Go for the beer. Â Go somewhere else for food. Â I am sad to write that because I really wanted another option in ATL for Irish fare. Â
The shepherd's pie was not redeemable in any way.  It had a sour taste (something in the mashed potatoes?), was not re-heated from the night before (it was cold and the 2 cups of cheese on top was not melted.....so it had to have been made...the night before and put in the fridge), the meat was greasy and had no gravy/sauce/taste.  The Irish bread was slightly sweet and heavily fried.  But  it was the best part of the dish.  Not your typical bread...but interesting.  And I have had shepherd's pie in Ireland, England and Scotland....I am quite a fan and know authenticity.
Emily, the bartender was great but I didn't want to tell her how bad the shepherd's pie was. Â I just didn't eat very much of it.
I tried the potato planks with chives and bacon and cheese. Â Better. Â But once the cheese and bacon is gone (halfway through), there were a lot of chips left that I didn't eat.
But the beer selection was good! Â Lots of local choices plus some Belgians. Â I enjoyed those. Â Tommyknocker and Ayinger.
However, I would rather go to other pubs that are closer to me and have better food in the future. Â The new sandwich lunch menu looked interesting but I am not going to chance it. The couple next to me enjoyed their sauerkraut and pastrami....
I really don't care about the reviews I'm reading here because I know better. If you don't get McCrackens then stay away. We have all ages here and a great mix of preps, jocks, punks, bikers, hippies, trendy chicks( with bags that cost more than my car ), hipsters (with way too  much cologne on) and you will very rarely see a fight (full moon nights do not count). We are a great group of people and we are always welcoming. If you did not find that to be true than you might want to check the scowl on your face or your sad one-liners.
The food is great. Love the pretzels, wings, Bobby Flay grilled cheese, bangers and mash and never ever ever walk away without trying the Fish and Chips! Good luck with finding a watering hole that fits your needs and personality. I have and its the Crack!
Where is the ZERO STARS option.  My friends and I wanted to go Irish for the Friday before St. Patty.s  We arrived at 12:10pm.  We were the ONLY table in the joint and we didn't get our drinks until 12:45.  Our server seemed nice but she kept disappearing.  This place would better serve Marietta if it got turned into a parking lot.  AVOID!!
Review Source:The atmosphere, live music, and beer selection was quality. Very unique look to the place and had a great server. I went mid-week so it was slower, not over-crowded, but that's my preference. I had their Irish Po-Boy and was impressed with the flavor but not with the amount of food provided. Also, I'm not expert here, but I believe they need to clean their beer lines/taps. My friends would complain about having stomach cramps/frequent trips to the bathroom after drinking at the pub (multiple times) and I experienced it the morning after drinking (only had 4 beers so can't attribute it to overdrinking). I'll be back for the live music but will stick to bottle beer.
Review Source:Worst lunch in Marietta!
I would give it no stars if I could. Â Ordered a corned beef sandwich (how can an Irish pub mess this up?) which had a wafer-thin piece of meat that didn't cover the bread. Â My wife had the misfortune to order the "Southern Moonshine", supposedly sliced prime beef, irish cheddar and tomatoes. Â Instead, and not mentioned on the menu, it had a nasty sauce on it that purportedly was horseradish. Â Very nasty taste and smell. Â Â My wife can't eat spicy stuff, so this was an unwelcome surprise rendering her meal inedible. Â I tried it (I can eat anything) and the taste made me nauseous. When I asked the wait person if the amount of meat on my sandwich was what they usually put on a corned beef, she said "not really" and that she would bring it to someone's attention. Â Instead, we got our bill in full. Â Gross, including the atmosphere. Â Lots of good places to eat on the Marietta square. Â This place might be ok to stop in for a drink, but given the atmosphere, I would skip that too.
Due to the evils of peer pressure, I very reluctantly revisited Johnnie MacCracken's, having two beers and eating dinner in their somewhat new non-smoking expansion.
