McGonagle’s Pub & Restaurant

Visited McGonagle’s for the first time last weekend because I was feeling sentimental for Ireland after spending ten days there in March. The Guinness is better than any other pub in Boston and was absolutely on par with the better pubs in Dublin. I had the fish and chips, which were excellent—a perfect representation of the Irish style with a thick, crispy batter. The chips are also exactly right. I love that the fish and chips were served with a curry sauce (in addition to tartar sauce—and vinegar, if you want it). If you want to pretend you’re in Dublin for a few hours, this is the place to go.

Newly opened after renovation of the former Dorset Hall. I like it, but as the front windows are covered there isn't the natural light you used to get in the upstairs area. A little claustrophobic, especially with how busy they are! Plenty of space for large groups, party space in the lower level. 2 bar areas, this is a large establishment-more roomy than it's counterpart The Dubliner (which I love). They only recently opened and im sure kinks need to be worked out. The food was good but not great. I will definitely be back to try again. As mentioned they were also slam packed shockingly busy. Burger and spice bag were well liked. I thought the chicken in the spice bag was the best thing I had! I am not a curry person, I'm told the curry sauce at the other Irish restaurant close by is much better. The sausage rolls looked amazing, but I can say the ones at the other establishment are better as well. The sauce they came with was good, but didn't seem like the right sauce for a sausage roll. The pizza was good-but not something I'd go back for. I'm excited to return and try more, especially Irish breakfast. Planning on going next week. Very exciting addition to the neighborhood. 2nd visit. Unless someone else is wanting to come probably won't be back for dinner service. Would like to try breakfast and lunch, i think I'd like those options more. Chicken vol au vent very tasty but kind of a soggy mess (I'm the only one who liked them but I've had them before). Steak tip dinner good portion, and nice. Salad came with some dressing all over it (I asked for ranch on the side). The dressing was delicious so I didn't say anything, but at $32 I can certainly see why someone would. Everyone really liked their spice bags and burgers tonight The nachos weren't good. Like, it's hard to mess them up so not like they're inedible. Dry, unseasoned chicken. Under cheesed chips. Bland overall. Lucys has spoiled us with excellent nachos if you're looking for some, hold off and get them there. I've been a few more times. It just isn't the best food. If I was younger-I'd love it. Very young and clubby- the cocktails ive had are great. People like the Guinness. The only time anyone has liked their food is the spice bags, followed by the burger. The lines have been crazy at times too. If you're not there for the club;) and want a good meal and you're in line walk over to scobies. Not a party but you'll get a nice meal Forgot to add Maria is a great bartender.

Great food and service today on their opening day. I used a fork to cut the big chunks of beef in the beef stew - very tender. Thick rich sauce - I dropped most of my triple-cooked fries in there - yum. The place is beautiful. Can't wait to go back.

Got a Guinness, a couple East Coast oysters, the Irish Stew with soda bread, and a side of triple-cooked chips. Everything was delicious. It’s a very nice space, especially downstairs where it feels extra roomy. Service was excellent. There’s a small parking lot to the right of the building as well as free street parking.

Beautiful space. High end appointments and details. Two wonderful rooms for any type of event or just a solo dinner at the bar with a Guinness. Phil & the staff are terrific behind the bar. Outstanding addition to the neighborhood. Cheers.

It was my first time there. I enjoyed it very much. The atmosphere was outstanding. It has intimate vibes. You can bring a date, friends or family to this establishment. Dierdre Doherty was the bartender/server. She was amazing as always. Greeted me with a smile. Oran McGonagle was also present. Making sure that I was taken care of. Got a pub hat as well. I highly recommend the Roasted Marrow it was devine. I also got the steak tips with cauliflower cheese and steak fries. Phenomenal!!! I highly recommend this place.

Most authentic fish and chips I’ve had outside of Liverpool and Dublin. Great slightly crispy batter. Fresh haddock. Healthy portion. Will be back often. Thank you!

This place has a wait the entire day we were there but it was worth it. The band was amazing and the food and drinks were top notch. Definitely recommend if you're in the area and we had a wedding party there and they were very accommodating to us.

Walking in you would think that it's a small place with a bar and a few tables but then you walk to the stairs you realize this place is huge!! It's got lots of space with 2 bars perfect for large gatherings which was the case with a lot of my family meeting here for brunch. With the Irish pub theme, I knew I had to get something that fits and I chose the Sheppard's Pie. Wow was it excellent! The lamb filling was super rich and nicely seasoned and that mash potato topping was perfectly crispy on top which made it feel like a crunchy pie crust. Such a perfect comfort food! The service was great as well. The server was very attentive and friendly and got everything to us in a timely manner. Thank you to all the staff for a great meal and service!

