McGinty’s Public House

I cant get enough of their burger and onion rings. I have an addiction. Awesome service too.

I went in 2016 snow Sunday, and I was Snubbed by the staff. I stood and waited to be seated, or even told to have a seat any where I like. NOPE THEY WALKED PASS ME. Oohh one did speak. I walked out!

Went for Saturday brunch & it was awesome! Their black bean burger is phenomenal + very filling. I’ve been trotting around DC looking for vegan eats & this was definitely a win. My friend ordered off the Prix Fixe menu and swears everything is amazing! The servers are friendly and very attentive. Atmosphere is better than most «pubs». It was cozy. Truly enjoyed this experience! Will definitely come back.

Great brunch and great happy hour. We have eaten here many times. They are not typical pub food and plenty of places to eat and options. Their typical «pub» stuff like burgers are a bit overpriced. But they have interesting variations on this kind of food. And lots of vegetarian options. We also enjoyed our experience eating in «the room.»

We always come here when we are in downtown SS. Thy have brunch, lunch and dinner as well as fine dining within the Red Door. All of these experiences have been great… so why the update? Yesterday, after not having been to McGinty’s in over a month, Liz recalled my exact drink order (as well as my hubs but hey, he drinks Guinness at an Irish pub so that is too easy!). We now love Jarod and Liz so we have an up and downstairs favorite bartender!
Ahhhh…McGinty’s feels like home!

I like McGinty’s. Even though it’s not quite a long time bar (having sprouted up in the new downtown Silver Spring amid tons of chain stores and eateries) it’s nice and scruffy with a mix of all classes and kinds of people. The downstairs bar has three TV screens, all meticulously labeled on what games will be shown, to save the bartenders’ grief from customers. I like stopping in on a college football Saturday, just for the feel of it. But the menu, which had things that sounded great, disappointed on the 3 things I tried.

Came for lunch one day. For the appetizer, we got the chicken lollipops, and they came out piping hot and juicy in an «Asian» style marinade. Definitely a little unexpected for an Irish pub, but they were good. I had the McGinty’s Burger with Dubliner cheddar as my entrée and it was great, especially the cheddar and the toppings. It was a neat burger, cooked the way I wanted it, and I was definitely really happy with my choice. However, the fries tasted stale or like they had been cooked in old oil, and the service was pretty slow for 3pm on a Monday. The overall experience was just average. If you’re in the Silver Spring area, I would definitely recommend McGinty’s over some of the other chain restaurants that surround it, or if you’re a drinker — because the selection looks pretty great — but I wouldn’t suggest you go out of your way either.

Fabulous Happy Hour plus Excellent server!
I was surprised that this local Irish pub in downtown Silver Spring was awesome!
Our bartender/​server: Anna on my bill was Outstanding
Anna kept on asking us party of two if we were alright with our Apple Martinis and Happy Hour food items.
Highly recommended Happy Hour food items:
Fish & Chips
Wings
Both were $ 5 during Happy Hour from 3 to 7 Monday thru Friday.
Unfortunately, after Anna closed out her shift we had Tommy to continue our HH. We ordered more food item and an extra cocktail. His customer service was poor and lacking from Anna who eas very observant and polite.
I would recommend the manager reading this review to know and take action that Anna should train Tommy since Tommy needs improvement on customer service with a smile on his face and don’t give patrons a dirty look when patrons ask for refill on water or extra napkins.
We will return here for HH but only request Anna.

Really really gooooddd food… but I will never go back again. After I saw a manager tell a group of African American guys to leave and call them a derogatory name I REFUSE to ever go back.

My husband thought the turkey burger was the best turkey burger he’s had. They have outdoor seating.

