McKinley's is a Clayton anchor! Tucked into the heart of town, this old-school sports bar feels like it's been here forever--in the best way possible. Every wall is lined with TVs playing whatever game matters most that night, while dollar bills cover the walls like a scrapbook of good times, tall tales, and nights that ran a little longer than planned. The décor nods proudly (and somewhat creatively) to Irish heritage, with touches of green, classic signs, and a love of good beer doing most of the storytelling. It's a place where locals gather, strangers become regulars fast, and the atmosphere is equal parts loud cheers, friendly debate, and comfortable familiarity. Unpolished, well-worn, and full of character, it's the kind of small-town sports bar where the drinks are cold, the TVs are always on, and everyone feels right at home. The menu leans into its claims of Irish roots with a lineup of familiar pub classics--hearty, comforting dishes that feel right at home alongside a pint. But as solid as those classics may be, the real standout is the good old pub burger. Cooked exactly the way you ask for it--perfectly rare, juicy, and full of flavor--it's the kind of burger that reminds you why simplicity done right always wins. Served up hot and fresh by a friendly face that treats you like a regular, it's not just a meal, it's part of the experience: honest food, genuine hospitality, and a plate that keeps people coming back. Cheers! read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Lunch was very mid. The housemade chips were disgusting. Oily, greasy crumbs. Took forever to get food when the place was empty. Dark ambiance. I won't be coming back here. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - "Homemade chips" - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

First time here, had a shepherds pie that was just loaded with cheese, so much that when you peel it back it that's the potato's and part of the pie with it. My wife had a burger and fries. The medium rare burger came well done. The fries she asked for with no salt was loaded with salt. Don't think I'll go back. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Shepherds Pie - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

child the picture only pretty much tells you exactly why this review is the way it is. While I do love the cheap prices and most bartenders (I spend at least a hundred or week here bc I'm here about 4-5 days a week lol), the fact they ignore an obvious racist (I have to say allegedly for libel reasons) woman say backhanded racist comments is wild to me read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Traditional Irish pub. We went in with our friends and had lunch. I had the Caribbean wings. They were really good. I also had the fried mushrooms. Yuummm. It's dim lighting with dollars on the walls. Full bar. Good energy. Our waitress Kristian was a sweetie. We will definitely go back. read more

My go to place for a burger or wings. Only place that serves them on a kaiser roll. Nice bar atmosphere with dim lighting and cozy booths. The ribs are delicious as well. Trivia night and Karaoke are fun during the week. Great music playing at lunch too. read more

The food is delicious and the service is amazing. The servers are very friendly and attentive. Haven't had a bad meal ever! And the prices are on point. It's not fine dining for sure. This place is as laid back as it comes. Dim lighting, bar atmosphere. It honestly is my go to place for a quick, non pretentious place to get a great meal in Clayton read more

Ok, nothing to write home about. Food ok. Service slow not very friendly. Ambience it's a pub! smells like beer and fried food low neon light read more

My family and I were long time regular diners of this Irish pub & they completely let us down on our last visit. Staff was not helpful or knowledgeable of the menu and absolutely not accommodating. We went for lunch almost every Sunday and liked to order a takeout after dining to take home for dinner. We liked their chili, ordered it often as a take out & the last couple of times the portions got smaller & smaller. They offer a "cup size" and a "bowl size" on their menu. We always order 2 'bowl size' for take-out. Our last visit the portion size was ridiculously small. We asked if it was the normal 'bowl size' because we ordered this item a lot and the portion size was hideous. We were rudely told "yes it is the normal size". We politely asked to possibly add a bit more as we ate there regularly & it seemed lighter than before was told absolutely not. Needless to say we did not buy the chili "bowls" & the waitress happily removed the said "bowls" from our table & our bill. RUDE. It was the worst experience we have ever had at ANY restaurant in the local area. Unfortunately many menu items, quality and service started going way down over the last year. We highly suggest any other establishment to spend $ at. Beware read more

Cool Pub. The drinks are good. Food is par. The servers are nice. Chill bar atmosphere to watch the game. I'd visit again. read more

