I'm here by default but it's good. It's an Irish bar in NY so what's your problem kid. Lots of beer on tap and plenty of bottles on the shelf. Its good it's right now. It's off of Orange st Go here. Walk to your hotel and go to sleep. It's ok read more

We were visiting to celebrate our anniversary and we ordered on-line. I had a Ruben (it came with shoestring fries but I wanted seasoned fries - didn't seem like they were an option fir a Ruben. The other half ordered the chipotle cheddar burger. We also tried the avacdo fries. In the notes for our order, we asked for utensils because we were staying in hotel celebrating our anniversary. Well when we picked up our order the wait person said happy anniversary- we added some chicken tenders for you a d sauce. They also wrote happy anniversary on our package. The food was great and that was a nice touch on the freebie. The hot mango SAuce was delicious but beware you pay later lol Thanks mcgrearys! read more

The food is great and the staff is even better. Best place in Albany to have a good time

I was encouraged to check out McGeary's with a small group of friends for dinner and the live music. My friend is a regular and she had mentioned that the pub food was good grub. Maybe I had higher expectations for the food because she said that, but here goes: BBQ Chipotle Wings x1, nicely flavored and tender Fried Pickles x1, thick breading and quite salty French Onion Soup x4, cheesy and very salty Fried Calamari x1, underseasoned Shepherds Pie x1, 24 glorious ounces Philly Cheesesteak x1, heaping pile of meat Reuben x1, meh and salty Big Ass burger x1, really big and salty Blue Moon x2 Downeast unfiltered cider x1 Strawberry margarita x1 Needless to say, my party of four ordered way too much. But that wasn't the issue. Everything was extremely salty and even with our drinks, it became hard to wash down. My friend who is a regular didn't feel that way until after we mentioned it, it was 3 glasses of water later. The service was decent, but our server forgot to bring us our waters when we asked. If it weren't for the awesome Shepherds Pie or the BBQ Chipotle Wings paired with Downeast cider, I probably wouldn't frequent this place again. And if I do, I'd be very selective with what I'd order. Hoping that it will be a better experience when it warrants a next time. read more

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Awful. First time in my life I didn't leave a tip- the server was that rude. Charged us for food we never got. Salsa was canned unsalted tomatoes. Place was dirty. Got stuck here because nowhere else was serving food after 10, but next time I'd rather go hungry. read more

The staff here is beyond accommodating - food was good. Old school bar. We stumbled upon the place while poking around Albany. Unbeknownst to us - BIG football place and Sunday around one the place turns red white and blue for the Bills. Husband had the chili which he said rivaled mine - brave - I had a grilled chicken sandwich - generous portion and tasty. We missed the football specials - both food and beer - looked like a great deal. I would pop in again. read more

Skip this pub if you're looking for good food. We stopped in before a show because we love a good Irish pub. First of all there is nothing on the menu that constitutes an Irish meal. But ok, we compromised and ordered two chicken sandwiches and fries. The chicken was cold in the middle and yet not raw, therefore microwaved. They looked so unappetizing, thrown together with a slab of cheese on top. The fries were "shoe string" , cheap frozen fries I'd serve a toddler. The food was honestly gross. I don't know how people can write reviews about the great food , yuck! Beer was cold and service was fine. Come for a drink but eat somewhere else. read more

No idea how the food is since we left after 45 minutes when we still hadn't even received drinks. Super disappointing.

Really enjoyed the food, and good vibe of the servers interacting with the regulars. They were super busy with a huge party but the waitress still found time to take good care of us and give my kid several free soda refills. read more

Great service. The staff was very pleasant and accommodating. The food was delicious

Great Irish pub. The staff are friendly attentive and professional, pouring a perfect Guinness, which is not easy. Additionally the food is good, particularly the wings, of which they take justifiable pride. read more

