Two words that are sure to both excite and terrify me - PIZZA. BUFFET. You combine the two and my innate gluttony goes to a scary level, I become an animal that can only be sated by greasy carbs, cheese, and raw veggies. I've lived within 10 minutes of Mac's for over 3 years and never once been free on a Friday afternoon to try their famous pizza buffet. Until one day, my stars aligned and God smiled upon me (or set me up for future regret), I was able to go Mac's and I was starving. Walking in there were a few other people, and nothing but some older pizzas on the bar, the typical pepperoni and bacon, etc. Fortunately, the staff working were AWESOME - "What can we make for you" I asked for something cool, something only they do, and told them I don't eat ham or bacon and they were more than happy to oblige. While they got to work I tried out a slice of the double pepperoni, which was... fine. It was good, there was a lot of pepperoni, nice thinner crust (not quite a donatos cracker crust, but not too doughy)the cheese was greasy and thick, the sauce had nice tomato flavor, but it wasn't anything incredible. They pumped out three INCREDIBLE pizzas one after the other for me to try. Two are on the menu as specialty pizzas, another just one that the employees like to whip up for these buffet days. First up, a chicken, artichoke and tomato, pizza that normally has bacon as well, but they held it off for me. It was a little rich, because they used a garlicky white sauce instead of the typical tomato and it definitely overwhelmed the taste of the chicken, which was otherwise pretty good. The veggies though, were fresh and numerous, so I'm not unhappy with that. Next, I got a piece of bison gorgonzola. Now hold up, I know you're thinking "buffalo sauce pizza, whatever" but no, when they say bison they mean the ANIMAL. They have ground bison on hand to throw on top of pizzas. Holy crap what a great idea! It was a little... odd as a delivery method for what you would take as a somewhat gamey protein, but it was well balanced by the gorgonzola cheese and the red pepper flake I threw on top. It was really cool that this is an option, and a tasty one at that. What came last though was the best - The Mac's Gyro Pizza. This is apparently their house specialty, and it should be known as that because holy crap what a great pizza. That same garlicky base, but with less of it, FRESH tomatoes, onions, olives, spinach, and like 3 types of cheese, all topped with taz. When I write that out I kind of realise why it was so damn ridiculously good. You couldn't have gone for a more indulgent and delicious combination, especially when you top it with GREAT gyro meat. I'm sure they get it from the same supplier as everyone else in town, but it was well crisped, layered up without overwhelming, and very well seasoned on top of it. So there's the pizza, they also threw in a fountain soda (including a to-go cup), and a bit of a ghetto make your own salad bar. The salad bar was literally a few tubs of different salad stuff - mixed greens, mushrooms, sliced bells, grape toms, banana peppers, and shredded cheese, and only one type of dressing (balsamic). It wasn't the most amazing, and as someone that goes HARD on salad I was somewhat unimpressed. However it was secondary to the awesome pizza, and the even better customer service. Five stars, unequivocally. Go to Mac's yall. read more

If you come here at lunch, you want the pizza buffet. Not only do they have a good selection of toppings, it's so much better than most buffet pizza that it barely rates mentioning the likes of Cici's. It's also a good deal, $10 for all you can eat plus a soft drink. Don't try to order from the menu while they're busy. A few people in our party tried, and they waited until the rest of us were finished before their food finally arrived. It seems like it would be a fun hangout at night, with a full bar and loads of televisions showing sportsball, but the proximity to UC makes me fear that rowdy college students dominate most of the time. read more

They gave terrible service. Waited 40 minutes for food and wasn't even what I ordered and my friend never even got his food. Will not be going back read more

I placed an order for delivery through door dash. When it arrived, I immediately realized it looked different, so I assumed I got someone else's order. Door dash gave me credits to do another order, so I decided to try again. Again, the second time the order was wrong. I've contacted the restaurant several times and they have ignored me. They made zero attempts to correct the problem. I won't be ordering from them again. If you have a dairy allergy (the pizzas I ordered were supposed to be dairy free), I strongly advise you to order elsewhere as they clearly do not care about their customers needs. read more

