This place is one of my many places I MUST go to when I go back to visit my family. Â I love love love this place so much because not only do you get a lot of food for your money but it the price is unbeatable!
The prime rib is good and the chicken is my favorite shockingly to say.
My boyfriend always thinks I am crazy for always wanting to get the chicken.
But what can I say it is totally worth every cent!
I've been to Mac's Old house a few times before and have recived pretty decent service so I don't want to totally trash the place. Tonight my friend and I went for dinner, got there right at 5:00 and waited to be seated for a few minutes while they sat around and watched tv. We got seated in Lily's section. Â She came over and said hi and waited for us to tell her what we wanted. We ordered our food and drinks and she took off. We got our drinks and soon after our soup and bread. The minestrone is great here and I guess Lily likes it too. Although her eating soup, watching the game and sitting down didn't really effect the speed of service, it is a little weird watching your server eat. I am a server and that is really rude and unsanitary. When she dropped our soup and bread off she literally DROPPED it off and left without saying a word. She came back with our salad and did the same thing, without saying a word, even after we both say thank you....not a word. She came to take our plates and give us a refill.....without saying a word, even after the thank yous. When we got our dinner I was really excited over all the broccoli..it was so mushy and soggy I wanted to spit it out right away. I literally almost gagged. Anyways, my snapper was alright nothing great. We were in and out of the place in 30 minutes. I will go there again but I will definetly request another server.
Review Source:I love this place. Â Awesome food @ a decent price. Â My out of state visitors are always in awe when we dine here. Â Wait staff has always been great....although the bartender seems rather rough and scarey in the evening......Best prime rib EVER...the luchtime cheeseburger also rocks.....done to perfection everytime...anyone not happy with mac's...go back to your chain restaurants for overprocessed generic foods then
Review Source:The food is VERY good. Â Â Â The service? Â not so much. Â Â I went to lunch at 1:30.
There were empty tables. Â Â So, it was busy, but not rushed. Â Â It took me 25 minutes to get trout, which was excellent. Â
 Trout takes 10 min. to cook.  Â
The place is a dark old house . .nothing fancy about it. Â There is NO patio. Â No credit cards, no checks, only a cash business. Â Â But the food is good and not expensive. Â I would call it eatin' out , not dining by any means. Â Â The noise is incredible.
Who knew a dive bar could have such awesome food?? Portions and taste well exceeded my expectations.
What we came for: PRIME RIB! I got the regular cut while my cousins got the extra cut...both were bigger than my face. You will definitely be nursing a food baby after you're done here. We all ordered our meat medium rare and they came out nice, tender, and juicy. I didn't know our sit-down dinner would be three courses--beef minestrone, green salad, and our main entrees (with a huge side of bread and butter too!). And the entrees also came with half a plate of pasta which made it a carbo loaded night. I will replace the pasta with more steamed veggies next time.
What I want to try next time: calimari steak and cajun rubbed prime rib. And I want to try out some of their drinks.
This definitely feels like a place where the locals hang out and it seems like a family-friendly place. It is small so larger groups will have a harder time fitting in (your entire party must be present to be seated).
I trusted the reviews and finally came to this place. Maybe my expectations were too high, but my experience was not good at all. Â
We came for an early dinner on a Tuesday. When we arrived, there were already customers awaiting at the bar. At 5pm, the server came and directed us to a table by the fireplace. Â
PROS: minestrone soup and bread are really good, hence the two stars.
CONS: The place is old. The carpet smells. Silverware was dirty. The server had an ugly attitude towards me. Â We weren't offered refills. The salad old and drenched in dressing. They put too much Cajun rub on the prime rib.
Not my kind of place, not going back.
