This place got a reboot last year and a nice one at that. I used to just go here for sports watching whenever Kezar was packed but I've since gotten used all the extra space in here. It's so nice to not get elbowed in the face. The food is solid too. You can't go wrong with their nicely meaty burger.
In short, great for sports-watching, grabbing a bite with your drink, and not getting elbowed in the face.
Martin Macks is a pretty decent bar to catch up with friends and enjoy a quick dinner. Nice decor and a fairly standard menu.
There's a few cocktails on the menu that you could get aside from your typical Irish beer. I got an Im(pair)ed, which definitely did justice to its name. I don't remember what was in it, but it was strong and delicious.
In terms of food, there's not much to offer. I ordered a Steak & Mushroom Pie to split with a friend, and was greeted with a surprise. I assumed this would be a nice Australian-style pie with plenty of meat inside. Instead, we were served bowls of mashed potatoes with a few pieces of meat and mushrooms on the bottom. Mostly just mashed potatoes, though. They were tasty, but not what I was expecting. A bit of a disappointment.
Service is great and waiters are all down to earth. Our waiter could clearly see we spent the afternoon at Dolores Park, and was absolutely fine with it.
Meh. Just meh.
The nirvana was pretty good. The bloody mary wasn't. They're being overzealous calling it SF's best.
I got a side of soggy, clearly just defrosted from a bag, veggies. The nachos were underwhelming. 4 strips of tortilla chip with cold melted cheese on it. My girlfriend got a cesar salad. 'Salright. Not great.
This place's saving grace? The location and the service. My waiter loved me, and didn't bill the bloody mary after I called them out on being liars for calling it the best.
Pretty much the cliche bar food dilemma where the food sounds better than it is.
*After writing this review, I was promptly addressed by the lead server Anelia who addressed my aforementioned concerns and has offered me a free drink upon my return. Extra star for courtesy and professionalism!
My friend and I were shopping around Haight/Ashbury and wanted some drinks and food since we found out our flight had been delayed. Sat at the bar at Martin Mack's and had a great time! The bartenders treated us great, and the food was really good. It seems like everyone in here is friendly and by the end of our time there we had met several nice people to chat with, including bartenders. Drinks were good, prices a little bit steep, but this is San Francisco and it's to be expected.
Review Source:It's hard to find a bar with a lot of space in SF but Martin Mack's is huge! The menu has all your typical bar food. This place seriously might have the best sweet potato fries I've ever eaten. They were delicious!! Martin Mack's is also right in the middle of the haight ashbury scene so you're not going out of your way if you want to take a drink/food break from shopping around. I would definitely come back!
Review Source:The waitress points us towards a table in the back and tells us to sit down without taking a drink order or bringing water to our table, she shows up 10 minute later:
"Hello, I'm -------, can I start you off with an appetizer today?"
"Sure, we'll take the pulled pork nachos!"
"Would you like something else to eat?"
"Yes, she'll have the fish 'n chips and I'll have the steak mushroom pie!"
"I'm sorry, we're out of that today, can I get you something else?"
"No problem, give me a second to think about it, in the meantime I'd like a lagunitas and she'll take a sangria!"
I look up and our waitress is gone! Â She walked away! Â Apparently she left right after I said "give me a second". I shout out to her that we want to order drinks; she points in the direction she is walking and seems to mouth "be right back"! Â She goes to serve other tables that are apparently more important than ours.
We sit, we wait. Â We have nothing to drink; no water, no beer, no sangria. Â Every time we see our waitress we try to flag her down to order drinks and she ignores us to serve the tables of rowdy men getting their drink on. Â 10 minutes go by and we decide to leave. Â Just as we are getting up, our waitress arrives with the "nachos" tells us that the fish 'n chips are on their way and asks us if we'd like anything else. Â We're already angry at the place and want to leave but now feel trapped as they are preparing food for us so we decide to stay; huge mistake.
"Why yes, we'd like to order some drinks and I'd like a burger!"
The waitress gives us a look like she's shocked to hear that we actually want something to drink with our food.
Here's the rundown on the food and drinks:
Pulled Pork Nachos: Â There are only 4 chips on the plate; 4 nachos for $8 is $2 a nacho! Â Were they any good? Â No. Â The pulled pork was the most bland pulled pork I have ever had; absolutely no flavor whatsoever! Â Not having anything to drink with the "nachos" just made it even more miserable.