I'm pretty sure the main reason this place stays afloat is because of the deliciousness of their pizza. I had the "tree hugger" vegan pizza and it was wonderful! A good flavor with spinach (not as much as I would've liked), artichoke, and vegan mozzarella cheese. But man, other than the pizza, there isn't much going for it. My friends said their food was pretty good, having wings and waffle fries. The salad that one of my friends got wasn't good at all, though. It was overloaded with cheese and the lettuce was soggy. The restaurant was really loud even though there was only one other table and the bar, and the service was not good. The girl serving us didn't seem to want to be there at all, and it showed through her actions. She was short with us and not welcoming, which really turned me off from coming here again. I've read similar reviews to this which is discouraging. I think I would order pizza for takeout here, but I won't dine in again. I'd be embarrassed to recommend to someone to come here for dinner and then they get the service that we had. I would like to check out their other locations and hope that they are nicer than here. read more

Macs Pub is a regular spot for lunch for us and also when catching a UC game or winding down for happy hour. We frequent Macs On The Pike and Macs Clifton almost once a week, it's always great service, good quality food across the board and have great specials. Unfortunately I feel that the Clifton location gets a bad wrap because of the college kids expectations that it's to be a top notch bar service however it's primarily a restaurant that also does high volume bar. Nonetheless I will still always recommend the experience and food! read more

I want to go back. Right now. DON'T TRY TO STOP ME. Being vegan pretty much means no pizza and no burgers. But this mystical Mac fellow seems to have conjured up a way for us to have both. I got a vegan pizza with a bunch of veggies and m'lady got a vegan burger. Both of us were quite pleased with the order, and I stole as many waffle fries from her as possible. Yeah, waffle fries. As if everything else wasn't enough they're going to go ahead and throw waffle fries onto the fire. I LIKE WAFFLE FRIES. The service was pretty good also, and it's a fun place inside. Go there, or you'll forever be haunted by the thoughts of "what if?". read more

You have to try the award winning gyro pizza its the bomb.... I come in from Seattle from time to time and I always have to stop by and get me a pizza check out the atmosphere see if I remember any people but it's always a good time at Mac's weather it's the one in Clifton or the one and Wooster can't wait to visit the new locations cheers delicious pizza. read more

Mac's Pizza Pub - Pizza Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

If I can give this 0 stars, I would. It's an absolute train wreck. For what it's worth, I own several bar restaurants around town so it takes a lot for me to leave a bad review. This is hot garbage. Goodfellas downtown had a long wait so I decided to give it a try. I ordered a pizza, a quesadilla, cheese sticks and what I believe may be cheese curds. I haven't had food this bad in at least 10 years. If college kids or local peeps think this is fine, then god bless you. Just be aware that it is truly awful and you are an embarrassment to this community. Do better or just stop. Please. The rest of us are begging you. read more

Came here with a friend yesterday . I had the veggie pizza. It was amazing . The customer service was horrible tho. I came back today . This time the service was worse . It was only 2 customers in the place and I had to go find a server . Then I ordered a veggie burger and she brings a Turkey Burger . If I do come back it will be pizza to go . read more

Wow! Glad I finally tried this place! The pizza is actually really great! I got the chicken bacon ranch pizza and it gives Adriatico's a run for their money. Very cheesy, creamy and seasoned! I also go to try a calzone, which was also amazing! The calzone was not overdone, which is just the way I like it. It also was loaded with yummy meat and sauce. You can't go wrong with their pizza and calzones here. The service was very slow, but the pizza was worth it! read more

Very disappointed! It had come highly recommended. Parking was awful. We were told to park across the street after we pulled in yet they let the very next car pull in and stay in the lot. Came with co-workers for the Friday Pizza Buffet. It was $10 (even if you only got water, up from the former $8 price). Salad was brown and the topping options were scare. There was no pizza even available for 5-10 minutes and it was just...okay. Not a ton of good toppings flavors Worst part of the whole thing is owner was on the phone screaming and angry (with a vendor perhaps?) right behind the food so it was very distracting and ruined the whole relaxing lunch feel I was going for. He was banging the phone against the wall and yelling loudly and angrily threatening the person--it seemed like a call to take in private away from customers. Cookies were good but only some people were lucky enough to snag them. There are other pizza buffet places in the city with a more relaxed atmosphere and better quality pizza for cheaper. read more