Although I had a mere Ruben sandwich, it was very tasty. Â No complaints! Â
Others in my party liked their dinners as well. Â This is remarkable to me given how abysmal MacCracken's food had always been in my experience.
The first time I went here, it was on a Friday night and I was crammed in the back bar and miserable...did not like the crowd at all. Â Possibly just in a cranky mood! Â But now I love this place. Â I like to go every Monday night for the open mic session that gets started at 9 pm. Â Travis and Chad do an awesome job running it - lots of talented people and everyone is so friendly. Â Bram behind the bar is a great, if a bit surly, bartender. :) Â They have a really good beer selection...might not match what's on the menu, but they can always make a good recommendation and let you know what they just got it. Â The grilled cheese sandwich and the fries ( *chips*) are awesome.
Review Source:MacCracken's... what can I say? It is a dive bar with a great atmosphere.
If you are in Marietta and looking for a place to hang out, meet-up with friends, or just get away from your normal life, this is the place.
Not only is the bar and the staff a little quirky, so are it's customers. You will see everything here, and that is what makes it great. It is some of the best people watching on the Square, and you can get a properly poured pint as you do it.
The beer and liquor selection is great, with something new on draft every time I come in. The food is getting better and they are really trying to get the "new" side up and running as a proper restaurant.
There are some people that just won't enjoy this place. These are boring people. Stay away from them.
This definitely takes the cake as one of the most ridiculous bar interactions I've had to date. Johnny MacCracken's posted my picture on their bar's facebook page with the following caption:
"OMG...I realize that reviews on Yelp and other sites are part of being in this business, but when I read some of these reviews I want to know WTF we did to these poor bastards or what childhood trauma they suffered....I put this guys photo up because I think his Uncle Ned baby sat him and may have played "glass bottom boat" on the glass coffee table with this poor dude! Ya sure do have a pretty mouth....and don't forget to visit Beef O'Brady's like another guy who wants to eat authentic Cottage Pie! "
Very unprofessional. Also, I was dragged back to this dump by my friends a few weeks ago and my original statements stand. Avoid it at all costs.
I swung into  Johnnie MacCracken's based on its high Yelp rating and my love for UK style pubs in general.
As I walked in the door, I was first hit with the smell of grease... and the open kitchen is the first thing you'll see on your right hand side. Â It wasn't terribly overpowering, per se... but probably not the first impression a bar owner wants to give his customers, ya know? The place looks pretty old... so I doubt there are any construction plans to move the kitchen...... but it wouldn't be that pricey to just wall it off and add another exhaust hood - an open kitchen in a bar that probably mostly serves grilled and deep fried foods is just gonna make the place smell.
After taking a stroll to get a feel for the place (while listening to a mix of Irish and modern tunes on their speakers), I ended up just sitting down at the rails in front. Â Basically... here's the layout: the front section you walk into has a seating area, the open kitchen, and a bar. Through a hallway into the back, you'll see another lounge area (couches, TVs, etc...) and bar. The whole place is smoking friendly... but cigars are welcomed in the back area only. They also have a pretty decent patio area, too!
[[ Quick hop onto soap box...... Why cigars only in back when cigarettes are welcome up front? Cigars are just pure tobacco...while cigarettes are tobacco plus wood chips plus chemicals - all wrapped in paper and puffed through cotton...... what do you think is the more pleasant aroma? On top of that, burning tobacco leaves don't leave the lasting stench on hair, clothes, paint, etc... that chemical soaked wood and paper do. I can spend my lunch break in a cigar lounge and nobody notices... 5 minutes around cigarettes and people can tell I went to a bar at lunch. I say make the cigarette smokers go in back. Â :) Â Off soap box. ]]
Also about the atmosphere... MacCracken is not an Irish name - that's Scottish. Â At first, I thought an Irish pub with a Scottish name was a bit odd... but then I noticed the ENTIRE name of the place that includes "Celtic Pub." They're doing a whole Celtic theme - highlands Scotts and lowlands Irish... and their menu reflects it. You can get an Irish cottage pie (they call it a shepherd's pie incorrectly) and Scottish bangers...... and the place NEXT DOOR is the same owner, but decorated with the Scottish flag and is family friendly and non-smoking.
