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    McGovern's Bar

    3.7 (157 reviews)
    ModerateIrish Pub
    Closed Closed

    McGovern's Bar Photos

    Business Info

    MCGOVERN'S BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Divey
    Casual
    Juke Box

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    Recommended Reviews - McGovern's Bar

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    Quick stop waiting for reservation....
    Christina B.

    Cool spot to hang, or stop by for a quick drink. The bartender was really sweet and my margaritas was good. They had the football game on, so that was a major plus. I would definitely come back if I'm ever in the neighborhood.

    a martini with a lemon wedge
    Olivia M.

    Definitely a very casual laid back dive bar! It seems like a lot of locals visit here and the crowd isn't super rowdy, something I'm all for! They don't have food that I know of but so have light snacks in a vending machine. depending on the bartender you can ask for cocktails but beer and easy drinks are a no brainer. It felt super affordable, and big plus that it was so clean. The bar itself is large and very spacious, I'd gladly come back!

    Jameson neat, Jameson and ginger ($16 for both drinks)
    Elena N.

    Date: Saturday, October 1st, 2022 Time: around 6pm and then again a little after 12 midnight Party of: 2 for the first visit, then 3 for the second We got to the area early for dinner and decided to grab a quick drink. Since it was so early, the bar wasn't really busy. We easily grabbed two stools towards the back. I got a Jameson neat and my friend grabbed a Jameson and ginger. Price for both was $16. The bartender was super sweet and attentive when needed. I enjoyed the chill vibe as I'm old. It's nice to be able to have a convo without yelling. Plus, they were playing music from the late 90s and early 2000s. Totally my jam! After dinner, another friend joined us and we came back. I had a fair amount to drink by then, so my recollection of that is a little hazy. But I do remember liking the vibe more before dinner. It was much busier here after midnight. We did notice they do whiskey flights, so may come back to check that out if in the area again.

    Beer taps
    Val S.

    Dark and divey -- but clean, with friendly, attentive staff. Great craft beer selection!

    Rich H.

    I thought I knew downtown San Mateo, but every time I think I do, I run into something I haven't seen. I must have walked by McGovern's a hundred times without noticing. My loss. It is a great old school bar. A former worker and I walked by and then decided to grab a beer before dinner last Friday after work. The place bigger than it looks from the outside. There booths and tables a long bar as well. It was still early (5:30-ish) and there were only a few people in the place. It was an opportune time to have a couple of pints of Stella before rocking some North Beach Pizza. We were also happy to learn that it was still Happy Hour. I love joints that still have Happy Hours. The beer was cold and the price ($4) was right. The bartender was on point and served us right away. He's good dude. It was a great way kick off the weekend. I noticed stage area for live music and I can imagine it gets pretty lively when a band gets going. Nice. My buddy and I agreed that we'd go back and maybe have more than one pint next time. It is a good spot.

    Another Sour Beer
    Kao S.

    This bar that I was referred to was pretty unique. Had some time to kill before dinner so came in to have a beer or two. This is a pretty big bar and has plenty of seating and entertainment. I couldn't decide on where to sit so the up by the bartender was where it would be. Oh did I mention it was a Irish Bar, yeah awesomeness. Plenty of bar seats and booths and tables you would easily get a seat anytime of day or night. Plenty of TV's and entertainment like Air Hockey, billiard table and a coupe video games. Oh wait I can't forget the enormous Jenna blocks as it made me jumped a few times from it crashing down. Back to the bar. With many beers in tap and a good shelf of liquor, one would be happy with many choices to choose from. But I gotta say my best or favorite is that they have the oddballs here too, especially a variety of sours and local breweries. Prices was good and service was great. Great place to come and unwind after work or a good stop for your bar hopping night.

    Limited time!!! Get yourself a bottle of Kona Brewing Co.'s Wailua Wheat. All the way from the Big Island!

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    6 months ago

    This dive bar is a national treasure. Great booze selection, fun events, great crowd.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    No nonsense bar. Cash only. Great place for pre- or post- dinner drinks. Very chill and laid back.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Very poor service to me and my friends she looked at us as thugs we didn't feel welcomed or feel good to stay.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great atmosphere, good people and the owner Matt is amazing! Went for the Pliny release and was not let down! Love this place!

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    4 years ago

    Chill local bar located in downtown San Mateo. Decent beer selection with a full bar. Surprisingly large space so plenty of room for groups.

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Casual comfortable and clean bar with great service and drinks. Always encounter down to earth nice people. Will definitely go back.

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - McGovern's Bar

    Does this pub have live Irish music?

    Any relation to George McGovern?

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    Review Highlights - McGovern's Bar

    Noelle is an amazing bartender, and the owner Shamus is always very hospitable and amusing.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    Paddy Flynn's

    Paddy Flynn's

    4.1(112 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $
    Locally owned & operated
    30 years in business

