McGonigal’s Pub

Redbreast Irish Whiskey is reason enough to come here! Our friendly server Russ, made some excellent suggestions, the pot roast was a generous portion. The beef was flavorful and really tender. My husband and I appreciated taking the scenic route home from Hoffman Estates. We will definitely be back on a Sunday when the Ragged Rascals perform.

Tonight was our first time at McGonigals and we had a great experience! Definitely 4.5 stars. Our server Jordan was terrific! Friendly and helpful. They have a decent drinks/​beer menu. The food was excellent as well. My husband ordered the burger, which was perfectly cooked to his taste, and juicy and delicious. I had the fish and chips, which were also delicious. The batter was light and crispy, not oily or heavy, and the fish was flaky. Our only not-​so-​great item was the bread pudding… we were disappointed with it. But overall a great experience and we will definitely be back!

Decided to try somewhere new on a day off. I was driving around downtown Barrington and found this place. Since it was after 1, there was plenty of parking.
I loved the décor. Great feel to the place. Service was awesome too. I had one of their craft beers, that they rotate in, an Arrogant Bastard Amber. It was really good.
I decided to try their wings and cole slaw. Not sure why I didn’t try a typical Irish dish, but wasn’t feeling it. I’m glad I tried the wings. I LOVE wings and most places over cook them or don’t have any good sauces.
This place has really meaty wings, and they don’t slobber on the sauce. It looks like it’s baked on. They were so flavorful and filling.
The cole slaw is way more than a side. It’s a huge portion and really awesome taste.
Service was excellent.
I can’t wait to go back and bring folks with me and try their Irish dishes too.
The only reason I gave them four stars, is their chairs seem very wobbly. I tried three, and they were all the same. Other than that, 5 stars! The food is terrific.

Pretty good pub! Really good Mango Martinis but really strong. The food is pretty good as well. My friend had the Turkey Club with Coleslaw. I had the Apple, goat cheese salad. The salad was really good but not many apples and no goat cheese
Went here for St. Patrick’s Day, very crowd and only a few (very unhealthy choices) on the menu. I will go back for drinks any time but not next St Patrick’s day.

Came here to eat dinner with a girlfriend yesterday. Food was pretty good. We had the hummus appetizer which was amazing! The pita bread was delicious. The waiter was good. The bathroom is way down the hallway but nothing anyone cant handle. It was loud, but its a pub so thats what you expect. The bbq chicken salad a ok. My friend’s sandwich looked good and she liked it. We just didnt like the table next to us– not the restaurant’s fault I guess but there were some obnoxious older adults that sat next to us and as their friends came they kept adding chairs to the point that one guy’s butt was up in our table and we felt like we needed to move our table over just to not be so close to these wierdos. They could have said pardon us can we sit here sorry to bother you but nope– I guess not everyone has common manners but I guess the waiters catered to them because they kept ordering rounds of shots and drinks and they could care less about me and my girlfriend trying to have a girls night catching up. O well!

ambience is good but the food is average. beer selection is decent

Great building. Friendly staff. Great building. Friendly staff.
Restaurant smells like the toilet on the 1972 car from the 7:24am train to Ogilvie.
Food is better than Wool Street’s, but so is Chipotles, even during the ecoli scare!

I’ve been here about 3 or 4 times and my experience this time warranted my review. I want to like this place, but something just keeps disappointing me. Now it was the Shepard’s Pie. Sure it was made from lamb with carrots, mashed potatoes, etc. but there were absolutely no spices or seasoning used in its preparation, it was bland, no flavor, nada. Very disappointing!
I took what I didn’t finish and later added some garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce and what a difference it made. At least now it was enjoyable. I still can’t understand why there was no flavor! Not sure if I’ll go back.

We’ve eaten at McGonigal’s periodically since they opened. Generally speaking, the food is pretty good as is the service. Tonight (Sunday) was different.
First, for some reason this traditional Irish pub was BLASTING Euro-​trance/​House/​Hip-​Hop music the entire time, making conversation impossible.
Then, the Cod sandwich I ordered was just nasty — no other way to put it.
The breaded exterior was very dark and crunchy hard, as if it had been re-​fried.
After taking a few bites and exposing the interior, I started getting the odor of rotting fish and (oddly) ammonia.
The (normally white flaky) meat was a shiny, semi-​translucent and gray. It was inedible.
Our server was apologetic and offered to get me something else but my family was finishing up so I declined. He didn’t offer to take it off the bill and I didn’t ask.
If there’s one thing you expect an Irish pub to get right, it’s fried fish.