Sangria: Â The worst thing we got. Â The glass was filled with crushed ice (almost like a blended margarita) so the Sangria was ridiculously watered down. Â I couldn't taste any alcohol in it and it had the appearance and flavor of red kool aid over ice. Â Whoever made this has no idea what Sangria is and they should be ashamed of themselves. Â Right after the first sip we wanted to send it back but the waitress ignored us for another 15 minutes, we were thirsty, and there was no water so it got drunk. Â $5 for a glass of crushed ice with a little Hawaiian Punch inside? Â Yep, pretty much.
Lagunitas IPA: Â Yes kids, you can screw up beer. Â Really. Â The beer was slightly below room temperature and served in a mason jar. Â WTF? Â Warm beer? Â Mason jar? Â Is this a gastropub or am I at a homeless persons camp just outside of Sebastopol? Â
The burger:  I forgot what their signature burger is called; it's $14.  The burger had a good texture but the flavor just wasn't there and the same goes for the fries.  It's the kinda burger that you really need a cold beer to wash it down with; my beer was warm  so I finished about half the burger before I gave up on it.
Fish 'n Chips: There's more batter than fish; WAY more batter than fish. Â You don't taste the fish, just the batter. Â Fried batter and french french fries; that's what you get here and quite frankly it was disgusting. Â $12 for this; I would have rather picked up a frozen dinner and microwaved it than have this crap.
Obviously the food was not what it was trying to be but the overall atmosphere just wasn't helping at all. Â The place is dark and dingy; I like to see my food! Â The drinks were absolutely terrible (seriously, they managed to screw up beer) and were served way too late in the meal. Â The service was a disaster and that's what really got me; she left in the middle of us ordering our food which basically trapped us there after she brought out our appetizers. Â We had to wait far to long for any kind of service and the service was so mismanaged it made what could have been at least a semi-decent meal just dreadful. Â We ask for the bill.
We wait for the bill. Â There's half a burger, a plate of fries, and a plate of fried batter sitting at our table. Â We're both miserable. Â We keep waiting. Â We wait some more. Â I decide to head to the register to pay rather than waste any more time at this dump.
I've had some bad meals before but quite frankly this experience ruined my evening. Â What are these people trying to get away with? Â $50 for lousy food and the worst drinks and service ever? Â This place isn't a joke, it's an insult.
I set up a yelp account just to review this cool bar ! Me and my boyfriend dropped in after a long day at work to grab drinks and a snack! We sat at a table and a lovely Irish girl dropped over and asked us how our day was which i thought was nice ... She recommended some drinks and I went with the new cider "angry orchard " you must try this !! My boyfriend grabbed a draft beer of which the choice is endless ! The  waitress recommended nachos and wings for a snack as we were not so hungry ! They were delicious ! She was attentive yet allowed us to relax and wind down which was great ! I highly recommend dropping in ( there's also some great people watching to be had by the huge open window )
Review Source:Love going to Macks for a drink and some grub. Â The food is EXCELLENT and well worth the price (especially in this city). Â Liliana, the exec chef, is fantastic and such a lovely person. Â Also LOVE Â hanging with Anelia, Jess, and Sean. Â Everyone makes me feel totally at home and cared about. Â When out-of-town friends come to visit, I always bring them there- and I have also observed many a visitor come in and have a great time. Â All the Macks folks really take care of the customers and deserve congratulations!
Review Source:I really liked this place. Sat at the bar here with a friend of mine and got a couple of beers. They were playing great music, and the bartender we had was super nice. I liked the open window in the front because it provided us with not only fresh air but a ton of interesting people watching. Also, this was in my favorite area that I went to in the city. I'd go back!
Review Source:==%% Â I URGE YOU TO READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE YOU GO TO THIS PLACE Â %%==
This pub gave me the worst experience among any pub that I have been to.
There is a bartender lady with tattoos at the pub. I went to this pub a couple weekends ago to grab a bite. She was busy tending to other people around having shots with them, flirting with them, drinking etc. I was there with my 3 other friends. I wasn't interested in a drink, so I just ordered food.
After the food came, I asked her for a glass of water.. and then did it again and again - THREE TIMES!! Â I asked her very politely each time. But she never got me the water and was busy with her own shit. I finally asked another waitress there to give me the glass and she did.
