McGarvey's... Oh McGarvey's... I really don't have anything bad to say about McGarvey's. I also really don't have anything good to say about McGarvey's either. It's just kind of... there. McGarvey's is like that one Uncle at family get togethers that just kind of sits on the couch and watches TV the whole time. No one really pays any attention to him, but they all love him. Everyone has better things to do than to watch TV with him, but everyone finds themself sitting on the couch watching TV with him at some point throughout the gathering. That's McGarvey's. Is it anyone's "go-to" bar in Manchester? Probably not. But does everyone love it and find themselves there at some point during the night? Probably not. But this review isn't about other people, It's about me. I don't care if other people don't like McGarvey's (I'm looking at you, Anthony A.) And I don't really care if the bartenders charge an extra $0.50 for rude behavior (I'm looking at you, Anthony A.) And most of all I don't care if people don't want to go there. I do. I want to go there. I do go there. All the time. In fact, I find myself at McGarvey's all the time. When I do go there, it's all the time. I practically live at McGarvey's, that's how much I go there. All the time. I usually go to McGarvey's maybe once a week. I can't really say I'm there all the time, but from the times I have been there, I was. However, I've been there enough to come to know, on a first name basis, all the bartenders that work there. There's this one bartender, I can't remember his name, but he has a bunch of tattoos and everyone loves him. Cream of the crop kind of guy. There's this other bartender there and I can't remember her name either, but she's definitely there too. All the time. Now at this point you may be asking yourself: "Why am I still reading this review?" The pool table at McGarvey's is also really one of a kind. There's an identical one next to it as well. Two pool tables, 12 pockets, 32 balls... Sounds like a great time, right? Wrong. But I don't play pool so can you really take my word for it? Nope. But if I did play pool, would I enjoy playing on these tables? More than likely, yes. The pub's motto is: "What happens at McGarvey's stays at McGarvey's". I personally don't think that's their actual motto because no one has ever said it besides me, nonetheless, it rings true. What happens at McGarvey's stays at McGarvey's because by the next morning, you won't remember anything that happened at McGarvey's... But the bartenders will. They remember everything. And you know where they stay? At McGarvey's. All the time. Speaking from experience, here's a list of things you may bump into at McGarvey's: The counter The doors The pool table Chairs People The trash can More doors More people The urinal (Male) The urinal (Female) (Don't ask) JV The pillars The bouncer (He will not give you a hug) (Don't ask) I've never come out of McGarvey's without a few bruises. Whether it be from running into things because I'm drunk, tripping over everything because I'm drunk, or telling everyone they have something on their shirt then doing the little nose flick thing then they punch me in the head because I'm drunk, I always leave looking quite black and blue. Overall, I will definitely be going to McGarvey's again. I'm there right now, actually. But the point of this review is to help determine if YOU should go to McGarvey's. So let me just say this: If you come to McGarvey's, you definitely should... All the time. read more

Great music, soul, urban, edm and country- the best blend. Bathrooms are dive bar wow but bar is clean and pool tables are usually occupied with a good-time game. Bartenders know their shots and a Keno machine in-house. "Kitchen" is usually staffed with some decent snacks on offering, Good happy hour pricing on bottles and some drafts. read more

I Love McGarveys All the staff are very nice. They always greet me with such love. I love that they know my favorite drink and they all got it down packed to the T. I absolutely love the food that they serve. I just wish they served it later so I can just make one pitstop to my favorite place. Have a few drinks and some great food all wile listening to some good music. Jeffrey read more

It is a large bar. The crowd is rowdy. Early in evening is it not full but gets crowded with young crowd later. Lots of bounces around the bar -- I guess they have trouble sometimes there read more

Bree is the best bartender in manchester, all the bar options in manch and when shes working i go here

Horrible service. Kenny, is a misogynistic Asshole who refused to acknowledge us (waiting for a drink) at 7pm. it wasn't busy, we had already been sitting there Ignored for several minutes. we said excuse me and he told us to "wait our fucking turn" and then when we said "excuse me" he said "oh you're not a good time". We then packed up our things to where he can be screaming at us out the door, again, about how we are not a good time. We went right next door and were able to have a much better time. Happy Holidays to everyone but Kenny. read more

During a trip to Manchester last week; I had 2 hours to kill before a wedding. I decided to find a pub. A quick Yelp search and I found McGarvey's. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all these 1 star reviews. That's my kind of place. These are my kind of people. I went in, enjoyed the smug nod I got from the bouncer, sat and enjoyed a pint. Thank you guys. Don't ever change. You're exactly what a bar should be. read more

