Today is the first day of June and the first day of AY’s Patio Bucket List. For the first stop on the outdoor dining tour, Heather Baker joins Don Dugan, owner of Dugan’s Pub, for some Irish fare on the pub’s patio.
“We’re downtown at Dugan’s Pub because he has a fantastic patio,” Baker says before joining Dugan. “You can see the TVs and you can look at beautiful downtown Little Rock.”
Sitting in the fresh air with downtown views behind them, Baker and Dugan dig into the spread, and naturally, the appetizers come first.
“This ain’t your typical mozzarella stick, is it, Don?” Baker asks as she pulls apart the jumbo beer battered mozzarella stick, mesmerized by the stretch of the cheese.
Dugan’s Pub is known for its tasty typical bar food, but the joint also serves full meals.
“Now I’m diving into my favorite here at Dugan’s,” Baker says while dipping her fried fish into tartar sauce. The fish and chips, or fries as they’re known in the states, are fresh battered cod fillets served with house-made slaw and tartar sauce.
Dugan shares a few of his favorite traditional Irish dishes.
“This is our corned beef and cabbage. We cook this down about three and a half to four hours, get it to fork tender and it’s a delicious meal,” Dugan says.
The Irish Farmhouse Breakfast is served all day long with rashers, bangers, sauteed mushrooms, two eggs and grilled tomatoes.
“Bangers aren’t like your typical breakfast sausage. They have a little more bread meal and a little less heat,” Dugan says.
For a not-so-traditional meal, Dugan and Baker enjoyed the pub’s Hickory Barbecue Bacon burger and the steak salad.
“Our steak salad is fantastic,” Dugan says. “I like my steak medium-rare, and then there’s blue cheese crumbles, sauteed onions, tomatoes atop mixed greens.”
Washing down a meal is not a problem at Dugan’s Pub with 17 beers on tap and the largest Irish whiskey collection in the state.
“Y’all come have fun!” Dugan says.
Tune in next week to see which patio Heather Baker visits on the bucket list.
READ MORE: The Return of Patio Season: Patio Bucket List