The pizza, atmosphere, and staff at Mac's is second to none. When you first walk in, you expect the typical "college bar" fare, but Mac's couldn't be farther from typical. Their pizza shows the care and love that someone should put into a solid pie. The dough is made from scratch daily and their new chef apparently has some fine dining experience. If you haven't tried the Chicago Gyro pizza you'r missing out!!! I was extremely impressed with the staff here. Our waiter was attentive, friendly, and made great suggestions on the multiple beers they stock and rotate (over 100 varieties). Don't miss out on this gem of a pizza place. Whether it's for a quick bite or watching the game, Mac's delivers. read more

Mac's has an interesting feel. It is basically a college bar, sort of run down, and always smells like last night's spilled drinks. But... the pizza is amazing. Mac's makes their own dough, and you can tell. The ingredients are fresh, and they have a great variety of pizzas to choose from. They keep over 100 beers in stock, and if you like margaritas, ask for Peyton to make yours! There are a few tables on a patio out back, which are definitely the best choice for dining. Service is good, food is excellent, and atmosphere is unique. Just watch out for the middle-aged folks from the 'burbs coming back to Clifton for a night to "slum" it like they did in college... read more

This pizza joint reminds me a lot of Hound Dogs Pizza in Columbus. However, I think it might be better than Hound Dogs for these reasons: 1) Less greasey pizza 2) Restaurant interior is less grimey and nasty 3) Waitstaff aren't idiots that constantly get your order wrong (Hound dogs has improved though lately) Mac's pizza is really pretty delicious. I love the garlic butter that's brushed all over the crust. My favorite pizza I've had there is the Mac Attack pizza which has pepperoni, bison, and jalapenos. The flavors were great and I kept thinking how I couldn't believe this was being served in a college pizza joint. The atmosphere is kind of dark with lots of deep wooden booths about. The place was really clean looking though (on a weekday at dinnertime). I kept expecting to step in sticky beer residue or vom. A couple things Hound Dogs has over Mac's is the choice of spicy and hot pizza sauce and delivery! read more

I have to say I am always happy when I leave Macs. They do a great job, the servers are great and the pizza is actually really good. We came out this week for Trivia night and if you haven't tried it out yet please do!! You don't have to be a smarty pants to have fun, but make sure you bring a crew that's ready to have fun! It's run by a company that comes on in, brings some awesome trivia that covers anything and everything. 2 things to do before you come: check the website for the clues of the week, and come up with a hilarious team name. That's it, see you next Wednesday at Macs! read more

For us vegans in the world, being able to go to a restaurant and order something straight off the menu is such an awesome thing, when it turns out the food is amazing, it's even better. Dan ordered a vegan pizza with his choice of toppings while I went with the vegan burger. We were very impressed. The pizza was a good size and very hearty, we had enough left overs for another meal. The burger was delicious and filling. The pizza was a little pricy but totally worth it, we've been craving it ever since then and can't wait to go back for another visit. read more

Mac's Pizza Pub - Pizza Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

A fluke after all, back to a five star rating So the work staff decided to order in lunch last week and I suggested Macs. Sounds odd after my birthday experience but because they have been so good before, I wanted to see if my last experience was the exception and not the rule. The pizza was awesome. It was even better than the buffet. It was made well and had the right amount of sauce, which is so good, btw. I guess no restaurant can perfect 365 days a year and sometimes it takes the customer to let managers know when something is not right so that the problem can be corrected, right,? Anyway, we will continue to eat at Mac's, still on my "favorite pizza" list' read more

