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    McGilvra's

    3.1 (203 reviews)
    Closed • 10:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

    McGilvra's Photos

    MCGILVRA'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Happy hour specials

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    Fries.
    Jennifer J.

    If you're looking for an Irish bar in Madison Park well, this one is (literally and figuratively) at the end of the line. I've popped in a few times over the years, most recently after wedding dress shopping with a couple of friends, and it has never disappointed. Good beer, fast service, affordable appies...I mean, I'm not sure what else I could want! They even have a nice happy hour, which makes the inevitable hunt for good parking worth the hassle. Is the place a tiny bit run down? Maybe a little, especially for this upscale part of town. But it's not exactly in dive bar territory yet. If it was remotely on the beaten path to anywhere, I'd definitely pop in here more frequently! As it is, though, this is my go-to watering hole when I find myself at the end o' the line in M-Park.

    Our wonderful server Mark.
    Susane G.

    We happened upon this place by accident and we were not disappointed . I have to say this maybe my new favorite place to dine while we have this summer heat. The staff is so warm and friendly . They treat each guest as family. They also have AC so that is a plus. Please come and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed .the very nice young man that was our server was as nice as can be. We talk and found out we had a lot in common. Thank you Mark for giving us a great dinning experience .

    Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

    I've had Clam Chowder from San Francisco to Nova Scotia, and my new favorite is McGilvra's! I ordered it in the sourdough bread bowl for the full experience, and wasn't disappointed. The chowder was full of tender clams, potatoes, carrots, celery?, and tasted like full cream. And that bread bowl; I couldn't stop eating it- fresh & delicious. Two others in my party ordered the chili, and thought it was great, but would prefer no corn. One had a Cuban, and would give it four stars, reporting a better bun could improve the rating. Our server, Sophia, was absolutely adorable, attentive, thorough; five stars! Coffee was good. Guinness was a generous pour, and nice brewed iced tea. Overall for service & food, we'd give it 4.5 stars. We'd all definitely go again.

    Brie appetizer
    Tammy E.

    We stopped by here for a drink after dinner down the road. They have an ample patio seating area with views of the lake - lots of folks with cute pups make for good people/pet watching! They have a good offering of pub food and drink. We ended up staying way past sunset and getting hungry again..glad we ordered the baked brie - it was a huge platter of a sort of bread bowl with brie in the middle and a cranberry jam type topping. After twenty minutes or so the food still wasn't out - they probably should have updated us on the status of the food since it was the end of the night and they weren't very busy. Anyway this dish satisfied our hunger and we enjoyed the wine and martini here. I would say the only suggestion would be for less of the sweet topping as it detracted from the delicious brie. Service was good and the restrooms were clean. Will come back for a full meal next time!

    Today's brunch view of a quiet lake
    Stacy S.

    While I enjoy going to McGivra's, it's mainly because of the company I'm with. Service is good, as is the food. (This is a great place to watch the game, if you're looking for a comfortable place to enjoy a drink while you cheer on the home team.)

    Chicken taco salad
    Tiffany N.

    Great service and food! We went on a sunny Saturday afternoon and sat on the front patio (it's a great spot to enjoy the view and people watch). My friends and I got the BLTA, taco salad, and I got the pretzel bites appetizer. Everything came out in a timely manner. I stole a couple of my friend's fries and they were well seasoned and crispy: it seemed like they coated them in the fish and chips batter. I would come here again!

    two glasses of alcohol on a bar

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    16 years ago

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    Ask the Community - McGilvra's

    Do they have anything gluten free?

    Yes we have plenty of gluten free options. We have gluten free bread and pizza dough. Our chili and salmon risotto are gluten free. Just a few to start

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill & Irish Pub - Whiskey Mac & Chz

    Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill & Irish Pub

    4.2(469 reviews)
    3.5 mi•Pioneer Square
    •$$

    Girls trip to Seattle, staying at the Marriott just down the street. Always love an Irish Pub, so…read moregave it a try... originally walked into a different one, we just didn't care for the vibe so came here... SO glad we did... loved it so much we ate their every night of our trip.. the food was amazing!!! Reasonably priced, had specials going, and the staff was over the top accommodating. This is a MUST go to place!

    I had been semi-starving myself throughout the day, eating small meals here and there, so that I…read morecould have a feeling meal. Not just any meal, but a birthday meal. I had searched nearby and found a place I knew I would like. An Irish pub is always a hit with me. After seeing the menu, I knew what I was going already going to be have before showing up. I came in and was greeted at the door by the host. He guided me to a seat and put a menu on the table. The one thing that was a little off here was the service. I sat there for a while, looked over the menu even though I didn't have to, and no one showed up to see if I needed anything. Multiple staff people kept going by and dealing with other matters. I will say this, and this could have been a factor into this, it was the first football game of the year and a lot of the people in here, staff included, were preoccupied with the game. I mean, yeah, the Seahawks are the hometown favorite, they were coming off the Superbowl win with a rematch. Finally, one of the girls passing by stopped and asked if I had been helped. I politely told her no. She then took my drink order. I went with a Harp and waited for her return. However, it was a different person to bring me my drink. Then I was finally able to order. I went with the Shepherd's Pie, the only thing I wanted and I made sure that was what was ordered. As I waited for my food to be prepared another server, one I had seen several times pass in front of me, tried to hand me a menu. Which was weird as my server that had been at my table, just left mere minutes ago. I told him she just got me and he took the menu back and his attention went back to the game on the screen. Few more minutes and my food arrived. A mountain of cheese topped mash surrounded by some of the best Shepherd's Pie mix I have had in a while. When I ordered, I was asked if I wanted the small or larger size. I decided I would go with the larger size. Once it was in front of me, I knew it was going to be a struggle to get it down. But I made it happen. The mix of ground lamb, carrots, parsnips, peas, corn, celery, and onions was of perfect proportions. The brown gravy, flavored so right. Every bite, I crafted to include a little bit of every thing. No matter how many times I went in, no two bites were exactly the same. I had to take pauses here and there to make sure I paced myself. Throughout the meal, I was checked on periodically by my original server and I had to reaffirm her I was good. Even though I had a bit of struggle near the end, I did devour the whole meal. My birthday meal that I wanted to be feeling, was so. When I finished my server came over to check if I needed anything else. I said I was good and asked for the bill. She brought over the handheld and let me do my thing with tapping my card. While I was going through the motions we chatted a bit. Asking me what I was in town for and letting her know I was here for my birthday. She wished me a Happy Birthday and asked what I had planned for the next day. I told her the two things I knew I was going to do and she suggested one more thing, which I did end up doing.