Getting some food after a movie in Silver Sprung can be problematic — most places are closed or about to be. And besides keeping bar hours, McGinty’s is right across the street from the theater. There are three seating areas: sidewalk, downstairs, and upstairs. I went to the bar downstairs, pub style without trying too hard, and ordered a pint of Smithwicks, one of my favorite brews, and the Irish Breakfast. Very nice protein loading — three kinds of sausage, eggs, some delightfully smoky gammon (that would be rasher on the menu, it’s lean cured pork much like Canadian bacon), straight up mashed potatoes garnished with home made chips, grilled tomato, and beans. Tasty, stick to the ribs meal, my only gripe is that I’m pretty sure the beans came out of that familiar red and white can. And while I enjoyed the classic rock in the background, it didn’t fit the rest of the atmosphere. I’ve had pub grub in England, and this was on point.
Friendly service, honest prices, all the Irish classics on the menu, and signs for an upscale restaurant-​within-​a-​restaurant upstairs. If it’s as good as they claim I’ll be adding Gastropub to their categories.

I honestly stopped in just to get a drink with a friend and was blown away when I ordered this signature salad. The McGinty Salad was sweet & savory with a healthy mix of red cabbage, lettuce and some Romaine. I think the sliced grapes were a nice light and tasty touch for a how summer day. Out bartender was very attentive with the drink refills. I’ll admit I went during a slow lunch hour, but I could still see the charm of this little pub in Silver Spring.

Love this place! Always welcoming, best corned beef ever, the Ruben is heaven on rye!
If your half friendly they treat you like royalty!
The downstairs is a little pub with darts and a bar perfect for the game and outside is always an option.
If you want privacy they have lots of corner booths for you to choose from.
The shepherd pie is my second favorite item on the menu, if you like wings this is the place no skimpy ones here nice big ones with lots of coatings to choose from but be careful of the hottest or be ready with some icecream to cut the heat!
Something for everyone is what I’ve found here!
Talk to the staff a few have the Irish accent and it’s to die for!
It’s someplace I will always return to.
Keep up the great work!

Ever since moving to Silver Spring a year ago, McGinty’s has become one of our favorite spots. We come here once every month or two, and always get the same thing: Fish and chips. It’s the best either my girlfriend or I have ever had, and it’s consistently good. The fish fillets are the biggest I’ve ever seen for this dish (about 10 inches long), and the beer batter is divine. The tartar sauce tastes homemade, and is also the best I’ve had. The first time we came here we had something different, which was equally as good (crab cakes and shepherd’s pie), but ever since the first bite of fish and chips, all bets are off.
The service can be hit-​or-​miss, mainly in waiters not being as attentive because they have a lot of customers. It’s not that big of an annoyance, though, but definitely something to note if you’re the type of person to be bothered by that.
Recently they opened up a mediterranean restaurant *inside* of McGinty’s in a spot that used to be a spare dining room. It’s kind of awkward to walk by, and cuts down on the seating available for McGinty’s customers. We haven’t tried it, and probably won’t, because if we’re inside, we’ll want to stick with the great Irish food.
Next time you’re in downtown Silver Spring and are greeted by the thousands of restaurants per square block, make a point of stopping here — you’ll enjoy it.

I stopped by here for breakfast after church. I really wanted to love this spot. The ONLY reason they got two stars was because they provide excellent customer service! The staff was amazing. I also loved their home fries. However, I was very disappointed in the food. I felt like I was eating cafeteria food — that had been siting in a metal pan container for awhile. The crab cake Eggs Benedict was salty — probably the worst Eggs Benedict I’ve ever had. The egg wasn’t even runny and the Cajun hollandaise sauce tasted salty. My friends had the All American Breakfast — they were not impressed. It was below average. Their waffle was not freshly made. I would go back again to try something different, ONLY because of the customer service.

Remind me of those dirty college dive bars that I used to frequent back when I was in college, only older crowd. This is a two level establishment. Pretty big open area on second area, more accommodating for parties and such.
I’ve come here on two occasions for work socials. We usually bring a crowd of 20+ people. My co-​worker always calls a month or two in advance to make reservations or to let them know to expect a large crowd on that specific Saturday. Once we arrive there is a supposed waiter that takes all of our food and drink orders but I never really see them. They really should have at least 2 people covering our parties, we get a little thirsty ;)
Food is mediocre. Calamari is standard and probably the only thing I’ll order there. I remember ordering the burger once, meh, save your money and go to chick-​fil-​a down the street. Drinks are pretty standard too. I do remember the first time I went there my dirty martini tasted… Like dirty rag water. I told the manager and they promptly made me another one which was ok. We do have to go to the bar for drinks because we don’t really see our server but that’s fine. There’s a lot of us.
Overall average. They accommodated our party pretty well. Especially at the bar lol.

