Mac’s Diner

Diner is somewhat of a misnomer to me, since it seems more like an inexpensive Italian restaurant. My authentic Italian companion ordered an Italian club for herself and I having done my Unilocal research in advanced order the House salad with gorgonzola and chicken parmigiano. She thoroughly enjoyed her club with potato salad and chips, I really liked the salad (especially the gorgonzola) and the pasta was not bad, it was solid but definitely not on the level of some of the Italian options available on Shrewsbury street. One area which it excels is the price, I believe the total of our two meals was a couple dollars over twenty ($ 22 or $ 23)

Another wonderful meal.2 macs grill (steak chicken sausage and pork chop) salad garlic and oil pasta and chicken parm.

Just had dinner at Mac’s last night, and it did not disappoint. We’ve been meeting friends here for years as the half way point between we’re we all leave. Hidden gem! A no frills place with TONS of character. The house salads with Gorgonzola and house made bread are both delicious. But honestly, in all the years we’ve been eating here, we’ve never had a bad meal. I always go for the chicken cacciatore, and I always love it. My husband is more adventurous, trying the daily specials. You really can’t go wrong here. Two things to note — BYOB and no reservations.

I adore this place!
Food is always excellent.
Price more than reasonable.
Unpretentious and a tad Bohemian.
I stop here every time I’m anywhere near Worcester.
Not to mention… I love BYOB!

I was pleasantly surprised by Mac’s. We have lived in Worcester for 5 years and haven’t tried it but friends of ours are big fans so we went on a Friday night. It was busy but not too crowded or too noisy. I loved the open kitchen and seeing the people cooking. Everyone was very friendly. The service was excellent. Our waitress could not have been nicer or more accommodating. I am gluten free and although they don’t have gluten free pasta, they made me a dish of sauteed veggies instead and they were fabulous (and I’d much rather have the veggies than any pasta!). My chicken dish was delicious, served hot. The prices were very reasonable and the portions were large. The outdoor seating is on the sidewalk in front of the diner and I wouldn’t want to sit there, but it’s an option. They are building a deck in the back of the diner. That should be pleasant. I don’t know what more you can ask for from a diner.

Clean your Fu$&@ng sidewalk! It’s a disgrace that they haven’t shoveled or treated the sidewalk. Food here is good, nothing worth the broken arm you’re going to have when you walk out of the place!!!

All I ordered was eggs and homefries and it was bland and unseasoned … Plus the guy put too much onions in the homefries. I didn’t even know he was going to do that. Plus, they don’t take debit or credit. It’s cash only! No way, get with the times!!! Only good thing was the slice of orange and the price I paid.

I love Mac’s. I’ve been there several times over the past few months, and have yet to have a bad dish or off-​putting experience like some other reviews have mentioned.
I always start with the house salad– great homemade dressing and generous amounts of delicious gorgonzola. I’m very picky about my Italian bread, and while I’ve found the bread at Mac’s okay, I don’t think it’s exceptional.
The main dishes are truly the star. Last time there I had shrimp primavera, which was incredible– filled with tons of fresh veggies and a delicious cream sauce, without being TOO heavy. My date had a steak special that he raved about: I believe it was a grilled sirloin in a mushroom sauce, served with veggies and mashed potatoes. Overall, the meal was excellent, and the service very good despite that there was a large party of 20+ people in an adjoining room that our waitress was attending to.
As far as criticisms go, the booths can be a little awkward sometimes, depending on where you are seated, and sometimes the line for the one unisex bathroom will keep you waiting for a moment or two. I have always found the place to be clean, and the service excellent. I love the BYOB aspect, and although it is cash only, there is an ATM literally right outside the front door.

I do mostly good reviews of restaurants, and I know most people love Mac’s, but I have been there twice and I won’t be returning. I only gave it 2 stars because it was BYOB and the waitstaff was nice. I first tried Mac’s back in 2006 and a friend convinced me to try it again this year. I gave it two shots, I won’t be going back.
The food is just not that good here. I could have made better chicken parm at home and I probably should have. The chicken is so overdone I could barely choke it down. Both times I got a chicken dish and both times the chicken was awful.
The second time I was here the meal started off great. The bread they give you is excellent and my husband and I split a salad, which was delicious. The dressing was awesome. But then our meals came. The pasta that came with the chicken park seemed like it had been cooked 3 hours earlier. It was sticky and cold. My husband got a seafood dish with scallops and a cream sauce. His was better than mine, but still not very good. The prices aren’t horrible, except that the food isn’t that great either. I would have rather paid a little bit extra for decent food.
Like I said, the waitress we had was great. This place seems more concerned with turnover than quality of the experience though. Sorry Mac’s. I’ve tried you twice and you just didn’t do it for me. To everyone that likes it, more power to you. But this restaurant just isn’t for me.