McGeary's - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

Favorite Irish spot in Albany. Every St. Patrick's Day my office has lunch at McGearys. We come several other times throughout the year but this day is a given. As you could expect the place was packed but the owner Tess took good care of us and provided us with a table for 18 in the backroom. We pre-ordered our food earlier that day so our food started coming out about 10 minutes after we arrived for our12:00 reservation. The food was delicious and portions plentiful. I had the corned beef and cabbage which also came with carrots and soda bread. Some of us stayed well after lunch and later had the bleu balls and wings (medium and garlic parmesan). Everything was delicious and the wait staff were very attentive even with the big crowd. Live irish music was also on hand along with a bagpipe player. read more

McGeary's - Great Belgium beer - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

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Awesome vibe here. A neighborhood bar feel outside the govt buildings of downtown Albany. Sit outside if you like. I ordered the Shepherds Pie and enjoyed every bite! Very friendly and humorous crew! read more

McGeary's - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

Typical American-Irish bar... Eclectic decor, bar, good menu and good prices and a few tipsy people. Pinball, electric darts, modern jukebox, ATM and live music on the way. Food was pretty good, nothing special, but priced well! Definitely keeping this in the return list read more

McGeary's - Just ordered a Great Lakes Christmas Ale now to wait for the food. Prices are great! - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

This place has awful customer service. We waited in line to see the hostess only to be told she would not seat us because only 2 out of the 4 of us were there. However, 80% of their restaurant was empty and our other two people were looking for parking. I explained that we were ordering drinks and apps right away while our other people parked and she said I was pissing her off by trying to get a seat. So we left. Don't even bother trying to give them business. read more

Came to town here in Albany for a concert and asked around for advice and was pointed in the general direction of places to eat and the first place we come to was McGeary's. Rarely pass up an Irish pub so in we go. Nice bar but crowded so we found a seat at dinner area, seating reminds me of the Grasshopper pub in Cedar Grove. Ordered a burger as I have not found any Irish pub in the USA that can cook Corned Beef as good as me. The burger was huge, garnished with bacon, cheese and side of fries. Washed it down with Mother's milk aka Guinness. Typically always find good food at any Irish pub and was not disappointed although the menu options seemed lighter than I am use to in NJ.. Service was fast which was helpful to get to the concert on time. read more

The place is not clean. Food is terrible. No soap in ladies room and employees go in there. Told two people about it. Did nothing. read more

I like the food here well enough, but I definitely recommend coming at a quieter time because this is a very busy establishment. And if you want a drink here and aren't big on the press of people in a crowded bar thing, then I suggest being aware of times there are events at The Palace and avoiding it on weekend nights. I think this is a nice place, but it's not the type of atmosphere I enjoy when it's busy (which is often). Also, the last time I was there, it was cash only and I literally never carry cash, so I had to rely on one of the people I went with to grab my drink. read more

Another dinner in Albany... I saw this place while pulling into the hotel and, after checking Yelp, I decided to give it a try. First impression... hole in the wall, divey bar... good so far! Greeted right away and the waitress was happy to talk about the menu as I tried to figure out what to eat. Chipotle Burger with fries was the choice and it was a good one. Flavor was good, the meat tasted fresh and it was done as requested... still good! I like this place! Actually the best dining experience I've had this week in Albany! read more

McGeary's - Bar - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

Best everyday bar-- where Tess will always know your face! Burgers wings and specials are always exceptional!! Love this family/restaurant/bar! read more

McGeary's - Try the chicken cordon blue balls!!! Very delicious!!! - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

Due to a festival I had a free meal voucher for this place. They should give their food away every day bc it was that underwhelming. Waitress was nice but we waited so long for our food that it doesn't matter. So long my bf has to leave and come back bc he was on a schedule. There were four of us but our orders were relatively simple sandwiches. My Philly cheesesteak was the blandest I've ever had (I'm not even sure how that can happen) and there weren't even mushrooms in it. All of our fries were cold. Like, really cold. Disappointing af. Two beers came to $17?!? Maybe for high end craft beer but that's not what I was drinking. Done wasting words on a review, don't waste your time or money. read more

McGeary's - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

Love yr pickles Love yr pickles Love yr pickles Love yr pickles Love yr pickles They are so juicy and lovely and plump. You will not find a better pickle in the 518 / 838 area, I promise you this. read more

