McGuinn’s Place

Had the wings here. Wings were OK. My hunt for the best wings in Trenton will continue.

Character and personality this dive bar has. Also, best chicken cheesesteaks! Live music, jukebox, good parking, games. Or just sit and watch the patrons.

I used to drink here when I first was legally allowed to, and I remember it being much easier on the wallet. Now, I literally live up the block and stopped in on a hot Friday afternoon after work for a pick me up and paid 6 dollars for a super weak rum and Coke; 8 dollars for a DOUBLE! EIGHT DOLLARS! Meanwhile, a Yuengling pint was only 2 bucks. Advice: Come back here, hang with the guys old enough to be your Dad and drink the cheap drafts. STAY AWAY from anything else.

This is a grungy version of Firkin Tavern on the other side of town. I kept passing this place and from the outside it looks all cute, nice patio… and then inside the chairs are missing backs, have sliced up cushions, and well… generally it looks dirty in here.
The bartender here was very clear about how much he hated his job. There were only a handful of people in there, so it wasn’t hard to ease drop. Not that anyone seemed to mind, this looks like a complete inner circle place. The bartender knew everyone’s name and drink of choice… which was impressive. Sadly, he didn’t know that I like MY drinks strong. My drinks were pretty low on the vodka.
We wanted to munch on something and got the sample platter for $ 13. You got to pick 3 of any appetizers of your choice; we picked California fries, Pizza Rolls, and Fried Shrimp. The fried shrimp was the only thing that was good… sadly it was missing a dipping sauce or something! Pizza rolls were burnt Totino Pizza rolls… and only 6 of tiny pieces. The California fries had soooo much potential! Ranch dressing, bacon, cheese… sadly the cheese wasn’t melted… the bacon was minuscule anddd well, they were overall kinda of a disappointment.
There are a lot of games, pool, fooseball, air hockey… so much potential here… but so bleh. I will most likely not be returning… find me at Firkin… they have awesome wings and Parmesan fries.

Not a local, came with friends. This place offers almost everything I could ask for in a bar: divey vibe, jukebox with awesome music, cheap bevs and munchies, outside seating, and activities! Pool, pong, darts, shuffleboard, air hockey, fooseball, I’m sure I’m missing something. My review may change during different hours but for early evening/​happy hour not too packed but not empty either. If I lived closer I think I would definitely be a regular.

Great local dive bar. Cheap drinks, fried bar food, people are friendly. I have never seen it packed, but in my opinion this area is not a big nightlife crowd anyway.
Generally a good time.

First and most importantly, this place has a foosball table (for free!). This place fills up with a half-​decent-​looking crowd on random nights of the week and for sure on fridays. $ 1 pints and $ 10 domestic towers all day, erday.
Also, this place has air hockey, a shuffleboard table, 2 pool tables, a jukebox, and some very fair prices on alcohol. I don’t like that I like this place as much as I do, but then again it has foosball. Bartenders are friendly and attentive, and chicken wings tasted pretty good. As for the rest of the food, just saying there is a burger king across the parking lot.

My family and I really enjoyed watching football all day the first Sunday of the 2012 NFL season. We were in town to attend our Grandmother’s funeral and needed a devertion. We got what we needed at McQuinn’s and plan to come here again when we’re in town.

Its really hard to rate this place with an overall rating, because it depends so much on what you’re in to. So here is an itemized list:
1. Location: McGuinn’s gets 4 stars for being one of the only places to go in the dismal, boring Lawrenceville area. It is always a sure shot that there will be fun people watching possibilities because its always packed. Minus one star for the constant police presence, as they know, too, that its the only place to choose from.
2. Music: Anywhere from 1 – 5 stars. Ok, that isn’t fair. There is a HUGE variety — on any given night I’ve walked in to rock, sometimes rap, sometimes punk and so on. So 5 stars for variety, but sometimes paying $ 5 at the door for something you’d pay $ 5 not to have to listen to is a hard pill to swallow.
3. Ambiance: Uh, there’s not much of one. Green «pub» walls, restrooms in need of a scrub down and update… BUT, they do have pool tables that are a big draw, and recently added a multi-​game arcade machine and a sweet Dark Knight pinball, so I’d have to bump them up a star or two for that. Hubby and I have spent countless hours just drinking cheap beer and playing the games.
4. Service/​Drinks: 2 – 5 stars, depending on the bartender. They are all very much on top of getting you that next drink, but some of attitudes that are pretty fierce if they don’t recognize you as a «regular». Shots and beer are usually cheap and there’s almost always something on special, mixed drinks tend to be tiny and way overpriced, esp. given the size.