Naturally for the lousy service, I did not tip on my bill. I specifically marked an X in the tip column. All my other friends did tip though. We have been to the bar many times in the past but decided not to go to it again..
But it didn't stop there.
We were out again in the same week to a different bar and ran into the second waitress. She was drunk but we were trying to be pleasant asking her if she worked in this bar too along with Martin Macks.
Instead of saying hi, she gave us bullshit about how everyone at the bar was annoyed with us because we didn't tip. And how it is customary to tip at least 10% etc.
I was very pissed but calmly told her how I had asked for water for 3 times and hadn't got it.. on hearing that, she became defensive and apologetic and said "fuck that other lousy waitress.. we always get complaints about her" then offered us to have a beer with her - which we again declined. And then said ranted about how much she appreciated our business.
A tip is supposed to be customary and in exchange for good service. And lecturing us in another public place for a tip just shows how full of shit the servers and bartenders in this place are.
I am not going back to it again.. and advice you also not to.
NOTE TO RESTAURANT OWNERS: Please do everyone a favor and fire these dumb waitresses. It's not just bad service, it's a bad work ethic. Your customers deserve better than this!
We had a really nice time at Martin Macks Gastropub. The restaurant is really relaxed with a big bar and some nice tables in the back. I also saw a second floor pool table kind of area but did not venture up there. I was with a group of friends and only had a few beers. But they were fresh and tasty, and the beer menu was adequate. My friends ordered a number of options, from the tuna melt to the quesadilla. In all, I would say the food definitely was a step above bar food. My only complaint was that the time between ordering my second beer and it arriving at our table was way too long. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. But other than that, everything was good.
Review Source:My friend and I took a break at Martin Mack's while our wives shopped around Haight/Ashbury.
We only got drinks, so we can't attest to the food. Â
The bartender was super cool. Â Sean did us up well! Â We tried a number of craft beers and some tasty whiskies (including on amazing Bourbons and Ryes - MIcheter's Rye was our favorite! Â So smooth!) Â
We had a good time chillin' out while our wives shopped around.
I was in yesterday and had a great  The food was AMAZEBALLZ!. Our server was sweet and as attentive as she could have been
...poor thing was working the entire restaurant with no help, Â by the way, this place is huge! I was so impressed by her keeping a smile on during what seemed like a shit show for her. Â the table next to us was pretty rude...and def giving a run for her money....i only say this because i am appalled at Steve H's review...such a crock of sh*t! Bad people should not be allowed to post untrue and teduculous posts. still my best and fav Irish pub dining experience on Haight yet!
The blondish heavier waitress is the worst waitress I have ever had. Never came to our table to begin with, had to ask the nice food runner to help us. When the waitress did finally come over she was soooo out of it.
Our rounds of drinks sat at the bar for 15minutes before she picked them up and brought them to us.
When our food finally did come, I asked for a side of pickles to go on my sandwich...never say her again after I asked for them.
When we were ready to leave, we had to go find her to get our bill. Who would have thought she was sitting in a corner on her cellphone.
Martin Macks is fine but she is making it horrible for customers. She needs to go! I give them 1 Star until they employee the right people with good skills.
Dropped by here for dinner and a drink on a whim. Pretty solid restaurant and I liked their serving size. I ordered a tuna melt sandwich or whatever you call it and it was pretty good. I get full pretty easily so restaurants usually serve me too much or too little but Martin Macks put me in a good place where I didn't have leftovers and I didn't feel bloated.
My only gripe about this place was that when I visited, they for some reason redid their entire drink menu so instead of giving me what I ordered, the waitress came back with something the bartender just cooked up. The drink was good I guess the bartender/waitress have a knack for guessing my taste buds. Â But still, if something is on your menu you should serve it...
Came here on a whim on a friday night to watch the giants game. it wasnt super crowded so that was a plus so we sat at a table ordered some Purple Haze Raspberry beer (yum) and some fries ( sweet potato and regular) both came with a some sort of awesome seasoning it was hard not to hoard them and not share but i was nice. Our server was awesome super attentive and cute too ;) will definitely come back!
Review Source:I'd gone here for drinks a few times and really hadn't thought much about the place, but on 4/20 after Record Store Day shopping, my friends and I stopped in to re-fuel with lunch before continuing on with our plans for the day.