Years ago, in my youngster days, i was a Friday night regular of their sister pub, Hurley's. They had the best wings in the area. McGeeary's was a close second. Fast forward 35 years. Hurley's is long gone and McGeary's doesn't know how to make wings. They come very rubbery and under cooked. I did not know that one needs to ask for them crispy. Unfortunately, crispy means baking in the oven. On top of that, veggies are extra and wings are $1.80 each. On the other hand, my sister ordered a make your own burger which she said was very good. Also, side salads are very good. read more

So this place is amazing. From the atmosphere in historic downtown Albany to the perfect Guinness pour you would think i would have the local Irish fare but NO i have the greek salad with grilled chicken and I was skeptical to say the least. Low and behold the BEST greek salad I have ever had. WTH. So don't pigeon hole this place as just Irish. read more

It was game day, Sunday, so we were escorted to the unfinished back room and were largely forgotten. The food was awful. I sent mine (poutine) back untouched, and I never do that. What kind of Irish pub can't make poutine? The curds were not melted, but hard. The chicken sandwich was flavorless, but he was hungry. Today, I am balancing my checkbook and see that they charged us $10 more than what we signed (I have the receipt in hand). read more

Went over during a break for out daughters dance completion last night for dinner and it was horrible! Food took forever to come out and the waitress had a bad attitude when I asked her if food would be out soon!!! When the food came out it was not great and our fries were ice cold! We did not complain because we just wanted to leave at that point! We are at the palace 3 times a year for our dancing and always stop in for something to eat on breaks, but we will not be going back again!!! read more

First time here- ever- though I have known about this place forever. It's super convenient to shows at the Palace or Cap Rep, which I frequent. Sooo, since it was a Friday and we were short on time between work and the concert, we agreed on trying McGeary's. People were spilling out onto the sidewalk out front, a greeting that caused us an apprehensive start. We walked into a crowd, and read the sign about finding the hostess to be seated in the "quiet" back room. Tess quickly told us to get drinks and then she'd have a table for us, though the place was packed, and she was right! What a pro. Our waitress realistically told us that everything on the "Show" menu (clearly, others have had the same idea) would take about the same amount of time. We chose the sliders (4) with cheddar cheese, medium rare, and eggplant fries to share. I have to tell you that we both felt the burgers were a bit more rare than we liked, but were some of the most delicious we have ever had! The eggplant fries were amazing: crispy, hot, not too greasy, just perfect! The accompanying marinara was great for dipping. And we were out in perfect time for our show across the street. Overall a "5-worthy" experience read more

Food was good. Atmosphere was good too. Fries and burgers were good. But not hot when we got them. Black and blue burger a little too much salt. Otherwise good eats and good location. Cool scene, good for kids and groups. read more

Great atmosphere but mostly service that was magnificent. Fast and smiley!!! Thank read more

McGeary's - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

They gave me food poisoning. Ordered a burger. Was puking all the next day from it. Among other things. Felt like I was dying.

This is a nice place for a few drinks and some food. I came here with my fiancée a few weeks ago and we really liked it. We got a few beers (very good) and enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip. We both got salads (steak and buffalo chicken) and they were filling and really quite good. It's a nice Irish pub overall and I'd come back sometime. read more

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Western N.Y. really shines through here! It's so hard to find a blue light, garbage plate, beef on weck or buffalo chicken anywhere in the capital region. Trust me, if you're looking for those things come here! The food is great, the beer is diverse and you can always get a taste of home! It's also a bills backer bar, anytime the buffalo bills games aren't televised go here & root strong! I've been here before for live music and once again, great! It's a decent size bar but does get pretty packed pretty quickly and there is no parking lot, get here early! read more

McGeary's - New England Clam Chowder: Sun - Thurs - Pubs Near Me - Albany, New York

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Perfect location if going to show at Palace across the street. Gets crowded, but they seem able to handle it. Food was decent, nothing spectacular but with the great location that's to be expected. Price was surprisingly reasonable. Very very limited menu. Wife had Roast Beef sandwich was small, not a lot of beef. I had burger which was very good, not a frozen patty, tasty. Came with Chips which were really good and a nice change from Fries. Great beer/Ale selection and was pleasantly surprised when hot Bill and Pints of Samuel Adams were only $4. Loud, ready to go to show crowd in bar and outside. Good place for Pre-Show warm up. read more