I have been to McGonagles twice. Both times for lunch. I had the fish and chips. The fish had a batter that was similar to Bisquick. It was horrible. It peeled off the fish as soon as you cut into it. No flavor. The second time that I had lunch I ordered chicken tender. Again the batter that they use is the same as Chinese chicken fingers. The same thing happened. The batter peeled off with zero flavor. Considering it's an Irish place you would think that they would use breadcrumbs. McGonagles could use a lesson in how to make a batter that has some flavor and crunch. Fish/chips and chicken tenders need help. The smash burger was fantastic.

I had to check this new neighborhood place out! I will say it's gotta be tough competing with Scobies who just opened up, also Irish, right down the street. The ambience was fun (there's tons of space and seating) and the parking was easy. But the food really was very meh. We tried the spice bag, a pizza and the chicken and ham vol au vent. The spice bag was fun to eat from, but it was WAY over salted and ruined the dish. The pizza was WAY undersalted and also made it not very tasty. I will say that the pizza was half off (9bucks) because it was Tuesday, so that maybe is a fun perk to check out. The puff pastry was the best thing we ate! And the Irish drinks are obviously fun-but service was slower than it should've been on a Tuesday night. Overall a good bar, but maybe not the best restaurant

Our waitress was outstanding I wish I could remember her name but she was patient thoughtful and was a great addition to our evening. She was poised made great recommendations and she is a mom who home schools her kids which is so admirable and I hope we can see her again! Trivia was fun too

Great Irish place. Nice people and the food and beers were great. I got the pizza and smashed burger and it was up to par. It is a beautiful looking place with great dark wood bar that opens up downstairs to another bar and a nice live music area. Must go. Check it out.

Incredible renovation. Great attentive staff. Food just doesn't do it, and I've tried twice. Fish and chips and chicken fingers made with terrible batter and so greasy that is collects on the plate. Irish stew had plenty of quality beef, but gravy seemed like an add-on from a different dish. Reinvent your food program please! Get someone who knows how to use a fryolator and change the oil every 3000 miles.

To begin this review I will address the elephant in the room. That being, the plastic/paper in the croquets. Quite the letdown that a dish would come out with such an obvious problem evident. Regardless the food was fantastic and quite filling and there were no problems with the rest. The pork chop was delicious and moist. The chicken was tender and savory. However the service was lacking 10+ minutes for a Guinness and a pitcher of water in an almost empty restaurant. We were sat in the back of the restaurant tucked away despite it being pretty empty. However the food came quickly. The ambience is beautiful and the artwork is very well done. Definitely room for improvement and will be returning to update to (hopefully) 5 stars

Ordered a spice bag for pickup. Amazing flavor and texture despite waiting to get home to try it. I bet it's even better fresh. So so good. Will definitely be coming back!

It was very dark inside. The service was super slow even though there was not more than a few customers. Very limited selections on the lunch menu. Over-priced bland food. Not worth it.

Unbelievably beautiful interior. Did such a great job compared to what dorset looked like before. We got the Steak Tips with two sides and a sauce. The steak tips were overcooked and a bit tough but fries were excellent and carrots were great. Also got the bangers and mash which was excellent. Drinks we got Hot toddy, Irish Coffee and their version of the Cosmo all really good. We will be back very soon!

Really really cool Irish pub in Dorchester. It has the feel of an authentic pub. The Guinness was top notch, the atmosphere was great, and the bar was clean and beautiful. There was live music on this Saturday night in the downstairs section, and that was the cherry on top. Service was also good, nothing out of the ordinary there. It's a great bar, and I'll definitely be coming back soon to try their food.

Ambiance is a 5 food was a 3 but that's the best spot to watch a game in Dorchester - you will have fun

You have to come here if your in the area. Good food, friendly staff and energy and atmosphere. Don't matter if you use it as a watering hole or dinner. It's good Beyond meat lasagna needs a few tweaks, but the portion size is a meal on its own! Tomato soup is smooth and just the right amount of cream to smooth it out. Bottled water is served at no extra cost and liquid is amazing. Don't waste a drop. Didnt do alcohol, but the bar upstairs was full. Exterior is real nice. Interior is modern but toned in colors you would expect from Ireland. Decorations will keep you busy reading. Plenty of TV's to watch sports. It may cost you 25 a head, but it's with it Note: seems the Braised Beef Ragu is super popular. It was sold out at 7pm.

Was told the pizzas were delicious and they 100% lived up to that! I got Pizza #4 and WOW. Everyone tries to have their own style pizza nowadays and I have to say they kept it classic with a twist and killed it. Thin crust & cooked evenly all the way through. Our waitress, Siobhan, was fabulous. So helpful with the menu and made our visit a fun one. The sangria is also amazing - I like to think I am a sangria connoisseur so shoutout to the bartenders for making a good one!