I'd say this is your regular pub. Decent bar food. I had the Rueben with fries and my husband had their Salmon entree. They actually gave him the option of how he wanted it cooked. We have never been asked that question but it was nice that they offered it. We had the beer cheese soup. I was excited for this!! I love beer cheese soup and it's hard to find it at restaurants. I loved they topped it with bacon and green onions, but it was not my favorite. Although my husband loved it. When you can choose between appetizers they offer a sampler which you can choose from 3 on the list. We got the chicken tender, corn dogs and mushroom. It was nice they also come with homemade chips! My daughter loves the mini corn dogs. My husband enjoyed the tiger sauce that came with the mushrooms. It's basically sour cream mixed with horseradish. And their ranch.... love their ranch! read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Drink list - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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Great burgers that were large and topped with freshest roll, lettuce and tomato. Great fries, fresh brewed tea, and Home of the World's Best Broccoli. Seriously, best broccoli. Hostess and servers were nice people. Great bar/pub ambiance and music. read more

My daughter came from out of town and we chose McKinley's restaurant. She ordered a medium hamburger with fries. The hamburger arrived dry and overcooked and the fries look like they scrape the bottom of the barrel to reach those tiny pieces of french fries. I ordered a Reuben. The corn beef was dry and tough with less than a tablespoon of sauerkraut on the whole sandwich. The fries were about as bad as my daughter serving. I have to say we were both disappointed with the service and the food. At the way, I wanted to show off North Carolina's . For $33 worth of food it was a rip off. Will not ever go back. read more

Literally the worst $91 ever spent on food. The club sandwiches were fine, besides the long dark hair that was left in one of them. Guess that was just a bonus. The shepherds pie smelled and tasted sour. Wonder what the prep date was on that? The cheesy mash potato bread was soggy and unsatisfying to say the least. If it wasn't for the melted cheese on the foil then I would have guessed that it was microwaved. Which I honestly feel like was done. Needless to say I didn't eat dinner and wouldn't spend money there on food again. read more

Hands down the best place for sports, burgers & wings in clayton! If you're looking for a fun place to party and watch sports, this is it!

It was just okay. Food was alright but not great enough to write home about. I got the sampler basket and the boneless wings were tough (and no sauce which I didn't realize). Environment was pretty cool but I doubt we will be back. Service was good as well. read more

Had an amazing all around experience! Angelica was a great bartender/server who is very attentive to detail! I highly recommend stopping at this place for drinks,food, or just for a good time. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Have been her twice now. Both times our service was impeccable. The food was excellent as well. The bottomless chips are our fave's for an appetizer. Most recently I had the shepherds pie and absolutely loved it. My wife had the Irish dip and it was awesome as well. Our waitress was fantastic and the atmosphere is amazing every time. We had a blast with friends and family. It's about an hour away but we'll worth the trip. We will be back again soon. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - the interior of the restaurant - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

This place is fair. Nothing on the menu, however, really stood out. We ended up ordering the sampler appetizer (... I know) which was all fried and had mini corn dogs(chicken strip, mushrooms, chips, ). Fried mushrooms were good. I had the salmon with broccoli and mashed potatoes, the fish was grilled perfectly, not dried out. Broccoli was good seasoned with butter and salt. Potatoes were bland. The woman ordered the rueben - she said it was good for a "southern" rueben (can't beat Ruebens from the rust belt). It came on marble rye with fries. The restrooms were dirty, but at the end of the day, they ARE a bar where food is second to booze. This seems like a good bar to close down, they have some late night good specials - mostly sandwiches and fried sides. Probably a fun place to be for St. Patty's day. We might go back at some point. read more

Celebrated belated St. Patrick's Day with my Irish daughter and family. Our server Patrick, was so friendly and made our day special. The food was amazing. We started out with a couple of plates of fries topped with melted cheese, bacon, herbs and ranch dip. My daughter, my son, and his wife enjoyed the delicious wings. My son in law enjoyed the chicken salad and I thoroughly loved the Rib Combo with shrimp, crispy onion rings, and creamy cole slaw. I love good cole slaw. It's the southerner in me :-) The atmosphere is warm and the people are friendly. Thank you Patrick for a memorable day! read more