Visit all the time ! AMAZING minestrone and bread, good calamari steaks, low prices on food and booze, not the place for sissy la-la's- your seated close to others gets loud and bikers frequent this joint ( not unfriendly though ). Only down side is small and going to have a wait. upside- get your minestrone to go if you bring your own container! Ill keep coming back so long as it stays the same or close to it
Review Source:I love this place for two reasons...1. It a local dive place that is part of Antioch's history. It's old, cheap and quaint. 2. Their Minestrone soup and bread!!! It is seriously THE BEST!!! You can even bring in a Tupperware bowl or jar from home and they will load it up for you for a price. Add some yummy bread to go with it!! So good on a cold winter night!
Their menu is small but the portions are plenty! Seating is limited and they are always busy too, so make sure you don't show up at prime dinner time if you want to avoid a wait.
If I had to be picky and say anything negative about Mac's it would be that it closes too early - the party is only getting started at 10pm! Â Uneven floors, tacky wallpaper & a clutter of Harley's parked on the sidewalk should not deter you from stopping at this somewhat 'divey' Â place. Â You will not find any better prime rib at such a great price. Â The fish is good when they have it - Cajun talapia, red snapper and it all comes with their homemade minestrone soup & salad. Â To top it all off you can wash down your meal with the best priced well drinks in Contra Costa (that are not watered down) - it's always happy hour here. Â No need to dress up and impress at Mac's, just put in your name, sip a triple on the porch & enjoy some simple home cooking.
Review Source:Came here on a date night with my man. Already from outside there were alot of people in the patio drinking their drinks. Came in and was seated. Server came right away and got our drink order. I got my usual sex on the beach and my bf got Long island. Boy were our drinks pretty strong. Mine was tolerable, not the best one I've had. The long island on the other hand was disgusting. I guess way toooooo strong. My bf couldn't drink it cuz it was so bad (FYI he is my human disposal and he will eat/drink anything that is decent) but just couldn't drink the drink.
So our minestrone came and it was really good. U can tell it was homemade n not from a can.
The salad then came. Too bad they don't let u pick ur own dressing. It all came with Italian. It was good but my bf would rather have ranch.
We both got the prime rib, but he just went for the bigger one. That thing was huge. Our meats were cooked the way we wanted an they were juicy and yummy!
This place is super cool. I lived in SF for many years, and Mac's reminds me of some of the old joints that are now long gone from San Fran. Low low bar prices. Very nostalgic. Prime rib is fine, especially for the price. My wife likes the calamari. I have been going occasionally over the past 10 years, and it is consistent. Anyone who knitpicks Mac's, well hey, go to Applebees - less crowds at Mac's for those of us who appreciate it.
Review Source:Five stars for what it is..
A fun, quaint, quirky place with good home-cookin'
stick-to-your-ribs, reasonably priced food.
Been around forever.
Had:
Calamari with pasta $10.95 Â Very good!
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/macs-old-house-antioch?select=IdY37RMafhCX6S-67MR-Yg#IdY37RMafhCX6S-67MR-Yg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Hotlinks with jambalaya only on Cajun Tuesday $8.95 Â Deal!!
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/macs-old-house-antioch?select=__vem50nhfzvC3yGVSWbMw#__vem50nhfzvC3yGVSWbMw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
The best of all...
Triple shot bloody Mary $3.50 !!! Â ;) Â A great reason to return.....
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/macs-old-house-antioch?select=djoNW0gUIsgHxCa3Tp_d7A#djoNW0gUIsgHxCa3Tp_d7A">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Check their website for weekday specials...
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/macs-old-house-antioch?select=oHaI2aTbJL_xdy8UhQcN_A#oHaI2aTbJL_xdy8UhQcN_A">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Been there once. Â Definitely will go back!
CASH ONLY!!
Love it. I rave about this place to everyone.
It's a what you see is what you get kind of place. If you go in with super high expectations, you're going to be disappointed. Best to go in with none and then be delightfully surprised by the huge portions and delicious flavors.
The prime rib is to die for and the pasta is right up there. It was like I died and went into food heaven.
I will say that depending on what time you come in, it can take a while to be seated. So as long as you're open to the possibility of hanging out a bit, you're good to go. I really enjoy the atmosphere most of all. It gives me this 'at home' feel and the waiters/waitresses are always nice. Granted, you're not rude to them.