    Extremely terrible experience and it's only with one simple fixable thing: the bartender. The…read morebartender has a very bad attitude. One of the things that happened when I visited this bar was I asked for a simple lemonade. The reason was because I had a soccer game the next day and I didn't want to drink alcohol and I wanted to get some electrolytes in me. It would have been very simple for the bartender to just say, "I'm sorry we don't serve lemonade." Instead what he did is say I worked here 20 years and he never served lemonade and then kept scoffing at me. He kept saying this three times, walking back and forth, up until the point the patron next to me even said, "Don't worry about him." After that without even me talking to him, he said, "Who orders lemonade at an Irish pub?" Then without me saying anything, he said, "No one orders lemonade at an Irish pub." I was honestly just trying to get a drink and he made me feel very dumb. Overall if a patron asks you for a drink, it's very easy just to say, "I'm sorry we can't do that," but he kept making me feel like an idiot. I was also surprised they did not serve lemonade; that's a very simple request. He didn't offer any alternatives except for 7-Up, which I didn't really want but paid for anyway. I ended up not drinking it even after I paid for it and leaving the bar. I guess the bartender got what he wanted. He gave me a drink that was other than lemonade; he made me pay for it and I just left the bar unhappy. I would highly recommend against visiting this establishment, especially with the grumpy bartender. He is an older white Irish guy. I understand they might have your own customers at the bar but I think it costs nothing to treat patrons with respect and not tell them that they're stupid for asking for a drink. Overall I would not recommend this place at all. Very enforced error. Sad!

    In all my days bopping around the Peninsula and especially because I have family in Burlingame.. it…read morewas the first time I had ever stepped foot into Paddy Flynn's. Super impromptu meetup with a girlfriend, I said let's try out Paddy Flynn's. We got a Guiness (duh) and a gin and tonic. Bartender was no-nonsense. I expected it to be crowded due to the 49ers/Seahawks game, but we were able to grab a high top. It served its purpose and we were able to catch up over a drink. Crowd was mixed, and even some of the seemingly-random patrons knew each other. It's what you would expect from a pub. Dark. Lively. Straightforward. Will be back.

    Photos
    Paddy Flynn's - MONICA the bartender is the best! You have to try the Espresso Martini! Come by for the friendly ambiance and amazing drinks!

    MONICA the bartender is the best! You have to try the Espresso Martini! Come by for the friendly ambiance and amazing drinks!

    Paddy Flynn's
    Paddy Flynn's - Vodka diet coke

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    Vodka diet coke

    The Burren House - Tofu coconut curry

    The Burren House

    4.3(202 reviews)
    30.3 mi
    $$

    I was looking for a place to take a friend to dinner. Wanted to try something completely new and…read morefound the Burren house on yelp. Located in downtown San Rafael the ownership here invested heavily in this restaurant to create an authentic Irish pub. We feel comfortable the second we walked in. Due to some food, allergies it's not always easy for me to find food that restaurants other than maybe one or two dishes on a menu. I was amazed that there were nine or 10 different dishes that I would have wanted to order. I can literally come back eight more times and order something different and enjoy it each time. The food was great! The setting was authentic. And the fact they have soft serve for dessert brings us to a 5+ rating!! Our server was great. And there was a second server managing cocktails. My only complaint was we never saw the bus boy and had to ask for our place to be removed even after they served his dinner. Highly recommend the Burren House if you're north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Note, they don't take reservations. But it's worth the chance of a table. Oh and they have live music too!

    Proper. Thats my…read morewhole review. From the people to the food, to the environment. It's the best. Where else can you get a Smithwicks on draft.? And the breakfast just hits all the notes. It won't disappoint.

    Photos
    The Burren House - Great Irish pub feel. Very authentic. Makes you feel right at home.

    Great Irish pub feel. Very authentic. Makes you feel right at home.

    The Burren House - Homemade Irish Brown Bread and wings.

    Homemade Irish Brown Bread and wings.

    The Burren House - Inside the restaurant

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    Inside the restaurant

    Sláinte - Exterior façade

    Sláinte

    4.3(372 reviews)
    16.2 miJack London Square
    $$

    - Ambiance; Maybe best overall among Irish pubs in the bay area. One of the few with an open…read morefireplace. The kitchen closes at 9pm. - They have Irish Seisiun music Sunday 6pm-9:30pm. - Best acoustics and low noise of any sessiun in the Bay Area. Food: - 5/5: Lamb sliders. Very flavorful. Perfectly medium-rare. - 4: Guinness Ginger cake $11. Very moist, and great ginger flavor. But can't taste the Guiinness. - 4: Fish n chips. flavorful, and coating stays crisp. Large portion. Mushy peas are OK. - 3: Pretzel with cheese beer dip. Very ordinary. - 1: Sausage roll: sausage is flavorless and mushy, puff pastry is not light/crispy enough. Drinks: - 4/5: Magner's cider. Must let it warm up for the flavor to bloom. - 3: Winter orchard cocktail: too dry, and the pepper ticture doesn't work. Add 1/4 oz maple syrup to bring it up to 3.0 - 3: House made Eggnog. It's missing all the things that make eggnog good. - 3: Nollag Old Fashioned. Not enough of an alcoholic backbone. Heavy gloopy orange note. Very sweet. Not enough bitters. Unbalanced. - 2: Barrel aged rosita. Should have barrel aged a regular negroni. The dry vermouth just waters it down. Should be served with a big cube to prevent fast dilution due to ice melt.

    Just discovered this spot even though it's been there for awhile. Been there on a busy night and a…read moreslow night. They have live music on some nights. Good for a date night, not too loud that you can't hear each other. The staff were friendly. Nice vibe. Guinness is good. Food is good. We liked the Sausage Roll. The seafood chowder was small for a large and pricey but tasty. Ginger Cake was a bit too gingery so probably won't get again though I heard it's a favorite. I have positive memories of visiting Ireland 30 years ago and would go again though I don't think any of the staff are Irish..LOL.

    Photos
    Sláinte - Dirty old town

    Dirty old town

    Sláinte - St Patrick's day ready

    St Patrick's day ready

    Sláinte

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    McGovern's Bar - irish_pubs - Updated May 2026

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