Doherty's Irish Pub & Restaurant — Restaurant in Apex

Horrible experience! Will never go back! Was really excited to try this place as there were multiple items on the menu that sounded excellent and we wanted to try. We had a reservation for 12 noon on Sunday. We arrived 10 minutes early. No one was at the door when we walked and waited 5 minutes before hostess came to greet us. We told her we had a reservation and she said she needed to check to see if there was a table ready for us and disappeared for another 5 minutes. We were then seated in a both in the back where there were a few other parties eating but also some open tables so by no means were they busy or fully booked. When we were seated we were given two kid menus (no crayons) for our two children and their specials/drink menu and then the hostess left once again. We sat 20 minutes without a singe person tending to us. Other wait staff walked by bringing the other parties their drinks, food, or bussing/wiping down tables. There were multiple times where the same person walked past us and could clearly seen that we had not been helped yet and could have said something. Even the hostess walked past our table while wiping down other tables around us without saying anything. I understand that we might have not been sitting in a certain waitresses "section" but we were still sitting in the restaurant waiting for service. Someone needed to step up and take some ownership and acknowledge that we were there. Instead we got nothing, not even any water. Since my hungry kids couldn't take it any longer we decided to leave. No surprise that there wasn't a hostess at the front to say that we were leaving or tending to the next couple waiting to be seated. Worst customer service experience ever in s restaurant. Will not...

New Year’s Eve review: We have gone to Dougherty’s for years for many events and love this establishment, so our negative experience surprised us on New Year’s Eve. I made reservations weeks in advanced and arrived five minutes before the reservation time. Booths and tables were open, so I asked for a booth. I was told that the restaurant is at capacity seating that night, so we were escorted to a table in the middle of the room that was very close to two other tables made for two people. The “DJ” was right next to us. After being seated and meeting our “table mates” due to the closeness, the open booth was provided to another couple right in front of us. Interesting. The DJ behind us talked to another patron so loud that I couldn’t hear my wife talk. This went on until the DJ was yelling, telling stories, reading a poem, and ushering in the 7 pm (Irish time) New Year cheer. We were in the center of all that, which was fine, but why are we in the middle of the room like this? Oh, we are seating on the dance floor! The people to our right and left leave, and the tables and chairs were cleared. Now, the equipment starts coming in, and we are trying to finish our dinner as the lone table in the middle of the room. I asked the waitress for our check stating, “I guess we need to leave.” She agreed saying it was the dance floor. So, why did you decide to seat us on the dance floor? We are an older couple, but enjoy our New Year’s Eve like anyone else. Did you think we were a fast turnaround reservation? Wow! Not a great way to treat your repeat customers. Disappointed greatly since we have always enjoyed the experiences in the past. BTW - this was our third New Year’s Eve dinner in a row at Dougherty’s but will be...

Great Irish and non-Irish food. The Killarney Boxti was terrific. Hubby enjoyed his fried fish. There are lots of TVs inside turned to various sports with the sound off. Service was prompt and good. The only drawback to the pub is that the architecture seems to amplify sound instead of absorbing it. That may depend on where you sit. I've been there twice, and it was loud both times. The restrooms are clean even if the toilet seats are stained with age. Cost per person depends on what you choose to purchase. You can just get a drink, add a pub snack, or have an entire meal. We enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day festivities. I recommend making reservations for a table on that day. We waited in line for 20 ish minutes just to get on the waitlist. Then we waited about 45 minutes for two seats at a shared 6 seat table with another couple at the other end of it. We watched kids from an Irish Dance School performing in a blocked off area of the parking lot while we waited. It was entertaining. A band was setting up when our table was called. Whilst they had said it was a 45-minute wait for a patio table and 90-minutes for indoors, we were seated indoors in 45 minutes. We had specified first available location. While we were eating, tables emptied out and were not all filled again. I think our 5 pm arrival must have been peak time for the event. Seems like a lot of folks signed up for the waiting list...