First time at McKinleys and had Sydney as a server. She was great and very friendly! We will all definitely come back and highly recommend her! Thank you! Food and beverages were delicious! Bar tenders were great! read more

I ordered the beef dip sandwich which had ZERO flavor. The dip.... Just water from the roast. The other sandwich was a club. There was soooo much butter on the bread it was a soggy mess. Need to cook your roast with some serious seasoning and dip that had flavor. read more

Great bar! Awesome wings. Would love some tatertots! I can't recommend the bar staff enough!!!

Always excited to try a new Irish pub. McKinley's served me a delicious, creamy pint of Guinness. Super excited! Then we received our food. My reuben was came out quickly... maybe too quickly as it was luke warm with unmelted cheese. My wife's Irish dip was chewy with gristle. Disappointing. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - the interior of the restaurant - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

Not quite enjoyable, but not unenjoyable. Not great, but not terrible. The food and drinks were for the most part mediocre, but the music choice was pretty cool (albeit a bit loud). We got the shepherds pie dinner, the ribeye dinner, a Guinness (US) and a Yuengling. We also got 10 of the 65 cent/ wings (mild Buffalo) as an appetizer. Our waitress with the sunflowers was a very nice and agreeable lady, but the hostess at the door was disagreeable, distant and off putting (mind you, she may have just been having a tough day). Music was a mix of top hits of the 2000s. Funny trip down memory lane. The wings weren't the best I've ever had, but they were quite good as an appetizer, especially for the price! They hit the spot and leave enough room for your entree (though you could just make a meal out of the wings - as we found some of the entrees to be somewhat lacking) While I was skeptical about the shepherds pie because it used ground beef rather than chunks of steak or roast, I found the taste, texture and temperature to be surprisingly good. Not the best shepherds pie I've ever had, but far from the worst. We finished it and agreed it was better than the ribeye. The ribeye and broccoli was very over-cooked, and what's worse, the steak was barely seasoned. Even after a generous helping of salt on it, it tasted bland. The broccoli was better seasoned than the steak. The bread given on the side was stale and hard. The beer selection was limited and the options available were all fairly similar, so if you like something dark and rich, or smoky or malty, then *waves hand* this is not the pub you're looking for. No hate, just wasn't very impressed. read more

McKinley's Restaurant & Pub - Shepherds pie and ribeye steak - Irish Pub Near Me - Clayton, North Carolina

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Buffalo balls in bread bowl were yummy. Super fun atmosphere. Here for late lunch. Great waitress/bar tender. We'll be back.

I will never return to this place which I feel we weren't wanted there in the first place. My sister and I felt very uncomfortable. I ordered fish and chips. The fish was burnt, the fries were cold and the tartar sauce was nasty. I sent it back and ordered the mushroom burger. The burger was good but the bun was way larger than the patty and fries were cold. read more

I'm a regular and unless the Owner gets off his duff and fixes leaks that are dangerous/hazardous to a slip and fall and fixes the A/C (it's literally been 89 in that bar recently!) and I've resorted to bringing my own bar top fan!There are deficiencies behind the bar as well. I think it's an enter at your own risk! Food is excellent though. Cooks are fantastic and the wait staff are really great. The bartenders Meagan & Paiten are phenomenal and that's why I still come here. Owner needs to make some serious decisions about his establishment!.... read more

First time here. The shepherds pie was delicious. The place is clean and had a steady amount of guests coming through. Only complaint was a bit slow when bringing the check. read more

Recently had the opportunity to check out McKinley's on their Karaoke night, Wednesday. it is located off Highway 70 in Clayton in the Lowes shopping center. Noticed upon entering a 100 Sanitation score which is always a great harbinger of expected service/quality et al. Booths and tables available in an average sized sports bar with plenty of daily drink and food specials available. We sat at a table with many of the McKinley's Karaoke regulars and were well taken care of by the Waitstaff. Several appetizers were ordered, the most notable and delicious being the loaded bacon cheese fries! Songs were sung, food was eaten, booze was consumed, and it was a good time had by all. Good place to go on a weekday night to enjoy Karaoke. Kid friendly too. read more