In any case, I asked for a pint of Guinness, which was properly poured and served in the right glass; a major plus for me. I also ordered some food (cheese sticks and their Irish breakfast). The food is their biggest downfall...
The cheese sticks were squared off and obviously just ordered from a food supplier and deep fried - not homemade here - and served with ice cold marinara. Â The breakfast was a mixed bag; the fritatta was burned on the bottom and overcooked in general... the bangers were tasty but very small chunks...... and the soda bread was randomly fantastic!
I'd definitely come back in for a quick pint or two and a smoke in the back...... but this place has so much more potential if they found a good cook and walled off the kitchen so I don't go home smelling like cooking grease on top of the cigarette stench...
I wish I was a local...on 2nd thought, I'm glad I'm not. Â I would just wire some of my paycheck over here every 2 weeks if I did! Â It's that awesome!!
I love this bar. Â Authentic, good prices, great decor, friendly staff! Â All of the things that make a bar great. Â Parking is scarce but welcome to the Square. Â
The whole feel of the place is very low key and relaxed. Â Lots of comfy seating and little alcoves everywhere. Â Great feel! Â The patio is pretty cool with the old brickwork showing from the buildings beside it and a fire pit.
Food is pretty good, too! Â Mostly, traditional Irish fare but they mix it up a little. Â Everything tastes good and is fresh.
I now consider this place to be my living room annex.
Great atmosphere, great service. Â 50/50 chance of some good live entertainment in the front bar but even on nights I don't care for the live music there's always the back bar with Trish with some eclectic music taste. (Hank Sr. followed by Suicidal Tendencies...hell yeah). Â Have a Trish Bomb while you're there too and relax on the couches or the firepit out back.
Great selection on tap & stick to your ribs food. Â I don't smoke but will put up with it for MacCracken's (if you don't want to put up with it they've opened a smokefree side next door).
I love everything about the place! Great beers/ciders and atmosphere! Even better food! Everything is made with care and the chef takes pride in what they serve and how it is presented.
They have a great patio out back with a fire pit which is always the place to be when the weather is nice.
They do have a downstairs, but it is only a few couches... I wish they would throw a TV or 2 down there so we could watch sports.... AND maybe a TV out back to watch games when they are on. If that happened they would put the other bars on the square out of biz!
Be sure to be there on St. Patty's day in a few weeks.. I spent 13 hours there last year and had a blast.
I've been going to MacCrackens for 4 years now, Â the food is phenomenal. Â Bram and April are great chefs! Â Service has always been top notch. Ashley, Lisa, STARR, Trisha and Lora usually have my drink ready for me before I sit at the bar. Â When sitting to eat Elizabeth and Ashley provide great friendly service. And look incredible doing it! Â The owner can be kind of a dick though!!! Love you guys!!!
Review Source:MacCrackens rocks! I love to chill in the back on the couches. Their beer selection is vast and the Scottish soup is delish. There are books and games back there to amuse you, too. It's a very chill place.
My one complaint is that they always seem to be out of stuff. No ice cream! Boo. And they were fresh out of a couple beers we tried to order. I think places should just take stuff off the menu unless they plan on keeping an item in stock at all times. Also, the waitress was kind of on the bitchy side.
Oh and it's a smoke pit, but that doesn't really bother me.