Mac’s is one of my favorite restaurants, if not my absolute favorite. This is a no frills type of place– come in your jeans and a tee shirt and bring a bottle of wine and some cash since they have kept the tradition of older times alive and well as seen by the beautiful prints of worcester in earlier times around the restaurant walls. Chris, the head chef is humble about how amazing his dishes really are. Granted you will not be in a fancy atmosphere, but you will have delicious food at a very reasonable cost. I love their salad dressing! Please make sure to ask for gorgonzola and you will be a very happy camper! and BREAD! After dining in the north end of boston and little italy of NYC etc, I feel the way you fairly judge a restaurant lies in their bread, and mac’s has the best most amazing bread! They make their own BREAD!!!
Not to mention, the kitchen is completely open to the restaurant, therefore you are able to witness the true art behind the chefs :)

I will always love this place, simply because the food is always spectacular.
I take it the negative reviews are from people who don’t get the small, family-​run aspect of the place. Yes it’s small, yes it’s cramped, but the food is top notch and they try their best to make you happy.
It’s perfect for a fun easy night out with friends, nothing fancy if you’re not into the pretentious, but can be the most romantic place with the right person.

Wow. My wife (then girlfriend) and I loved this place 15 yrs ago. Our memory of this place could not more different than our experience this past Saturday evening. We called two days before, and they gladly accepted our 7:30 reservation. We arrived 15 mins late, which on a busy night somewhat excuses not being seated until 8:30. There was no excuse for everything else, including:
1. It’ BYOB. Great. We brought our two bottles of wine. We did not bring glasses. This was a problem. After being promised glasses and a wine key, we waited 15 mins before a bus boy actually followed through, hand washed two pint glasses and gave them to us. 5 mins later we cornered a wine key.
2. 30 mins later we were seated. Our order was taken probably 20 mins later: two house salads with the legendary blue cheese, Mac’s mixed grill entrée, and the chic/​artichoke pasta entry. However, they had apparently ran out of blue cheese. We panicked (had to be sure to get our order in before the table of nine next to ours got theirs in) and ordered the mussels app instead. Big mistake.
3. The mussels were served cold. The mussels had been steamed, left to cool, and had a spoon full of the aforementioned «marinara» splashed on top. We each ate about 4 mussels each, and agreed they sucked. That wasn’t the worst part though. After sending the mussels back with an apologetic watress, the head cook/​owner/​dude wearing the chef coat came over to find out what was wrong with the mussels. When informed they were cold, I swear he said «did you only try the ones on the outside?» we were dumbfounded. We also ordered the bruschetta. An awful, melted cheese, soft white bread mess. We ate two of those and hoped for the best on the entrees. 10 mins later, the table of 9 was served its meal.
4. 30 mins later, we finally got our entrees. It was close to 10:00 And my entrée, «Mac’s Mixed Grill» was not edible. No seasoning, dry, no sauce. The sauce, was the same ketchup they had put on the mussels. With the entrée, it was served over cooked penne, in a separate bowl. My wife’s entrée was close to acceptable, but by that point, she had lost her appetite.
5. Walking out, one of the locals that witnessed our frustration mockingly wished me a «happy birthday». I then knew I was clearly not welcomed. I swallowed my pride, walked out the door, and guess who follows me out to defend his restaurant? Mr. Chef Coat, who argued we didn’t know what good mussels were. A friend of his also defended him, saying I was this and that I should show some respect because the guy was «trying hard».
6. My wife, concerned about the escalating tension, brokered an agreement to disagree. When Mr. Chef Coat said it was our word against his, I told him that I was aware of this neat web site called
.
There were a number of other offenses. But I can sum it all by saying that this was the first time a restaurant had actually made me angry. It’s not so much that the food was terrible, but the unwillingness to admit that the service failed, and the food had been served cold (never mind tasted awful) was enough for me to feel compelled to write my first Unilocal review. Don’t waste your money here. The Olive Garden is way better, and they have clean glasses.
)

One star is being generous. I recently attended Mac’s and upon entering was not impressed. Though I have always learned don’t judge a book by its cover. Oh no, definitely judge this one by its cover. The outside looks like a dump. The inside is not that bad looking, but is rather small, and by small, I mean TINY. Our party had a reservation, and instead of beginning to seat us, the owner sat a party at our reserved spot because they were his friends and our entire party had yet to arrive (we were all there within the next 10 minutes). Had to wait longer. On top of all that, there is only one bathroom, not one men’s and one women’s, one unisex bathroom. And the bathroom was apparently the only place in the restaurant that had any heat. The rest of the restaurant had space heaters randomly spaced throughout.
I have read over and over about the bread. The bread tasted like basic bland bread, what were other reviewers eating? My girlfriend ordered a muscles in marinara sauce appetizer, three or four muscles in, mouth full of sand. That dish was sent back, and thankfully taken off the bill. When the food finally came, it was a decent sized entrée. That’s the only positive they will get. I got the Orleans Chicken dish. Came with a side of ziti covered in marinara sauce. Marinara sauce? This was no sauce, it tasted like thick V-​8, or a can of just opened Shaw’s brand tomato sauce. WTF is this? Your an Italian restaurant. The other dishes had a different marinara sauce, why was mine so different and generic? It was inedible. My friends meal came a good 5 minutes after everyone else’s did. His Italian trio dish looked appetizing. It was suppose to come with spaghetti as was my girlfriends, all out of spaghetti. How does an Italian restaurant run out of spaghetti? That’s the one thing you shouldn’t run out of. instead he had it served over ziti which he does not care much for and his chicken was very over cooked.
Sure people rave about how its byob, but with service this slow, byob is not a blessing. Your beer will be room temperature by the time your food arrives. I would gladly pay more for a nice cold beer. And lastly the restaurant closes at 9 on a Saturday? And is cash only? Come on, get a clue.
I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. It was awful. if I was given a gift certificate or gift card to this place, I would not even re-​gift it to someone else. That’s how much it sucked. I certainly will not be returning.
RECAP —
one bathroom,
cash only
byob
slow service
closes at 9
mouth full of sand
worst pasta sauce ever
runs out of spaghetti.
Don’t let the sticker on the door (Loved on Unilocal!) fool you. Mac’s you are not loved.