Absolutely poor timing from the staff. We arrived during normal (yet nighttime) business hours. Plenty of patrons at the bar and tables. Only the bar staff were serving tables for food (no servers seen). Ordered several drinks while waiting for food... which was not entered into the POS until we asked 30 minutes later. The food served to us was rushed and under prepared. The truffles burger had absolutely no truffle essence to it (albeit, I know it would never have true truffles in it for the price-point). A mid-rare burger was over cooked yet cold in the center. I'm sure they've had better days / nights. But tonight was not it in my book. read more

Was out of town and looked for a good burger joint. This place did not dissapoint. It was super busy but luckily we got in just before the evening rush. Like 5:30 ish wait time for drinks and order to be taken was good. We ordered the fried Mac n cheese bites for an app. Amazing. Got the house marinara as a side (highly recommend)My buddy ordered the black and blue burger I ordered the bacon and cheese. Mine was cooked to my preference as well as his. Toppings came on the side which I always prefer to basically make it my way. Just the right amount of cheese perfectly melted. Onion rings were cooked just right as well. His came with the Blue cheese crumble sauce on top of the burger. I always prefer it cooked within the burger as did he. He also said he thought it was salty. All in all if I was ever in town again I'd revisit read more

We stopped here as part of a Pub Crawl. We ordered their wings and they were amazing! Attentive service and a cool pub atmosphere. We will definitely be swinging by here again when we're in the neighborhood. read more

Let's start with what McGeary's ISN'T. McGeary's may not be the bar for you if you're out trolling for an eager, scantily clad piece of @$$ to take home with you. McGeary's also may not be the bar for you if a loud, bumping-and-grinding, pseudo-nightclub scene piques your interest. There are plenty of those spots available to you elsewhere in downtown Albany, however. Just keep on walking down S. Pearl Street. You can't miss them. On the other hand, if you are interested in rubbing elbows with people who are 25+ and equipped with real, bona fide IDs in a more grown-up yet casual atmosphere with above average bar food, you should come to McGeary's. They have a nice assortment of very tasty appetizers (try the Sweet Potato Tots!), in addition to a full menu of salads, burgers, sandwiches, etc. They have a good selection of beer on tap, not to mention their daily happy hour (3:00-7:30pm) which offers $2 and $3 drafts and $3 single liquor well drinks. Staff is always super-attentive and very friendly. Service with a smile, and you never get snubbed. Plus they have live music outside during the warmer months. McGeary's also happens to be the perfect spot to stop before a show at the Palace Theatre, which is just across the street. Also, in case you didn't know, Tess Collins -- the former owner of the infamous Lark Tavern (which tragically succumbed to fire in May 2010) -- is now the manager here at McGeary's. So, come check out McGeary's. Enjoy the food, drinks and good company. Maybe I'll see you there. But please leave your trolling friends at home. read more