Mac's is an awesome college pizza pub. Their food is delicious and they have a decent selection of beers. The place seems kinda dead most nights, so it isn't really the place to get crazy drunk because everyone will think you're an idiot. If you go to Mac's, I suggest the Mac Attack or the Gyro Pizza. The gyro pizza has actually won awards for best pizza (not sure the competition it was in, but it was either a regional or national event). I'm also pleased that Mac's seems to participate in most of the events in the area. They are part of the monthly pub crawl by the Clifton Heights Bar Association and part of the Clifton Heights Music Festival. It may not be the best venue for music, but it definitely holds its weight with the great food. Also, if you ever want to spend $7 for an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, come to Mac's on a Friday afternoon! The $7 includes a drink, so you are getting an amazing deal and the pizza is 100x better than something like Cici's. They actually make the gyro pizza and other favorites for the buffet, it's not all cheese and pepperoni. read more

This is the most bi-polar location I've ever been to in Cincinnati. I'm going to review it in two sections two, because it has two purposes. 1. The Friday Afternoon Pizza Buffet (From 11-2 I believe, for about $7) Do not get there at noon, because it will be packed. I won't deny that this is a fantastic deal, as you can eat all you can for a very modest price, but as with most buffets, the food isn't as good as it is when it stands alone. I went to this 4-5 times my senior year, and it was usually an average-above average experience. They have some delicious pizzas, like their gyro one, and then some not so great ones. The deal there is so good that you can't beat it, but I am not as big on the pizza as some others. 2. Then there is the night life, of which I have had different experiences also. There have been nights that have been very fun(usually dependent on my consumption and the presence of a band/DJ). There is a pretty good spot in the back for dancing and decent beer prices, but it can be very college-y and therefore annoying at times. It doesn't stand out to me(nothing will ever touch Murphy's) but this is a much better choice than Woody's. read more

I went to Mac's a few months ago because I had a Groupon, and while I wasn't disappointed, I wasn't overly impressed either. So I didn't think I'd ever go back. Boy, am I glad I did. First, the pizza. After putting up a big stink about not liking white pizzas, I caved to peer pressure and agreed to eat the spinach and goat cheese pizza. AND IT WAS DELICIOUS. Great combination of flavors and none of that drippy white ooze that dis-endears (is that a word? It is now) white pizza to me. But the real winner here was the full-sized pint of Great Lakes Christmas Ale that I received with my meal. No wimpy 12-oz snifters at Mac's! Sure, the pint cost $6, but I was more than happy to pay that much for a full glass of 7.5% ABV goodness. (In all seriousness, I found the draft selection at Mac's to be excellent, and they have a good selection of bottles, too.) Writing this post has made me hungry...and thirsty. I may just have to head to Mac's right now. read more

I love a good pizza, and Mac's definitely "delivers". I first tasted their pizza (Chicago-Gyro) at Taste of Cincinnati and thought, "Why haven't I heard of this place?" Finding parking in this area honestly is kind of a pain, there are occasionally spots on McMillan, but they are few and far between. If you can't find a free spot on a side street, there is a lot about a block before you get to Mac's and the cost isn't too bad. Okay, back to the food. The Chicago-Gyro pizza is great, but so is the BBQ Chicken. Honestly, pretty much all their pizzas look great, if I wasn't trying to keep my figure, I'd eat here more often. If you come here on a weekend, they might have a DJ or live music. I was here once and there was a girl that was high as a kite and danced like she was going to fall at any moment. She didn't. The crowd is certainly slanted towards the college age, but it is always fun and loud. If you want to avoid a busy loud crowd, they are open for lunch, probably before most of the college crowd has rolled out of bed. If you are in the area, and can find parking, definitely stop in, play shuffleboard, try one of their beers on draft and eat a pizza. read more

Convenient, Fun, Great Pizza, a Happy Place for a quick or a lazy lunch. Always drop by when in the UC area and am never disappointed. read more

