After hearing much negative feedback about the environment here, we decided to try it for ourselves. The food was excellent, the service was prompt and our server was very attentative! There weren't any people in the restaurant except for a few at the bar, well be trying this restaurant again!
Review Source:This is a tough one for me to review. I visited Mackey's for the first time last week. And I had a good time ... too good of a time, unfortunately. Being a friendly guy, I struck up bar conversations with some patrons, and after last call invited a couple of guys back to my place for another beer. I know ... stupid and sketchy move, and it wound up biting me in the rear ... one of the guys stole my wife's purse. (Someone found her ID in the middle of the road and returned it this weekend.)
Still, I can't fault the place for my stupidity ... but I can judge them for the clientele that they keep. Mackey's is a dark, smoky, divey Irish bar in old town Manassas. It's the type of place that I usually dig, the type of place that I used to hang out at all the time. It reminded me of my neighborhood Irish pub hangouts in Gaithersburg. But it's also the type of place that I'm probably too old to be hanging out in any more.
And I happened upon here on pure chance ... my usual spot in Old Town Manassas was closing early for renovations, and I was looking for a spot for beer and a bite to eat. They were open, had a decent beer selection, and still serving food, so I decided to give it a shot. The beer selection is your standard Irish pub fare - the usual NASCAR beers and British imports - but with a couple of surprising selections like Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager, and both Fat Tire and Shift from New Belgium. I'd prefer more local microbrews, but with 20+ beers overall, this is a pretty good selection for an Irish pub.
As for the food, I wasted little time scouring the menu after seeing that they were still serving a Shepherd's Pie. It was pretty good - the beef mixture had a nice flavor and the mashed potatoes had a good consistency.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned incident has left a sour taste in my mouth and I won't be going back to Mackey's anytime soon. But is that the fault of Mackey's? Mostly not. So I'll give them 3 stars .... which is pretty much about right for this place.
They have the best steak I have ever had. Â Try the druken sirloin. Â I got the petite and it is the best steak in the world. Â I love how they have guiness on tap and service was great.
Only reason they did not get 5 stars is due to the appearance. Â I know it is a neighborhod pub, but a little tlc goes a long way.
Regardless I am going back.
Basically, it's where all the backwash of Manassas go to feel cool. Â Pretty much a crowd of overgrown teenagers trying to stay relevant and a staff that constantly tries to act like they're too "cool" to work there. Â It's actually kind of depressing when you frequent there enough only to see the same people and the same ungrateful/indifferent staff and the same sticky floor. Â They don't even have pool tables or any entertainment outside of those cheesy bar booth arcades. Â The food is just okay.
The owner, Dan Mackey, is an utter tool. Â My last and without a doubt FINAL time there was when I ordered a pitcher of beer and paid in cash. Â While I was searching my pocket to throw a buck his way, he leans in on me and says with a snotty tone, "Just so you know, it's customary to tip." Â I almost wanted to just throw the beer in his fat face...but that's no way to treat beer. Â As someone who has personally worked in the food industry, he and the rest of his godawful crew should realize by now that tips are EARNED by fast service and courteous manners. They're NOT just haphazardly handed out and you certainly don't throw little tantrums when someone doesn't reward your pisspoor service and attitude. Â Not only is he extremely rude to the patrons, but I know damn sure that he does not need to live on tip money like the rest of the staff. I cannot stress enough how slow he is while working the bar too. Â Expect a good 10 minutes before the arrogant sap even gets around to taking your order.
Go to Hard Times on Sudley. Â There's usually a bigger turnout of people with more events going on and it's still smoker friendly. Â They have mostly good servers and a few somewhat crappy ones, but it's been a pretty staple bar for me the last couple years. Â The managers are actually very social too. Â There's always at least one making rounds and making sure everyone's having a good time.
Dan Mackey has the best of both worlds here. A neighborhood bar downstairs and a finer dining restaurant upstairs. I'm more the neighborhood bar type, as you may have seen by my other reviews. I look for friendly staff, very casual atmosphere, Â COLD BUDWEISER and allows smoking. Â The fact that the food is exceptional is just another plus. We usually will eat the pub grub, but if you get the chance, the drunken rib eye dinner is fantastic. Parking can be problematic, since it's right in Old Town Manassas, but the public parking garage is a block away. Â We usually ride over, so we can find parking right next to the main entrance, behind some of the other parking places.