Come here if you're a real one. No BS here. They got a huge selection of beers on tap, and plenty of TVs for sports. They also got two pool tables in excellent condition along with several pool cues to choose from. If you don't want any fake-smiling corporate phonies making small talk with you at any of the Elm street bars, come here instead. You're home. read more

McGarvey's - Beer and tequila. - Dive Bars Near Me - Manchester, New Hampshire

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Huge dance floor makes this one of the best stops in Manchester. Kareoke night was Sunday and we had the distinct pleasure of witnessing two of the biggest ugliest gnarliest biker dudes singing the most beautiful love ballads - not together. The Kareoke was mixed with some great dancing and dancers, including a man that looked like Sid From ice age with incredible twerking skills. Now, don't get me wrong - this place is as rough as a badgers ass but friendly and fun. read more

McGarvey's - Dive Bars Near Me - Manchester, New Hampshire

McGarvey's is a typical dive bar. As you enter, you'll see a plastic hammerhead shark on the right next to some trophys. There is also a room to the right with 2 pool tables. In the back, there is a set up area for bands and two dart boards. Basically, there is a long bar with smaller TVs to the right and tables with stools and booth seating all the way down the wall to the left. There is always loud rock or country music playing in the background. My buddies and I stopped at McGarvey's for some drinks and bar food on a slow Sunday night. The bar menu is very limited (hamburger, bbq rib sandwich, chicken tenders, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, jalepeno poppers, slice of pizza, fries, onion rings). The bartender took our drink and food order. We ordered some Guinness (Draft), Labbatts (Bottle), Rum & Coke (a bit watery), and Diet Cokes. The food we ordered was a Hamburger (microwaved) with chips & pickle ($4.25), BBQ Rib Sandwich (microwaved) with chips & pickle ($4.25), Chicken Tenders ($6.95), and Battered Onion Rings ($3.75). All of the bar food was actually tasty. This place is getting old inside, but it's good enough to have some drinks & finger food and to chill in downtown Manch. read more

Went in on a Saturday with friends and my friend whose birthday it was got offered a shot. I ended up getting a napkin by the bar (right in plain sight) because my friend needed one desperately and the bartender slapped my hand. I was totally caught off guard and thought it was highly inappropriate. There are many other methods the bartender could have taken to make sure I'm careful and not to reach by the bar. read more

Loved this place. Took my sales team there while on our Holiday Party. Bartender was spot on. Drinks cheap. Fun crowd. HUGE bar area. Gives a great name from Apple Siri when I asked for best Dive Bar....she would only give me McGarvey's name. :-D A must visit. read more

McGarvey's has long been the bottom rung of supposed "Irish" pubs in Manchester, and things don't look likely to improve. Aside from grimy, poorly lit environs, the bar itself is nothing special. Lackluster, if not downright terrible, service is the norm. Drinks are cheap, which is likely the only manner in which they can attract business. Forget about anything top-shelf, it's long been suspected that they swap their bottles out to save on expenses. As for the regulars, I'm reminded of the Uptown Tavern, a local fixture for many years which attracted rather unkempt individuals with few charming characteristics. As the Uptown finally closed after reportedly far too many violations, it seems McGarvey's has taken it up as a challenge to become the worst on the strip. The last visit I chanced was a few weeks ago with a friend, happened to be doing a slow easy bar crawl, decided to give it a shot again as it had been a few years. Complete waste of time. Not only did I not get service from the apparently miserable human tending the bar, but I was told that sitting at the bar was for paying customers! Well I can't very well pay if the bartender chooses to completely ignore me, can I? Forget about ordering appetizers here unless you're in desperate need of an enema. All in all, I'd avoid this place at all costs unless you're absolutely desperate, in which case I'd recommend AA instead of drinking here. read more

The absolute worst experience I've ever had. The karaoke DJ was Bernie Jenkins..Probably the most unfriendliest DJ I've ever met. he was upset that I didn't Know how to sign up on his tablet..And said do I have to do this for you.. and this is after I was giving this stone a compliment on his technology because I'm a DJ that still likes to use pen and paper..the very heavy set girl with tattoos behind the bar made it clear that she has a close connection with him and had no time to ask me if I knew what was bothering him. And the bald guy at the door assaults.."he pushed me" unaggressive people.. maybe a place for younglings..not a place for educated people with substance... shit show to the extreme read more

