For what's basically a slightly more upscale dive bar that accepts debit and credit cards, this is great.
The atmosphere indoors is local and generally friendly-feeling; we are talking Kentucky, after all. Â I'm not sure if it's really all that Irish, but hey, they sell Smithwick's and by God that's good enough! Â During warmer weather months, I much prefer sitting out on the brick patio.
Cheap and good drinks, good bartenders and service, and relatively clean restrooms considering it gets packed with drunk UK students.
I docked one star because TWO forms of ID are required upon entry. Â So, I guess Lexington is now a red alert target city for terrorists and the suspect is some country boy from Corbin going incognito.
This place is pretty awesome. This is a legit Irish bar because there's actually a group of Irish men with thick Irish accents (with a smidge of Southern twang) that come in and get kicked out daily for being rowdy with each other. Or so I was told. Â Either way, THAT is a good way to feel like you're in Dublin without spending a ton of money on a plane ticket.
I dig that the bar is dark. I dig that they have equestrian estate name plates lined along the bar's surface. I dig the outside patio area a lot. I dig the little troll doors leading to what looks like nowhere or secret dungeons. I dig that this place has the option of torturing Kentucky boys that drink their bourbon straight with Aqua's  "Barbie Girl" for a quarter. That alone is worth the visit. Actually, I got lucky when I went in here because some drunk must have put in a ten dollar bill because I had a ton of credits. Because I'm a bastard and needed entertainment since the Irish guys took their fight outside, I picked every annoying song available on the digital jukebox. Needless to say I don't think anyone liked me for about an hour, but I DID play Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the last of my annoying song list. There's something strange about that song that unites all walks of life, including the reddest of necks who under normal circumstance would never even say the word "gay" and acknowledge that person that the title may belong to. But hey, sing it, boys. Embrace it.
Also, there's a bartender there named Devin who's really cool. He made good suggestions on drinks. He actually gave us strong drinks which made us want to stay longer and buy more booze. He even admitted to thinking my choice of Barbie Girl was funny. WIN.
As a side note, the bathrooms there are creepily warm. Like sauna warm. It's weird because the front door into the bathroom looks like this really heavy oak door so you push on it and almost fall in because it weighs nothing. Then you get in there and realize you're sweating bullets when you weren't just a second before and that's because the bathrooms are heated. I know bitches complain about being cold a lot, but a bathroom where women are sharing their stinky assholes isn't a good place to put the women so they can get warm. Sitting on a hot toilet seat is just weird, even weirder than sitting on a warm one from prior usage.
It's a good place to get super hamms. The back patio is legit with Bourbon Barrels for tables and lots of seating. The bartenders are pretty good and the stereo is always blasting, which I like. It gets wild. The location is perfect as well. Parking kinda sucks but whatever. Gotta walk off the Bourbon anyways.
Review Source:Even though we were here in terrible weather on a Monday night, this place was a still a good time.
Things I liked: good selection of scotch, nice outdoor patio to sit and smoke (all covered so that even the tropical storm coming through couldn't get us wet), bartender was great, drinks were super duper cheap (I'm from DC where a jagerbomb is 10 bucks.
I really dug the decor...all horse themed.
There is a great jukebox with a ton of selections. Playing Barbie Girl in a bar in Kentucky = winning.
One weird (though not necessarily bad) thing was the fact that the bathrooms were super warm. Like 20 degrees colder than the rest of the bar. And that made the toilet seats warm.
That's really not bad but for some weird reason that is a memory that has stuck with me.
I love this Irish Pub. Â It was a regular stop while I went to school at UK (University of Kentucky for my non southern friends). Â If you're looking for an Irish pub you can do no better.
I highly recommend it for drinks. Â Not sure about the food, but pub food in general is sub par. Â Also the weekend crowd tends to be bro'ish, I prefer it on the weekdays.
I love this bar, seriously. During my junior year of college I was a NSF undergrad research fellow at UK and this was where we went to hang out, talk research, and wind down. Â This place has three indoor bar rooms, and an outdoor bar in the back alley (my favorite spot).
The beer flows freely and the drinks are cheap. Â I usually would drink a Guinness and occasionally hear an Irish accent or two. Â The jockeys come by here too (easy to spot as they are my height which is hella short). I even snagged a drunken kiss from one of them.
It gets really packed, but the bouncers, and bartenders know how to handle it. Â Yeah, not sure what else to put because the McCarthy's experience cannot be put into words, you have to check it out for yourself.
I can't wait to revisit it next week!!
Oh, when I think about how many of my brain cells have fallen like the fine boys of Souvla, I would weep if I didn't have such an awesome time doing it. Â
There have been a couple "Irish" pubs to Lexington these days, but the first and foremost has always been McCarthy's. Â It's got a great feel, a great look, a great location, and a great clientele.
