Ray is one of those bartenders worth his weight in gold bullion. He manages a full house during a live show with rapid, efficient immediacy while patrons and servers pull him in eighty directions and noise must be mum. He's a star and helps makes The Duck one of the most pleasurable evenings in town. read more

What a sweet Houston gem! A great spot for live music, dinner, and drinks. We stopped by on a weeknight for acoustic music + drinks and loved the atmosphere. I especially appreciated that there are no TVs, which makes it feel more intimate, and the place was incredibly clean for a bar. Some nights have a cover depending on the performer, but many do not. The staff was also very kind and welcoming. Can't wait to come back for more great music! read more

October 4, 2025 Came in from Galveston. I haven't been here in decades. I lived in Houston from 1986-2013 Saw Goldpine and JD Graham Nice venue with a great selection of food and drink read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Build as an Irish pub, but if you can't get in because they're having a band, you can't get in. They said they have a patio. I went in Mark. There's nobody in the patio there wouldn't even serve servers. read more

I was so surprised by the quality of food at what I thought would have old tired bar food. I ordered a steak salad with sub of curry dressing - unique and tasty. My friends ordered fish & chips & a Shepard's pie trio. And oh, the aroma. They both loved their dishes too. So thank you for the pleasant surprise! read more

This venue would not traditionally be my cup of tea, however, on this particular night I had a craving for chicken or beef pot pie. As you may guess, you can count on one hand how many Houston restaurants serve pot pie (really if you want the exact list, let me know...). After an extensive search (researching more than I'd like to admit), I landed on this spot. Yelp helped me understand the atmosphere before I arrived, and a quick search clarified that it was indeed open mic night. 30 minutes and a drive later, our butts were in eccentrically decorated seats, listening to some original local music artist belt their heart out. I grabbed an Irish old fashioned because "when in Rome", and had my wee three pot pies in a reasonable amount of time (although the waitstaff was spread thin). Although the crust arrived a bit overdone, all three pies (the Shepards pie, the chicken pot pie, and the steak and mushroom pie) were comforting and tasty! The warm, rich flavors of the chicken pot pie were worth every carb, and open mic night was a nice break from our traditional dine. Dark, dank, and delicious would be the three words I'd use to describing this spot. Although it's not my first choice, I'll definitely have to revisit on another night! It's a nice little haven for intimate concerts. read more

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Amazing place for acoustic live music, and a great place for a Guinness! You'll love the chill atmosphere, and the food is good too.

I went here last Thursday for Jon Muq concert & a girls night! The food and drinks were very delicious and the staff as well as the talent was very friendly it's an intimate venue with a speakeasy/retro steakhouse vibe. I really enjoyed the little bit of time we got to spend out there. The unfortunate thing is that they double book concerts so one is right after the other so if your artist doesn't have a long set you will be asked to leave the building unless you pay for the table again for the next show. They do let sit outside which brings me to my next gripe. Their outdoor patio leaves much to be desired. The seating is not very comfortable. There is no bar out there so you have to served by wait staff(they were attentive to us) but it can feel like a forgotten area since there is no music, no staff out there and no way to cool yourself in the summers. If there were some fans or nets to keep mosquitoes away it might make being sent to the patio not seem like a punishment. I really wanted to give this place 5 stars because I liked so many things but being forced outside not long after the show really ruined the mood for the night. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

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A Perfect Spot for Live Music, Great Food & Drinks. McGonigel's Mucky Duck is the perfect place for an intimate live music experience. We saw "Dawn and Hawkes" and they were absolutely superb--their harmonies, chemistry, and stage presence made for such a charming and memorable performance. At small venues like this, I usually expect the focus to be on the show, with food and drinks as an afterthought. But here, everything was on point! We shared the **trio of pies**, which was a great sampler--perfect for splitting. I also had the "Kiss My Mule" a refreshingly citrus-forward take on a mule where the ginger beer still shone through. Light, balanced, and delicious. Service was top-notch from start to finish, adding to the overall experience. We'll definitely be coming back for more shows and great food! **Tip:** If it's a packed house, seating can be a little tight, so a small purse is your best bet. Also, get there at opening (for us it was at 6pm, show starting at 7) --even with reserved seating, it's nice to have time to order before the show starts so you don't miss a thing! read more

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First, the decor looks just like a classic pub - warm and cozy. Next, the food was amazing! The Wee Three meat pies were all delicious as was the classic burger. The servers did a great job, especially in staying as unobtrusive as possible during the show. Great experience! read more