Judging by the big number beside the W on the back of my Levis, I like pizza...a lot. Mac's Pizza Pub is extremely underrated when you think of places to grab a pie in this town. The pizza is tasty and the so are the apps, side items, and salads. They multiple rooms to choose from being the dining room, bar, or outdoor patio. Also they a big table top shuffle board game there which is the greatest thing a bar can have next to a bocce ball court. Since it's in Clifton, parking is a pain depending on what time of the day and year you decide to visit. They do have a lot out back but it's pretty crammed so be careful parking back there as nothing ruins dinner quite like a tipsy sorority girl backing daddy's Range Rover into your car. I can't speak to the "bar" atmosphere of Mac's as I have only been there for dinner. Although with it's proximity to the UC campus I have to figure they pull a pretty big college crowd. I'm a little to old to fake being a sophomore philosophy major so you won't see me there at late night. In conclusion: Good pizza + bar shuffle board = winning combination. read more

Second to Adriaticos for my pizza bars in town. Their specialty and make-your-own pizzas are fantastic, as are their fried calzones. It can get a bit too loud too quickly, though. Try their salami and hot pepper! read more

Awesome pizza and wings. Great beer selection and good beer specials. We always go to Mac's when in Clifton!

Mac's is what you can expect from a local, college pizza pub. We used to come for Trivia during the week, but it was way worse than other bar trivia (in terms of competition and being able to hear) so we ditched the weekly Macs visit for another bar. When we used to come for trivia I would get terrible, inattentive service. One night, I had to get up and put a carry out order in because I believe they had forgotten about us and the fact that we hadn't ordered. The food selection is alright, not the best... stick with the pizza, which is definitely above average. The Hawaiian pizza is actually really amazing and I think they put cinnamon on it, which may seem weird but it totally tastes amazing. They have parking in the back lot, which is super convenient and places it above other restaurants on McMillan in my eyes :) read more

So, I loooove this pizza. It's delicious. I've been here a ton of times. Service is usually decent. I've only walked out once because our server forgot about our table... For an hour.... Parking isn't bad if you go at a decent time, or you could always just park in the garage and walk over if you aren't a local. I've never had a bad pizza here. Drink prices are usually low as well, and they have a decent beer selection. Definitely worth checking out for lunch. read more

Mac's Pizza Pub - Classic pepperoni - Pizza Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Great specials, nice beer selection, great chill atmosphere, and very very good pizza (even by my NY standards!). I am glad I checked this place out and will definitely be back for more! read more

Mac's Pizza Pub - Pizza Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

See all

Fun, college hang-out vibe (but comfortable for non-students too). Lots of pizza toppings/specialty pizzas to choose from (and non-pizza items too). The ingredients all seem really high quality; they try to get as much from Findley Market as they can. Yet, the prices are fairly reasonable. I got a side salad to start and the grated cheddar on top seemed freshly grated, not out of bag, and the dressing was homemade. It was a good size for a side salad and hard to beat at only $2.50. My husband got fried pickles, one of which I snagged, and they are whole pickle spears breaded and deep fried. I personally prefer the fried pickle slices, but these were pretty tasty. We each got personal size pizzas--mine was a white spinach pizza with chicken. Toppings were great--could taste the individual components and seemed very fresh. However, the crust was seriously underwhelming--just bland, white, flat, generic pizza dough--absolutely nothing special and not even particularly good. And for a "pizza pub" that will cost you in the rating! Service was great--our server was very accommodating to special orders, questions, and requests. And they have several vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten-free options, so pretty much whatever dietary restrictions you have, seems like they can accommodate. Made to order pizzas can of course take a little time, so ordering a salad or something to start is a good idea if you're really hungry. Parking is a pain in general in that part of town, so just circling the block and side streets for an open meter is your best bet. read more

This is a quintessential college pizza joint. Lots of sports, plenty of good beer, all the greasy fried pre and post drinking snacks you could want. There's nothing particularly great or special about the food, but I've never had anything bad there and the garlic butter on the pizza crust is a tasty addition. The prices are good and the thing that bumps this up a star for me was the service last night was awesome. Very friendly and when our pizza was undercooked they made it right, and insisted we take a free drink. Sounds small but these things are much appreciated. read more

food is pretty good for a pub and the service is super nice!! the music was really loud at like 6 which was kinda obnoxious but other than that it's a good place to get food read more