There is a sizable Irish contingent to lexington (due to the horses it seems) and if you go here long enough you're bound to hear an authentic brogue eventually. Â It gets a bit full of the college crowd, and the place is quite often packed, but IT'S A BAR. Â That's part and parcel of any bar, or at least, any bar that isn't going to soon go out of buisness. Â Also, every one I've met there has been fabulous.
The bartenders are great, the prices are good, and the guiness flows liek water. Â
word to the wise; if you feel the need to get a carbomb, don't refer to it as an IRISH carbomb....they get a bit testy about that. Â
Go with friends, go early so you can grab a table, try to get one out on the back patio if you can, and enjoy yourself.
i frequent this place at least twice a week, i absolutely love it. i would consider my self a regular along with the rest of my rowdy crew. we know the bartenders and bouncers, about half of the people in the crowded place. but there is always someone new to meet, and it's fun, with three rooms and a back patio, always something to do. drinks are cheap, and i love it when it's crowded. if you don't want to drink with other people, then maybe a bar isn't a good place to be. also the fact that is lays in close proximity to Harvey's and Hugos is also amazing, the triangle of fun for me is the underlying structure of my weekend shenanigans.
Review Source:I hate going to McCarthy's it's always packed and I mean packed. This is one of those bars where you can't move it's so packed. During the weak when there are not so many really drunk people crammed into McCarthy's this bar is OK, but there are better options near by. The one good part is the back patio but it's once again always packed.
Review Source:Oh how I miss this place! I had so many good nights here. There are always interesting characters here that you remember for months after. I LOVE the patio during summer. It's one of the best things in Lexington. The bartenders are pretty chill and try to get your order quickly. What's not to love about this place!
Review Source:It's a great place for atmosphere.  Lots of wood like an Irish Pub should have.  Music is decent, and the prices are good.  They have a nice patio out back for the smokers.  Be warned though that the place gets packed on the weekends.   If interested you can check out pictures of the place at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drinkprices.com%2Fbar_13740.html&s=643ab8f87cf7812f8e650484bc1ed10fd69419249f82e2123bb8c6d9aa792c84" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.drinkprices.c…</a>
Review Source:On the weekends, McCarthy's gives me new appreciation for what a cow's life might be like on the transport to the slaughter house. Â A sad existence. Â This bar is best experienced during the week, and during the week only. Â And not during Keenland, ever.
With that said, the bartenders are always great. Â Brandon rules. Â And when I worked at The Dame, we'd always run out of change because, well, running things in the "cross that bridge when we get there" was just sorta our style. Â However, McCarthy's was always to the rescue.
Ah: the bar, the back room and the patio. Many gallons of Guinness and whisky have been consumed here (by me). In the winter I could take many of the covered ped ways to the bar and not have to get too cold. For some reason the weather was always warmer on my return trip around 12 or one- a mystery. Usually I stuck to the Guinness because of the proper pour and the price.
I would avoid the place on weed end nights and on March 17th- but on the other nights, I always had good conversations and a good time. (crack).
Oh Farewell the Sweets of Kentucky
I LOVE this place. Â Really, my favorite bar in Lexington. We use to live within stumbling distance so it was perfect!
Many locals hang out here and there is less of the college crowd then other bars in the city. Â I think every Irishman in the city hangs out here. If you want to know about horses, this is the place to pick the brains of the local trainers and jockeys (they are the REALLY short ones). If you are a sucker for the accent, you don't stand a chance in this pub!
The drinks are cheap and they flow freely from very the friendly bar staff. The weekends are crazy but the weekdays are more laid back and it's easy to find a place to sit and hang out with friends.
It's also easy to get to know the locals and feel like you fit in, provided you don't act like a douche!
I have many a good memory of McCarthy's.
And there almost too many good memories of McCarthy's I don't know if I can write a really objective, good review here.
But, I'll do my best.
Drinks are good, strong and cheap.
There are always friendly faces.
You can always meet someone new.
You can smoke like a chimney out back.
You can dress up, or dress down. No one cares. No one judges you.
It's usually ridiculously crowded on the weekends. But during the week, it's almost more fun because there are fewer people and you'll always end up meeting someone new.
A year after moving away, I still think I could go and see a familiar face or two in the crowd.
I'll spare you the stories of drunken debauchery, my first body shot, a creepy guy who chased me and my friend down the street, meeting many men who subsequently broke my heart, post break up drinking, birthdays, new years, st. patrick's days, Christmases and thanksgivings. And when I said goodbye to Lexington, McCarthy's is where I had my farewell party. McCarthy's has been there through it all.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