It's ridiculous! Seriously, this place is worth a try - even though I'm not going to say it's the best prime rib I've ever had, like some... I will say it's very good. And for the price, well, that's what would make it the "best". Â There are deals you can find online, plus I believe they have a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon. But even without it, you get soup, salad, bread, pasta, and veggies for a small price.
The only thing cheaper than the menu (which is more or less a pre fixe, I'm sure that's how they keep prices down) - is the bar!! Single, double, and triple pour drinks are next to nothing.
There can be a wait depending on the day and time you go - but wait with drink in hand on the porch out front... it won't kill you to socialize for a little bit. Once you're seated inside (no outdoor seating unfortunately), you get used to the somewhat dimly lit, crowded dining area. Even the walk to the restrooms seems "crowded" but maybe that's the way to stay in business when you aren't charging an arm and a leg. "Cram us in!" I say. Â (It's actually not that bad except at peak hours when people clog the entrance/bar area since there really is no waiting area inside).
Even their custom "Mac's" napkins impress me. And we' ve had good service everytime except once. So overall I compliment the servers. You have to ask for au jus - unless you bring your own in a thermos. Like me. (What?! It's not weird. I like mine best.)
Old school roadhouse restaurant and bar - low key and down-home! I'd never been in this part of Antioch before and I'm glad it was lunchtime. Totally affordable, the service was pleasant and the food hit the spot. Don't go because you want to get your foodie-fix - go because places like this are rare and deserve their due. BTW - I has the trout and it was tasty - well prepared and I'd go back to have it again.
Review Source:I'm sorry, but how did this place get a 4-star review on Yelp?
Im pretty sure Sizzler has better steaks than this place. Either the people here have not eaten a real steak before or this place just had a really horrible night.
1) Walks in. Waiting to be seated for 10minutes with no acknowledgment while there are empty table there.
2) I have no clue who my waiter is after being seated for another 10 minutes.
3) Waiter came and we ordered. The food TOOK 1.5 HOURS to get to my table. Also, the table behind me came after me and they got their orders 20 minutes faster than us. The only reason why I'm giving this one place a one-star is because Yelp requires me to and the soup was good.
4) Waited 15 more minutes to get to-go box and a check.
5) Finally get to leave after 2.5 hrs of dining in there. Big waste of time.
In-depth: I ordered a prime rib. The prime rib came and I ordered medium-rare while my sister ordered a medium. Medium was completely well done and my medium-rare is more rare than a raw meat. Ate some few bites and the meat was incredible hard and I'm having sore teeth right now. I ask a recook but because I already touched my food, they refuse. Dang man, I can eat a better steak at Sizzler.
I definitely won't be coming back and I will be warning the people who mentions this place. Service was also horrible an rude.
Hmmm...Considering the high ratings from everyone I was really expecting something great. Maybe it was an off night.
When we walked in, we were ignored by the bartender and most waitstaff...long enough to feel very uncomfortable and ackward...some sort of acknowledgement would have been nice and really not that complicated, at all. We were eventually seated in a dark room that made me nervous of how dirty this place could be. We ordered Prime Rib, Snapper Cajun style, grilled Chicken and a Calamari Steak. I won't go into each dish but I was impressed. Not to impressed with our waitress either. Either she was over worked or maybe crappy, unfriendly service is her style.
Would I return? Not likely. Just not my kind of place.
The prime rib dinner for $11.95... Accompanied by a soup, salad, pasta and bread! Very hearty portion and the prime rib is a Serious meal - cooked perfectly to my liking, filling  and satisfying. Oh yes, a great dinner!
Service was really good and atmosphere is very laid back. Â I'd come back here again... if only it wasn't so far out in the boonies!
I'm steak person... and to get Prime Rib at a very cheap price is like winning the lotto... Ok that's exaggerated :)
Came here for an early dinner (alright, it was actually a very late lunch) with my hubby last Sunday at 4pm. Â When we got in, place was close to getting packed. Â It was our first time here and place was recommended by my brother so I have to try it out.