I love yall, so I'll delete this review quick, but damn... we ordered Scotch eggs which where black and burnt and tasted so damn burnt, I mean, I never send stuff back but after one bite, I sent this back... anywho, 30 minutes pass and we get the new serving and I pull a piece off it immediately and take a bite and it is about 50 degrees cold and I spit it out. The egg seemed cooked but the sausage was still pink, and I now cooks, I've worked with them, they get offended that they have to recook something and instead of overcooking it, they severely undercook it. But this was ground pork, you don't fuck around with raw, ground pork.... We just left it on the table and realized the cook was being an ass or a total moron.... read more

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This is a very nice cozy spot. We came for dinner and there was a live music event, they were nice enough to seat us without tickets. Service, food and music were great. So happy we came and will be a place we visit every trip to Houston read more

This was my first time at the Mucky Duck. We didn't try any food because we had dinner beforehand but they have a full bar, food and desserts. The venue live broadcast their shows so servers have to be quiet when coming to tables. This is a small venue but it is very intimate read more

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I choose McGonigel's Mucky Duck for live music shows, pub food, daytime business meetings, family board game night, and for annual events like my birthday and wedding anniversary. I also take groups there for Saturday brunch! I have a good experience every time I visit the Mucky Duck: I enjoy everything from the people and the atmosphere, to the cleanliness and the way the management treats the staff. I also highly recommend spending New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day there, plus attending at least one Christmas event. You can start by going for dinner on a Wednesday and getting to know the people who attend the traditional "Irish Session". I met my husband at session 26 years ago! I hope that you feel as happy there as I always do! read more

Three days into Beryl with no power, I was hungry for comfort food. My pup and I settled ourselves on the side patio. We called in our order and it was out in no time! Amazing fish and chips. Our server and we both agreed, easiest order and experience ever! My pup wanted a few chips and I needed my Mucky Duck Fish n Chips! So many places were still closed and we found the perfect empty spot to dine and rejuvenate while supporting this hidden gem. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Fish n Chips - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

We always enjoy visiting the MD and tonight was no exception. Music by James McMurtry was amazing. Our waitress was great as well. In fact, all the staff are talented. They weave in and out of tight spaces all evening. Food is good, not the best but honestly, everyone comes here for the music in an intimate setting. I especially appreciate the wine list. Everyone needs to visit this Houston icon at least once! read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great hole in the wall. Place has great food. We really enjoyed our meal and would recommend this place to friends and family.

Hard to believe this was my first time here. We were invited by friends who had a table to see Hamilton Loomis (www.HamiltonLoomis.com). We were blown away with the quality of sound and music from such a small venue. On Saturdays, they have an early show (7:00pm) and a late show (9:30pm). I know you Yelp youngsters love staying out till all times of the night, or should I say morning but us older folk love getting our partyin done early so we can do what we're supposed to do after 10pm...sleep! I digress. Anyhoo, our friends have literally been following Hamilton Loomis for two or more decades so we knew we were in for a treat. The show did not disappoint. The smallness of the venue gave us an up close and personal concert. The food and waitstaff were also good. We were early because we wanted to eat prior to the show starting vs during the show. Either is acceptable if you go to the early show. The food is exactly what you would expect at an Irish pub. The menu includes a variety of sandwiches, fish & chips, and shepherd pies. I heard the shepherd pies were good but I didn't want anything that heavy. I went with the Mark Portugal sandwich. Ask your server about the ingredients and toppings. It's their best seller (the menu claims) so I gave it a try. It was exactly the type of sandwich I expected from a pub. Since they are an full-fledged pub, the drink menu is wide. Most of the wines are sold by the bottle with a price range from the mid $40's to $350 plus. The spirits are plentiful as is the beer (both bottled and on tap). Both street and private lot parking are available. Both are free. There isn't a valet. Don't leave valuables in your car. This is Houston, people. Have some common sense. Bottom line - Excellent venue for live music. Decent food and a large drink list. The music alone earns this pub a five-star rating. The food and drinks are just an add-on. I hope y'all enjoy the show. Bon appétit, y'all. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

Entertainment and atmosphere was really good!! The WORSE St Patty's Day corned beef ever. Cold dry sandwich meat. No spices or flavor. I looked forward to the dish they served a few years back that was full of juicy flavor and tenderness. Today was hot beer, cold Irish coffee and cold bland food. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Sliced cold dry corned beef - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great atmosphere, super friendly staff! Food was delicious and they have Kilkenny on tap. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Steak and mushroom pie - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

