Recommended by friends, we stopped in for a (very) late lunch 'spur of the moment.' Located on busy Wayland Avenue, there may be some street parking available, however, passing the restaurant on our right, we made the first right hand turn and parked on the sides street. Come to find out, customers can park in the lot directly behind the restaurant. Just get your parking receipt from the parking lot attendant, and have it validated inside the restaurant. There is a restaurant entrance right off this parking lot so it's super convenient and most people were entering through that back door for both 'pick up' orders and dining-in.
Ordering pick-up can be done through their website: mcbrides-pub.com. The menu is limited at the moment and the on-line menu still contains all the 'original' items. You will see some items 'grayed out' and not selectable as they are unavailable at the moment. After selecting an item, a pop-up window gives you options of cooking temperature, add-on's available and any special instructions needed to be known by staff, such as food allergies, or 'no bacon' for example.
If you are dining-in during busy meal times, call in advance (751-3000, or 3001) to make a reservation. We arrived between regular meal times, and had no trouble finding a table. Located on a table by the front door is a binder and pen to sign in w/your contact information as required by the state of RI during this pandemic. There is hand sanitizer located on the wall by the door if you'd like to sanitize after using the pen.
Customers seat themselves, and we chose a high-top across from the bar. There is no bar seating at this time, so plenty of space for staff to walk back and forth in this area. The bartender was our waitress (Jen), we were greeted immediately upon entering and asked to sign-in. She brought over menu's and took our drink order. She stood well back from the table any time she stopped by and was wearing a face mask, as were all staff and customers who were not seated.
Like most Irish Pubs in RI, there were not playing Irish music. In our minds including Irish music adds to the ambiance. The music selections included Stevie NIcks, Tom Petty and the like, and was loud enough to hear easily and low enough to not interfere w/conversation. The interior is casual, very clean and based on pubs we have been to in Ireland, on point. (Honestly, we have been to many Irish pubs, and they are all unique. You can't say 'this' is how an Irish Pub should look because every one has it's own personality.)
We started with a Corned beef quesadilla. Flour tortilla, filled with thick slices of lean corned beef, shredded cabbage and lots of cheese to hold it all together then grilled. Served in four sections with sour cream this is enough for me as a lunch. The cabbage was crunchy, the taste mild, the cheese nice and stringy. Dip it into the sour cream and it's a very tasty snack.
I ordered the lamb sliders as my entrée. The buns are toasted nicely, the lamb is cooked medium and was very juicy. There was just the right amount of tomato and lettuce on there and the fig jam, a bit sweet without being over powering, was just the right touch. It is served with a pickle slice that for me wasn't 'tart' enough. I like a nice sour dill pickle, and if you prefer yours a bit sweet, you would enjoy this one. It also had a nice crunch to it. As a side with my sliders I ordered the coleslaw. A 50/50 mix of carrots and cabbage, it was crunchy with a dressing that has a sweetness along with a vinegar note that was well balanced.
The Shepherds pie was devoured by my SO and it's made with lamb, (hence it's name) not ground beef which is just as it should be in an Irish Pub! He was hoping they had a stew available, but it is not a menu option and the shepherds pie was a satisfactory substitute.
This is a neighborhood pub with locals stopping in throughout our visit. It's the sort of place they really do know your name and creates a sense of community. The service was excellent. Even though Jen was managing the mid-meal restaurant and bar alone, she kept up with everything including refilling our water glasses frequently which we very much appreciate!
The menus used by guests were washed down w/sanitizer: very good to know. There are hand sanitizer dispensers on the walls by the kitchen, front door and the hallway leading to the back door and restrooms. The restrooms are 'single person' and quite large. The ladies room included a baby changing station and hands free paper towel dispenser.
We very much enjoyed this restaurant and pub. The staff is very friendly, the locals loved being there and were happy to let us know, and the food is good quality. read more