The Celt Irish Pub

I loved this pub! I’ve been missing Ireland and this place is just the perfect dose of it. The bangers & mash were delicious, almost as good as if you were really in Ireland. The Scottish egg was very good also, as well as the ceaser salad. I tried the Irish coffee, it was a little on the strong side but pretty good. The staff was incredibly nice and there was live Irish music playing. I feel like if you’ve never been to a real Irish pub you might mistake this place for being «old» or «somewhat ran down» or something along those lines, but it perfectly captures the real Irish pub experience.

My review only represents my visit today… I will definitely come back because I think there is more to this place then my first visit revealed…
I got the Fish and Chips– best I’ve had in Texas definitely worth coming back for… I got pint of Guinness to go with it… not the best Guinness I’ve had– I think they need to brush up on «how to pour a Guinness»…I’m guessing it’s all over YouTube. My portion of the meal definitely warranted 4 stars… a better poured Guinness probably would’ve got 5… but alas my meal wasn’t the only one we ordered today. My wife ordered the Mediterranean Chicken. Seemed interesting enough… a chicken breast with sun dried tomatoes, a Demi glacé and some mash potatoes… in hindsight maybe a stretch for a «pub food» establishment. The Demi glacé was a bit much… seemed like it should be more of a drizzle type addition to the meal– maybe with a dipping cup type of side. Instead it was smothered with it… it was too much. It overpowered the meal and completely hid the chicken breast. The worst was yet to come… my wife no sooner made it around the corner and she was overcome by stomach cramps and– well use your imagination. As long as your imagination includes two bathroom stops on the way home.
In hindsight the décor was a little scary… if you decide to hang a lot of knickknacks on the walls, ceiling you need to be ready to do a lot of dusting… the place is covered with dusty decorations… the ceiling fans are covered in dust… the projector hanging from the ceiling covered in dust… even dust stalagmites– or whatever the geological term for crap hanging from the ceiling is– are all over the ceiling. Mix all that with the strong odor of cleaning chemical I should of turned around when I got in the door.
I’ll go back… but if I see some of the lack of attention to detail things I saw today I’ll turn around.

Love a pub and pub food and ale. As well as a wife who lions me and understands. Great people here, always attentive. Just like a good pub, strike up a conversation, play some darts and have a few pints. Sit by the fireplace, or at the bar. Relax.

Pros good beer selection. Good atmosphere, the inside of the bar looks very cool
Cons Shiner cheer beer is in a can not in a bottle

Excellent drink choices. By far the most extensive list for bourbon or Irish whiskey close to home. Lively music and always good service. Get there early on weekends if you want a table upstairs, it fills up fast!

We had a LOT of friends meet us here today and even so, our server Ryan handled all of our quirkness to perfection!
The music was acoustic ONLY which was extremely nice. we could enjoy our visit AND the music too!
We definitely will be back soon!

As those who follow me at all know I am new to Texas and I haven’t quite rid myself of all my NJ stereotypical thoughts of this wonderful state. That was the reason for some of my apprehension about trying an Irish pub in Texas. Another stereotypical thought bites the dust.
We walked into The Celt around 6:10 on a Saturday evening and it was very quiet. I mean like a couple of people there. Then a server walked by and I asked her and she told me that people who just walk to eat in peace and quiet eat on the first floor, otherwise you can walk upstairs. We did and all of a sudden it all came to life. Right off the bat, I was in good spirits and serendipitously we seated in very short order.
The server was really great, she was friendly and conversational and in a great mood. My wife and I both ordered a Guinness. Now we are both picky Guinness drinkers. If it is not tapped right we can both tell immediately. The Guinness was perfect. We followed the stout with an appetizer of fried pickles and onion rings combo dish. Both were really quite good. My wife and I both really enjoyed them. Not at all heavy or greasy tasting, nicely done.
For dinner, I ordered the irish stew and my wife ordered Bangers and Mash. I don’t know if we were just fortunate that evening but all the folks around us just seemed very loose and friendly. Just made for a better dining experience. The dinners came out in good time and were both really good. I really enjoyed my stew and I can honestly say it was one of the better irish stews I have had. Yummy ! My wife really enjoyed her meal as well. She almost always leaves some to take home for leftovers but not that night — all gone.
There was not one sour note in our visit to The Celt. The upstairs room, the servers, the people, the food, the Guinness — all good. A definite place we will be coming back to. Try it my friends and I think you will enjoy the trip. If you come a little later on Saturdays they have entertainment too.

I wasn’t expecting this from coming to this bar but seriously best service 2015. There was a male bartender named Nick there that had an extremely impressive amount of knowledge regarding the product. I find this extremely lacking nowadays and it was incredibly welcome on this occasion. I thought the bar itself was decorated very nicely and had a dive bar homely feel. The upstairs is where its at with this place and that’s probably where you will find Nick behind the bar. It was the first time I had ever met someone who knew so much about whiskeys and the history behind the product. He hand sold me on a few which were amazing. But really if I do come back its because of this guy.