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    Owl'n Thistle Irish Pub - Hummus Plate

    Owl'n Thistle Irish Pub

    3.7(437 reviews)
    3.6 mi•Downtown
    •$$

    My boyfriend, his dad, and I were walking around the waterfront in downtown Seattle and decided to…read morestop into Owl 'N Thistle Irish Pub for a beer. We each grabbed a Harp Lager, and it was the perfect place to take a quick break. The service was fast, and the atmosphere was really nice. It had that classic Irish pub feel, and it was fairly dim inside, which fit the vibe well. We stopped in during the early afternoon, so it wasn't too busy. We didn't stay long.. just enjoyed our drinks and then continued exploring the waterfront. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and I'd definitely stop in again if I was in the area and looking for a quick drink.

    Second pub we visited for St. Paddy's last night, there was a $10 entrance fee which I didn't mind…read moresince they had a live performance. The venue inside was very quaint and felt like how an Irish Pub should be. The live artists they had were great and very talented. Had the whole room filled with excitement, dancing, and laughter, all that I was looking for in this holiday. Entertainment aside though, the bartending section wasn't the best. Similar experience to what some Yelpers have mentioned, the service wasn't too friendly. I understand it was a busy and stressful night for the two men working, and ordering was a little disorganised. Tried ordering Irish Coffees, but the bartender said "no coffees" and they moved on to the next customer. I'm sorry, I know you had to tend to the next people, but you didn't even give us a chance to tell you what we alternatively wanted instead. That was rude. And then they ignored my group for ten minutes until we were finally able to grab their attention again. We ended up ordering a Guinness for everyone, and paid the tab right away. The bartenders then took the tab back, and took care of the other customers. We saw them pour our Guinness, but then left it sitting back there for quite a bit. We were just straight staring at it, wondering if we were going to be handed it? It wasn't until we spoke up that they gave our drinks to us. It was served in plastic cups which isn't a big issue, but I liked the glass cups better from the previous bar we went to. After that we brought our drinks over to whichever table was open in the side room. Not the cleanest pub as the only table we were able to get was filled with many empty cups and cans piled in the middle of the table. Again, I understand it was a busy night, but there could have been at least one staff member going around the place making sure things get cleaned up. It was also quite warm in the main room, but luckily the side room had a window opened for cool air. To be completely honest though, if it wasn't for the live music and environment - Owl'n Thistle would've earned my first ever one star review. Maybe on a normal night I would want to give this place another chance due to the holiday circumstances, but other reviews on a normal day seems to describe a similar disappointing experience.

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    T S McHugh's

    T S McHugh's

    2.9(293 reviews)
    3.8 mi•Lower Queen Anne
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    The service was really nice, the pinball and other bar games were cool, the food was extremely…read moremediocre. Definitely overpriced burgers that could've had more flavor and maybe not an entire raw onion. Fries were okay, could've been more salted. All an all an okay place with okay food, but barely

    We finally got the chance to check this place out for St. Patrick's Day, and it did not disappoint…read more The food could have been better than I hoped, but the drinks and vibes were most definitely here. Love the dark cherry wood throughout and the amazing service. FYI, they also have a few arcade games in the back. We ordered: Pot Pie - This was a bit strange because the Pie is topped with a flaky puff pastry instead of it being a pie we're accustomed to where the pie filling sits within the breaded/puff pastry. The inside was alright, but the pastry part was delicious! Shepherd's Pie - this was super light and didn't have much flavor, it more like a snack than a meal. Unlike a traditional shepherd's Pie, it wasn't topped with mashed potatoes, and there was hardly any meat inside. Maybe they forgot to top mine with potatoes? Even the menu describes this dish as having a mashed potato topping. :( Bangers & Mash - This was the best dish that we ordered. Savory and filling enough, as compared to the others. The burger sausages were delicious! Snakebites - Special St. Patty's drink special - Guinness and Cider a bunch of Guinness drafts They had a live band singing traditional Irish songs plus a few contemporary songs all night, and the pub hosted the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band, who also played throughout the evening and night. Ngl, the first time the Bagpipe band walked through the pub, everyone was hyped, and some got emotional. Such a fun night! I highly recommend catching their live bands. I'm curious how often they host bands, but it's worth visiting.

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    A pot pie to die for

    McGilvra's - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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