I don't even know what to say about this place. They serve alcohol, so that's probably the only positive quality I can think of, even though they'll charge you for a double even if you don't order one. Stick to beer. I think whoever cooked my shepherds pie didn't know what a shepherds pie consisted of. It was just soggy tasteless ground beef and frozen veggies topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. The cheese was a good touch but honestly no hopes there considering how nasty everything else was. Pretty gross. Fish and chips made me sick, thought it was just a fluke but after today I think otherwise. Only come here if you're camping at the bar. read more

The last few times we have visited the quality of the food and service has gone down. Last night we arrived around 8:15 and their were very few customers there. Usually someone will meet you at the door and take you to your table. After standing there for a few minutes someone finally yelled from the back of the restaurant to sit wherever we wanted to. Normally wouldn't be a big deal but they weren't busy and it was obvious they were standing back there talking. The visit didn't get much better, had to wait for service, food was warm instead of hot, and then had to wait for my ticket. Not sure will return anytime soon which is a shame because it used to be a great place to eat. read more

ordered takeout. Rib combo with shrimp . shrimp were mushy, no condiments fries were hard and cold along with everything else.

I work nearby and used to come here often with coworkers because it used to be fun and an enjoyable experience. Im not sure if theres new ownership or new management but this place has really gone downhill. Not food wise I must say but the service is so bad, and consistently so that I almost always avoid this place when its brought up as a choice. They suffer from extremely inexperienced servers, they really need to be more careful about who they hire, because I can understand being new and all, everyone has to start somewhere but the servers seem to get no support when the order is messed up or things aren't going as they should which leads to a disastrous experience. I really hope something is done soon because its really quite sad to see whats happened to this place that I used to like so much. read more

Good place to hang out for few beers not a bad place for a neighborhood bar just not great dont drive out of your way to come here but if your in JOCO not a bad place to hang out out special on wings and bud draft on sunday read more

McKinley's is a nice Irish Pub , if you must categorize it . The food is good and the service is good. There is a bar for those of us ,who wish to to have a drink and maybe not feel as though we have to order food . You can have your meal at the. Bar I'd you desire . The Bar person is usually very friendly and a good conversationalist . All in all it is a good experience. read more

What a great find! Saw McKinley's while I was at Lowes over the holidays and thought I would give it a try and today was the day. After spending all day at Duke Medical Center going through my old man cardiology test I was starving since a day with no food and having blood sucked out of you can cause the hangries!! Went in and it was off hours, 4ish. Place was empty outside of the bartender and a few regulars at the bar. The wife and I grabbed a booth and the bartender / now our waitress took great care of us. My wife had a salad and a bowl of chili. Myself the staple of a mushroom swiss burger and a cup of chili, oh and they have Shotgun Betty on tap!!! Our fare was perfect, cooked to order (medium well, perfect not puck) What else can I say!?! As for McKinley's I would say rather surely that this is a independent non chain! Star It's no frills and a casual sports type, joint, dive pub! Star Our Bartender waitress the best! Star Food cooked perfect! Star What I gather its a no BS, local place, no yuppie crap here. It's beer, trivia, small, dark, and a place to relax with friends! Star I will be back and if the next time is like this time I will be back often!!!! read more

We stopped in here and liked it! Service was perfect. Food was really good! Beer cheese soup in a bread bowl was off the chain. Nice atmosphere, very clean. We will be back! read more

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I truly enjoy coming to this place. However, it has become too warm to hang out in. I hope the owner takes care of this and fixes the air conditioning. It's very frustrating. And then I see the workers using fans to cool off, which hopefully works. But I know the kitchen workers are dying in there. (Unless the a/c works in the kitchen!!! I hope so!!!) read more

This is our go to place in Clayton for fish and chips. The atmosphere is good and the wait staff is usually very friendly. Wing night is a great deal. If your looking for a good Irish pub, McKinley's is the place. read more