We were seated pretty quickly, but had it took forever to get served. After a good 25-30 mins of waiting, we finally just had to stop someone and ask them to take our order. We got a bunch of different appetizers and entrees, but they were really disappointing. The food was too dry, salty and tasted overall blah. We were also overcharged for one of the entrees from what the menu quoted, but we didn't catch it until later. The place is big, busy and loud with people standing all around the bar, drinking beers and watching the tv screens. We had to shout at each other over the table to hear one another. Wasn't a great experience.

Giant Irish pub in a great location in Dorchester. The food and drinks were much better than expected. Food portions were massive and reasonably priced

Beautiful pub atmosphere, felt it replicated a big pub in Ireland! My pink gin drink.. first for me, absolutely yummy. Tuna melt absolutely delicious.. the side salad though was bland and disappointing. Parking is puzzling... there is a side area to the restaurant but no signs to say parking.. yet it is parking for the restaurant ?? The front doors actually should have buttons to open.. I almost dislocated my arm opening both.. ‍ Will return though!

absolutely brilliant new spot Great music, great craic! Wonderful pub with amazing food. Our fish and chips were hot and crisp-clean and fresh tasting, not greasy at all. Bangers and mash were proper with a delicious gravy. Excellent selection of whiskey and beers, a nice proper pour! The Irish coffee is unreal. Our server was awesome! Highly recommended!

Excellent food. Legit Irish bar. Not a Boston take on an Irish bar. Atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Great beer and whiskey selection. Service was a tad slow as they were packed but totally worth the extra wait.

Come for the Guinness, EPL, and darts. Great service and the interior and menu were fantastic. Spice bag was delicious as well 10/10

Staff was friendly, but service was slow even though it was not busy. We were there at an off time. The brown bread was good, but the shepherd's pie lacked flavor.

went on Sunday evening it was super crowded and a nice vibe. Service was very slow and the food was ok. great place for drinks but maybe not for a nice meal.

Busy Sunday lunchtime, pretty crowded. Brunch menu served . My husband had the Irish breakfast, I had the spice bag . Both were very authentic. My only complaint is the curry sauce was too runny and did not have much flavor. Aside from that it was great . Staff friendly and attentive.

Just left this place after my first visit. Had a great afternoon. The Guinness is fantastic but the food we had was outstanding. First off, best chicken fingers I've ever had. F_ck the breadcrumbs bullsh_t. These are for the record books. Smashburger was amazing, perfectly seasoned, cooked, & prepared. (Fries undercooked) Shepards Pie, also terrific. But the day took a turn when an Irish solo guitarist got up and started playing country. That through me way off. I guess i'm old and remember the sessions at Brendan Behan's back in the 90's. But this place over all is awesome.

Ridiculous and frustrating to be waiting over an hour for entry. What is so special going on inside that your egos are letting people freeze outside while friends and girls that just so happen to be wearing next to nothing get priority. we were told it's a 21st birthday who gets priority for her friends- okay. Great. give a time estimate for the rest of your crowd who has lost hope by the minute. Never coming back thx!!!!!!

Entrance is deceiving when you are then brought downstairs to mixed- use space. Very noisy. $32 for an order steak tips that were mediocre at best and not tender. Side salads delivered incorrectly and service was incredibly slow, which was more the kitchen than the waitress. I wanted to like this place but disappointed in 90 minutes to get a so-so dinner for two people at $100 all in. Wouldn't recommend and wouldn't go back.

Absolutely amazing experience! Feels like a real Irish bar and the food tasted just like how my mom makes it. The decor is so cozy and cool. Our server was great and attentive!

Had reservations for 3 for a birthday celebration. Arrived on time hostess asked if we were there for trivia night. No was our collective response. they seated us downstairs where the music and speaker introducing the game was so loud it was unbearable. Party agreed we could not enjoy the meal in that environment and decided to leave. Went back up stairs on our way out the door and asked why they put us in the area where we said we were not interested. They said nothing was available when our reservations were confirmed in the non trivia area but something just opened up stairs. if they just asked us if we wanted to wait we would have been happy to do that. They almost lost us! But.. another hostess got us into a booth and we had a great meal and service was great!! they should really post on their website it they have other things going on... suggest to call first...

I LOVE this place. I had the Dorchester Martini and it was delish. My other half had the Guinness and it is by far the BEST Guinness you will get on this side of the pond. Very close to what you would get in Ireland. I had the smash burger and rarely do I finish a burger but I finished this. Phenominal. My other half had the fish and chips. Again fantastic. The atomosphere and the decor is great. I feel like I'm at home in a pub. The staff is super friendly and the customers are mostly right off the boat. I've missed the brogue and so happy you're part of my neighborhood. Failte!