This is my absolute favorite place for food, drink & atmosphere! It's cozy, warm & inviting. The people that visit this place seem to be an interesting good eclectic mix. My husband & I have been enjoying this pub for approx 10yrs. Our most recent visit was last Thursday evening. Parking around the square was great around 5:30pm-ish. The food & service has been consistently top notch (BTW,I am very persnickety when it comes to food & service). Â My favorite foods & drink there are the Soft Pretzel w/Kraut & Hot Mustard,The Scottish Bangers & Mash & Alton Brown's Corned Beef & Cabbage. I'd bet the other dishes on the menu are great too. I love to sip the Magner's Irish Cider and or the Crispin Cider w/my food.
Review Source:Listen up people! This isn't  Ri Ra's ok!?!
This place is a dark, cluttered, stinky, cramped, raunchy looking Irish bar and it's as good as anything out there! If you like to melt into the surroundings and become one with the bar (if you don't understand what I'm talking about then you either need to drink more or stop now), then this establishment is for you.
Awesome selection of beers from around the world. The food is what you would expect, nothing more (taste much better the more you drink). The service is great and the people are entertaining that go here.
It has two bars plus one on the patio that open when the place gets jumping. Lots of little cozy areas to plop down and have good conversation and beer with friends.
I have no idea about open mic or any other activities at this place. I normally frequent during the day on the weekend or leave as the dinner/late crowd starts coming in or I'm already relaxed enough not to care or notice.
Pros: Everything
Cons: Everything (Smoking is tuff on none smokers but I can usually find an area far enough away from the offenders)
You are either going to "love it" or not.
This is more of a pub that servers food !! My husband went here on a Friday night, the place was packed, we where lucky enough to get seats at the bar. They have a great selection of beers and whiskeys. The bar tenders where extremely attentive. I had an Irish-Cuban sandwich which was excellent. My husband had corn beef and cabbage, I hate both of them any other time I have tried them and had bites of his and they where both excellent, much to my surprise !!!
The atmosphere is excellent it is like being in a bar/ living room. This is a smoking bar which is too bad, it was very smoking the night we where there. Excellent mix of ages of people there, that was nice to see. The band was great and we really enjoyed them, and they where not too loud for the size of the setting !!!
The whole square is very cute, we can not wait to return !!!
I am giving it only 3 starts because they still allow smoking in a place which serves pretty good food (Also, has a somewhat separate cigar room/bar area-but believe me, that shit isn't separated enough! ) so the place mega stinks and I will not be able to ever visit again, but had a really chilled cider and a lamb stew with root vegetables. The lamb was shaved and dried up, like if it was leftover gyro meats that had frost bite...Also fish and chips were sub-par- obviously Gorton's Fisherman provided this meal. I fucking hate going to a restaurant, dropping $$ for being served some shit I can get at the dollar Store's cooler (not that I would, but they do sell frozen foods at some $1 General)
The ambiance was of a typical Irish setting and the bartender lady was OK in the attentiveness department. Restrooms get a D+.
It has a huge outdoor patio with tall fence around which would be a good hangout in the summer, ( except for me-seems this place attracts a lot of smokers, so I wouldn't be visiting myself)
One thing that did annoy the spelling Nazi in me, (and obviously nothing to do with the food and ambiance review) Â is how terribly the menu was written- Common food items such as taco, vegetables, were misspelled!)-(Jallapenos. Parmesian.Tocos.Quesidilla. Butterflied. Frattata. Vegetibles. Bailys. Bam! F+). I think either the owner is trying to emulate some odd/funny sense of Irish ignorance, or he wrote the menu in his word processor with the spell-check turned off...on purpose? Maybe he got tired of seeing the red-lined words? I also read a "tribute" in the lad's WC and in his words, restaiant, or some other shitty spelling of restaurant, was quoted by him.
I like MacCrackens and go there with friends pretty often but if you can't handle smoke or simply don't want to deal with it that night, stay clear of this place. It's ingrained in the walls. The waitresses aren't the friendliest in the world but really, it adds to the Irish pub feel. It's a gritty authentic hideaway. You might catch an Irishman singing a few tunes and the whole place will start singing along. Good times.
Review Source:I used to love this place but it's just gone down hill. Â Virtually none of the bartenders, and certainly none of the servers have any clue what they serve. Â I understand the challenge of a changing beer list, but you can't sell products if you don't know them.
More importantly, if you don't have a certain item, make a suggestion. Â Trying to get info out of these bartenders/servers is like pulling teeth.
Also, I think the owner could do a lot to improve the space. Â It's got a very old dingy vibe to it. Â The middle seating room smells like a sweaty gym and the bathroom walls went from being nice to looking like a beat up locker room with all the missing pictures. Â
Net net--when they have beers in stock, they have great beers typically, but they run their bar in a half assed manner which makes serious drinkers want to go to places like Taco Mac, which is guaranteed to have things in stock. Â
Finally--clean your menus. Â Picking up menus in this place is as safe as picking up the toilet seat with your hands. Â You should not feel a 1/4 inch of grime when you pick up a menu. Â That's just gross.
I was a little surprised by the multiple 5-star reviews. Â Went to McCracken's for the second time (1st time was before I started yelping) and was, again, disappointed. Â Maybe it gets so many 5-stars because people mainly go to drink beer...had a huge selection of that...or for the pub-y atmosphere.
The biggest plus was that they had added a non-smoking section (a HUGE plus for me), although the music is on the smoking side (a minus for me). Â
I asked the waitress what she recommended the most and she said the boxty. I have had them numerous times in other pubs and I was really disappointed in this one (especially since it was the most recommended by the staff). Â It was such a mish-mash of things that you couldn't discern one layer from another...there was supposed to be a potato pancake somewhere in there (the defining part of a boxty!), but I sure couldn't find it (although there were 3 scoops of mashed potatoes...NOT the same thing and NOT what was described on the menu. Â The corned beef was tender, but fairly flavorless. The Irish cheddar might have been good, but was burned. To top it all off, the entire plate was swimming in grease. Â
The person I was with ordered the fish and chips (also recommended). Although you got a large portion, it was obviously a frozen fish filet (because it was that weird shape, like a triangle with one end cut off, that frozen fish filets always come in). For $10, I would have expected a freshly battered piece of fish. Â The fries were good. Â The bizarre thing was that is was served in a paper-lined colander...you know, the metal thing with holes that you drain pasta in. Â Not the best choice for a meal that is usually liberally sprinkled with vinegar. Â Vinegar and ketchup leaked through the paper and the holes...a big mess. Â The beer was good and cold. Â My drink (a bar-liquor and sprite) was so watery that if I closed my eyes, I could not tell the difference between it and my glass of water (for $5.50).
To top everything off, we got there at 10 till 6. Â Apparently, they have an all you can eat buffet that starts at 6. This was not mentioned to us by the waitress (and definitely should have been since we got there within minutes of it starting). There was a sign, but I am 55 years old, the sign was across the room, and I couldn't read it. Â When we noticed them bringing food out to the steam trays, we asked the waitress and asked if we could change our orders to the buffet (which was only 50 cents more than our meals and we had NOT received our meals yet). She said no, that our orders had already been placed and we would just need to "come back next week for the buffet." Â
All in all, a very, very disappointing experience. Â We spent $40 (plus tip) and were full, but that is all we can say about the experience.
MacCracken's is an Irish pub located in Marietta Square. It serves a good selection of beer and some traditional Irish food as well, some of which I was able to try during St. Patrick's Day. It's a bit dark and cramped on the inside, but there's also a nice patio area in the back.
Gets pretty crowded on their busy nights.
Stopped in for a drink two mondays in a row now, which is their open mic night. The musicians are good. Some nice, original tunes, some bawdy drunken rambles, and some cheesy 90s covers...yep, standard open mic night protocal.
Also, they have a nice selection of beers that I wish I had enough money to buy
If ya'll are calling this a dive bar, Â I'll take you to a dive that David Allen Coe would hesitate to step in. Â MacCracken's a Dive? Â Please. Â
I was expecting fake Irish Pub food but what came out of the kitchen on this visit was just short of a Wolfgang Puck production. Â The food for our party of three consisted of Bangers and Mash, A BBQ sandwich and my dish, the BBQ Pork Butt. Â The description on the menu alone sold me. Â Let me start with the garnish. Â A simple tomato slice with bacon and cheese melted on top? Â That is frickin' summer. Â The Butt were these amazing deep red medallions, smoked for 7 hours laid on a bed of grilled onions and stuffed with feta. Â I also had the garlic mash and the mouthwatering squash casserole. Â BAR FOOD? Â Not even close. Â The other dishes had similar perfectly plated presentations and we all ate every bite. Â
The beer selection takes up a whole page, not a 9 x 13 piece of paper, but a big one! Â With small lettering! Â If you can't find a beer here, you are far to snobby to be in this pub. Â Â Our 3 rounds consisted of Yuengling Yuengling, Sweetwater 420, Some raspberry ale and an Abita. Â All terrific beers, not found in any true dive. Â (Well, maybe Abita.) Â
The several sectioned off rooms provide this place with an atmosphere for every mood. Â The cutout of The Most Interesting Man in The World is certainly not out of place here. Â Overall, great bar, give the food a chance.
This might just be my new favorite place to hang out in Marietta. Stopped by, expecting another lame bar with no personality, and we stumbled on a gem. This place screams Irish pub, and I love it. Lots and lots of cool swag, several different areas to lounge and drink, including a sweet patio area outside, with an outdoor bar and firepit. The bartenders are super sweet, and awesome to boot.
Review Source:I do not travel to Marrietta Square very often but when I do I try to stop by Johnnie MacCrackens. Â This is a great place mainly because of the atmosphere. Â It is a very unique bar with a good beer and whiskey selection. Â Also there is a great outdoor area in the back with a fire pit and plenty of seating.
If you like Irish/Celtic foods then you will like the menu. Â There are not a lot of places in town that offer some of the items you will find here. Â I liked my meal but I think I will return because of the bar and the atmosphere.
And not to leave out our service, our waitress was great. Â Very knowledgeable of the beer and the menu. Â I am definitely a fan!
this place is the best!!
Irish American who grew up in a pub culture, this is the closest thing to "home" that i have found here in the 'burbs
seating *is* a bit sparse, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it!
there is a diverse crowd - i prefer to go when the Punks/Pockabilly crowd is there, but there are nights when the "preps" make it a bit awkward to be comfortable
Trish at the bar is always the sweetest - and always has a smile for people
I've taken my mom here and she loved it, too
downside: cigarette smoke is thick and you reek of it when you leave...but it's a PUB, so it's expected. Â they have an outside area if you are offended by the smoke...
A friend took me here last night, and as soon as I walked in the door, I was in love. With EVERYTHING. I love love love the atmosphere of this place, veryyyy laid back and cozy. The live music was fantastic, a good mix of covers. said friend and I split a pitcher of Terrapin, which I'm not used to seeing at the bars I usually go to. I will definitely be back.
Review Source:Johnnie McCracken's is an Irish pub just off the Marietta Square. It has a rich character that adds to the diversity of the area and I think it is probably the coolest bar I know of in the Marietta area.
The front room off the main entrance has the main bar. There's a surprisingly large selection of draft beers and ciders. I often get the Smithwick's or Yuengling. I do recall though Adam R. having a difficult time finding something he wanted as everything he picked they were out of. I will admit being disappointed with experiencing that when trying to get a Yuengling. Also Kristine M. was disappointed with the wine selection.
The times I have been here there have been good to very good blues trio bands playing in the main room. People often dance in front of the band in what amounts to little more than an aisle between tables. There are acoustic sets there during the week too. The crowd here is diverse but the mainstay is the usual 25 to 35 crowd. People come singly and couples to chat, socialize and to check out the bands. Every time I have gone, I have met someone new and I have even gotten chatted up a couple times (that prospect alone will keep coming back).
There are more rooms toward the back of the building offering space for more laid back socializing: there's a smaller bar and there are rooms with sofas and overstuffed chairs that are great for chilling and talking. Even more, a door in the back opens to a large courtyard complete with tiki bar and fire pit.
They do serve food however I have never tried it. I will update when I do. Also, be aware they are closed on Sundays.
I'm definitely sold on Johnnie McCracken's although they need to keep up the inventory on the popular brews. I look forward to meeting up with friends and meeting new ones here. 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 for the friendly character of the place.
A German walks into an Irish pub, what does he order? A hefeweizen in this case.
I've never been a fan of Irish bars, maybe because I'm not the least bit Irish or maybe because I'm not a huge fan of bars in general? Ok, maybe a little of both, but I did enjoy this place! I wasn't totally crowded into a corner, I could, for the most part, hear the person next to me, even when the band was playing. And the music was actually pretty good, at least on the night we were there. The only con was the heavy mist of grease-stench that emanated from somewhere, I can do without that no matter where I am.
If I were Irish and more into the bar scene I'd probably rate it four stars (Alright, I upped it to 4 stars because 3 seemed too cruel since I did enjoy the bar!) but I'd still go back, as long as I could find it!
+1 Cozy-looking nooks with couches
+3 Good service
+1 Reasonable prices
+0 Live music (The band was ok when I went, but I'm meh on live music unless I'm at a concert.)
+0 Crowd. Â (There were hipsters and middle-aged suburbanites - not my demographic, but nothing objectionable, either.)
-1 Cigarette smoke
-1 Stench of cooking grease
-1 Wine selection. Â Yellow Tail should be 'nuf said on the white wine, but Gretchen O kindly steered me away from the red wine by pointing out that the bottles may have been open for quite some time.
If there is a next time, I'll have to find the Tiki bar.
(I'm upgrading them a star, because looking back, they just don't deserve to be in the one-star category. Â It's not their fault I'm not into dive bars, and the servers were really good for a crowded Saturday night.)
MacCraceken's, without a doubt, has the coolest physical plant of any bar in town. Â Old, cavernous, and busy with interesting memorabilia. Â The fire house- Irish/Scottish bar motif really works and it feels real. Â There is a more intimate bar in the back with really old couches and a fire place. Â And for warm weather, a big patio with a cabana bar in back.
This place is really hoppin on the weekend and it is hard to loco-mote within the confines. Â There is a lot of energy and a good vibe.
I agree with others who have commented on the extensive beer and whiskey offerings. Â I would add that care is taken to serve beer at the perfect temperature the the pours are perfect! Â
The serving staff is friendly, efficient, and one of the most interesting groups of people ever collected under one roof.
Nobody talks about the food at Jonnie MacCraken's. That is because nobody really eats it as the kitchen is visible and scary to the general public. Â Brave soul that I am, i tried the bangers and mash once and found that it was pretty good; the Scottish sausages were pretty tasty. Â Have courage!
Here is my problem.  Having once supported Celtic music, it appears that they no longer even try.  My thing is- if you are going to  try to be an Irish/Scottish bar- then by God act like it by supporting the Celtic community.  I get it that you got to get the masses in there and the masses are asses and they  like cover bands.  Great.  How about opening up to session Irish musicians in the back room on Tuesday nights- oh that's trivia night -can;t do that!  Jeesus!  Have some fuggin heart!
Duplicate review from.
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/johnnie-maccrackens-marietta">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>
Have reported the duplicate to the community maintainers several times, but doesn't look like it will ever be fixed.
This is the place you should dream of when you think bar.
This isn't another strip mall/chain formula "Irish bar" like Meehans or Faddo's. Â This is the real thing. Â
There is a lot of history here. Â From the buildings roots as the oldest standing fire department in Cobb County, evidenced by all the FD memorabilia. Â And next as a bank with mahogany trim and the vault turned beer cooler.
The beer and Irish whiskey selection is extensive. Â Try something new every trip. Â There are great nooks and crannies to hang out in. Â A front bar usually with band or Thursday night karaoke. Â A back bar that's more like cheers where you can hold a conversation across it. Â A "reading room" with books lining the walls and comfortable easy chairs. Â A back patio with tiki bar and fire pit to take the chill off cold nights.
Remember closed on Sundays.
Live by the motto on the front door: Â " Live Well, Laugh a lot, & Love often "
I finally made it to Johnnie MacCracken's after hearing others talk about the place for a long time. Â Wow... wish I had gone sooner.
I hate looking for parking around the Marietta Square and I don't care for crowds or too much noise, so I chose to go later on a Saturday afternoon with a friend of mine before the hoards arrived. I can't report on what it's like when there's a crowd -- you'll have to try that out for yourself.
There's a seating area with the bar in the front as you walk in. Â Beyond that are two separate small areas with sofas and chairs as well as an outdoor seating area in the back. Â There was another bar in the back that was not manned while I was there.
The atmosphere is dark and comfortable, as a pub should be. Â I can't vouch for its authenticity given that I've not been to Ireland in 22 years. Â But who cares? Â It is authentic to me in the sense that its building and decor was not pre-packaged and designed in an office building first.
The beer selection is very much to my liking -- you can preview it on their web site. Â There's plenty there to keep you interested for several visits.
What really surprised me was the food. Â When you view their menu online, the first thing you see are the appetizers which include jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks. Â A quick glance at their menu and you might be thinking of just typical bar junk. Â But scroll down... there's more!
I ordered the corned beef and cabbage and my friend ordered the smoked BBQ butt. Â Still not expecting much, we were surprised when the plates arrived. Â First, the presentation of the dishes was much nicer than you'd expect from a pub. Â Secondly, the taste of the food was excellent. Â It was almost out of place -- it could very well have been served at a nicer restaurant. Â On top of that the prices are very reasonable for the quality and quantity. Â ( I presume that they want to encourage you to spend more money on the beer! )
Service was great -- keeping in mind that I went when it was not very crowded. Â Our waitress had perfect timing -- she checked in right when we needed her, but stayed away enough to not be annoying.
It is rare to find a place so satisfying in most every way. Â Since I walked out I've not stopped thinking about when I'm going to go next. Â Give it a try!
This place is so great. I just got back from going to lunch and enjoying a couple of beers at Johnnis Mac's and was very impressed. I've been wanting to try this place out for a while and since i'm in the area for a day or so i thought i'd walk over and check it out.
The atmosphere is perfect. This place is really all about one thing, thats awesome food and drink. I had the corned beef and cabbage..... hoy crap.... i've never had it so well done. They serverd it with garlic mashed potatoes and a grilled tomato. WOW. is all i can say. i really hope i'm out here tomorrow so i can try the fish and chips.
Now to business. This place has more whisky than any where else i've seen save the Vortex in little 5, and its good stuff, not JD. The prices are really great for single malts, not many more than about $7-8 a pour. The beer selection was good but not as broad as Daniel A. seemed to think. They had a few good belgians and all the english/irish/scottish standards plus a few wierdos, i had a japanese hefeweizen if that means anything to you.
The staff was friendly but i really just talked with Patty the bartender, she was excellent. Its decorated well and looks like it would be a really great place to come on the weekends, i'm guessing monday afternoon isn't the best time for a place like this. Oh and the patio looks really good, it has a fireplace, gotta love that.
Go here for a beer & company, not for the food. Â Love the history of this place, but... Â I grew up on bland british food, and can make shepherds pies taste a whole lot better than that. Â So, when the Irish Bar crowd is back in town, I'll go for an ale, and listen to them rave about how authentic the place is.
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