After my first review I was contacted by the owner via message and also Unilocal saying I had reviewed the wrong place so I decided to take a trip down to McKinney tonight to confirm if I had in fact reviewed the correct place.
Upon arrival I confirmed we were in fact at the establishment I reviewed prior; however I do want to ammend my review as the owner is correct there was no carpet. With that being said, again the smell of the restaurant was awful. We stood by the door for about three minutes and no one approached us. A younger lady looked out from the kitchen window but said nothing.
The owner states in his response they don’t use frozen fries but there is no doubt in my mind they were not fresh cut fries. Not sure if maybe I just got frozen fries because they were out or something.
I am changing my review to two stars because in my opinion good customer service is the most important part of running any business. I would have changed it to one star but again the fish was awesome.
The fish was awesome which is why I gave the place three stars and planned on giving it another chance.
The reaction of the manager saying he never saw me instead of listening to customer feedback was rather off putting. After reading through the other low reviews, I can see that the owner lacks what it takes to be successful with customer service and I will not return.
I also called to speak with the owner before posting this but he wasn’t in. I am kind of glad because if you look at the other review you too will see that the owner does not take criticism and becomes rather rude to anyone saying anything he doesn’t want to hear.

Stopped in for lunch just as a band was warming up. Surprisingly rockin bagpipes. Who knew?! The waitress, Ashton, urged me to get the fish and chips. Although a Smithwick beer batter, the coating was not your typical fluffy beer batter, but thinner and crisper — very good on nice thick cod with a homemade tartar. The fries were really good too. Perfect with my pint of Harp… and the bagpipes.

Came in last night after work for a bite to eat and a few pints. Sat down at the bar and was immediately helped. Shepherd’s Pie was great and the atmosphere was cozy. I will be going back as often as I can for a few pints. They also seem to be the only place in McKinney open late.

The staff is great, ask for Nick at the bar. Always glad to see patrons. Good for family, big groups & darts! Miss the giant Churchill though.

Like coming here for the dart boards. If it’s too crowded, wouldn’t stay. Food is good for bar food. The upstairs is the place to be, the minimal seating in the downstairs just seems odd and out of place. Not a place we go out of our way to go to but when looking for a certain environment while already in the square, it works.

Great service very knowledgeable staff very great Irish Pub atmosphere love coming here to watch soccer matches or football

Aww. What a lovely bar!!! :) From the minute we arrived we were welcomed. the owner came over and introduced himself to us and was very friendly! Got the fish and chips and haggis! Both were delicious! Very authentic feel! Being from Ireland. This place made me feel like I was just at home! The live music was also excellent. Will definitely be back here :)

Came back to check out the Tues music again and wasn’t disappointed — though it was almost standing room only! The Guinness was still cold tho and the fish and chips was good.

I don’t know what this churchills place is. I am writing a review for the worst bar in the world the Celt. It was awful. It was too darkly lit first off. You could hardly see anything. An Irish pub should be so brightly lit you should see the glow for miles around. People love drinking in bright lights. That’s why they call them ugly lights. It would be ugly if you didn’t have them on. Also, I hate when the bartender thinks that you’re prettier than he is. Terrible. No for serious people. My fellow Unilocalers need to get a life. Apparently you’ve never been to an Irish bar? I mean, I get it. It’s Texas. But this place is awesome. The hummus was really good. I know, not exactly Irish food. But does this girl care? Not one iota. I drank the celtic margarita. I’ve been on a margarita kick lately, and frankly, it’s was a great alternative to the same old same old. I would live at this place if I was a mckinney resident. No joke. So a message to all you haters: Unilocal isn’t for you venting all type petty gripes. It’s for real reviews. Try writing some every once in a while.

The pub right above Churchill’s. It quaint, dark and the floors creek. They have bands during the weekend and it gets crowded during those times. A lot or different kinds of whiskeys on tap and very good assorment of beer on tap and bottles. Service is prompt and bathrooms are clean. I have yet to try their food and from what I saw in the menu at a fair share of Irish pub norm.

If it were possible to give it minus stars, it would be minus 5 stars.
After we had found a table, we sat for a full 15 minutes and not even a single member of their wait staff even came around to even acknowledge that we were there.
Once we finally got the attention of one, she was rude.
We never got to taste their food, because we have the feeling it would have been spit on with the attitude of the waitress. We decided to leave and go down the street to «The Pub» which is much more superior.
They can change the name, but the crap service continues.

We were at this pub on Memorial Day for what we thought would be a great time in a fun atmosphere. They have an AMI barlink jukebox where you can play songs from an app on your phone. I was using my app to play music and «Stan» the manager came out of his office and completely turned down the music. We received no explanation and found the volume control and turned it back up. «Stan» quickly came back out of his office and turned down the music again. I asked him why and his reply was «this isn’t a honky tonk bar». I paid for music that was presented and available on his jukebox. I immediately paid my tab and told Stan he needs to go back to customer service school and take some re-​training. I would never step foot in this pub again. This customer has walked and will not return.
And don’t worry Stan… the door would never hit me on the way out as this customer walked and would never step foot in your establishment again.