My hubby & I ordered the Prime Rib. Â After you placed your order, the server brought out the Minestrone soup on a big aluminum bowl and some bread. Â The soup was good and really homestyle. Â Im not a fan of minestrone soup but, I liked theirs. Â The soup and the bread was really filling already. Â After we finished our soup, the server brought out the salad. Â Not like other restaurants where you can only have either soup OR salad, Â at Mac's you get soup AND salad.. you get both. Â Though the vinaigrette was a little salty... it was still ok.
After we ate our salad, the main course was brought out.  On the plate was a hearty portion of Prime Rib, Penne Pasta with  marinara sauce, and sauteed veggies.  It was good.. though I ordered my Prime Rib "medium-well" and I think it's more of a well-done.  Meat was dry and though.  I can't complain though since I ordered it "medium well".  Next time, I will order it just "medium".
For the soup, salad, Prime Rib and all the fixings, 2 Soda, our bill was $30.20. Â Not bad at all for the amount of food you get for two.
Their menu is limited and they only take CASH.
Will go back again....
This now deserves 2 stars. 1 for service and 1 for keeping the soup, bread,and drinks the same. However, the Prime Rib has totally changed! I realize Prime Rib costs more now than ever, this is no excuse for changing the quality of the signature Prime Rib that people come to Mac's Old House for.
I have heard that the Prime Rib has been inconsistent in tenderness and flavor from others, and needed to see for myself.
I won't be back until I know that the Prime Rib quality has gone back to where it once was. I'm not into having to chew so hard when I know it should be tender as butter.
It is the consistency of a cheap Chuck steak now.
Perhaps this can explain the small crowd for a Sunday night which is typical of a night now for families.
I used to eat here all the time back when I lived in Antioch.
Back in the mid 80's you could get a BUCKET of Minestrone soup, and a pile of fresh sourdough bread. Â This was the best Minestrone soup I had ever had in my life.
The seafood was wonderful, and there was always a line waiting for a table.
Very dark and casual atmosphere.
I have not been here since the mid 80's but I am sure it is still great.
You can be sure you'll get your money's worth here whether it be for drinks or food.
Drinks are very inexpensive... You can get a triple for $3.50 and they don't skimp on the alcohol either...
Dinner is very reasonable, I chose the ribeye which was priced at $11.95. Â With this you get soup, bread and salad. Â Included with your steak is pasta and steamed vegetables and the steak is regular size they don't skimp. Â You are pretty much full before you even get your entree...
You will catch a crowd on Friday or Saturday evening nights so be prepared to wait and drink :o)
You definitely need to try it if you haven't already, so worth it!
Great place to go for drinks. Â $3.50 for triple shots, I can't complain. Â They don't skimp out on the alcohol either. Â My triple shot tanqueray sprite had 10% sprite.
The portions are plentiful. Â Sometimes I can never finish my steak after eating all that soup(dip the bread in it), salad, hot bread with butter. Â That's what comes out before the steak(and steamed veggies and side pasta). Â I don't know if they expect this from their customers but I think there's something in their steak that makes it taste better the following day.
My only gripe is the parking and having to drive through bottleneck highway 4 just to get there. Â I've tried so many different back roads, but the distance and time still feels the same. Â I'm sure it's because I usually go during the time people are coming home from work.
Yummy, yummy, yummy... And no it not because the drinks are so cheap that you can actually afford to have a couple with your dinner!!!! They have the best Minestrone soup ever! Everything is on the menu is just as good. I like how they have only a few selections, yet there's something for everyone on the menu (even my 6yr old son loved his dinner!). The downside it can be a bit noise but that usually means everyone is having a good time ;)
Anyway I recommend this place to everyone! Â If you have never ate here you area so missing out!!!!
Yeah, so maybe the place is cheap and the drinks are strong, but it only really makes sense to come here if you have absolutely no tastbuds or if you have the palate of a neanderthal...
