Kilroy’s on the Square
What’s on the checklist for a perfect neighborhood bar?
Great drinks and cold beers… Check.
TVs everywhere you turn… Check.
Familiar faces everywhere you look… Check.
Awesome food and maybe a Hot Dog like you’ve never seen before… Check.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “We make great food, great drinks, and we do it in a very fun non pretentious way.”
Well since this place checks all the boxes, you need to check out Kilroy’s.
Located on Cottage Ave in Quincy, Kilroy’s on the Square is a fun comfortable sports bar inspired by the city’s old school dive bars, but with a fresh facelift and delicious upgrade. In fact, Kilroy’s jokingly refers to itself as a Five Star Dive Bar.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “We definitely did not give ourselves five stars. But the point is we bought a real old school dive bar that's been in Quincy for over 40 years. It was Tully’s Café and it was the oldest dive bar in Quincy, I think.”
And now, the spot has been transformed into a cool two-story space, with plenty of natural light and lots of nods to Quincy’s rich history covering the walls, and lining the menu.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “Everything is pretty much going back to Quincy ties. Between having the presidents, and then the shipyard. So most of the sandwiches on the menu are named after ships that were in the Quincy Shipyard and most of the drinks are named after the generals who are from Quincy. So our menu really celebrates Quincy’s history.”
Even the owners of Kilroy’s themselves are steeped in Quincy history, including partner Kerri Delaney.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “Me and my partners at Kilroy’s, all of us are from Quincy. We all have so many Quincy roots. I grew up here, I graduated North Quincy High in 1996. And my heart’s still here and I love everything about it. And Quincy is great.”
There are big flavors coming out of Kilroy’s small kitchen, and while the food ain’t fancy, it is fantastic.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “Everything's basically served in a basket, easy to eat, pretty good to have with a beer or a nice cocktail and casual food. Not so much entrees just casual food. But we make everything in house.”
Most of the menu is devoted to sandwiches, like the Grilled Chicken with crispy Bacon and American Cheese, or the spicy fried Nashville Hot Chicken with Dill Pickle Chips. If you’re hungry for a Burger, this one is classically delicious. And while the burger is pretty basic, the Hot Dog is anything but. Named ‘The Fore River Frank’, it features two all beef dogs with melted cheese, encased in batter dipped deep fried white bread, with a side of honey mustard.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “We were just messing around the kitchen one day and one of the guys in the kitchen, Sean came up with it. We just tried it. He’s just like ‘let's give this a shot.’ And it kind of caught on and everyone loves it. We take a piece of white bread. Just plain old white bread. Roll it out flat. American cheese, and we grill the hot dog, and then we put the grilled hot dog in the bread. Roll it. Dip it in an egg wash, deep fry it. It’s a fancy frank. It's really good. Everyone's like, ‘I've never had a hot dog like this before.’ And oddly enough, I'm not a huge hot dog fan, but it's a really good hot dog.”
For something a little lighter, but just as tasty, check out ‘The Wasp’, made with Smoked Turkey Breast, Havarti Cheese, and Bacon, wrapped in a baked tortilla with Cranberry Chipotle Sauce for dipping.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “When you bite into it, the tortilla itself is crunchy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside. And then you have the turkey, cheese, and bacon, and you dip it right in the chipotle cranberry sauce. It’s great.”
Other sandwich standouts at Kilroy’s include a Chipotle Meatloaf club, a homemade Meatball sub with provolone, and a warm Roast Beef, dripping with deliciousness.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “It has roast beef that we roast and slice and house. Then there’s this great sour cream horseradish. Some really nice gruyere cheese. Caramelized onions brings a little sweetness. And we serve it all in a nice fluffy brioche bun.”
If you’re in the mood for an Italian, ‘The Nazz’ has everything you’re craving. And if you want to pretend you’re eating healthy, you can get all those same flavors on the ‘Kilroy’s Salad’.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “It’s almost like a deconstructed Italian Sub. The capicola, provolone cheese, the onions, the olives, the string beans, the hard boiled egg, and the lettuce. So it's kind of like eating healthy, but also kind of cheating a little bit.”
Rounding out the menu are appetizers like a basket of golden fried Shoestring Onions, Crispy Chicken Wings with flavors like Buffalo, Jamaican Jerk, and Sweet Chili, and a pile of addictive Street Corn Steak Fries.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “Crispy Steak Fries, the cheese, the corn, everyone loves them. Who doesn't like Street Corn these days, so we just put them on some French Fries.”
If you’re looking for dessert, you’ll have to look elsewhere, unless you’d like it in liquid form.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “We don't really make desserts at Kilroy’s but we do have The McConville which is a very swanky Espresso Martini, which basically is a dessert glass.”
And whether you’re here for the drinks or the food, as a first timer or a tried-and-true townie, if you love a good neighborhood bar, Kilroy’s is the spot.
Kerri Delaney – Owner, Kilroy’s on the Square: “It's fun, it's comfortable. It's a fun crew and everyone that works there is great. You know everyone, you see everyone. Almost every time you walk in there everybody knows you and vice versa. So it's a fun place to hang out.”
