O'Reilly's Pub & Grill - mySussex.com

At a glance

Food served later than almost anywhere else in downtown Newton
A genuine pub atmosphere in a town with limited nightlife options

Right on Spring Street, just a couple doors down from the Newton Theatre, you’ll find O’Reilly’s Pub and Grill, which has been feeding this town since 2008. It’s an Irish pub at heart, the kind of place with a full bar, a long draft list, and a menu that leans into homemade recipes rather than anything you’d get out of a freezer bag. Burgers are the thing most regulars order without even looking at the menu, especially the cheddar and onion version with the Guinness sauce, but there’s plenty else going on too, from corned beef sandwiches and shepherd’s pie to salmon and a handful of gluten-free options for anyone who needs them.

The space itself is bigger than it looks from the parking lot. Inside it’s a classic pub setup with a solid bar and dining room, and out back there’s a nice outdoor patio that gets used a lot in warmer months, including by folks who bring their dogs along. It’s open late every night of the week, food served until midnight or later, which makes it one of the few spots in Newton where you can still get a real meal well after most kitchens have shut down. Cocktails get real attention here too, not just poured and handed over, and the beer selection changes enough that it’s worth asking what’s new on tap.

Given the location, O’Reilly’s ends up being the natural stop before or after a show at the Newton Theatre, and that’s both its biggest strength and its biggest headache. On a big concert night, especially Friday or Saturday between six and eight, the place fills up fast with people trying to squeeze in dinner before curtain, so if you’re planning to eat before a show, it’s worth getting there early or calling ahead rather than showing up twenty minutes before showtime. Outside of showtimes though, it settles back into what it really is: a comfortable neighborhood pub where the staff know plenty of regulars by name, the food comes out generous, and there’s always a game on somewhere in the room. For anyone putting together a night out in downtown Newton, it’s an easy, reliable stop to build around.