Napper Tandy's in Walpole, Massachusetts: Classic Irish Pub
Atmsophere, Amazing Food, Pool Room Downstairs
Napper Tandy's, Walpole, Massachusetts.
by Eric Hurwitz. Page updated on 6/27/2021. All photos by Eric unless
otherwise noted.
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Napper Tandy's in Walpole, Mass., is one of those restaurants
that has so much appeal in its atmosphere, food and overall spirit that
it begs repeated visits.
Formerly the drab, "divey" Kylemore and, then, the slightly
tired-looking but otherwise worthy Beckett's, Napper Tandy's opened in
early April 2014 and is clearly a completely different dining
establishment than its predecessors. The restaurant -- housed in a
historic Walpole cottage-like building -- now looks like something out
of a spectacular HGTV restoration project episode and with food
reminiscent of those mouthwatering dishes you'd see on The Food Network.
Walking through the right side door leads to a beautiful,
large dining room with gleaming wooden floors, big picture windows,
high tables and a long handsome bar. It's cozy, yet vibrant-feeling and
21st-century-relevant like some special casual date night or
family-friendly pub you'd find in the big city and not in a quaint New
England town like Walpole.
Large dining room and bar at
Napper Tandy's in Walpole.
The smaller separate dining room features a charming Irish pub with
authentic decor, another fine-looking bar, and tables spaced out well enough to not feel
cramped. Both rooms have the requisite modern presence of several big
screen televisions.
Smaller dining room and bar.
Those two rooms would be enough to make Napper Tandy's Walpole more
than appealing, but walk downstairs and you'll find a 6,000 sq. ft.
games and billiard center with nine pool tables, darts and a full bar.
This concept fills a niche in Walpole as the town has no other
restaurant and bar with a dedicated billiards room.
Downstairs pool room at Napper
Tandy's.
Napper Tandy's Walpole certainly has the looks and opportunity to have
some fun, but what about the food, drink, service and pride of
ownership?
Fortunately, Napper Tandy's Walpole comes through by surpassing all the
criteria of what makes a great overall dining experience for lunch and
dinner.
John Jacob and co-owner wife Niamh have gained significant experience
owning and operating Napper Tandy's restaurants in Norwood Roslindale and
Millis -- all works of love with pride of ownership shining through at all locations.
Irish pub favorites like Shepard's pie and fish and chips still exist
here from the Beckett's days, but the focus is a more on well-rounded
offering of comfort foods like steak tips, chicken carbonara, edamame stir fry, parmesan basil pesto haddock, baked salmon dishes, mac and cheese, and fried chicken dinner, All taste incredibly fresh and flavorful -- the ultimate homecooked-style dishes.
Mac and cheese dinner
Parmesan basil pesto haddock plate.
The burgers are about the best one could imagine, certainly surpassing
those high profile, trendy urban burger places that have been in vogue
lately. Want proof? Take a look...
Burger from Napper Tandy's.
Clearly not your basic burger, the 100 percent sirloin gem is cooked to
perfection and, in this case, accompanied by tasty caramelized onions
and a truly fresh, picked-from-the-garden-tasting tomato and salad. If
opting for the fries, they are 100 percent hand-cut and out-of-this
world delicious.
"Seems like everyone uses Kobe and grass fed these days, but we like
going with the sirloin and doing it right," said Jacob about the
burgers.
Mixed greens salads serve as another popular food category including
roasted beet and goat cheese, apple-pecan, steak and bleu cheese and a classic Caesar.
Napper Tandy's also offers a nice variety of hand-tossed pan-cooked
pizzas, flatbreads and appetizers -- the latter including Cajun salmon tacos, Thai chili pork dumplings, a hummus plate, Buffalo cauliflower and house marinated wings
or hand-breaded chicken tossed in a wide variety of sauces and hand rubs.
The drinks selection is tremendous with all the usual suspects, plus a
great selection of craft beers including several IPAs on tap and
selections like Slumbrew out of Somerville, Mass., Pretty Things of
Westport, Mass., Notch Brewing Company out of Ipswich, Mass., and the
hard-to-find-locally Ommegang from Cooperstown, N.Y.
In the summer, an outdoor patio dining area provides a nice setting!
And at nighttime, Napper Tandy's look so warm and inviting -- the kind
of place you'd imagine when thinking of the ideal Irish pub...
It is clear that everything Napper Tandy's offers adds up to one
element that Jacob believes is missing in many modern day restaurants
-- that is, the art and science of hospitality.
"We are big on service, quality, pricing -- and are big fans of
personality," said Jacob, a resident of Walpole who originally
hails from Kildare, Ireland. "The bartenders just like to have fun with
the guests. We take our time making the food to get it just right. We
have a truly talented chef. We want our
customers to have a real dining experience, not rushed and in a
welcoming place."
These are not just words, but a way of life and a requisite business
model in the way John and Niamh run Napper Tandy's Walpole. This
passionate way of operating a restaurant ultimately proves that
tradition always trumps trendiness when dining out, and people have
been packing the place to enjoy this long-revered dining out genre.
Napper Tandy's Of Walpole
is located at 1065 Main St., Walpole MA. Tel. (508) 668-1191
Related article:
Best
Irish pubs from Boston to Worcester
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