With spring and shamrocks just around the corner, romantic Berks Countians don’t have to board a plane to Dublin to find a pub with heart. Flanagan’s Pub in Shillington has both the ambience and flavor to blend the best of home and hearth. Owner Chris Flanagan has built a strong clientele based on service, brews, and—on St. Patrick’s Day—Irish stew.
Another entrée to confirm the Irish spirit is Flanagan’s Guinness-Battered Fish ’n' Chips, made with fat, sumptuous white cod filets and served with lightly spiced waffle fries. The fish falls onto the fork; its batter is distinctively flavored with the round fullness of that dark beer made famous around the world, while the potatoes are a clear nod to American sensibilities: you wouldn’t douse them with malt vinegar, since they’re perfectly seasoned just the way they are.
A second entrée that accomplishes the same Hibernian-Berksian gastronomical feat is the Pub’s own Pretzel City Chicken with Cheddar-Bacon Mashed Taters. (There are a lot of taters on this menu, incidentally.) Again, Flanagan takes the best of both worlds and merges them into a newborn culinary reality. The chicken breasts in this dish are pretzel-encrusted and deep-fried for a roasted, toasted flavor experience; they are presented above a thin, golden pool of homemade honey mustard sauce, a natural accompaniment for both pretzels and juicy poultry.
Those mashed potatoes, though, are the clincher, also soaking up the marvelous mustard sauce at their base even as they entice the diner to scoop into the top of the chunky mountain, with its orangey chunks of cheese and brick-red dots of bacon poking out. It’s unabashed comfort food all the way. And there’s not a conscious thought while you’re doing the eating, but you know, deep down, that if Mother Nature were to throw a curveball and deliver a last-minute, pre-Easter ice storm, you could make it through simply by packing these taters onto your ribs.
MMM…Meaty
Notice, too, by scanning the menu—the BLT, for example—that Flanagan’s favors applewood bacon. Other meaty temptations include a richly flavored Angus Meatloaf or the lean Buffalo Meatloaf; Flanagan’s famous pulled pork barbeque; a tender 12-ounce Bistro steak; and the ultimate melding of meats called a “Chirger,” which puts grilled chicken and an 8-ounce prime burger under one Kaiser bun with American cheese, grilled onions, and BBQ sauce (all for $9.99). The sandwich menu is extensive—fitting for a pub—and offers everything from Chris’ Crabcake Sandwich to the Pub Prime Rib Sandwich. There’s seating upstairs in the area around a busy bar, or downstairs in a dining-only space where tables can hold a couple, a family, a larger group celebrating a birthday or just friends hanging out after work.
B Is For Beer
Predictably, the number and sheer variety of good drafts on tap are crowd pleasers. But the creatively named and executed cocktails are unusually delicious. The Perverted Irishman is zippy yet friendly on ice: it’s made with Bailey’s Irish Cream and Jameson whiskey—so there’s no skimping on the delicious details. Made in the mode of a White Russian, this drink has a personality that matches up with the jovial atmosphere, and it’s just one of many signature drinks Flanagan’s has dreamt up: try also one of the many fun drinks named after the Pub’s servers.
Do Order The Squash Soup
An appetizer named the Pub Sampler, which comes in various sizes, offers the best of all the finger foods, such as broccoli-cheese bites, tender corn nuggets, and arguably the most addictive onion rings in Berks County. Of course, there are wings of all sorts and heat levels.
If there’s ever a tossup between getting appetizers or soup, though, don’t think twice: a particularly thick, delicately scented, soft and creamy Butternut Squash Soup will have you swooning with each bite. This preparation, which is on the regular menu (not a soup du jour) proves how a hardy squash can end up tasting sweet and mellow and…round (there’s no other word for it!) in each spoonful. It’s like a hot butterscotch pudding, only healthy. Perhaps this soup is the gold in the pot…? You know…the one that sits at the end of the leprechaun’s rainbow.
Or maybe the riches lie ultimately in the dessert menu. Go with a group so you can sample Flanagan’s home-baked treats, especially the deeply rich Double Decadent Chocolate Fudge Cake and the super-elegant, alluringly pretty Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake. In the latter lusciousness, the liqueur’s flavor suffuses the cheesy smoothness, complemented by a chocolate graham crust below and waves of rich mousse atop.
Hearth, Heart, Fun Times, Laughter
Maybe it’s the food and drink. Maybe it’s the congenial, bustling atmosphere as the wait staff hustles trays up and down the stairs. Maybe it’s the welcoming way servers respond to diners’ greetings and requests, often on a first-name basis. Just don’t be surprised when you find yourself reminiscing about old times when good things happened, or telling funny stories long-buried. Anything can happen when you sit yourself down in Irish company.
FLANAGAN'S PUB 41 W. Lancaster Ave. | Shillington | 610.777.6401 | flanaganpub.com
BY MARIAN FRANCES WOLBERS | PHOTOS BY HEIDI REUTER
