The Druid’s been serving up Irish comfort food in Inman Square for more than 20 years. People swear by its fish and chips in its classic newspaper wrapping, and of course there’s a shepherd’s pie of lamb, bangers, beans and mash and the requisite beef stew. Beyond that, there’s plenty of pleasant surprises on the menu shortlist: Oxtail soup, chicken and veggie soup and an Irish seafood stew of shrimp, clams and cod, as well as a surprisingly good veggie burger, as we noted during the Covid pandemic lockdown when you could get grub only to go.
The Druid’s not a big place – a tight shotgun alley adorned with plenty of decor from the Emerald Isle to transport you (you’ll hear legit accents on both sides of the bar). There’s maybe 15-ish bar seats, so elbow space is tight and the place fills up after work. It’s perfect for a pint and a peckish please. I’ve yet to try those fish and chips and keep holding off on taking my daughter, who has become the family’s resident expert on the dish, but my recent trips to The Druid have led to some pleasing revelations: It serves up some pretty fresh oysters every now and then at a reasonable happy-hour rate; and the chicken salad sandwich is a unique is-that-really-chicken-salad changeup.
What’s different is the use of Dijon aioli, which brings a distinct pucker of mustard seed, and the lack of celery in favor of shredded greens that are made pliable and seamless in texture when being mixed with fresh roasted chicken. I swear the bartender used the term “pulled lettuce,” and if they didn’t, the term is apt. There’s not a lot of the mayo on the aioli side, just enough to bind and keep the tender chicken moist. It all comes on fresh, toasted sourdough with a choice of salad or fries. I tried the salad, then subbed in some Irish beans. They were fine, but my memory was seeking Boston baked or Wade BBQ’s pit beans. (Side note: Wade, which we recently reveled about, has shuttered temporarily due to lease issues.) The chicken salad sandwich is piled high, too, hearty but not overfilling, a perfect fill-you-up pit stop when paired with a creamy, dark pint of Guinness.
The Druid serves brunch on the weekend, and there’s regular live music (“traditional Irish sessions”) and telecasts of European soccer. And if you want The Druid to come to you, you can rent The Wandering Druid, a tiny-house representation of the pub on wheels that you can have dropped off at your abode for a backyard (or street front) house party with bangers and Guinness. Given the announced transition of Christopher’s to ownership by The Burren (it’ll be called McCarthy’s), perhaps homey Irish pub food is the next local trend after fine Italian?
The Druid, 1357 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge
Tom Meek is a writer living in Cambridge. His reviews, essays, short stories and articles have appeared in the WBUR ARTery, The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, The Charleston City Paper and SLAB literary journal. Tom is also a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and rides his bike everywhere.
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