First of all, our service was awesome, very attentive. Â Our waiter did the thing where as soon as you finished a beer, he happened to be walking by to ask if you'd like another. Â That's tough for a waiter to do without seeming like he's watching you. He made it look coincidental. Â Every time!
I was a liiiittle hung over so I got their burger with bacon, mushrooms, cheese and a fried egg. Â Yes, I said fried egg. Â It was so freaking big that I had trouble even getting this thing in my mouth, but I found a way. Â I could only eat 1/3 of it because it was so filling, but the rest made a pretty awesome midnight snack when I got home from the bar that night. Â The fries were pretty good too. Â
One of my friends got the Mack's Burger which is ground with cheese. Â He thought was pretty good. Another friend got chicken wings and kept commenting on how good they were. (Said friend makes the best ever fried chicken, so I consider him to be a good judge of wing quality). Â
I would definitely go back, so far this has been the best of the places I've eaten right on Haight.
They updated the menu back to a pub menu, and lowered prices. They also got Strongbow, nachos, quesadillas, and tacos for 2.50 each. I'm glad they listened to social media and addressed their problems. The service is still realllly piss poor, especially on trivia tuesday, but eh.
Get the Bartenders choice. It's strong.
Well, I went there on a late Friday night, and it wasn't too crowded, which is probably not a good sign. Â I mean, it was good that we got a table because we were a group of 7 people, so that was cool. Â
Anyway, the service was good, of course, it wasn't crowded, so.....
I did appreciate that when I asked for a couple waters, they delivered some glasses and a bottle of water to the table, not every does this, and it was a refreshing gesture.
We played some pool and had a few drinks, this review isn't about food as we came after dinner.
Nice design and very open and roomy place.
This was a real bummer. I had walked  by this place many times and a  few co-workers recommend the place. I went in on a Saturday night around 7:00,  not much of a crowd.  There was plenty of room at the bar and since I was by myself, I usually like to sit at the bar. I sat myself and I am not kidding waited for at least fifteen minutes before the bartender took my order. I  guess he was a little too occupied talking to the cute girls at the end of counter to look up at me just sitting there. After another fifteen minutes I ordered my food - the burger. Now, for some reason that didn't take long at all. I wonder why - I think it was another customers order  that may have been sent back.
Only reason I say that is because it took less than ten minutes from order to being served. It was a little cold and the cheese had already started coagulating so, it was probably sitting there for a while. The chips that the burger was served with were burnt. The waiter just dropped it off - no napkins, silverware, condiments, etc. I got up and asked another staff member if I could get a napkin and condiments and  he acted like I was asking him to clean the toilet after I just barfed and shit in it. After finally getting the things I asked for. I took a bite out this inedible burger, it was cold, mushy and flavorless. I finally asked for the manager but, ended up speaking to the other bartender. Nice guy,  apologetic and wanted to make things better but, at that time I just wanted to get out of there. Maybe I will try it again but, man that was a bad experience.
This is a big sports bar. I'm not into sports and a non-drinker. Â I lived in the area for a long time and never patronized. Recently a parklett was installed at their doorstep and after a few times sitting there I realized Martin Macks looked pretty cool when uncrowded, e.g., midweek, midday, no games.
Excellent price on sparkling water. But it's also one of those bars that has savory grub, hefty portions, and I always take home half. When I do my routine shopping at HSM and Whole Foods I might pop in for a bite: no games, no weekends, no crowds. I'm sure they can use the business during down times.
After Zazie failed me with their ridiculous wait time, my friend and I aimlessly walked over to Haight to see if we could find a decent place to eat. We stumbled upon Martin Macks and it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. In a sea of dive bars, thrift stores and the "commoners", this place wasn't too shabby.
Of course, we are the ONLY minorities upon entering. We weren't greeted, every seat/table was taken and we appeared to be invisible. We lingered around, clueless for about 5 minutes until I asked if we could have a table for two and got "Sure, if you can find a table...it's first come, first serve. Oh and our kitchen is backed up" Cool story bro! You rock. Â -______-
Mind you, it is already 3pm and we are fucking starving...on top of that the bartender refuses to acknowledge either one of us patiently waiting for him to take our drink order. REALLY?! You didn't feel two sets of puppy dog eyes crying for alcoholic relief?! OKAY. After about 7-10 mins he half-assed took our order and then looked mad that he had to pour drinks. Bitch, you chose this life!
