The Burren

The Burren Restaurant Review:

The linchpin in Davis Square's nightlife line-up, The Burren is a rare Irish pub that manages to feel authentic. The owners are expat Irish musicians who still sit in on sessions in the busy back room each night. As for the customers, for every Tufts student, you'll find a writer, a bike courier, a computer programmer, an actress and so on, all sharing pints and passing crowded plates of unfussy Irish basics: Guinness beef stew, fish 'n' chips, burgers, bangers and mash --- you get the point --- as well as a strangely addictive buffalo chicken Caesar. But it’s not all Irish food here. Try the Mediterranean plate of falafel, pita chips and hummus, a spicy Thai steak salad or chickpea burger with mango chutney. The full Irish breakfast served on weekends is as authentic as you can get, served with black and white pudding and Irish brown bread. We think of the place as we would a roadside pub in Cork: the joy is in being there; everything else is just gravy.