The ribeye that I ordered medium rare? Â Well, it was probably closer to well done and it was so goddamn tough I thought maybe they were trying to make beef jerky out of it.
I'll concede, however, that the Minestrone soup was totally thick and awesome... Â Â Still, my ribeye pretty much sucked and the calamari steak that I got a taste of was way rubbery. Â Â I personally am one who prefers quality over quantity and, well, Mac's leaves very much to be desired.
You get what you pay for. Â And this is not a bad deal!
One thing to keep in mind- CASH ONLY!!!
Honestly, for those who complain that Macs Old House is not good, c'mon for $10, it's good.
This was my 3rd time here, the last time I came it was about 8 years ago, and nothing's changed.  Same decor, same crowd, same old Antioch!  hehe  Yup, it's a typical hole-in-the-wall biker hang out, a lot of locals, a lot of senior citizens, but the people are friendly enough and the food is decent for what you pay for.
We ordered the prime rib, cuz that's what they're known for. Â And given it's not the best prime rib I've ever had...really, for those who said that it's the "BEST" c'mon...really??? Â BUT it is edible and tasty to say the least. Â It comes with a minestrone soup that's more like Chili as it's so thick but you get a big bowl to have about 4 bowls full between 2 people (or mixed green salad), Â warn sesame seed bread, the entree comes with about 6-7 oz thin sliced prime rib (with super raw kick your ass horseradish...if you want aju sauce-ask, they have it), mixed veggies (which were pretty tasty), rigatoni with tomato sauce and pretty good service. Â
We came here on a Friday afternoon, so it wasn't super busy, so maybe the service was better at this time than at peak hours such as dinner on the weekends, but we were satisfied with our service.
Overall, not bad! Â 5 of us ate here for a total of $60 (which included a few beers and fountain drinks).....
Honestly, you don't come here expecting a gourmet, fine dining experience, it's just a good ol' biker boys hang out in the middle of rural Antioch, and I'm from Orange County and now live in Danville and NOOO I didn't feel like it was the ghetto, so those who feel that Antioch / Macs Old House is the ghetto-- Â good for you, then you should stick with your "fine" dining but hey, I'm always up to try something new and this place is not bad. Â It's always the "hole in the walls" that sometimes serve up the best foods- love them roach coaches too! LOL Â Â :-)
This place stinks!
I came here with my black friend and my asian family. We ordered, 5 minutes later the fat man behind the bar told us it was closing time and it was time for us to leave. I don't know about the rest of you but  red meat is not something you just hurry up and eat. With disbelief and shock we all looked back at the same fat man behind the bar and that's when he responded with, "Look at me, I'm serious, it's time to go!" What a jerk. The only thing pleasant about this place was our waitress who apologized and we left this place pissed off.
Cheap eats aside, just save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere. This is redneck 'Yock at it's finest.
This place is distinguished OKAY... Very cool looking from the outside and inside. Always some cool choppers there when I've been. Although I haven't been in a year I plan to go back when I visit the east bay in the next week. The minestrone is one of the headlines as well as there steaks! I remember the prices being very cheap and that it is cash only. Â
I would recommend this place for dates though! lol However good place to come with a family members or friends.
I have only been here once and, while I went at while lunch was still being served, this review is of the bar. Because, yes, that's how I roll.
Maybe a year and a half ago, on a quest with an ex-boyfriend to find a cheap motel, Mac's was driven by. To me, the sight of an old neon sigh pointing to a craftsman house, set back fairly far from the street, with people on the front porch was, of course, enticing. To the ex, a victim of a Danville upbringing, it was scary (but, then, he said, when I suggested getting food at the Mecca in Pittsburg, "I'm not going to the ghetto to eat," so you can figure out what kind of douchebag he was), so we drove right by. I don't even think he took my "oooh that place looks cool!" seriously. I've driven by a couple times since then, although I'm rarely out by Oakley, and just recently, after a rough attempt at work that involved a screaming child, I thought, "Well shit, I've got 4 hours free. Time for a cocktail!"