Friday nights music is usually provided by a DJ, but they have had live bands on Saturdays. When that happens, either get there early, or be prepared to stand all night. The place is packed! During the week, a TouchTunes jukebox provides the music. If you have the app for the Android or iPhone, you can log in and keep the "young'uns" from playing their music. ;-)
Unfortunately, Dan is a Dallas Cowboys fan, so expect a lot of blue and silver during the season...
I came here because I had a coupon. It's in Old Town Manassas - don't be fooled!
The waiter was very nice and friendly - I felt like I was talking to my dad! I ordered the french toast with cheesy mash. Since I was with my family, I didn't order anything to drink (though I heard their alcoholic drinks are good) and sat upstairs.
Everyone thought their food was great!!! The only complain I have about mine is that I wish that they used a slightly bigger plate because my cheesy mash was all up in my french toast, which made it taste like it. My brother's onion rings were TO DIE FOR. They minced them and beer battered them so they onion doesn't come out! Their bread tastes like it's homemade - so yummy!
Also, you're crazy if you don't get the spinach and artichoke dip - so very good!
I don't like that they still allow smoking in the actual bar area and that the chairs/booths were kinda sticky. I also wish they had handicap accessible ramps upstairs.The only reason I won't problem I probably won't come back is because it was a long-ish drive for me. But I do recommend it!
A friend and I visited for lunch with a groupon. Â We went in the main level to be greeted with maybe 2 people sitting at the bar and the room smelling of cigarette smoke. Â We asked if we could go upstairs, hoping maybe there were more people...there weren't. Â We were completely alone.
The service was ok, the food was ok. Â Didn't like having to go upstairs, and kind of turned off that noone else was in there at lunch time. Â Will probably try to visit another establishment for our next lunch outing.
Mackey's is now considered a second home. The hubby and I went last week for a quick lunch and we were pleasantly surprised by the food (they hubby is a trained chef, so he is pretty particular). I had the petite drunken ribeye and there was nothing 'petite' about it (for $10, it was a very nice sized cut). They cooked it exactly to order (rare)...since then, we've gone a few more times and there's consistency to their pub fare. I've ordered the petite ribeye three times already, without complaint. The hubby has had the club sandwich, crab cake sandwich, and the reuben...all passed muster with him.
Every server we have met has greeted us with a smile and good conversation. This is what a local pub bar should aim for.
I would rank it 5 stars, but the hubby insists they add chili dogs to their menu! BUT they do serve breakfast all day long (we haven't tried that yet though).
**Looks like they do have chili dogs! (Thanks for the heads up Dan)
Here is a bar that has held it's own for many years, always a favorite among manassas regulars. The building has been through many name and ownership changes, but has held on to it's overall charm. It's everything you could expect from a typical pub, good beer selection and the bartenders pour a pretty good cocktail. The food is certainly above par as pub fare goes and your portions won't leave behind any hunger pains.
I reccomend families come during lunch or earlier dinner hours, as the typical evening guests may not be the best models of behavior. The owner is a great guy, always around and willing to chat with patrons. If you're a sports fan, you should check this spot out for a game. The walls are literally lined with flat screens, and they've always got something like sports center on.
Overall it's certainly not my favorite bar, but it has it's place.
I was here a few months ago and just got around to writing this. Â While the service was fine and the food okay, I was very disappointed in the integrity of this place. Â I tipped 3.00 on a 15 dollar tab only to find out that someone had increased my tip to 33. Â No amount of negotiation with the management resulted in a refund. Â I will never go here again...and be warned and make sure you put a $ sign before the amount, not only here but anywhere. Â I even take a picture of my signed receipts as proof.
Review Source:Another good place for wings but that's all I had, I was considering ordering more but that will have to wait till next visit. Â I was looking for someplace else and ended up here. Â Its your typical bar but service and food were good. Â They do allow smoking (which I don't have a problem with even though I'm not a smoker) so don't go to this place expecting a quiet intimate date
Review Source:Mackey's is the only place in town where you can walk into, and see 5- 10 people you know... Which is why most people go to Mackey's. Their drink prices are pretty cheap though, making it a good pick for happy hour. The atmosphere however, leaves much to be desired. It can be pretty entertaining though; I have seen some of the funniest drunk moments at this bar, however there are also quite a few fights that break out on a regular basis as well. I'd say, if you live in the Manassas area and you're just looking to stay local and meet up with some friends... hit up Mackeys. If you're looking for an exciting night out on the town to meet tons of people that you don't already know, you might want to try Georgetown or Clarendon.