Good authentic Irish food. Downstairs is more traditional Irish pub setting.
Upstairs bar is more like a club, dance floor. Great selection of beers. Friendly staff. One of the few good bars in silver spring.

McGinty’s easily falls under the definition of hidden gem. I’ve probably passed it no less than 100 times over the years during my various treks through downtown Silver Spring, and not once had it ever occurred to me to actually go inside. That’s so sad! I wish I had discovered it sooner!
I made my way to McGinty’s on a Friday night; downstairs was packed and so we headed upstairs (which was also packed!). Since we were there for dinner, we were able to grab some seats in the dining hall (and away from the loud music and large groups that are McGinty’s on Friday and Saturday nights).
The menu is pretty expansive, which can make it difficult to decide what you want if you don’t already have a general idea. I opted for the stew sampler which included decent sized servings of lamb stew, beef stew, and shepard’s pie. Pair that with a beer and you will be in heaven! Now, by no means do I consider myself a stew person, but every single bite was delicious! I should be embarrassed to say that I ate all of it, but I’m not!
Our waitress was exceptional and even though the dining area closes around 10 PM, we didn’t feel rushed or hurried.
Afterwards, we made our way over to the next room for more drinks and dancing. Talk about a one-​stop shop!
So don’t be like me by continuing to pass up McGinty’s and never going in. You’re missing out on a good thing!

I prefer coming for the food rather than the bar. I’d always come for the bar in the past, which has been mixed, but recently came for dinner with friends. I was expecting greasy bar food, and having to force down a burger, but their menu was quite the opposite. Of course there were burgers, but also a variety of salads, stews, and traditional Irish meals.
I got the caesar salad with grilled salmon, and it was delicious. It came with a full half a lemon, which I can’t eat salmon without. The salmon was cooked perfectly: a little crispy, but still very moist. The salad itself was good with proper amount of dressing.
Don’t be scared of the free bread on the table. I almost passed on it, because it looked like some cold standard slices of bagged wheat bread you’d buy at the grocery store. It wasn’t; it was amazing, and basically tasted like corn bread.
The price was a little higher than I was expecting, but it’s a really nice, quiet atmosphere with good food.

Was pleasantly surprised to find out this place has such a great 3 course brunch for just $ 20.
Crepes Brulee (⁴⁄₅ NOMs)
When desserts fall in love. Its as if crêpe and cram brûlée got married and had a baby. One very delicious baby. They combined the best of two things with crêpe covered in lemon custard base cream and topped with berries and toasted pecans. It wasn’t just sweet, it was super sweet with a mixture of soft and crunchy texture. Kind of wish they give you a knife to eat with, because the spoon is just not sharp enough to cut through the crêpe.
Crab Cake Eggs Benedict (⁴⁄₅ NOMs)
I might have brunch eggdiction. It really is hard to pass up ordering Eggs Benedict, we might just have a problem. Love poking holes and letting all the runny egg yoke flow everywhere. After all, why order poached eggs unless they flow. So many places do it wrong, but here they do it right. Comes with two solid crab cakes that would make Maryland proud as a crab state. They are not too big and kind of left us wanting a bit more. What really set this apart form everything else were the potatoes. Don’t know what they did to them, but they tasted so good. Almost asked for extra.
Brunch Tart (³⁄₅ NOMs)
Mcbrunching tart away. Its a big Boris fist size square crispy tart filled with a mixture of avocado, tomatoes, mozzarella and scallions. All that topped with a sunny side up egg and a piece of bacon. This is one of those dishes you got to enjoy little bit of everything together in every bite for the best flavor combination. Tart is a little bit dry so make sure to get that sunny side up egg everywhere. Still every flavor seem to fit just right and a light flavor was quite enjoyable. Good way to start your brunching adventure.