Side note: This place is huge! Tvs on every inch of wall space, open kitchen, pool tables, bar seating, tall table seating, round table, regular tables...i think they had a juke box too or maybe it they were slot machines? Maybe it was an illusion...I was so hungry I may have been seeing things.
We finally get a seat in front of the kitchen, which is cool cause you get to see everything. No one hands us menus.....no water....utensils...
After about 10 mins, we order our food. Took about 20 mins and
in that time I watch this chef fuck up just about every pizza he shoved into the oven! LMAO. Are you kidding me?! And I watched the waitress talk down to a few chefs....saw them mix up orders....few of the guys (servers?) were just standing around drinking beer and idly leaning against the wall watching the game. Ummm.......???
One guy shattered a couple beer glasses on "accident" I assume, but I feel like he was drunk.
The ONLY person who was remotely warm, was the black waitress. She came over and spoke and complimented me. Other than that, our waitress was slow, indifferent and gave us our bill before we finished eating. That is my pet peeve! Let me enjoy my meal before you start reaching in my wallet!
It was kind of loud in here - so if you're looking for an intimate place, this isn't it. Granted, it was Sunday (everyone in SF brunches on Sun) and the game was on...but still.
I ordered the eggs benedict (fav breakfast food) and it was actually pretty good. Avocado, bacon, egg, muffin, tomato and fresh creme. Textures and flavors were pleasant. Oh and it came with house potatoes, which I would have preferred to have been cooked longer and seasoned better, but they were alright.
Friend got the steak and eggs which also came with house potatoes. Looked good, didn't really say much, so I'm guessing it wasn't anything spectacular.
Despite my subpar experience here, I enjoyed my company and eggs. It's the only reason this place got any stars.
Service is futile here. I would never come back.
I had a great little post-whiskey-mid-hangover-afternoon pit-stop here.
SPICY bloody mary's.
MUST GET:
Smoked Salmon and potato pancakes- nice presentation and tasted even better- i love anything with smoked salmon, but the pancakes were like mashed potato hashbrown hybrid pancakes. awesome.
also split the caesar- pretty good- a little fishy tho.
I would come back...
My friend and I decided to grab early dinner and some drinks and decided to go to Martin Macks. We should have just gone to our regular spots on the Haight.
When we arrived, there was one group of (6) very loud (drunk) hippies and one group of quiet (3) older people and then it was us, just 2 professionals on a day off. There were 2 servers, a bartender and a barback working, which seemed like a lot for the amount of customers they had (which is a GOOD thing, as you'd assume good customer service).
Unfortunately, it seemed as if our server, Cameron, had the mind-set of "since it's not crowded, I'll not work hard." It took him quite some time to give us water, after we received our menus.
Then we ordered Sangria, which on Wikipedia says "consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy" - our Sangria unfortunately was PURPLE (not wine-ish, redish purple-ish, but completely PURPLE, like grape-flavored candies) - had NO fruit what-so-ever and tasted like bubblegum (it was extremely sweet). Both my friend and I were under the impression that our server had accidentally brought us "Rum Punch," which we brought up to him but he said (and I quote) "what did you order? Sangria or Rum Punch" - we, in sync "Sangria" and then he said "then this is Sangria." Ehm, then it is? What if we had said Rum Punch?? Ok. Well, this is not what we wanted, we wanted Sangria, not liquid bubblegum. Anyway, obviously we didn't drink any of it (and he KNEW).
Then our food, my friends Meatball Sandwich with fries looked good and she said it was "rather tasty," my grilled mushroom pizza however was not good. The mushrooms were chewy (they must have set in water before hand), and there was a pile of cheese on it that even a proud cheese-head (myself) thought was too much.
We once again brought our dissatisfaction up to our server and he just said "hm, ok" and gave us the check. We paid, even tipped, cause we knew it wasn't HIS direct fault, but we did leave them a note and my business card with our dissatisfaction and the question of them to contact us for service recovery (yes we both work in the industry, we both know how this works). Unfortunately they did not, which shows their lack of caring for good customer service.
On top of all this, the barback and the server were very obvious about their relationship together, which I think is kind of inappropriate in a working environment, or restaurant (depending on your perception).
For obvious reasons, I will not be back.
