I hear lots of stories about the owner of MacGregor's. Â His fits of pique with staff and city officials are legend and why he shut down locations in Fairport and the South Wedge (I particularly miss the one in Faiport on 31). Â As a consequence, you see a lot of turnover in staff including managers and that can make for uneven experiences.
The food is so so, but MacGregor's doesn't really pretend to be a restaurant. Â They're really a bar with food. Â And since they offer more beers on tap than anyone else in the area, I love them for that alone. Â We often go to the Empire location because they're open late and when my wife is doing something with local theatre, we might not be ready to eat until 9:30 or 10 and Rochester is not the place to go looking for late night meals. Â In that respect, they're always predictable. Â Kudos for a good job, not a great one. Â Like Hope, I like the waffle fries but you can't live on fries alone, unless you're at Five Guys . Â . Â .
Tons of beers on tap. Â Decent bar menu, good wings. Â I had the pretzel as an app and a small order of wings (you can order half dozens which is nice if you don't need a full order).
I was hoping the pretzel would be like the fresh one I had at Rohrbachs. Â I could be wrong but I think it was a frozen one. Â It was pretty hard and over cooked. Â I wouldn't get it again. Â
The restaurant is pretty big. Â We ate at the bar. Â Service was pretty good. Â I don't know what else to say, it's a solid place and I'd go back again and again, but it's not my favorite place ever. Â
The beer menu is what makes this place.
This is my favorite MacGregors location. Not as many taps as Jefferson Rd or downtown, but much newer, pleasant and clean dining room and bar. Â Less d-bags than other locations. Great large TVs. I've never had a problem with the service. The food tastes just like the other MacGregors, with the highlight being the waffle fries. Lots of parking in the back lot and close to the bay. If you're out paddling or kayaking on Irondequoit Bay this summer, MacGregors is the perfect place to quench your thirst!
Review Source:MacGregors is a good old pub. Big bar with a zillion taps. Great selections for every taste and price range. Decent service, sports on tv for people who care about having sports on tv, classic rock on the speakers (they have a jukebox too, I think).
Food is excellent. I come here just for food sometimes. Broccoli and cheese soup gets special mention.
It can get loud, crowded, busy. It's a bar. But I've gotten a table and had nothing but beers, and the servers have always allowed it. If you can sit at the bar, I recommend it. You can see all the pretty taps!
Fun story: Back in 1984, my parents attempted to go into MacGregors with a tiny Hannah E. Because it was after 9, the bouncer refused to let them in, even though they assured him they just wanted dinner and would not be sneaking their one-year old any booze. He was unrelenting and my father refused to set foot in MacGregors until I was 18.
The food is consistently going down hill yet up in price here. In the last several years I've watched them just slide into the drain. The service is hit or miss, and the turn around is deplorable since from what I've been told be many ex employees, the owners care nothing for the employees or the customers. Beer selection is great, but a bit over priced. G to tap and mallet instead. (Ironically in the building the old macgregors on Gregory street used to be).
Review Source:I loved MacGregors on Gregory street and enjoyed the one in Perinton so was excited to have one open closer to home. The food has always been mediocre at this location. Just recently I went with friends and ordered a taco salad that took 40 minutes to show up. One of the three of us received their food 20 minutes before the rest of us. The shell had tipped over and the salad spilled out and this is how it was served to me. When I made a comment about it the bartender totally blew me off. The beef was cold and the bartender was more interested in chatting with co workers and some obvious regulars then clean the plates in front of us. He walked by mine 3 times before taking it. APPALLING service and food a big disappointment from what I considered to be a stalwart in the bar food industry of Rochester.
Review Source:If you average the 1-star service with the 5-star beer list, this place gets a solid 3.
We came in about 5. We waited at the bar to get a drink for 15 minutes while the bartenders kept making eye contact then quickly looking away. We then sat down at a table in the main bar area that had some empty glasses and a pitcher on it. We thought we could get some snack foods. An hour later, the server had never talked to us, though she did grab about 1/2 of the glasses from the table. Worst service I have ever had at a brew-pub style place.
The beer list is fantastic though. Some of my favorites and complete offerings of some great micro-brews. It was tough to figure out what to get, so many great options. It would be great if they could get some beers on nitro, that would make it one of the best.
Other than bad service and great beer, i can't rate anything else.
If you are looking for a great selection of fresh draft beers the search is over!! This place has more beer on draft than I have ever seen. I have been here about 8 times the food is always good nothing great but worth the price. The service seems to depend on where you sit inside the bar is consistently good. Out back In the corner is a little slower but not bad. Come here for the beer selection and bar service. The bartenders know their beer to make good recommendations.
Review Source:MacGregors was a great place to meet up with  a girlfriend I had not seen in a long time.
The bar was really large and there were plenty of options for seating. Â We selected the bar.
The beer selection was great and the bartenders offered me samples of different kinds until I found the perfect one. Magic something or other, a wheat ale.
There were a couple of slimeballs that lingered a little too close to us.
And the parking lot could be dangerous if you're single and alone, so walk out to the car together.
I'll be sure to make this a meet up spot with friends in the future when I'm back in town.
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