Sometimes it is easy to forget how much history there is in a city like Albany. McGeary's is a reminder. I have planned to go to McGeary's since I've been old enough to drink, and for whatever reason I had never made it out there before. When my lunch guest decided she wanted pub fare for today's Yelp lunch week excursion, McGeary's came to mind. Ok, I admit, I initially thought about stretching the definition of pub fare and considered the Capital City Gastropub, but they are not open for lunch and are therefore eliminated from being considered for my lunches. But McGeary's had all the elements, I knew of the place for years. Multiple people have recommended it to me, and they had recently had an influx of some highly praised local talent. DeAnna and I arrived early and I found a spot at a meter really close. I realized why it has taken me so long to make it out here, parking is a pain in the ass. The history makes itself known as soon as you enter. There are pieces of it all about the bar. From the signs to an old photo of the bar from years gone by, the place feels like Albany. The lunch croud was subdued, I expected it to be swamped. Then again, I don't know why I thought there should be so many people in a pub on a Monday, I just did. The patrons were a bit older, and many were obvious regulars. The manager recognized me, even asked me where we might have met. Truth be known, I am uncertain, but I used to spend 3-4 nights out at the bars before I got married so it is entirely possible. Lets face it, you meet me once and you're not likely to forget. I like to think it's my charming personality, but I know better. DeAnna was able to find plenty of gluten free options. There were a lot of different salads on the menu which led her to debate her options for far longer than I think anyone should spend thinking about rabbit food. The staff was aware of gluten issued and took the time to call the chef to make certain the answers they were giving were accurate. It is great to see people take the time to get things right when they know the cost of being wrong will be felt by someone else. DeAnna paired her salad with a cider, they had one on tap and also had Woodchuck bottles. I went with the Madison burger, topped with blue cheese and bacon. The burger was solid, had plenty of flavor. The bacon was done perfectly for it's role, not too crisp that it falls apart and not too underdone that it makes things chewy. The blue cheese was there, but really did not have the impact I was expecting on this burger. Overall, I enjoyed the burger. There was no reason for me to pair my burger with a Guinness, but it's my favorite beer and I didn't have one on Saturday so I felt I needed it. Besides, how can you not have a Guinness in a bar like McGeary's. Our dining guest had a burger patty melt. She enjoyed it quite a bit but really didn't have much to say as to why. She paired her meal with a New Castle, which is probably the best beer pairing of the meal. In all, I enjoyed the feel of McGeary's and regret I have not been there before. In my bar hopping days I probably would have finished plenty of nights in here and loved every minute of it. I have to see how soon I can get back for a night of drinks instead of lunch, that was really all I could think about while eatting anyway. read more

I have to thank Victor L. for his review of McGeary's because it pretty much saved my spur of the moment trip to Albany. My boyfriend and I decided to go to Albany for a mini trip, to get out of Manhattan and see some fall trees. Through a series of events, we found ourselves at the River Rat's hockey game, excited to go out for a night on the town to follow. We hit Pearl Street and were immediately overwhelmed by the frat-houseness and became concerned, we might not be able to go out and have a good time without getting horribly annoyed and just leaving. Every bar was trying to be a club. Just because you put up a velvet rope and meat heads in security shirts doesn't mean I won't notice the strobe light and lack of any living soul inside your bar. Thank goodness for my iPhone, because I was able to find McGeary's. It's a tiny bit pass the strip of toolish ugly bumping like an oasis in a desert of mediocre lameness. We got there around 9.30 or 10 and it was pretty empty, that was perfectly fine with me because it wasn't blasting music trying to get ugly people to take each other home. It's a straight up bar, with a lot of good beer on tap and a decent menu. Later in the night it started to fill up and we ended up meeting and hanging out with a really cool group of people who worked next door. We drank, we sang, we shouted, we laughed and ended up spending the entire night there. Besides the fact that we tried to walk back to our hotel at 4ish and ended up on some deserted street being harassed by some guy threatening to kill my boyfriend, McGeary's Pub was the saving grace of our mini vacation. Thanks McG's! and the folks next door at the Brown Durby read more

Ah Albany- my old college stomping grounds.... Well honestly this is no longer my scene but I get why locals dig it. @ the risk of sounding cliche this joint may be an Albany institution but it's most definately got "alternative" written all over it- and it stands proud with that label tattooed on its bar front forehead. But quite honestly my fellow Yelpers have written an accurate description of what McGeary's is about already so for what it's worth here's my 2 cents.... The interior theme is Irish pub meets the Clash meets Eclectic local memorabilia (like the coveted Hurley's sign), photos of local heros & signs in Gaelic. & the staff is a colorful group as are the patrons....solid people watching material. Good service- not great. Better than average pub food & then some w modern tweaks & enhancements to old standards like the Truffle burger w truffle cheese & truffle salt dusted fries. Vehemently don't like the standard hot wings: 1. Sooooo not Hurley's wings 2. Wing size is like chicken on steroids 3. Not crunchy 4. Wet tomato-y sauce that wasn't even slightly hot. Very good variety of beer on tap like Sam Adams cherry wheat, SARANAC BLACK FOREST, Utica Club plus all the standards. Too, they make a strong drink & the bar tenders keep'um coming. read more