This place absolutely sucks. Â I heard that they used to have different management (i.e. they changed mgmt recently). Â The food sucks. Â Pizzas are terrible (and expensive), and the other items are unimpressive at best.
The service here is the worst. Â Not only do the servers walk past you time and after time--neglecting to keep your glasses full or take your order--but these morons actually managed to lose my credit card. Â I had opened a tab when I got there, and when I went to close the tab later on, they couldn't find my card (or even my tab). WTF?!
Even their kitchen isn't on top of things. Â One of our orders took over an hour to get.
I won't go back here unless I'm forced to. Â And I'll steer my friends away from this place as well.
Went here last night with a couple of friends to catch up. And it was trivia night, Cool.
Ordered a small pizza for 9$ (serves 1) my bf ordered a burger for 14$ and we got chicken skewers for and app which was 8$.
Burger = ok, no real complaints other than it was a little pricey for a burger at a bar
Chicken Skewers = TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT, we literally got 3 TOOTHPICKS of chicken. The chicken on the skewers was good but it was literally about 2x1inch piece's. And they serve it to you on a huge plate full of sauce which makes it looks even smaller. And for 8$, you've got to be f-ing kidding me. Never again.
Pizza = on the menu it said "hand pulled mozzarella" and stuff to make you think that it would be of good quality. Wrong. This pizza slightly resembles something i would have gotten from the cafeteria in elementary school. Tasted like they got a piece of flat bread (not pizza dough) and added some Ragu and topped it off with string cheese. I mean Yeah, ill eat it. but definitely not what i expected.
Service was mediocre as well. When they served our food the salad came out last. When is that ever OK? Also, while serving they bumped into my friend and made her spill her drink all over herself, they asked her what she was drinking so they could replace it but then never returned with the drink. And then when she asked about it they waitress said "you know, that's the most expensive drink on our menu (13$ cocktail) and its really hard to make. Also, when our manager found out he wasn't so happy...blah blah blah" REALLY, your making excuses for a drink. If you spilled it on her get her a new one or something comparable. Just plain bad service.
No surprise we had to ask for the bill twice.
i don't really recommend for food/service but the drinks were OK so you would probably be safe hanging out at the bar.
Martin Macks is one of my local bar/grills, and it has tvs often tuned to sports games, which is a big win for my husband and me. The staff are friendly, if at times a little MIA. But when I come to MMs, it's because we're not only thirsty but hungry. Yet the food tends to be hit-or-miss. For instance, why is the small pizza the same size as a large? I have NO idea. But on one night, I had a small pizza for $9. And it tasted good (not Giovanni's good, but still flavorful). And then two weeks later, my group ordered a large, only to be presented with a pizza the same size as the small.
I would also appreciate more love for the vegetarians/vegans. We're in the Haight--why should finding good veggie options be so tough? So please, more vegetarian options! Â Like maybe a veggie burger (something unique like a zucchini fritter burger? Or a curry chickpea patty?), fries that don't have marrow sauce, and maybe tempeh satay? A roasted seasonal veggie side (Brussels sprouts or carrots or corn/green beans with garlic and lemon juice?) would be great, too. And for brunch, perhaps something savory like a tofu scramble with market veggies and salsa? That would hit the spot. Â
The bar is sometimes empty on weeknights, but trivia night helps amp up the patronage. A local open mic (music or comedy) would also add to the ambiance.
But changing MMs' name to Joplin's doesn't indicate a positive sign. Â Go ahead, embrace the Haight-Ashbury culture, but this isn't a pot-filled, drugged-out rock club. It's a neighborhood bar/grill/gastropub/tavern where people go to eat hit-or-miss food, drink, and watch sports at all hours of the day and night. Treat it as such.
I've been looking for good gastropub in the Castro/Cole Valley/Haight area for over a year now. Â It needs to have above average food, nice people behind the bar, and solid unassuming clientele. Â Nobody likes to go to a bar full of douchebags or obnoxious hipsters. Â Unless of course you are a douchebag or a hipster. Â Well so far there is none of that at Martin Macks. Â
Martin Macks is exactly the place I want to go to hang out and watch the Giants or NFL games on Sunday morning, while meeting interesting and friendly people. Â
The burger is my favorite item here...Fresh, juicy, flavorful. Â I'll be back, many more times.
Another bar bites the dust in Haight! At least Murio's is arguably tasteful.