Macs is one of the best places for grub in worcester. Wicked vozy atmosphere– you feel like you are eatting in your 1970’s living room. Gluten free friendly/​vegan/​vegitarian friendly. Byob– so grab a gallon of wine and go stuff your face with delicousness at Mac’s!

Stopped in here the other day for dinner and was a little disappointed. I’ve had better here, so not happy giving them 2 stars. Service was a little slow, but the waitress was nice. To start, the bread basket came over. Very nice sliced italian bread with garlic oil for dipping. Whole roasted garlic cloves in the oil… I then ordered up Paul’s special, which was sweet sausage and brocolli cooked in a garlic white sauce over pasta, topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Some of the pasta was overcooked or undercooked, as I detected a distinct crunch as I consumed some of the pasta. The sausage and the vegetables were ovewhelmed by the pasa as well. Could have used a little more balance. The cheese was glopped on and not spread evenly over the dish. I know this place is better than this. I’ll try again one of these days.

I’d give this ten stars if I could.
Mac’s is one of the best things about the Big Woo. It’s not a diner– don’t let that name fool you. If you come here looking for Adam and Eve on a raft you’re in the wrong joint.
This is actually a gourmet style restaurant with incredibly fresh ingredients and a world class chef. The menu is limited– as with all great restaurants and the place fills up even though it has a lot of seating all over the place.
I got the baked stuffed Haddock the last time I was here and could not wait to go back. The House salad and bread is worth a trip alone.
Don’t miss it!

Mac’s is not really a diner in the breakfast/​brunch sense, but they are a great local not-​so-​authentic-​but-​pretty-​good Italian place. The ambience is a bit lacking, we were served with plastic silverware and paper plates, but they do make an attempt to dim the lighting.
The bread is soft and wonderful. Our first experience was great, though our second and third… eh. It’s kinda dirty, the service is slow with this real «Red Sox» vibe that I found kind of distracting. It is blissfully cheap, though, so at least giving it a shot won’t leave you broke!

I can’t believe I’ve lived in Worcester for over 20 years, but it took me till a few weeks ago to eat at Mac’s.
My husband and I suddenly found ourselves with a babysitter one Friday night, and we headed out to Shrewsbury Street without a reservation anywhere for dinnner. Mac’s was extremely busy, but they found us a table in about 10 minutes. Contrast this with another restaurant, where they gave us some attitude for daring to ask if they would serve us dinner.
The food was great: fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. I had lots of fresh veggies in my pasta dish. I doubt it was on the low-​fat side, though. The prices are extremely low.
Our waitress was fast but friendly. She happily substituted veggies for pasta when my husband (allergic to gluten) requested.
You might have a little trouble finding on-​street parking in this area on a Friday or Saturday night. We didn’t mind walking ab bit, so we were fine.
The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is that the menu is on the short side, although I think that’s a necessary evil of producing so much great food so fast at such low prices.

Sitting out front at a café table waiting to be seated. Watched an employee carry in fresh squash thru the front door… gotta love it.
This place is BYOB for god sake…
Food = FRESH, LOCAL & ROCKIN’.
Just go.

Mac’s has risen like the Phoenix from the ashes of it’s spring ’09 fire, and I’m happy to say it’s back in damn good form. Remaining intact is the personality and Trattoria/​Diner vibe, so those familiar with it prior to the fire will feel right at home. The most noticeable difference is slight increases in menu prices, but they’re still extremely reasonable for the quality — and quantity — of the food.
Atmosphere is one of Mac’s strong suits. It’s a unique place, cramped and hectic yet inviting and, oddly, charming. The open kitchen, ever moving waitstaff, and small quarters can make navigating Mac’s a nightmare — but when you sit at your table after a wait or a visit to the restroom, you’ll feel a sense of relief — and when the food comes, it’ll be a whole different level.
The food at Mac’s is simply outstanding, especially given it’s price and volume. It’s not a rarity to have members of your party going home with enough food for two additional meals. The ingredients are fresh, and the plates they come up with here meld Diner simplicity with Trattoria flavors. While it’s called a ‘Diner,’ you won’t find blue plate meatloaf here — you’ll find fresh Italian American cuisine, and damn, is it good.
The best part, though? When the check comes it wraps a bow around the experience. Even with a large party, the prices of the dishes and the fact that you bring your own libations add up to a check that’s as easy to swallow as the meal that was antecedent to it.