Evening restaurant review
Overall 78/100
Food 75/100
Service 80/100
Ambience 80/100
7:30 p.m. rolls along and dinner still isn’t on the stove. A hard day at work conspires with a cold autumn evening and I snap. We aren’t cooking tonight. We’re going out. Cautious of the time (its a school night!) we deliberate briefly. Somewhere close, quick, easy, no fuss and suitable for a chilly evening. A few moments later we agree on MacCool’s, or MacCool’s Public House to be formal.
MacCools is now well established with a second location in Layton. The food is Irish. Irish to me says meat, potatoes, cabbage and carrots. Not overly exciting fare, so when the menu liberally stretches what can be classified as Irish, it’s undestandable. Take the Buffalo Shephard’s Pie; in my mind’s eye, I don’t picture many Buffalo roaming the streets of Dublin. American-Irish would be a suitable term if you had to label MacCool’s.
Walking into the the restaurant on a cold night, it certainly has a cozy feel; a lit fireplace sits central in the restaurant, perfect for winter nights. The restaurant features an ecletic mix of seating from standard booths and tables to huge hand-carved wooden “thrones” surrounding high tables. I seem to recall once reading these had been specially imported. The decor comprises as much chintzy UK/Irish flare as I imagine the owners could find. This ranges from the typical Guinness signs through various packets, jars, books and so on.
Most importantly, they have a full bar and it is stocked with some great beers. They have a wide selection of European and English beers (not to mention wine and spirits). A year or two ago I spoke to the manager, who proudly informed me they had been certified by Guinness as pouring a perfect pint of the stuff.
My tipple of choice this evening was one of my English favourites. Tetley’s Bitter. A creamy and smooth English bitter. If you are only used to drinking American style lagers you owe it to yourself to try English bitter at least once. I have yet to find anyone in America who doesn’t love the stuff. English bitter is substantially different to what you may find here in the form of a Squatters bitter for example.
A quick and easy dinner is all we wanted so we skipped appetizers. Quickly browsing the specials menu (there is generally a different special each day), Wendi ordered the Smoked Salmon Chowder and I the Braised Lamb Shank.
Our choice of quick dining was rewarded as our food came from the kitchen in no time at all. Wendi’s chowder ($11.50) although listed as an entree, did seem to come out appetizer-sized. It came with a little piece of soda bread on the side:
Wendi was pleasantly surprised with the chowder, this being her first at MacCool’s. The chowder was infused with a light smoked salmon flavour and had a lovely piece of smoked salmon floating on top. The bread is an acquired taste. If you have ever tried an English scone, imagine a less sweet version and you’re close.
My lamb ($17.99) was similarly smaller portioned. For 18 dollars, four potato wedges, a few pieces of beets and a smallish piece of lamb seemed like a stretch to me.
I had to steal most of Wendi’s bread in the end. At this price point I really do expect a little more, heck even a soup or salad would have been a great touch. I can’t imagine some free pea soup would harm the profit margin.
Flavourwise, I could not fault the dish. The lamb was juicy and tender, fall off the bone so. The potato wedges were seasoned with fresh rosemary and perfectly done. The red wine sauce held the dish together beautifully. Excellent dish, shame about the portion size.
Still a little peckish, we ordered dessert. A favourite of ours at MacCool’s is the Apple Cobbler ($5.99). Warm apple crumble topped with rich vanilla ice cream. Simple, but pefectly executed:
Dinner was quick and comforting as planned. Indeed, on Thursday nigts, MacCool’s features a live band playing traditional Irish/Celtic music (see fiddles and the like). Not too loud and they make for a nice backdrop. Service as ever was super-friendly and prompt. I don’t know what the management puts in the water for the staff, but everyone seems really happy here. Really happy.
MacCool’s is a great ‘go to’ place for quick, tasty food. Whilst we ordered some relatively expensive dishes on the menu this night, you can eat here quite cheaply. They have a range of sandwiches (the corned beef here is a personal favourite) and burgers served with sweet potato fries. A sandwich and a bowl of split pea soup is more than filling for me, even on my most ravenous evenings. A couple of beers and sandwiches will see you get out of here with a bill of around $30. Not bad.
I’m not aware of a website for MacCool’s, it is located at 1400 Foothill Dr, Salt Lake City, UT
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We live very close to this location, and so visit it every once in awhile. I agree with you that the portions are a bit skimpy for the price. I think for the taste also. I am not too impressed. I have had the portobella mushroom sandwich, lasagna, and fish and chips. Fish and chips were great. But the other two not so mmuch!
Friends i have eaten with there love the meatloaf and lamb sandwich.
I love the meatloaf. They served it on a cloud of mash potatoes and their house special Barbecue sauce. Oh it was so good and now that’s all I am thinking about.
Admittedly I’m female, but I just want to point out that most of their menu options are REALLY heavy… stew, chowder, shepherd’s pie and the like. Even though it’s served in smaller portions it’s SO heavy that you really don’t need a trough of it. Their fish-and-chips basically comes in a pint glass and it’s still really filling. Also, everything I’ve ordered there has been superb, although I tried my boyfriend’s chicken pot pie once and didn’t like it… too bland and soupy. May have just been the day though.
Also, I go to the location at the District in South Jordan.
That is very true Jenn, that said though, it is the nature of the cuisine they serve up. Great in winter, less so in the summer months.
I think they have tried to balance that a little, as they do have some nice salads.
We went to MacCools on President’s Day with great anticipation. The place is decked out as a pub with interesting Irish decorations. Waitress was helpful and did a fine job. But that’s where MacCools began to falter. Small portions, lackluster taste, and prices that are way too high. For the first time in decades I left my dessert after a couple of tastes as did my date. Irish food under the constant blare of James Brown and other classic soul artists was an interesting addition. Manager came by, with his shirt tail out, to ask how things were going. Bathroom had not been cleaned in a while and if you like or need toilet paper you will be disappointed. We won’t be back.