Boffo Burger at Molly's Shabeen

[BrookBoy]

My wife Maureen and I used to go to Molly's perhaps twenty years or so ago. I worked in the area and we'd sometimes meet there after work for a burger and a beer, and then a cab ride home. We've stopped in since, very occasionally, for a pint or two, but no eats.

Then, a few weeks ago, we had dinner with some old friends, Bill and Linda, and the conversation turned to Molly's. We all decided to meet there for dinner next, and that was last night.

Molly's hasn't changed in all these years, from the sawdust on the floor to the church pew seating in the dining room in the back. There are a lot of regulars, but I've always been impressed by how friendly everyone is even when you're not a regular. I'm Irish-American and have been to more than a few Irish pubs in Ireland, and to me Molly's is an authentic Irish pub. All this is enough to make Molly's attractive to me.

But there is yet another reason to put Molly's on my shortlist: their hamburgers. Linda and Maureen ordered the shepherds pie, which is also scrumptious and perfectly made, while Bill had a cheeseburger with fries and I had a bacon cheese burger with a salad. I couldn't have handled the fries with that burger, and BIll ended up leaving most of his fries and a little of the burger.

The menu says the burgers are 10 ounces, and they are at least that. Mine was cooked to order, which was medium rare. There are few things I enjoy more than a good burger, and Molly's met my expectations. The only thing that didn't come up to par, IMO, was the bun. It had disintegrated by the time I had my last bite. But that's not something I really care about.

What I care about is the burger itself, and it came to the table charred on the outside and reddish pink and juicy on the inside. It was delicious.

Until this outing, my two favorite burger joints had been City Hall in Tribeca and Dumont Burger in Williamsburg, They're still high on my list, but I'll be back to Molly's sooner rather than later.

[MVNYC]

I recently tried their Fish and Chips and was pretty impressed. Molly's burger though is probably my favourite in the city and it is hard not to order when I am there.

[princeofpork]

The F&C are off the charts good. Its the same batter they use for the Onion Rings

[BrookBoy]

Yeah, that's my problem, too. The only way I could get past the burger at Molly's from now on is to visit two or three days in a row. Then it would be either the fish and chips or the shepherds pie.

I have the same problem at Keen's. In all the years we've been going there, I can't get by the mutton chop. If I went more often, then I might try something else, but I just can't get past that chop.

I guess, on balance, it's not such a bad problem to have...

[ESNY]

Yup great burger. Huge, but well cooked and well seasoned. Bun never bothered me. I'd rather have an overly soft bun than a hard roll. I am also a big fan of the Shepherd's pie but have had one or two that were overly salty but thats a fairly rare occurrence. Definitely also pull one of the best pints in the city.

[craig_g]

Plus the onion rings are great, and the Guinness is always extremely well pulled.