The new decor reminds me of a cheesy wine bar in the 90s. The fish & chips were pretty good, not worth $14! The burger is OK and also $14! That is pretty offensive considering Magnolia down the street offers a stellar mid rare bleu cheese bacon fried egg burger on brioche roll for $12: AND it's organic aged beef. Your pizza will never compare to Giovanni's across the street at Club Deluxe.
Martin Macks, you are shameless, please sell the place.
I'm a fan of Martin Macks. Doesnt hurt that we share the same first name. It's a large bar with a decent menu. Not cheap but not too unreasonable. I usually get the Irish breakfast. I've had the bangers and mash too.
The help here is nice and usually busy but they can neglect you at times. We got here early to watch a niners playoff game, awesome time. Also came here to revel in the streets after the giants won the world series. Not a dancing bar.
It's hard not to notice Martin Mack's as you walk down Haight St. The people sitting at the parklet make you want to have a beer yourself.
I came in here with a friend and we had some beers. If not for Milk (which can be a hit or miss) this is the place to be! The Irish kids here everywhere! I was actually, rather impressed to see how big this place really is. So first, there's a bar, then a kitchen, then another bar with a pool table. I think because it was so hot, and we were so packed, we headed to the pool table area and soon enough it was all ours and it became a more intimate space. We were playing pool with some Irish people. We were even on teams! Altogether, it was fun!
I would go here again anytime! Bar + food = perfect.
Wow...I am surprised to say that last night was really good!!!
Inevitably in life, there is nothing that is more of a constant, than change. Â Behold, the all-new Martin Macks Gastropub.
While drinking with friends in another bar down the street, I recently met the bartender (Craig) from here a week or so ago. That night, he was incredibly enthusiastic and was raving about how good the food was there and as a foodie, I kinda gave him a friendly hard time saying how I'd dined there before and wasn't impressed. He proceeded to tell me that there was now an all-new menu, a new owner, new chef, new staff...and they've turned it into a gastropub. Â I am so happy to say that based on my experience there last night, he was totally right.
After drinking down the street, my biker buddy Heinz and I headed to Martin Macks to give them a try. Â Was instantly greeted by Craig, the bartender. Â Fantastic guy with a great personality and a true professional behind the bar. Â I always say that a good bartender can make or break a place and he fit the place well. Â Actually, all the staff was really great. Â Had a fun conversation with one of the servers, Stefani (pronounced like Gwen Stefani), and she was super cool. Â The other bartender behind the bar, Stephanie (or was that Leslie...sorry, now I'm not sure), was really cool too. Â As always, service makes such a difference and this combined with the food we had last night made for a most stellar experience.
The food has really changed. Â The last time I ate here was earlier this year in it's previous incarnation and to be honest, was really disappointed. Â Had their nachos and the runny cheese sauce was the wateriest version I have ever had. Â It was just as bad as the one I had at Harry's bar on Fillmore. Â Thankfully, this is now a distant memory as everything here has now changed.
My rib eye steak sandwich that I had last night (I uploaded a picture)...it was fantastic!!! Â Cooked perfectly...it far exceeded my expectations in so many ways that I was blown away. Â Best steak sandwich I've had in a long time.
Their house smoked Irish smoked salmon in the shape of a rose with Yukon Gold potato pancakes and horseradish sauce was downright awesome too. Â The smoked salmon was so good and artfully presented. Â Wish I had taken a picture of that one. Â My friend's fish and chips looked really good too although I'm a little fish and chip'd out since I've been having it so much everywhere lately. Â Excited to come back and try many of their other offerings soon.
I admit it...after having dined here in it's previous incarnation, I walked in a skeptic and was blown away during this visit. Â If my visit last night is indicative of how the food always is here, then they easily win my award for Best Gastropub in San Francisco. Â For years, the Tipsy Pig in the marina has always been my favorite gastropub, but last night, the food I had here at Martin Mack's was at a different level...it was way better!!!
Wasn't too crowded either as it was an especially cold and drizzly night, but I'm sure they will get crazy crowded as word gets around. Â It was such an improvement over my last visit and my concern is that most foodies, including myself are not even aware of all the big changes. Â I think had they changed the name or at least added "The new" Martin Macks Gastropub, they would finally be getting the attention they deserve. Â
Great place and a new favorite!
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