ZERO STARS. This place has always been shit. Bathrooms have always been disgusting which was okay for it being the dump that it is.The only redeeming qualities they had are no longer there. Rachel was amazing.. that's all they had. Now you have horribly rude bartenders with the worst attitude, who think they deserve your money without giving you service. They take shots behind the bar while patrons are waiting to be served. They are unprofessional enough to complain about other customers. It is not my problem that someone else didn't tip you. If people don't tip YOU maybe take it as a reflection of how lackluster your skills as a bartender are. The fact that this place gets to keep a liquor license is asinine. Over the years customers have been hurt in numerous ways. From bottles being thrown to the curb stomping given out by the supposed security. Bottom line take your well earned money else where you'll save yourself and probably have a better time. Your welcome.... read more

Worst karaoke host ever. People would load the sign up list as soon as she got there, and if you showed up 30 minutes later, you never had a chance to sing. I signed up for a song, and a guy that sang 3 times sang it before I got called up. I waited 2 hours, and never had a chance to sing. Bartenders are great, but the karaoke host is the worst I have ever seen. read more

Place is hell. First they will scream at you all night, saying its illegal to have drinks on the "dance floor, yet ironically someone literally threw a hand gun at me from 20 feet away on the dancefloor. haha. Guess guns are ok on the dancefloor, but no drinks...But that's not nearly as bad as the music. The karaoke is fine because the singers actually take control out of the DJs hands and they play music that does not make your ears bleed. But sometimes they end the karaoke early so they can play "club music". Unfortunately for the past year they have only played non stop latin hip hop and ghetto rap with the DJs special effect of using non stop "air horn" samples as transitions, as if they are pandering to the local drug dealers in town while the crowd is for the most part, not in any way the demographic. Mostly golf tourists visiting from out of town and chubby white "bros". But as almost everyone there says "I cant stand the music, but the drinks are cheap"...but even that is not true anymore. The drinks are now also quite expensive, and you better watch out because they will over charge you constantly. You get a well drink, they will charge for top shelf, order a beer, you will get charged for two. And the crowd there will also listen to your tab name when you order and will order drinks on your name too, so watch out for that too. read more

When the bad press the bar has received the last few days, I would stay clear of this place. Anybody can be a bouncer. Put on a black shirt that says "STAFF" and you feel high and mighty. Not a way to remove customers who are drunk, sleepy, tired or bored of this place. So far, the owner gets a "Zero" for public relations in the community. People want answers and his lips are sealed. Go get him. MPD. Elm Street is not the place I want to be at night. read more

The night was splendid, the ambience, as I put it, was immaculate and darling for the pervading aria which quietly played. A true marvel of modern luxury and fecundity I'm dually impressed. read more

I've never had worse, watered down drinks. The beer on tap tastes like the tap line has never been cleaned and the piss warm beer was nasty. When I saw a bartender flip a bottle of alcohol over to pour, there were tiny gnats in the bottom! Never again. read more

This place is complete trash and just plain TERRIBLE!!! The place smells like old, rotten cheese. The bartenders are rude and horrible people. The owner sucks!!! There are way better bars in Manchester to go to. read more

It's funny to see that people are reviewing this place like it's a restaurant or reputable bar. Just giving the three stars I found it to have, and wanted to thank everyone for leaving their opinions because they were pretty entertaining to read. Mcgarvey's is well known to be a dive. Take it or leave it, will not change. Thank you for providing feedback, yelpers. read more

If you sit down at the bar and are neither a regular, nor a drunk girl in a slutty outfit, you may end up sitting there for upwards of ten minutes before being served. The majority of the bartenders have a generally crap attitude, acting as though you're wasting their time after the finally get around to serving you. From my experience, those without said crap attitude generally are about as vanilla as they come. A dull, dreary look in their eye, disinterest in almost anything short of your drink order, which they may or may not get right the first time and a near inability to remember one's drink order the second time around without an empty bottle to give them a hint. The bar itself is so-so. Clever drinking related proverbs and quotes line the walls, along with random pictures of sailboats and beer ads. And much like its slightly worse cousin Raxx down the street, it too contains small, uneven pool tables with arched cues and worn cue balls. The crowd can be a mixed bag. Sometimes you may find an interesting stranger to drink with, other times, it feels like the sort of stand-offish vibe one might get when they see a co-worker they don't know at a community clinic. The beer selection is standard, as are the booze. Kareoke can be entertaining, if you catch it on the right night. And in terms of silly drunks, it can pretty much be counted on that you'll see something. Sometimes it'll be a show. Either someone so silly drunk they turn into Arthur (the Dudley Moore version, not the new Russel Brand type,) OR they may just be "on" in that way where everything they say is somewhat of a chuckle. OR then again, you may just end up with the slurring halfwit from the boarding house up the street who wants to tell you a dozen or so times about how much he or she has had to drink. Again, like almost everywhere in Manchester to booze it up, they'll get you drunk. The service will suck, you'll be surrounded by a variety of people, some who outright suck, others who may not...there are better places in town, but there are certainly worse. (Namely Raxx...) read more

