EN
Once you enter Mr. Donahue’s, you’re instantly transported to a different time, a different place, a different atmosphere. You might as well be having dinner at a neighborhood restaurant somewhere in Louisiana twenty years ago. Or maybe at a “diner” in Tennessee back when rock stars where still recording their albums in Nashville.
After winning a Michelin star with their Thai restaurant Uncle Boons (one of our longtime favorites), the husband-and-wife team Ann Redding and Matt Danzer dreamed of opening a restaurant that specialized in soul food and all-American cuisine. Mr. Donahue’s, named after Matt’s grandfather, is a tribute to the Southern tradition of “meat and three”. For the uninitiated in the culture of the “meat and three”, it is a typical Southern restaurant where the choice comes down to one meat dish (from a rotating selection of 3 to 6) and three sides (from a selection of a dozen side dishes).
Back to basics is the theme at Mr. Donahue’s. If the menu is short, the wine list is even more abbreviated – a single choice for red wine, white wine and champagne. In the kitchen, simplicity for Ann and Matt comes down to tasty, gourmet food. Think grandma-chic throwback dishes: rotisserie chicken or roast beef for protein plus a side of artichoke/mayonnaise. It’s simple but perfectly executed. For dessert, you might not intuitively go for the banana rum pudding but you’re wrong. Trust us and treat yourself: it’s amazing.
The space is charmingly tchotchked with knickknacks on the shelves (we do love the wicker gibbon and the vintage pictures of Mr. Donahue). The setting is intimate with only 9 seats, and not one more. In the time of the real estate profitability diktat and the square foot battle in Nolita, it’s a feat. Beware, as Mr. Donahue’s might very well become your ideal neighborhood restaurant that you will soon call home.
Mr. Donahue’s
203 Mott Street, Nolita
646-850-9480
No reservations. Walk-ins only & delivery.