By Bob Townsend
For the AJC

Nowadays, there must be more Irish pubs in America than in Ireland. And surely on St. Patrick’s Day the madding crowds will be packing them cheek by jowl.

All that makes it even more sublime to think of nestling into the snug environs of Mac McGee for a quiet pint on an afternoon when nobody’s around.

The new Irish pub on Decatur Square looks as though it’s been there forever. Add an imaginative menu, plus an impressive selection of beer and spirits, and it becomes an even more pleasant surprise.

Vintage character

Occupying the former Saba space, the ultra-bright red color that frames the door and windows announces the entrance. The interior makes the most of brick walls and warm wood, with a busy array of knickknacks, signs and artwork. Among the intimate seating nooks, there’s a table pressed against a brick hearth. A vintage arched stained-glass window casts a glow over the burnished bar, giving the place an aura that seems more West Coast of Ireland than Downtown Decatur.

Playful concoctions

When he worked the kitchen at the Glenwood in East Atlanta Village, chef Ryan Stewart put together a fairly ambitious menu of creative takes on Southern classics. Here, Stewart is doing much the same thing with Irish pub grub.

Among the most playful concoctions, oysters on the half shell ($13) are topped with apple bacon mignonette and a molecular-style “caviar” made from Talisker 10 single malt whiskey. Other starters include a smoked fish plate with gooseberry jam and blancmange ($9), and mussels ($8) steamed with Irish moss and white wine.

Traditional favorites

More traditional Irish favorites are less flashy but deftly executed. Fish and chips ($11) is a winning combo of a moist fillet encased in a crunchy, tempura-style batter, and crispy-outside, pillowy-inside potato wedges. Irish stew ($10) is a basic but perfectly satisfying blend of lamb, carrots, potatoes and onions in a rich gravy.

Savory “pasty” beef, seafood or veggie pies ($7) come with chips or a side salad. The Dublin Burger ($9) is topped with Cashel blue Irish cheese and housemade bacon. And the full Irish breakfast ($10) — fried eggs, bangers, bacon, black and white pudding, baked beans and roasted tomato — is available all day.

Malty delights

Malt lovers will find lots to like at the bar, which is manned by some friendly veterans of Fado Irish pub in Buckhead. Of course, there are properly poured pints of Guinness. But the beer list goes well beyond the plain to strong seasonal ales from Terrapin, Sweetwater and Red Brick on draft, and the likes of Victory Hop Devil, Duvel, and Rochefort 8 in the bottle. Whiskey offerings now top 150, with rare and not-so-rare Scotch, Irish, bourbon and blended delights.

Thrillist Atlanta

Decatur's Irish nook of whiskey and suds

There's a tradition of naming things after great men, from awards (the Vince Lombardi trophy), to universities (Brigham Young), to other men, like George Washington Carver, who outdid his namesake by inventing...Boston Market's Chicken Carver Sandwich! For a pub named for the owner's grandpops, who was great at loving whiskey and beer, hit Mac McGee's.

With a fire engine-red front entrance and gold lettering spelling out its name, Mac's a cozy, condensed Irish pub with a healthy selection of beers and 100+ whiskeys, with a wall shrine to its namesake, natural wood floors, brick walls, stained glass, and miscellaneous alcohol signage like a long, wall-mounted D.W.D. Whisky mirror reading "Pure Pot Still", which is exactly what you said about yours after it went through the wash in your jeans. Bite into apps like pork belly on bubble & squeak (pot roast veggies), and a smoked fish plate w/ gooseberry jam & blancmange, then step up to chips-sided Irish calzone-y "pasties" like beef brisket or seafood (clam, shrimp, fennel), lamb leg sandwiches, or the Dublin burger w/ Cashel Blue Irish cheese & house-made "rashers": strips of bacon, and less deliciously, the nickname for women at Myrtle Beach's Señor Frogs. Entrees include pies like steak & mushroom and smoked oyster, plus the always-available Full Irish Breakfast (eggs, bangers, bacon, black & white pudding, baked beans & roasted tomato); finish off your fatness with desserts like toffee pudding w/ whisky cream & brown sugar tuile, or the chocolate pot de creme, which comes with a "current scone", which will quickly turn into a former scone.

Meanwhile, the whisk(e)y stock focuses on varieties Irish (Jameson Rarest Vintage) and Scotch (Macallan 15 Fine Oak, Glenmorangie 18yr, Lagavulin 16yr), plus there're 16 bottled brews (Trappistes Rochefort, Highland Gaelic, Victory HopDevil), and 23 drafts like Trois Pistoles and Boddingtons -- named for owner Henry, whose grandson Ewart sold the company off in 1989, because he was too chicken to continue.

Urbanspoon 95%

User reviews of Mac McGee's Irish Pub
Share your opinion with the world. Add your review below.

"awesome new spot!" by foodie198069
March 14, 2010 - Likes it - Had the "Dublin Burger;" it was juicy and delicious, the cheese was sharp, and the bacon was flavorful without being overpowering (plus, it was cut into a circle to perfectly match the burger patties, how awesome is that?) and their chips (thick cut wedge fries) were perfectly seasoned, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Sadly, I was unable to drink this particular night, but their beer list left nothing to be desired, and this place is a must for whiskey drinkers with 120+ to choose from. The next time you're in Decatur and the wait for the Brick Store is a million hours long, try this place instead. It's a beautiful, warm space. And as a bonus for others like me who hate everyone being glued to sports 24/7 at other places, Mac McGee's only turns the tvs on at the bar when an Irish team is playing a match. Love it!!

"Just a cozy, terrific, wonderful pub" by John Adcox
January 19, 2010 - I now have a "holy trinity" of favorite pubs ... the Grange, the Brickstore, and now Mac McGee's. The decor is amazing; you'd swear the place has been there for decades, not a month or less. The food is terrific, far exceeding my high expectations, the staff is friendly, and the drink list is perfect. With this very solid addition, Decatur is very possibly the very best pub crawl location in all of America outside of Boston. Highly recommended.

"Fantastic Ambience" by Julia
January 18, 2010 - Likes it - Great little pub, feels a bit like Dublin away from Dublin. Great bearded bartender...cheeky, and very funny. Love the chosen music selection- This is a little dram of Ireland poured into Decatur square. Must give it a shot!

mobile review by Leslie
January 16, 2010 - Great food. Beer-drinkers' beer list. Good crowd. Ask for Amy.
Recommend this review