students, artists, and everything in between. The original Donelly’s was torn down in the ‘70s due to a mandate from the city for “urban renewal,” and its loss was felt, with different writers paying tribute to it at the time.

It wasn’t until 2005 that the restaurant was brought back by local business mogul Jim Mondanaro, who owned Micky’s at the time and wanted to open another Irish pub on College Street. The new Donelly’s was able to keep much of its charm as well as its connection to the Writer’s Workshop. It might not have had the same bar (which was taken by Mondanaro for Micky’s), but it still has that old world feel that makes it feel like it’s always been there. It was recently repainted with a vibrant red, helping it stand out among the many ped mall bars for patrons walking through. Once inside, you’ll find they have a mix of the modern and traditional, with classic Irish fare and Guinness as well as a full selection of regular bar food and quite the whiskey selection, as we’ll now see.

WHISKEY SELECTION

Variety: Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, Irish, Canadian, Flavored

Range: Good. They have just over three dozen bottles, coming in at 38 total. Their selection is not completely consistent with what their spirit menu indicates, however, so that count might be off by a couple either way. They have an excellent variety of Scotch and Bourbon. The big three regions of Scotch are represented behind the bar with bottles of Highland, Speyside, and Islay Scotch, which is rare to see in most bars. Donelly’s is also the first place I’ve seen in the city with Redbreast Cask Strength. Their Canadians are Crown and Club, and it’s honestly impressive to see a Canadian offering beyond simply Crown. 

Price point: Everything is priced out for you on their extensive spirit menu, besides a couple of bottles that haven’t been added to the menu yet. Donelly’s is one of the few places in the city I’ve seen that carry such a menu, which is a huge plus in my book. Their cheapest pours are $6 for the flavored whiskies and SoCo. The high end of their prices is $40 for a pour of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, with other high end bottles coming somewhere in between the Blue Label and $20. Mid-range bottles sit mostly in the high teens between $16 to $18.

Wells: Mr. Boston is the brand of their well whiskey, with shots coming in at $5.

Best Bottle: This is one of only a couple of places in Iowa City to have a true top shelf selection. The previously mentioned Johnnie Walker Blue Label definitely headlines that selection, but they have several other top shelf bottles on display such as Jameson 18, Red Breast Cask Strength, Macallan 15, and Whistle Pig Old World. Other solid bottles they have include Macallan 12, Lagavulin 16, Laphroaig 10, Bushmills Black Bush, Cedar Ridge Bourbon and Rye, and Knob Creek Rye. 

Grade: A

Overall Thoughts: Before rating the whiskey at Donelly’s, I had been several times for their weekly trivia night, but my girlfriend and I had always sat in the corner away from the bar and gotten beer, so I’d never known they had such a good whiskey selection. Honestly, from the atmosphere I had just assumed it had more standard whiskey options, but it joins Micky’s in being another Irish pub in Iowa City with an elevated selection. Donelly’s doesn’t quite get to Micky’s level with the sheer volume of bottles, but the quality is certainly there and their variety is still great. It really captures a lot of different vibes in one bar and I see why it was the place to be back in the day in Iowa City. I’ll be ordering much more whiskey going forward on trivia nights.