Review Source:Had a meeting in Manassas today and the owner was sitting next to me. Â He invited everyone to walk over to his place to have lunch. Â A pretty typical bar atmosphere with above average bar food and steaks. Â I had the Chicken Philly with fresh veggies. Â The sandwich came out on a fresh crusty sub roll with fresh grilled chicken, onions, peppers, mushrooms and their own cheese sauce. Â The veggies were hot, seasoned and tasty. Â My coworker got a 12 oz. steak with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob for $14. Â Pretty great deal! Â She said the steak was tasty, also. Â Good food at great prices. Â If you're ever in Downtown Manassas, I would suggest stopping in for some grub!
Review Source:We chose this place to redeem a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.restaurant.com&s=8cac03c1efb29efee41b3411fe3b107de69265557b5804295adb319e7abd90ce" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.restaurant.com</a> promotional coupon and were pleasantly surprized overall.
We read the YELP reviews. We're non-smokers, and don't care for noisy local-dive-pub scene, so we went at lunchtime. We sat in the pub (smoking) section downstairs--wife likes booths for seating.
The decor is exposed brick walls, new hardwood floors, large screen TVs with sports channels tuned in.
We had the buffalo chicken wings for an appetizer. Overall they were good. Seasoning had a nice twist that I couldn't isolate. Wife likes spicy wings so we asked for extra spice dipping sauce on the side  and they obliged, along with blue cheese (not ranch) dressing and celery sticks (included).
I had the crab cakes, french fries, and fresh broccoli with cheese sauce. The broccoli was good, but they were drowning in the cheese sauce (a bit much). The fries were quite good. The crab cakes seemed to be predominantly claw meat with some green filler that I could not tell what it was, but it was just OK (3.0 on a 5.0). Next time I will order a different entree.
Wife had the drunken delmonico steak rare, and it was excellent. Seemed to have been marinated for flavor, too. Nicely grilled to order. She also had mixed fresh vegetables, that were mostly green and yellow squash, along with onions and some peppers (green and red). She also had the fried onion rings which were the best I have had around here.
Overall, we were pleased with the meal and the service. Yes, drinks (water) are served in quart pitchers which is great since I have "dry mouth" and have to drink a lot when eating (I had two pitchers).
To borrow a page from Arnold, "I'll be back."
We ate here Sunday afternoon in the upstairs non-smoking area. Â The dining area upstairs was smaller, older, and quieter compared to a chain restaurant- it was a nice change. Â The only drawback to the dining area was that there was no background music playing so you could hear everyone's conversations. Â The server was friendly and got our orders correct. Â We all enjoyed our dinners. Â Their fries were delicious and were among the best I have eaten. Â We would definitely come here again!
Review Source:Best place I have found in Manassas for Sunday Funday! Â There is one guy who waits on the entire place and works the bar and he is PHENOMENAL. Â The owner is a nice guy too, very personable and nice staff. Â Food is generally great-my husband has loved everything he has ever eaten there. Â I usually do too but I wasn't hot for the nachos last time we were there.
Great place to watch the game and play some bar games, the patrons are generally pretty friendly but we were there on a Sat. night and the younger crowd was more than just a little annoying.
The hubby said poker night gets pretty smokey but overall I love this place! It has that sort of, laid back/dive bar (I mean that in a good way) feel-it isn't for the stuffy. Â I wish they had darts though and a beer garden in the summer would be slammin!