Great place for a quick beer and slice of pizza. Late at night (we went around midnight) the only option food-wise is pizza by the slice...and that was fine by me. 1 specialty bottled beer+ 2 slices of fresh, hot pepperoni pizza for $8? Deal! Noise level is fairly high...on this particular Friday night there was a DJ spinning an interesting mix of new and old school hiphop. Would have liked to see more people on the dance floor! Nice covered patio area out back with a good amount of seating. Very young crowd, seemed to be mostly early college age. Definitely will be back...I hear they have a lunch buffet that I'd like to try. read more

2 words: gyro pizza! The gyro meat was especially tasty. And from what I've heard about the other (numerous) specialty pizzas they have, the gyro isn't the only great one. Looking forward to going back and trying some of the others. They also have a pretty good beer selection. And even though we went on a weekend night, they still had great beer specials to offer. Thumbs up to places that offer drink specials even on Friday and Saturday nights. Service was decent, and the atmosphere was perfect for a college pizza joint, while still enjoyable for us older folks ;) Disclaimer: I went while classes were on break. So not sure how much this would change now that UC is back in session. read more

Love this place! They finally brought back the pizza buffet on Friday, which I was very excited about. The price went up to $10, but they offer a few extra things now like cookies and dessert pizza. They've been doing a ton of other promotions, like karaoke on Tuesday (it gets extremely packed), and trivia night on Wednesday. The best part? $2 bourbons all day all week! Tip a little extra and they will make those pours very strong :) read more

Came here for trivia and a few beers. Trivia fun. There was a literature question that nobody knew. Then a bible question that everyone knew. Gotta love Cincinnati. Beer is cold and cheap. I wanted to try the chicken and waffle fries but I getting older and the hips don't lie. read more

the food was good, but it was partially spicy. the food also took forever to get to us

The atmosphere was better than the pizza, or at least the cheese slices anyway. When I got there around 11 on a Friday night they weren't serving from the regular menu anymore and you could only choose from cheese or pepperoni pizzas. I would come back to try a flavored pizza or pizza buffet. There was a DJ and they have shuffleboard. Mix of booths, bar seating, and high-top tables. read more

The gyro pizza, some beer, and their fried pickles or loaded waffle fries will tide me over throughout my dreams. I always get a huge pizza for the leftovers. I'm like a teenager in love when I alight onto a chair. The fried pickles have a crisp, airy beer batter and aren't cheap-tasting. They're quality dill pickles (Detroit Polish gal here) and the batter is just as lush. The specks of pepper add an edge, not a bite. If you don't like your pickles sliding out of their sleeves, I bet you won't care here, like me! They're that creamy and crunchy. The gyro pizza at this location has never failed me. It wasn't as garlicky on the crust last time, which was a huge disappointment, but I forgive them. The only bad experience I've had here would bring this review down to one star if I didn't know it was the fault of the female waiter: she refused to look at my non-speaking deaf friend enough to refill her pop. I got 4 refills. read more

I've been to Mac's since they first opened and can easily say I've been to it for lunch, dinner, late night and to just drink. So I think I have a fair assessment of how the place is. For starters, MOST of the food is good/bordering on pretty good when considering its a bar. I've had the pizza, the burgers, the Macover, and the fish and chips. I want to reiterate that MOST of the food is good. The fish and chips, that's where Mac's goes TERRIBLY wrong. I've tried it at least 3-4 times. It has almost always not been fully cooked, mainly due to the batter being way too thick. On top of that my "chips" have numbered as few as 3-4 waffle fries on my plate. So I got a plate of raw fish and a 1/3rd serving of fries. Essentially, one should stick with the pizza or burgers. You usually can't go wrong with either. Besides the food, the bar is full, so you can have a great time there. Final piece on Mac's, the service is usually pretty bad. Even when it is really, really slow. Good luck getting a waitress to come to you more than once every hour, or bartender to take care of you unless you are sitting right in front of him/her. Overall, its worth a try. At least for the food (save for the Fish) and maybe a drink or two. If you are new to UC, you also owe it to yourself to stop on by. Beats the hell out of going to a crap place like Woody's for a drink. read more