I cant say enough about this bar!! McGarvey's is THE spot for a fun night out in the Queen City! Bernie and Mike are the best DJs around! Each are well liked, if not quite loved by all who visit! Karaoke is hosted by these great guys 7 nights a week . They are extremely friendly, and fantastic when it comes to keeping great music and entertainment flowing through the bar till closing time! Ive been to several places for karaoke in the area, and it can be hard to find DJ's in this city with as great a music selection, be it to sing or to be played as a request. the space for singing doubles as a dance floor and many times transitions throughout the night. the night can be very fun even if you just want to dance and not sing. If you are a first timer or maybe shy to the idea of a night of karaoke, have no fear. Bernie and Mike are very welcoming to singers both new and returning. and everyone in the bar is super friendly and supportive as an audience. You may even learn that Bernie and Mike are great singers themselves. It is quite common for them to either accompany other singers for duet or put them selves out there with a solo song to get a new round of karaoke going. You want karaoke? you want these two guys and you definitely want McGarvey's! Where beverages are concerned McGarvey's also is fantastic. They have specials all the time and have a great selection for whatever it is you enjoy in your glass. The bartenders are extreamly friendly, and work hard to provide fast and delicious drinks every time I come in! Its always great to walk through the door, no matter the day of the week and know you will be greeted by a friendly face behind the bar! I always have a great experience! McGarvey's is the answer for a great night of drinks great people and superb musical entertainment!! read more

All you could ask for of a dive bar. I love coming here and haven't had a bad experience yet. The bouncers are always super friendly, and I've always had great service at the bar. Definitely recommend for a place to play pool and hang! read more

I NEVER WANT TO DRINK ANYWHERE ELSE. why? rach: may i have a miller high life? bartender: bottle or draft? a) you friggin HAVE miller high life? b) in a bottle OR on tap?! i'm starting to wonder why i live in massachusetts and not new hampshire. i genuinely love miller high life. it's my destitute beer of choice. any bar that carried high life HAS to be my speed... divey, but not sketchy. karaoke aplenty. dahts, games, tvs. ellio's-looking pizza at 12:30. good prices. rad quotes on the wall. a giant hot dog statue. good for chatting, great for drinking, excellent for shaking dat azz if need be. my complaints? karaoke ended too early for my liking. that's all. i'm sure it has to due with noise violations and all this, but i was told by locals that karaoke usually runs pretty late. but i really wanted to sing "i believe in a thing called love" by the darkness! :( read more

Rachel is the best bartender ever love her 10/10 here rn told her I would write a review bc she's the best god bless Hobbes was also great too. Security was 10/10 told me not to sit on a spilled drink loyal af read more

I was going to only give three stars but then I remembered this is Manchvegas where hip only exist just above your knees and certainly not in any pubs in this god forsaken town. If there is an oasis from the douchebaggery that is synonymous with this area it's this place. Regulars have a bit of coolness, reminds me a bit of home in JP. Miller high life and Jameson's is always cool. karaoke is hit or miss, the guy that runs it on the weekends is kind of a schmuck. I thought karaoke is about self-deprecation not turning it into a nightclub? But as it is the only place I can get a drink and feel relatively normal here it gets an ok from me! read more

The bouncers "restrained" a guy outside, meaning like 4 dudes were onto of him and punching him in his head and face. They were on top of him calling him names and clearly says "you're going home with stitches". He stopped "resisting" (pushing them off) and staff got off of him. He was on the ground, gathering himself and a bouncer CRACKS this guys skull open as he curb stomped him before he could get up. Fucking DISGUSTING. Blood everywhere. You can find articles and videos online just by googling it. This man was defenseless and on the ground. THEN a bystander said something about how that wasn't the right thing to do and a bouncer THROWS A PUNCH AT THE GUY! DO YOU PEOPLE EMPLOY PSYCHOPATHS?! Obviously over compensating for something and having a power trip. The mans niece spoke out and said that he is in the hospital with hemorrhaging in his brain. If he dies, it's on you guys. The bar hasn't spoken out about it yet even though their facebook page is exploding with concerned people but they keep deleting the hundreds of comments and reviews. I also sent them a private message to which they READ but ignored. You people can't ignore this! read more