Wasn't sure what to expect. Being new to the area, I had my own expectations set by other places in PA. This is NOT like any of those places. To anyone new going into the pub, there is an upstairs and a downstairs. It isn't really clearly marked and I wasn't certain we were ALLOWED upstairs but I went up anyway. Downstairs there is a bar that has smoking, and since we were going with our kids, we opted for upstairs dining. This is not a posh seafood/red lobster type of place. It's called a PUB, so if you are expecting anything more, I wouldn't eat there. They have their menu posted on the windows. Â I personally found the it to be a local dive/pub atmosphere, but it's a just a disguise. it seems a little run down, but get over it. This is a great place to get PUB food. Â The staff were friendly and attentive. I ordered the Boston Club, my son had mini cheeseburgers, my daughter had spaghetti and my husband had the broiled seafood platter. We all enjoyed our meals and walked away too stuffed to try dessert. While I'm not a fan of restaurants not serving Heinz ketchup, my son looked over that fact because they serve their beverages in mini pitchers. Despite what you may think walking in, it is safe for kids to be there and I think we'll be back for fish and chips in March.
Review Source:So I am a sucker for dives with good food....
I am relatively new to Manassas and well, I finally found a bar that has great food and a nice dive atmosphere to it. Yeah, the decor is dank, a bit cheap, and kinda off putting to some but it isn't that bad. I brought my kid there for lunch so it can't be that awful.
The food: EXCELLENT pub grub! Oh the fish and chips were great! You could actually taste beer in the beer batter! I have heard around the grapevine that the cook came from a resort in Landsdowne. My husband loved the reuben and my friend loved the french dip.
I can't speak much for the after hours bar scene at Mackey's--I just don't get out that much.
If you are expecting a posh, martini bar with swanky decor Mackey's is not for you. If you want to watch a game, have some decent food, and throw back a few this is the place for you!
Had the club sandwhich tonight and I must say it was good (a lot better than I expected). The bread tasted buttery and was toasty and warm, too... they use a different kind of bread than most places, so the club alone gets 5 stars. The atmosphere however....
Unfortunately, the layout is still the same-- with awkwardly placed booths and a general "this place is really old and needs a good overhaul" feeling. It also seems that many of the clientele from Clubhouse had migrated down to Old Town and chose Mackey's as their spot though.. Unfortunate.
BTW Karaoke is now Sunday nights and Tuesday nights. While poker was going on tonight, there was no music playing in the place.
I still maintain the only reason to come is for the bartenders-- and now the club sandwhich.
I agree with Vanessa B.! Â Jake's rocked! Â Once the change occured, I quit going! Â
I went to Jake's more regularly than I'd like to admit, the changes that have taken place since Mackey's arrived have done nothing but discurage me from returning.
After swearing off dining at Mackey's for well over a year, I decided it was time to give em one more try...last Friday night, was exactly that the LAST night or day that I will go there.
The table arrangement limits the bar area seating. Â There were two different musics playing in the same area which were too loud for table conversation, wait staff was very unattentive, and the wait for food was longer than expected.
I had ribs and fries...food was good, medium portion size, odd but fair price.
Parking can seem difficult but is ample, additional parking in garage is very close. Â Lower level only is wheelchair accessible.
**3.5 stars**
My car was ready at the Dodge Dealership in Manassas a day earlier than I was expecting - they called me right at 5:30 pm - so I rushed over before they closed at 7:00 pm to pick up my vehicle.
So I got some dinner afterwards in Old Town Manassas - decided to try Mackey's American Pub - it's a Sports Pub right across the street from the Kilted Nation.
All of the buildings in Old Town Manassas - are well, old. When you walk in to Mackey's - my first impression was that it smelled a tad musty - might be the carpets or something.
I got a small table in a spot where I could see a large flat screen TV displaying the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FPapajohn.com&s=55fe07f7ce77a4bbc2b92f71c0558d39af542e3d3aeba6b2c903da0cfdf72a4f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Papajohn.com</a> bowl game (NC State vs. Rutgers).
I ordered a Raven's Sausage Sub - which is listed on the menu as a spicy Andouille sausage with provolone cheese, grilled peppers and onions on a hoagie roll, and served with french fries. I also ordered a glass of water and a Magner's hard cider. You'll note that many items on the menu have sports team names associated with them.
Food came out - sandwich was very solid - the hoagie roll was excellent! The sausage did not seem spicy at all to me. Maybe they ran out of their normal sausage? Peppers and onions were grilled to perfection. Fries were hot and crisp. Cider was delicious!
Service was attentive. Apparently they have some sort of public poker game or something on Monday evenings - part of the pub is reserved for this game - lots of people were coming in for this.
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