I had the Smoked Salmon & the Sherry Rasberry Triffle & a bottle of Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome. Everything was as good as I remember. The staff did a good job looking after me. read more

The Mucky Duck will not let you down, a Houston staple for live music and mouth watering food with an incredibly diverse and vast wine selection. There is nothing like this anywhere. Make sure you get your chance to spend an evening here soon! read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have been sleeping on the Mucky Duck for the last four years! This local pub in Kirby was so charming - with an eclectic interior (I loved the stained glass paintings and upholstered chairs). The food, service, and live music (we saw a folk-rock band) were also excellent. The only thing that caught us off guard was that their fountain sodas and other fountain drinks were not refillable, and they didn't inform us of that. So, it was surprising to be charged quite a bit for a mostly ice-filled coke. Despite this, I suspect most people going there will be ordering alcohol, so they shouldn't have this issue. read more

The place has potential for a place to have a drink, but I would not recommend going there to eat. The service was lacking. Not sure service is what you can call what they provided us that night actually. Did not matter if I would have liked a second drink, nobody bothered checking on us after they dropped off our food (half of which was dropped off the plate by the server, and not replaced). And no, they were not busy, there were several employees, which was more than enough to manage only four or five other tables. If you are not a regular in the place, I suggest you go to the bar to order. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Stage during empty house - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

Good food, great service, wonderful entertainment! After performance, allowing public to meet the singers for chat, autographs & pictures is icing on the cake. read more

Cannot tell you how much we love this place. Great food, the beef stew was amazing and we really enjoyed seeing Bob Schneider.

Great Ambiance. Service was fantastic. We tried the fish and chips during the show and it was delicious. Greta venue for intimate concerts read more

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This is a late review. A couple girlfriends and I came out to see Bonnie Bishop last month in June. Both the show and the staff were great! The waitress was attentive, yet not overbearing. I've been here before, but it was in 2016 I believe. The food was soooo good, and the drinks were on point! My girlfriends enjoyed the drinks this time around as well, I didn't partake.. but I'll be back again I'm sure. read more

In a large city where Irish pubs are surprisingly spartan The Muck gives you the Liz Lemon business you are missing from more classical Irish pub cities like Flipadelphia or New Orleans. The draft list is well curated to offer you some hard to locally-find ones, some high ABV ones which are the gentlesir's favourite, and then the common ones for the "picky" high maintenance drinkers you might bring here on a tinder date that are in your "whatever I can get" bucket when you are playing the online roulette version of the meat market. Open mic night is an experience in several ways. Even your first time here you can tell that many of the performers are regulars, like years or decades of regular-ness. Some of them have very good relationships with the stage manager. Others, less so. One guy that seemed to be on the sour end of the relationship with the stage manager brought on the stage manager to play second guitar for some songs on his performance. The stage manager obliged. The guy got something more than nothing, but with no enthusiasm or flare. Then a lady a few performances later that clearly had a much better relationship with the stage manager brought him on, and the guy played like he was auditioning for an AC/DC cover band - he was really good! Very enthusiastic kicking out the jams. But clearly had held back with the earlier musician. With true Irish spirit this joint also is a community meeting space for various groups, political and non. The patio out back offers you a different experience when you want to get into more quiet surroundings and/or spread out a little more than you can do inside. All in all one of my favourite watering holes, bar bite providers, and community meating spaces in the city. Also I dropped my Juul on the back patio once and the waiter kindly returned it to me, so they are honest here too which is important. Guy earned his tip the olde fashioned way that night - but just the tip. read more

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Excellent live music venue. I'm not sure there's a more intimate stage in Houston, especially one that draws that level of talent. I was invited out by a friend who had reserved a table for a Kevin Russell show and we were blown away, not only by Kevin's awesome set, but by the food, drinks, and service. Mucky offers a full menu of stick to your ribs pub food, along with a deep list of drinks, all ready to be enjoyed while you tap your toe to the show. Everything came out promptly, and was delicious. I haven't had a chance to check out their back patio but noticed they have ample seating outside as well, for those not wanting to stay indoors too long. Overall, I highly recommend checking the place out, whether it's to see a concert, or simply a pint. read more

