J. McCroskey’s Irish Pub

Best reuben I’ve ever had. Solid beer selection and great bar setup. The specials have always been good, the rest of the menu is your typical bar food selections. Stick with what’s good or a solid recommendation from the bar staff.

Service could get better. But the environment is great its always a blast when I head up that way.

I come here quite often. It’s nearby & very convenient. That being said we wouldn’t return if the service & food weren’t good. My husband & I are always greeted by friendly waitstaff & are able to pick our seat. We have always had excellent service! If you haven’t tried the A-​1 charred wings give them a try. You are in for a treat! YUM! Although the food can be a bit heavy you have the option of building your own sandwich or choosing a salad. Best BLT I’ve ever had in my life. And I’ve had plenty. The tomatoes are good & they put 3 – 4 slices of perfectly cooked bacon on lightly toasted bread. Oh I almost forgot… delicious fish & Chips! The bartenders are the BEST! Always on the ball & can mix & fix any drink. They’re friendly sense of humor is a great way to end a stressful day. I’m glad they’re my neighborhood bar. Good food & really sharp staff.

I was one one of the nay-​sayers about the food here after several attempts, but last night we were in a bind and got takeout. I have to say they have made tremendous improvements in the food. I will ABSOLUTELY be back!

Close to where I live and I have been here many times. The food isn’t great and the service is the worst in the county. Don’t pay these people anything

So our first time at this pub. The atmosphere is good and great views of TV but little entertainment on a Thursday nite. Service was okay but not overly friendly or accommodating. May come back but hopefully they will have live music.

I live around the corner from this bar and was super excited about it opening until it opened. The food is not very good or authentic. I’ve also found that the beer is a bit over priced and for an «Irish» pub, the whiskey selection is rather lacking. There are also TVs EVERYWHERE! It’s quit distracting. I’m sure it’s great for sports fans. I myself like to watch baseball but there are just too many TVs to concentrate on one game.

J. McCroskey’s is a good place for drinking with nice staff. At least when I went the staff were very friendly. The food is standard and the drink selection is pretty good.
I had a house soup when I went on a cold and foggy evening in Hickory. This is basically a loaded baked potato soup complete with scallions, bacon bits, and cheese topping it off. Unfortunately the soup doesn’t hit the spot for me and is fairly hard to eat due to the cheese melting and making spoonful of the soup very stringy. The drinks are reasonably priced and service is really quick.
I appreciated that what seems to be the manager or owner came around and asked how everything was. There was a band setting up for the night there too but unfortunately we decided to leave before they started. There’s not much to say about this place but it’s pretty cool.

My wife and I went to J. McCroskey’s for the 1^st time last night. We met some friends and enjoyed the Monday night wine special (½ off all bottles). The restaurant also features numerous drink specials and a couple dozen beers on tap.
The menu at McCroskey’s has traditional Irish pub fare, along with some «Americanized» fusion items. The Irish spring rolls on the appetizer menu are unique and definitely worth trying.
My wife enjoyed a salad with a house cucumber dill dressing. I’m not the biggest fan of cucumbers, but the dressing had a nice flavor. I can also confirm they have a delicious reuben sandwich and their fish and chips entrée is a very «healthy» portion. You will not leave McCroskey’s feeling hungry, that’s for sure.
The staff is very personable and always eager to make sure you have what you need.
All in all, consider it money well spent when dining (or drinking) at J. McCroskey’s!

Never go here. My wife ordered fried shrimp, when they brought grilled shrimp we sent it back — no big deal. They took the grilled shrimp and dumped them in the deep fryer and brought them back. I am sure you can imagine the conversation I had with the manager. Thanks for an insulting evening. I will spread the news.

Having now tried the «Irish» fare (bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie), I can say that if you want authentic Irish, this ain’t gonna do it for you. If you’re in a hurry, though, the food comes out FAST, so fast we wondered whether it would be cold in the middle. It wasn’t, and it was good, but no one would mistake it for authentic. Still, great place to watch sports, good beer selection. You could do a lot worse.

My first restaurant review since moving to North Carolina!!!
I consider myself to be a «pub nerd». I love the laid-​back and sometimes bawdy atmosphere that a good, authentic Irish pub can bring, so when a new pub was opening up in Hickory, NC, I made plans to visit when I had the time and cash to spare. Would J. McCrosky’s Irish Pub measure up to the standards set by my all-​time favorite hangout spot, MacFarlane’s Celtic Pub, back home? Well…
Before I even set foot into door, I was greeted by the sight of an American flag hanging respectfully beside the Irish flag, while traditional Celtic gig was piped through a set of outdoor speakers. So far, so good. The restaurant opened for the day about 30 minutes prior to my arrival, so the place was fairly devoid of patrons, and the hostess greeted me straight away. After requesting a barside seat, I sat myself down at the bar and the pleasant bartender took my drink order and handed me a menu. Now, if I visit a place that has the audacity to claim to be an Irish pub, it had better well make traditional Irish pub grub fit enough to back up the title of «Irish pub». Not an easy thing to do. So I put McCroskey’s claim to the test and I ordered the classic pub staple: Shepherd’s Pie. I had visions as to what I was hoping would be a gastronomic trip to the emerald isle.
To my surprise, the food arrived fairly quick, within three minutes, which would usually be a red flag for me, but since it was very early in the day’s shift, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, after one look at the pie, I should have given them a good chunk of my doubt, if not all of it.
What I was hoping would for was mounds of baked-​brown smashed/​whipped potatoes laid of top of a smörgåsbord of peas, carrots, and freshly shredded beef, with herbs & spices. Instead, what I got was a weird fusion of Irish and Tex-​Mex, with a splash of Latin American. First off, shredded cheese melted on top of the potatoes is NOT found on a traditional shepherd’s pie. Also, this shepherd’s pie had CHILI WITH BEANS in place of the shredded beef. This variation is more closely related to a pastelon de papa, which is served in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, not Ireland. The biggest atrocity of all was that the chili tasted like it came from a CAN!!! (No wonder it came out so quickly) The only saving grace for the dish was that I could tell the potatoes were hand-​cut and smashed in the kitchen.
Now for the service experience. The bartender, though pleasant, was more concerned with catching up on the daily bull with her co-​worker rather than tending the bar (aka– DOING HER JOB!!!) I understand that it was early in the day and the place had a lot of downtime, but that is not an excuse in my book. If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. Prep work and cleaning could have been done during this time, or at the very least, have a pleasant conversation with the patron. The unique thing about Irish pubs are that their bartender are usually renowned for shooting the bull with patrons. Notice I said PATRONS and not co-​workers. Upper level management needs to address this. I also noticed my bartender’s co-​worker EATING behind the bar, on the clock, in plain view of the customer. This is a major health code violation and needs to be addressed right away!
Overall, I was disappointed with my experience. I was sincerely hoping for better. I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon.