4 stars for the food, it was pretty good bar food, nice wings, and a huuuuuuge plate of nachos that I enjoyed. 2 stars for the bartender he wasn't very attentive, and 3 stars for service at the table. Will go back for those nachos soon. They also have a nice outdoor smoking deck. Good beer selection but not quite cold enough, I like that they have Spaten beers, the Germans and especially the Bavarians are the masters of beer globally in my book.
Review Source:After a long day at Niagara Falls, my friend visiting from DC insisted we have a late dinner at MacGregor's. Being from RIT, he had fond memories of many a night spent here with many a (cheap) beer.
Our party of 6 was seated quickly. Our server was attentive and answered our questions. MacGregor's has revamped their menu since the last time I went (which was to watch the World Cup Final in 2006...). The menu seems more streamlined and more restaurant-y (vs bar). My friend insisted on getting their loaded fries (known as Tremendous Fries) on the menu. We got the bacon on the side and the fries were still amazing. They use real cheese (no Velveeta here!) and it was insanely delicious. We also tried the Irish Nachos (waffle fries loaded with chili, cheese, jalapenos, olives, scallions, etc) and they were also very good. The chili had a slight kick to it. Thanks to my other friends, I also got to sample the curly and sweet potato fries - also delicious.
Then, things started going a little downhill for me. Their menu states they make their own bread and meat (roast beef, turkey, etc). I ordered the roast beef on kimmelweck. I ordered the garden salad as a side after my server told me it was an iceberg/romaine blend. When my meal arrived, the roast beef looked more like thickly sliced steak. Sounds deliciously beefy, right? Wrong. Every other bite was tough, chewy and sinewy. The bites in between were still an exercise for my jaw. The bun itself was warm, salty and good. The garden salad was mainly brown iceberg lettuce with some shredded carrots, tomatoes, etc. I literally had 2 bites. The wasabi vinaigrette I ordered turned out to be closer to a creamy dressing...the white balsamic lime dressing I got after I sent the wasabi one back tasted fresh and light.
My friends enjoyed their cheeseburger and fish fry. One of them remarked that their reuben sandwich tasted like cinnamon. We narrowed down the bread as the source of the cinnamon-y flavour  - maybe it is just how their rye tastes? A friend also ordered the Stout flight. He loved most of it (apparently Victory Storm King was too bitter for him) and he thought it was a good deal at $9.
In summary, all their fried potato products were on money and that is a challenging feat to pull off for any restaurant. Alas, I am trying to eat healthy and therefore, the fact that the salad was mostly brown lettuce is a bigger deal to me.
Would I go back to MacGregor's? Yes, if someone wanted to and definitely as a much better alternative to the Distillery. If I were you, I would just skip the side salad and roast beef, and head straight for the tremendous fries and Irish nachos.
I love MacGregor's! I don't know why I have waited so long to review it. This is definitely their best location.
They have so many beers on tap, and a nice little menu to help guide you.
I know most of the bartenders fairly well, and most of them do a really good job mixing drinks. I often like to get a long island iced tea here, it's a lot of bang for your buck. Though there definitely have been times when the bartenders have made it a little "off" but when this happens it is definitely off in a overly strong way, than in a watered down way so I guess it could be worse.
The bar food is pretty good too. I've had the nacho's before and they are an intense amount of food. You are going to want to share them.
The place is pretty mellow, not too loud, lots of places to sit, and some games to play if you get bored. Even when they get busy, it's still not too overwhelming, and there are pretty much always places to sit.
Service, to be honest, was terrible. The waitress was very slow at what she was doing. We had a table of 12 and she took almost an hour to do our checks. Thankfully there were some arcade machines nearby so we entertained ourselves with those in the meantime.
The food was OK. Everything was a bit too dry for my taste. I had a tuna BLT with onion rings. Onion rings were very over-fried and hard to eat. The tuna BLT was actually very nice in terms of flavor but was also very dry...The tuna kind of sat there like a large block and made it very hard to take a bite out of.
Overall it was a decent place and my accompanying party of friends enjoyed their drinks. I wouldn't mind coming here again but it's not my first choice. The biggest issue was the service.
This MacGregors has an amazing number of draft beers, a good assortment of televisions and an above-average food menu. Why only 3 stars?
8 years ago this place would've been 4 stars without thinking for me. In the last decade, however, the local chain has expanded its locations without putting any effort into maintaining its powerhouse one. The sign outside is faded and weathered and the paint is peeling and chipped. The TVs inside are embarrassingly old, especially when you consider that small dive bars have better equipment. The furniture is old and the bar is worn. It makes me upset actually - MacGregors, don't you care about your Henrietta location?
Despite the slide towards entropy, this place still offers a variety of beers that no other place can match and manages to be laid-back and unpretentious. Fried food here is great and you won't ever feel pressured to look or act a certain way to be accepted as a customer.
If you're looking to expand your repertoire in beer, this is the perfect place - they serve just about everything in the half pint option so you can dabble without committing. Thumbs up!
The Henrietta MacGregors is the largest of their locations, and with that comes an absurd number of tap selections. We're talking in the neighborhood of 150 beers on tap at any given time. If you can't find something to drink here, you are either extraordinarily fussy, or the highest order of beer snob (and yes, unfortunately beer snobs do exist). One of the downsides to having so many beers on tap is that they don't rotate very quickly, so sometimes the beer can start tasting a bit "off". Â Ask for a sample first if you are nervous about your selection.
The food at MacGregors is very good pub food. Â The Irish nachos are very tasty, and the wings are great. Â The signature sandwiches are also very tasty, and the large packs a ton of meat into the sandwich. Â Basically you build your own sandwich by selecting your own meat, bread, cheese, and condiments. Â Their pizzas aren't my favorite, but there definitely are plenty of other things on the menu to satisfy me. Â The Brooklyn Burger is amazing. Â It's basically a half pound burger with a reuben stacked on top. Â Yes, it's as good as it sounds.
The bartenders at this location range from totally, completely inept (like you'll sit there for 10 minutes without a beer when there are less than 10 people at the bar) to very good. Â I've actually walked out of this place after 10 minutes without a beer. Â Yes, I could have waved down a bartender or yelled for one, but Lovin' Cup is right down the street, so I just said screw it and took off. Â It's great that you want to talk to your buddy and everything, but hows about you get me a beer first? Â Then you can talk all you want. Â Other times, the bartenders have been great.
Beer and wings... I'm in! This place is a perfect casual bar to spend time with the best of friends. I love love love their wings. Just the right amount of sauce, nice and spicy with a crispy exterior to keep the meat juicy. They have loads of taps... you'll have lots to choose from. I like to order the 11oz. to get a taste of a few different options. Be warned that some of the lines aren't super clean on the beers that don't rotate or get poured as often as the more popular brews. I like the square bar. You can have a good chat with some of the bartenders there and taste some of the new beers on tap like the local breweries... Naked Dove, Custom Brewcrafters, 3 Heads... the list goes on... Service has always been good here and friendly bartenders to keep you company.
Their Irish Nachos are killer. Waffle fries can do no wrong in my book. Of course their wings are #1 - I stick with medium sauce. That's just spicy enough for me. Continuing on the Buffalo sauce train - the Buffalo Burger is a must. Love that crumbly bleu atop a burger and the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich is beyond delicious. Lightly breaded and topped with a cabbage bleu cheese slaw. Literally the best combo. Clearly, I'm in a buffalo sauce mood when I eat here. Why not!
This was my favorite "college bar" hangout. The beer selection is huge and the prices are fair. The bartenders are very attentive, even when the bar is packed. Not a five star rating because the food is typical boring (although great when drunk) bar food; wings, mozzarella sticks, etc.
Review Source:I am biased and in my mind its 5 star. Â I went to RIT and we came here constantly for beer, Best selection anywhere, we were regulars and loved the place. Â The food is good, not great but its a bar with hundreds of beers (try the tremendous fries). The staff was great but the management lays people off all the time.
Review Source:Holy Wowza. Â
All I can say is the taps at this place are good enough to get any sort of a beer fan to come back and try all their beers for ages. Â
The foot was quite tasty, and while pondering between hot and mild wings, we went with the Medium. Â And holy hades did those pack a little heat! Â I was using up napkins on my forehead just to look decent!
I was there for work and found myself having at least 5 beverages, and with a bartender that was more than willing to give me a sample of any beer I wanted, I was content as content could be. Â
Very good for getting into the mind of your customer, and to find out their real budget price for what you're working on. *evil grin*
Next time I'm in town? Â I'm going to spend a day here.
As a RIT alumni, this bar was one of my favorite college hang outs. It is true that the food is a hit or miss... don't even try the fried calamari there (if it's still on the menu) cause the last time I had it, it was sooooo chewy that I couldn't even digest it. Beer specials can be great. Bartenders, not so much. There were a couple that were AMAZING and so sociable while others were meatheads or just plain rude. The one thing that I LOVED about this place was that it had 2 dartboards and 2 pool games and 2 arcade games, so it was always so convenient to come out here to play a couple of games and socialize with my friends over a pitcher of beer, too.
So, since the last time I came up for a visit, I saw that the RIT campus has now extended their "mini-village" of stores, restaurants, and a bar that is merely a walk away from classes. I am sure that ever since this expansion has happened, Mac's has lost a lot of customers? Perhaps, but I am sure that the older crowd of college students still come out to Mac's as there is no need to carry a fake ID anymore.
Even if there's been a lot of changes, I'll still call Mac's my bar away from home whenever I am in Rochester. It just a MUST to come in for a pitcher! I hope it stays alive and stays grinding for many more years to come. Love y'all!
Well, Macgregor's isn't anything special to me. I only attend if my friends wants to go there. Their food is a-ok, and their selection of drinks isn't satisfying to me.
If you're a beer or wines type of person, I'd recommend you to go to this place since they have a wide variety of selections compared to TC Rileys.
The environment is pretty cool, if you're in the mood to watch football, play darts, or pool, this is the kind of place I would come to do so.
This place is NOTHING LIKE the original McGregor's on Gregory Street in Rochester! Â The Jefferson Rd place is "plastic," without warmth, and lacks any modicum of charm and warmth and comfort. Â Mike and crew at the original one...were simply the best! Â The burgers were great. Â After a day of doing autopsies....the original McGregor's crew knew exactly what I wanted to eat and drink. Â Friday nights were very friendly, with the mingling of all sorts of people. Â What remains of that place now....is NOTHING compared to the original McGregor's on Gregory Street.
Dr. Doug/Washington State
Had lunch here today with coworkers. I ordered the massive club and maybe I misread the menu, but it wasn't what I expected. The sandwich was drenched in butter/grease and grilled. I thought it was way too greasy and heavy, and it left me feeling nauseous hours later.
Next time I'll try a different dish and hopefully have better luck.
Four stars for one of the very best beer selections, particularly meaning draft beer, available in the area. The food, however, is merely OK food, and not a reason to visit Mac Gregor's.
I admit that I happen to enjoy indulging in various beers, small batch crafted beers in particularly, and thought they don't have that many exotics, it is on that count Mac Gregor's delivers in the Rochester area.
An odd thing about Rochester which is generally known for its beers, what with the Genesee Brewery, one would think that most establishments in Rochester would carry a wide variety, but such is simply not the case. Matter of fact I've never been able to find Genesee Cream Ale on tap in Rochester and few of their brewery products. Genesee didn't even have a booth, display or show table that I could find at the last Taste of Rochester event. So, it is in this niche that Mac Gregor's shines, and to that degree edges out the Dinosaur as well as the Tap & Mallet.
If you love beer you will love MacGregor's. Whether you are brand loyal or looking to try something new; MacGregor's is the place for the beer lover. I am not sure the exact number they have on tap but i believe its over 75.
I love my IPAS. Anything from Southern Tier or Brooklyn is good. I highly suggest Brooklyn Blast (which is Seasonal/Occasional). It is delicious!
Also if you are looking for a decent bar snack, the nachos are good. They are not amazing but they get the job done.
I love my micro-craft suds and MacGregor's seriously delivers on the beer. Â More specially on draft beer than bottles. Â I really think that their taps are unmatched in Rochester, (Tap and Mallet gives 'em a run but I think in quantity Mac is the home run) Â They don't necessarily have the more obscure breweries and ales/largers etc, for if you are dying for that Budweiser or Labatts, they have it. Â MacGregor's has more of the beer you'll find at your favorite Wegmans, it's craft but more middle of the road. Â This also lets you figure out what six-er you want to buy next at Weggies or Beers of the World instead of being disappointed when you don't like the taste.
  MacGregor's not only has constantly rotating taps to keep every trip an adventure but also daily specials on food and beer to save you some cash.  So why not 5 stars?  In my opinion the food was just middle of the road.  I got the chipotle chicken panni and it was just ok.  The same with the sandwich my buddy ordered.  Nothing special.  Your typical average bar food.
 Off to the side of the bar there is also darts and a pool table to enjoy when the pitchers start to get ordered.  Weekend nights I've seen it packed when driving by but the Thursday we visited was hardly busy.  Come for the beer though, you'll be impressed when you find your next favorite brew like I did (brooklyn cuvee noire)!
Bear in mind that before the huge extension to RIT was built, and this was still the closest bar, students still generally avoided it. It wasn't because they couldn't use their fakes (they could), or because it wasn't convenient (it was), or even because it was overpriced (it still is). It was because of the absolutely hostile anti-student staff. I still find that amusing. Oddly, the RIT professors are quite regular here.
The food is pretty bad. It's generally overcooked to burnt overall, and the selection is standard Rochester fare. About the only thing really delicious on the menu is their "T" fries, but you'd better hope the staff brings it out quickly before it congeals into a solid mass. Their wings are an embarrassment to the Niagara region.
The one thing they DO have in abundance is beer, but it's hit or miss. The have some ridiculous number of beers on tap, like 100, but a good portion of them aren't popular at all, and you can tell which ones by what's on special as they try to kick kegs before they go from partially to fully skunked. Seriously...any beer on special here will be half skunked so think twice before you decide to save that extra dollar. They also refuse to put Labatt Blue on tap here because if they did, they'd have no chance in hell of selling their more esoteric beers before they went completely bad.
I can't say I'm sorry that new bars opened up across the street. With any luck the lost business will either force the owners to change their business practices or it will die a slow death. Either would be great.
I think this is a great local place. Â Right up the road from the hotel I was staying at, I stopped in here for a beer or two and stayed for a few hours. Â While it was a Saturday night, I expected this place would be a bit more crowded than it was, but glad it wasn't.
I was amazed at their selection of beer -- I am told they had over 150 to choose from. Â I ordered some appetizers and was planning ordering dinner as well, but the appetizers -- a plateful of yummy nachos and an order of wings -- filled me up plenty. Â I had one of the local beers (I always love to try new beers when I travel) -- try the Smutty Nose Brown Dog a nice beer.
Overall the prices were right, the folks were friendly and the atmosphere was fairly lively. Â Stop on in when you are in the neighborhood if you need a night out.
I love Mac's for their environment and the service. I am not big on their food, though. It is very salty, heavy and filling (but if you like that sort of thing, then dig in, because they do a good job with that). This is a very social place and I really enjoy going with friends for a couple drinks.
Review Source:Although my chicken sandwich was eh- the atmosphere and beer selection make me a fan. The service was very friendly and helpful- especially when trying to assist me in selecting a beer I would like. Our waitress was so enthusiastic for me to try the beer I ordered- and it was a great recommendation, because I loved it. If you love beer, playing pool or darts- you will love MacGregor's. I need to try the wings the next time I go...
Review Source:I really can't sing the praises of MacGregor's enough. Â I absolutely love this place. Â You can't really go wrong with the food. Â The beer the have is extensive as advertised. Â It's true that they don't carry beer "staples" for a bar but the bartenders are knowledgeable enough to tell you what is close to what your used to. Â However, I suggest being adventurous in the beers you choose while your here because your new favorite beer might just be on the tap, you just dont know it because your scared of not seeing anything familiar.
Review Source:Let me start by saying Denise-they don't have crap beer. That's why most people like them.
For dinner, they're fine. Just don't EVER hold an event there. Manager is an ass and was unsympathetic to our issues. Sure it was a Friday night, but our bill was over $1200, we could have gotten a better response. Waitresses were awesome, not their fault, just needed another one and for the food to come out quicker and warmer.
mmmm, wings! The caesar salad is mediocre at best but wings, wings, WINGS! Yummy. We just don't get good wings in California. I am also wooed by the tremendous beer selection! I must've taken more than ten minutes to make up my mind! The barkeep was totally cool and let us taste some of the beers that sounded interesting. This place is just up the street from where YP grew up so I'll undoubtedly be back! Mmmm, WINGS!
Review Source:After getting out of Rochester for good, MacG's is one of the few things that I miss. Â Never did get through all the beers on tap, but that's ok. Â Â Sitting so close to RIT makes it an easy walk even in the middle of February, and close enough to Hess that when you run out of smokes you don't have to go far. Â If you're looking for a bar in Rochester that's good for just about anyone, MacGregor's is as good as it gets.
Review Source:Anyone giving this place less than a 4 really hasn't explored bars outside of the upstate area. I took this place for granted and now that I've spent some time were I grew up in central Mass and moved to NYC I really miss places like MacGregor's.
The only reason I took off one star (and almost took off another) is that the service here is usually god awful. Expect to be standing by the bar for awhile before getting the bartenders attention. The last time we came here we ordered loaded fries and never got them even after reminding the bartender 3 times over 45 min. What a crappy experience that was.
Anyway on to the good stuff, the wrap around bar is the largest I've ever seen; the beer selection is absolutely huge; the beers they give you are actually a bit bigger than any other bar; and the food when you do get it is pretty good. If you're coming here to eat, don't go to the bar, just get seated by a waitress and you shouldn't have any issues getting food even on a busy night. Â And the biggest selling point of MacGregor's is that they have a couple video gaming machines, two electronic dart boards, and two pool tables insuring that you can have a great time here.
You now have an option, they opened a MacGregor's in Webster,NY (about 30min north of Henrietta), I hear they service is a bit better and it's a little less crowded on busy nights.
We were sick of the hotel bar, and the concierge recommended this place to us. Â Typical pub style bar except they didn't have Bud light, Heineken or any of the typical beers we tried to get. Â Had a pool table though and darts so that evened out the lack of beer selection for me, but maybe not the guys we were with. Â Regardless of that, we had a great time and will be back the next time we are in town, even if the locals weren't super friendly.
Review Source:What can I say, it's good beer and good people. I used to frequent this bar in college. It has over 130 beers on tap and better than average bar food. I have SO many good memories from here, but a lot of that has to do with the people that came with me. It is a very relaxed environment to hang out with friends. During the few nice days in Rochester each year, the outdoor seating is amazing. The bar is a huge square, allowing for way above average "at bar" seating. Don't expect magic, just a great place to unwind after a hard day. Try the Hoegaarden if you like Belgian wheat bears. McGregor's house beers are made by an awesome little local brewery. Not to be missed.
Review Source:Good place. Lots of stuff from local brewers. My favorite is the Ithaca Smoked Porter. They stopped serving it my friend said but I always ask. That poured with a plate of tremendous fries is so good. But whenever I am looking for something new, the daily special stout of porter is usually pretty good. IF you are lucky enough to have the Brooklyn porter or the mocha Porter on special during your visit, try it out. Fish and Chips are good too.
Review Source:Beer is excellent. Â Stouts and Draughts and Pales and Pints.
This is a swell place. Â Really.
It gets a little packed (predictably) on Friday/Sat nights, but if you're there any other time, get some appetizers (also very good) and play darts or something.
If you want something grungier, go to Daisy Dukes.
If you want something gothier, go to Vertex.
If you want something pubbier, go to the Old Toad.
If you want something cheaper, go to Wegmans.
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