Mackey’s

Decent wings and happy hour specials. Good crowd. Service is prompt and efficient, if a little less than friendly. Can’t say too much about this place good or bad. It’s just decent, nothing special that really jumps out at you on the menu, in the décor/​vibe or anything else. Its just a pub that is nice enough.

The worst service you’ve ever received in your life, I’m appalled. I waited at least an HOUR for a drink.

I’ve eaten at the back restaurant several times over the years. I’ve also sat on their patio and had drinks and bar food. I can tell you that the most I will ever do here is sit on the patio and have a drink. This is because the last time I was here and ordered a simple cheeseburger and fries in the restaurant, it turned out to be an ordeal, with the food being sub-​par. The burger was cold, the fries were cold. None of it was edible. The server took the food back and was even barely apologetic. When the burger came back, it was barely warm and the fries had been put back into oil and re-​fried (they didn’t even give me fresh fries!). When I spoke to a manager, she could care less. I told them I wouldn’t pay for the food and I didn’t. I walked out pretty angry.
Something I have liked about this bar generally (and may continue to do) was to sit outside on their street-​facing patio (after hours) and have drinks. I thought the service outside was good (maybe because it’s easy, just keep bringing beer bottles). The bar food that they serve outside (like chicken tenders) seemed to be better than the inside restaurant menus.

I generally have enjoyed eating here in the past, but today’s experience was quite disappointing.
My waiter (Natanael) was bad. Halfway through my meal I had to ask another waiter for my drink. My waiter walked past me, and generally through the dining room with his head down. He never noticed I had no drink. He never saw me try to wave him down to replace my empty ketchup.
Beyond that, I had to change tables three times because they were all sticky. The table I ended up at was the least sticky.

Stopped by here for a late lunch because of the convenience of its location. Granted, I’ve never heard anything about this spot. I assumed (!!!) it was a nice happy hour spot (judging by the copious amounts of people that go there after work), so it must be good enough to dine at too.
We ordered the nachos and salsa as an appetizer. My boyfriend ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and I ordered the turkey and avocado sandwich. I think a previous Unilocaler used the words «under seasoned and underwhelming.» Touché. I could have made a tastier sandwich at home. The fries were good though.
I thought it was weird that our waitress refilled our waters by taking each cup to the back with her.
Two stars for the outdoor seating and service. That was the highlight of our experience. Subpar food, so if you’re hungry, steer clear.

Good hole in the wall bar. Nice place to stop before a long metro ride. Lots of beer on tap

Mackey’s is located right across the street from my building. They have a huge banner for their noon-​7pm Happy Hour and I finally got to come today.
I like…
— the outdoor seating. It’s right on L street where all the downtown suits and office workers walk around. It is the ideal spot for people watching.
— the happy hour time is unbeatable. Come for a boozy lunch.
— the old American feel of the pub inside. People come by themselves and take a seat at the bar and there are wood accents everywhere.
The food is mediocre… so come for the great happy hour time and location.

Well… My first time here and in Washington :) yay!
But even for Tuesday night it’s kinda bad :(
The bartender is so inattentive (just sad
It’s so slow here (even the lights are not dimmed
Take me outta here :((((

I’m a bit biased when it comes to this place. Me and my buddy are regulars here and are treated as so.
Service is fast, drinks are reasonably priced and the wings are cooked to my preference… crispy and drenched in buffalo sauce.

Good for a black-​and-​tan and a hamburger. I really can’t recommend much else at the noon hour and I have no idea what it’s like in the evening. Mackey’s is a bit down at the heels and not the cleanest place in town. But the beer is good and the bartenders know how to pull a pint. Since I haven’t been here in years except by myself, I always sit at the, close to the taps, and concentrate on the beer. As I’ve said elsewhere, black-​and-​tans should never be ordered anywhere other than an Irish bar. Who worries about cuisine. Not sure they know the word.

Stopped here for a drink while waiting to meet someone on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Ordered a couple beers at the bar and the bartender quickly brought them over to the small table we were sitting at. He was friendly and attentive which was easy for us. The draft beer selection was great with plenty of crafts and locals to choose from.

Nice
It’s become a DC Go-​To spot for me. Been here a handful of times and like it. A real pub feel. Nice to see outdoor seating. Bar area is on the smaller side but there’s more room in the back. Decent crowd of DC professionals. Enough TV’s around to watch whatever sporting event is on. Beer and liquor choices are right up my alley. Played darts here once and that was cool. Not an overwhelming crowd every time I’ve been. Just enough people to be full but not obnoxiously crowded. Haven’t tried the food, but I trust it is good. Call me a fan. I’ll be back !