And to Mac's I went!
I walked in, and everyone at the bar (all men, all at least 40, most even older) seemed to turn to look at the same time. The restaurant part of the building was full of diners, again mostly elderly, but some families too. Judging by the amount of people eating at this place on a weekday at 2pm, I figure they must be doing something right. The woman behind the bar was nice and I got a nice big short of Irish whiskey for $3 which (and this is the best part, I think) I was allowed to take out on the front porch/smoking area to drink.
As I sat sipping my drink, a variety of people came in and out of Mac's. Couples in their 70s who had finished lunch mostly exiting and somewhat white trashy looking tattooed Antioch guys came in (I'm sure they make up a large portion of the bar's clientele). As I finished my drink, a man who couldn't have been under 80 came out, sat down, and told me that he's been eating lunch at Mac's since 1956. Then about 6 other men his age came out. They have lunch there every month. This is awesome.
I will be going back. Not only because it's a house, not only because people have been going there for over 50 years, and not only because the drinks are dirt-cheap. But none of those hurt...
The one star is for the soup ONLY! This place is terrible! The food is cheap and they are cheap about everything. The service is terrible, slow, rude and nasty! My fish was below midiocre, the salad was fair and the ice was melted in my drink!
To make it an even worse experience it was filled with a bunch of small minded red necks who snickered and laughed at anyone who walked through the door and did not meet there "supremist criteria", as for me, I will not be back!
Really? Five stars? For Mac's Old House? Suuuurrre...
I hate to burst everyone's bubble but seriously WTF?!
This place is always packed, has worse than mediocre food, horrible waitress service (I don't care if it adds to the "ambiance" these waitresses are just plain effin' rude!) and extremely cramped waiting and eating areas. Try waiting for 2 hours for a table on Friday with nowhere to sit while you wait and then being seated to eat with your elbows touching the persons next to you.
Now onto the good things: This place is always packed (Yes, it is both good and bad in my book), the alcohol is super cheap $2.50 a drink, (But trying to actually get a drink is another story) the worse than mediocre food is cheap and the house concept is pretty... Cute?
A lot of people rave about their minestrone soup and that you can purchase it to go. I think that the minestrone is mealy, has bits of gristle instead of hamburger meat and that the vegetables are so overcooked that they are nonexistent. Sorry, but no amount of salt and pepper is going to save that.
I will probably never return to Mac's Old House, I mean there is so much actual good food to be had in this world. Why waste your time here?
Tastes like a yummy, home- cooked meal.... Â comforting and (practically) free.
DRINKS: $2.50 for a single shot, .50 more per shot.. YES, that's $3.50 for a triple shot of vodka and cranberry! Â It's almost free! Yee!
Food: Â I had the Prime Rib special, which includes: minestrone soup, warm bread, green salad, the HUGE prime rib itself, pasta, and steamed veggies... all for $10.95. Â That's right, $10.95. Â Food was decent, the prime rib was a little on the fatty side, but for the price, I really can't complain. Â Also, the portions are HUGE!! Â How they make money, I'll never understand.
-1 star cuz the location is seedy and janky as f*ck!
P.S.- be prepared to wait in line! Â
P.P.S- request for your prime rib to be grilled cajun style! Â You won't regret it!
I love Mac's Old House! Â You can plan on a full dinner AND stiff drinks for two for around 45.00 - cannot beat the price if you are looking for dinner and drinks on a budget! Â Plan on leaving with a full belly and a buzz.
The menu is pretty limited - chicken or prime rib (YUMMMM!) or calamari steak - but you get a salad, bread, pasta, minestrone soup and veggies. Â It's crowded for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays if you are not there early plan on a bit of a wait, but you can order a cocktail and sit outside until they call your name. Â
It's a little stuffed inside too - but that just adds to the charm!
UPDATE: Â the prices on the dinners went up one dollar across the board. Â Still fits my budget which makes me smile!