Went on a Friday night it wasn’t too packed yet it was around 5pm. Their daily special was a beer brat for $ 4 and came with yummy crispy fries and the boneless wings were $ 5 and coated with a guinness bbq sauce so very tasty washed it down with a Harp’s. Can’t wait for another trip there

Just walked in and out of this place since the hostess had the laziest attitude to trying to get us a place to sit. First and last time here.

The first time I visited was for a work holiday dinner. There was about 10 people total. I arrived last after everyone had appetizers, however the waiter came by the table 3 times right next to where I was sitting with the group, and never acknowledged our table who was waiting quite a while and trying to get his attention. Finally he came by and was quite rude and unprofessional and started taking plates away even when we were still eating from them… And while he was taking my plate away with my food still on it, he still never acknowledged I was even there for me to order a drink even. Hope I never get this guy again.
Went there again with my family because I was craving some sweet potato fries and the dipping sauce which is yummy, and it was close to a child’s event that day, and it was good and the waitress was nice. I had a pot roast type sandwich and it was delicious juicy and tender however my husbands salmon sandwich was a little bland but everything was cooked well at least. I would go there again, but I’d avoid the salmon and the first waiter I experienced.

So I finally tried the Shepard pie! Epic
And their coloring sheets are now awesome!

Came here for a late lunch. It was not too busy. Ordered a beer from a decent selection on tap including local beers and a turkey reuben which was delicious. It is hard to find a good turkey reuben.
Note to Soccer Fans; they show soccer matches on the TVs. They appear to be a Man Utd bar but I won’t hold it against them as a Spurs supporter. It is just good to see a bar supporting the beautiful game.

Great sweet potato fries. Solid Reuben. Way too loud could barely hold a conversation without yelling across the table. If the acousics were better I would have given it more stars.

This is an outstanding restaurant in Barrington! The food is high quality and most of all delicious. The atmosphere is cozy!
Staff is friendly!

The hubs and I made McGonigal’s our pub of R&R after a long day in the rain at Arlington Park. I was shivering from the elements and wanted something warm, so I ordered a glass of white white and a cup of the French onion soup with my apple and goat cheese salad.
The salad was only OK and needed some nuts and cucumbers, but the soup? It was love at first sip. Not only was it picture-​perfect, it tasted out of this world. I’m going to have cravings for this soup for a long, long time.
The drink menu was exactly what we were looking for, a mix of beer, wine, and mixed drinks. I ended my meal with an Irish coffee (decaf). It was pretty great, as well.
The pub itself was pretty lively on a Saturday night and featured a live cover band, making for a festive atmosphere. I loved the shape of the building and the cubby-​hole booths. We’ll definitely seek this place again next time we’re in town.

I’ve been back six to seven times since… Their great, friendly service makes you want to your servers or bartenders friend. Small town neighbors:). Unbeatable Irish atmosphere. Solid Irish food (Scottish Egg has bragging rights). Wide variety of beers on draft and otherwise.
Make it happen. Go. Destination worthy.

Actually had dinner here…
The vegetable boxty was fantastic! Loved this healthier option with a side of baked beans. Fish and chips also extremely tasty. Disappointed that Green Line is no longer served there though

1.5 stars
I still have had terrible experience (and good, though overpriced food) there, but I did notify the:“contact us” link on the website after the dog incident (I assume it was the owner) Brian McGonigal answered within 24 hours, addressing each one of my concerns.
Regarding the dog (my biggest issue), apparently it’s a semi-​regular customer who has been told before that her dog is only allowed in the outdoor patio seating, NOT inside, MONTHS ago, so he was surprised at my experience/​that the dog was inside for any length of time, and said that the entire staff was going to be retrained/​reminded of the policy. He seemed to generally care that I had a negative experience, and I really do appreciate it.
I will probably go back one more time, because if not for the dog on my last visit, I would have said 3.5 stars (factoring in kitchen mistakes), so maybe I just always catch them on an off day. I’m willing to give another chance, cause the Irish Dip IS amazing…