I got here late on a sat afternoon and the place was empty.
The food was nothing special.
On the up side the Mexican lad behind the bar poured the perfect pint of Guinness.

I guess I should have looked at Unilocal first, and I’m kicking myself since it would have kept me from wasting my lunch hour and money on this place. I’m sure it’s a fun place for a beer after work, but I recommend anyplace else but here if you are eating. My fish and chips were pretty bad. 3 fish pieces looked more like fish sticks and weren’t much bigger. Doubt they make them fresh in house. The chips were soggy fries. Others in my group complained about their meals too, and we are usually not that picky for our expectations of a bar lunch. There is a great Cuban sandwich place close by. Eat there instead.

Our firm is a regular of Mackey’s for celebratory lunches and happy hours. There is a decent sized patio (which can be noisy if there is L street construction) and lots of indoor seating near a TV or not. Plenty of TVs for soccer matches and basketball games.
The happy hours are okay and the food is regular pub grub (wraps, chicken tenders, shepherd’s pie). We’ve noticed that our orders are almost always wrong when we have a large group, but Mackey’s is quick to correct.
Mackey’s is a nice trip out of the office for a few people to enjoy a drink before going home or back to work. Prices are very reasonable. Consider avoiding if fairly busy. limited personnel may result in longer than expected times and less attentive staff.

We were walking by and decided to sit outside for lunch. We picked out seat and met our waiter… who pretty much abandoned us after that. I went with a chicken sandwich with avocado. It was under seasoned and underwhelming. I could’ve made a better one at home for cheaper. The fries were soggy and not worth the calories. Probably a good after work bar but during work lunch… not so much.

I have always walked past this place, but never went inside until yesterday. The outdoor patio is huge and there is plenty of seating. There are also umbrellas to shield from you the sun. The restaurant is also metro accessible and walking distance from Farragut North and Farragut West metro stations.
They have happy hour specials ranging from 4 – 7 (happy hour hours) and from 4 to close. I got the mozz sticks and wings. the wings were a little spicy but were good, but I have had better. The mozz sticks were mozz sticks, but I think the breading is better than what I usually have. The drinks are somewhat stronger than most you would at happy hour places elsewhere. It is okay. Not fantastic, but I would probably come back here.
The service was slow and it is not the fault of the server, he was great! The problem was that there was only one server for the outside seating area. There was no one inside practically. I think it would be better to have two servers.

Oh, Mackey’s. A dive without divey clientele — a dive without divey prices.
I recently came to Mackey’s again, after several years of having no reason to go there. When I walked in, it hit me that I hadn’t actually ever been there as a legal drinker (until now, obviously). But it didn’t seem like much had changed. We drank at the back bar because the front was crowded. Service was spotty — either the guy was right there or he’d be gone for long stretches of time. Happy Hour drink prices are solid, but HH ends at 7, when things become regularly priced. Food is expensive and not all that interesting. Beau had the $ 8 french fries, which were a touch too soggy for his liking. I had the $ 5 chips and salsa, which were fine, but I felt like I was eating gazpacho with tortilla chips.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Mackey’s, but I’m not sure I’ll suggest it as a place to go. Too many other bars in that area with better food and drink prices.

I went for Cinco de Mayo to avoid crowds elsewhere. Weakest margarita I’ve ever had. When I told them as much for the second round, they just added a bunch of salt instead. I went through 3 margaritas and didn’t feel a thing and I’m not a big guy. I wasn’t expecting a great margarita, but I was expecting one that had some alcohol in it.
I also had their tacos which were a complete rip-​off and have 0 flavor. Even pouring on their salsa couldn’t save them.
I guess both Mackey’s and I should have known better and both stayed away from their horribly pathetic attempts at Tex-​Mex.
Wait staff was pretty useless as well.
Maybe Mackey’s is fine when they just do beer and pub food, but I kinda doubt it.

I’ve heard that they have good trivia night here, though we went on a Wednesday so missed that. I found it a quite enjoyable place to sit back and have some beers — we were there for several hours and found the drinks to be reasonably priced and the atmosphere to be quiet and pleasant. TVs at the bar playing sports games always a good thing, and there wasn’t loud blaring music. There are few things I hate more than loud blaring «rock» music that hurts your ears and makes it hard to hear your conversation or follow what is going on in a game. So that was a big plus.
There were also dart boards, and it looked like maybe shuffleboard in the back. I didnt’ partake in any food so can’t comment on that. I would certainly be back again to have a low key night sometime or enjoy some beers out on the patio. I think «A-​OK» perfectly describes the experience. Solid!