Went there today after the storm because they said all were welcome. They must have meant all were welcome but us. We sat there and saw multiple tables come and go and we were never brought our food. I kept waving my hands to try and get a waiter or our waitress, but it was like we were invisible. Just to get a glass of ice was near impossible. My sister had to get up to ask someone. We were just about to walk out at the 3 hour mark and the waitress finally brought our food. I asked her why she ignored me when she could clearly see me trying to get her attention. She has peripheral vision. She makes up a bogus excuse that the kitchen had lost our ticket. Only thing I noticed is we were the only Hispanic people in the place. I got the message, we won't be back. Every table around us, despite arriving way after us got their food immediately, we were the only ones who were ignored. I almost wanted to burst out crying, I had never been treated that way in my life. read more

Great Irish pub. Used to go there all the time in the past. Jimmy LaVave, Kelly Willis, those Robison guys, the Greencards, on and on. Used to be able to check out bands I wasn't familiar with for like $20 a show, and find golden treasures, especially for here in Houston. Went in there recently in the afternoon for a beer and saw Rusty. Went up to tell him how great a place this was. He looked at me with disdain and said "where you been?". Truth is, you can't go there just to check out a band anymore. It costs an arm & leg just to get a table - it's now an overpriced dinner club. I always thought this was our answer to the Austin music scene. For whatever reason, that's gone now. I'll always remember the good times. read more

I went last night to see Jackie Venson perform. Her set was incredible. My husband and I love rock music. It was nice to hear someone with a signature sound. The venue is quaint, clean, and everyone is ready for a good time. We ordered a few cherry stouts. Delicious. Also the burger was pretty good. I especially enjoyed the mustard. It has horseradish in it. The fries were better than I expected. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the pub crisp. They lacked salt and had a weird after taste. I look forward to coming back. Street parking is available. The service is friendly and the food is decent. read more

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - Stage - Music Venues Near Me - Houston, Texas

We have been to the Mucky Duck numerous times over the past several years. It's a cozy pub where we can enjoy good food and a fun show. Service is always fantastic and it is one of our favorite places. read more

It was cool. My husband enjoyed the beer selection. They had a great spirits collection. The food was good. Except they didn't season the sweet potato chips. So those were a let down. I don't go to the part of town often, but they were pricy. I took the reasoning to be the surrounding area. I didn't get to see the inside because of there being live music, but the outdoor seating was good. The server was wonderful! I'd go back again. read more

We are visiting from out of town and came here on a whim to avoid loitering at the hotel with nothing to do. So glad we decided to venture here. It's a Wednesday night and they have the "Irish Session". Super casual live music where several musicians come and play together. Basically an Irish jam session. The music was very enjoyable and the musicians very talented. We had already eaten dinner before coming here, but we instantly regretting our prior dining the minute we walked in. The food smelled absolutely delicious. The table next to us got fish & chips and shepherds pie, and we overheard them talking about how good their food was. We did hear them comment that the fish & chips was a bit better than the pie. Our drinks were great. I had an Irish old fashioned which was quite good, and we both ended up having two Irish coffees each. My wife and I both agree that these were the best hot alcoholic beverages we've ever had. Since we ended up hanging out as long as we did, we also splurged and got dessert. We ordered the skillet cookie which was delicious. Overall, we really enjoyed our time here and will keep it in mind for a meal next time we're in town. read more

Visited for first time and enjoyed every minute of it. You will see live performance, enjoy the good customer service, delicious food and enjoy good drinks! read more

Great live music and performances. Cool drinks and interesting menu. We only had drinks but for sure will be eating next time.

Dark, cozy, and far from the pond's edge, a muck with the duck is one of the best pub experiences this side of the Isles. You may even be blessed with inspiration to come back for more. This is a five-star pub experience, not the Queen's table. Just remember your place...aye, Boyo? The weather outside may be 90+ degF at 96% humidity, but the hearty dishes inside can make you believe it's mid-winter. The Welsh Rarebit is toasty, melty heaven. A pub lunch on the half-shell (a.k.a. the "Wee Three" on one plate... aye, smaller versions each of shepherd's, chicken pot, and steak & mushroom pies) is all a wee bit more than wee and a bang-on fierce fair play! A cold brew martini and a pint o'the black stuff can help you work through minding your manners when the entertainment is on.  Need to practice your swan song? So do some of the folk on stage. The wee folk say if the black swan spreads its wings your way while making a bags of it, order up another pint for sharing. read more

It's a wonderful an rather intimate venue. It's fun and they have good food and drinks. You will be able to see some wonderful bands but you need to jump on the tickets early!!! They have quality entertainment that fills up quickly! read more