One of the worst bar experiences I've had. Passed by several times by bartenders, 20 min at the bar with no drink and they are not that busy. Served people who came after me before me. Plenty of bars but I could pass on this one read more

Fun dive bar! Went here with a group from work and this place was great! We didn'teat, so I can't comment on the food! They have pool tables and skee ball which is great for groups. Also have a dance floor and karaoke on Tuesday nights. Bartenders were friendly and accommodating. The locals were all very welcoming which was a bonus! Cool place! read more

This place is an absolute dumpster fire and the bartenders are the ones pouring gasoline on the fire. They over serve everyone, they never shut anyone off. The staff is rude and the place smells like old cheese, stale cigarettes and baby food. Do yourself a favor and keep walking down elm. There are so many more bars where you wont get Hep C from touching the bar. read more

The food is always on point and perfectly cooked drinks are strong ,but still tasty great beers on tap this place is a must!friendly staff too read more

Go if you want untrained bouncers to beat the hell out of you. Very Unprofessional service.

Absolutely two of the most horrible experiences I've ever had at a bar a couple of weeks ago I showed up at McGarvey's and I had to wait about 20 to 25 minutes to get a drink so I posted my displeasure on Facebook and lo and behold I walked in tonight and I was immediately thrown out terrible service terrible wait times not a bar I would ever go to if I was visiting the Manchester area. read more

NEVER AGAIN! I was first introduced to McGarvey's by my friends older brother about a year ago, several of us went out to have some drinks and play pool. It was a low key weekday night barley anyone in the bar, but we still were able to receive awful service! The same bartender every time I go in there since has not messed up my order but messed up our checks! NEVER put anything on a tab there and make sure you receive you drinks before paying for them. She has major attitude and will never fess up to her mistakes. I should have realized after that first night, when she charged 3 of us for the same round of drinks, that I should never go there again. But after I witnessed her take a mans money tonight, put it in the register and then IGNORE him and not serve him the drinks that he ordered, THE DRINKS THAT HE ORDERED FOR A MARINE VET OF 9/11! and then she proceeded to still charge the marine vet (my boyfriend) for the drinks this gentleman purchased for him. She constantly double charges people for the same orders, ignores half of her bar (that is completely understaffed) and is extremely rude to her guests at the bar! I work in customer service if you cant handle people asking you for things when its your job then you need a new job sweetie and an attitude check! I live blocks away from McGarveys but I will never go there again! read more

McGarvey's has maybe the worst service out of any bar I have been to in Manchester. The "security" squad is rude and recently held a patron down outside while one of them kicked the patron in the head while he was restrained. There was blood all over the sidewalk as they taunted the individual. It takes at-least 20 mins to get a drink and many times the bartenders just skip over you to assist someone else. The drinks are watered down and the beer is the flattest I have ever had. I once left the bar to wait for an Uber I called for a friend incase they needed to verify with me since my name was on the order and I told the "security". They than wouldn't let me back into the bar and said it was too late even though other people who had come out for a smoke where let back in. The owner has yet to apologize to the patron that his goons curb stomped and is sticking up for their actions. This is hopefully the last straw for a poor establishment. There are many great bars in Manchester right down the street and I would recommend going anywhere but here. I hope the guy who got beat up bloody by McGarvey's staff is doing OK. read more

Perhaps a younger me in college would have enjoyed this bar more but, as I've gotten older, i find the college dive bar scene with loud music and the smell of cigarettes in the air just isn't for me. I don't think I'll be back to this place anytime soon read more

Worst staff other than the door guy, he was awesome! Got looked at several times and not once asked if I needed anything! 30 mins at a bar waiting for a drink with three bartenders... In all seriously never going back unless i walk by and see new faces that give a shit to be a service to people! read more

This was honestly one of the weirdest customer experiences I have ever encountered in my 15+ years of traveling across many different countries. Upon first arrival, I saw a bouncer literally clobbering a seemingly helpless individual outside of the front door. If not menacing enough, when I arrived to the door to greet the gentleman checking IDs, I was delighted to ask what he did. He claimed he was the owner. When I thanked him for his beautiful establishment, he told me he 'didn't give a s$*t about my business.' Although this was all very confusing, I still seemed to thoroughly enjoy the crowd inside. If a great mix of people and atmosphere is what you're looking for, certainly peep this low key joint. Owner is a complete tool. read more