Best dive in SLO. I have visited SLO several times and have come here twice & had a great time. The bartenders have heavy hands, the drinks are cheap & the people are nice.
The last time I came was Memorial Day weekend, my friend & I were being harassed by some douchebag assholes & the very tall bouncer checked them so they left. I appreciated that.
I know SLO is a college town but as a 30-something just out for a drink it is nice to go to a bar where they make sure to stop trouble before it starts. I will be back the next time I am in town.
There are photos here taken at the old location on Court Street after Joe McCarthy sold it to former Oakland Raider Dan Connors and retired local banker, the late Tim Williams. It was moved to it's present location with lower ceilings at Marsh and Nipomo Street in the last decade. Â it still is a local bar. They pour a tremendous amount of Jameson by asking, "Would you like me to make that Jameson for a dollar more?"
Still popular on St. Patrick'Day even though it is now owned by a consortium.
Just got back from our vacation in SLO- celebrating our one year married which happens to be on St Paddy's Day =). Â One of the spots there in town I wanted to make a point to see was McCarthy's. So Happy we did. Let me just say we are divey bar people. We prefer the kick back, have a stiff drink and chill atmosphere. McCarthy's is just that. If you want top 40 club music and foo foo drinks, try a couple of blocks over. This IS a locals place...BUT If you're down and don't walk in there like a snob, you'll do just fine. We had a blast there the two nights we came in.
1st night was of course St Paddy's. Get there about 1am -night cap. Bartenders were tired and rocked from what I'm sure is one of the busiest days of there. No matter-the guys working were awesome, friendly and worked hard all the way to closing. CARL was awesome, chatting with us and busting his butt cleaning up the patio. * Hope the youngster on the ground Partying with her friends wasn't hurting too bad the next morning. I asked her dad to be nice when we saw him picking her up LoL.
2nd night there Tues (3-19) we walked in and it was like we have been going there forever. Bartender that night was just as great.
In short - McCarthy's is a fun local spot. We will def make it back in there again (if anything just to meet some more of the interesting locals that call this place home ;) ) and tell our friends about it
THANKS GUYS =D
Wow.... good for McCarthy's. Â I thought the place was A-ok so I might have to visit again.
I visited this past weekend and had some good fun, but it seemed to be a local hangout with outsiders not so welcome.
It also didn't seem so Irish as it appeared to be more of a Coors Light and smoking haven.
I can't give an Irish Pub lower than 3 stars; it's against my Irish heritage.
The last time I came to McCarthy's, I was in college, and I just didn't understand. I dismissed it as a creepy bar for old people. Eight years later, and I'm the old and creepy one. Suddenly, it all clicked, and this is now the only place for me. Grown-ups, shuffleboard, jukebox, classic rock, yelp check-in deals, low lighting, good prices and a stupidly delicious food truck parked out front for late-night tri-tip?? Â I don't think I will waste my time in another SLO bro-bar for as long as I live. McCarthy's, I love you.
Review Source:A great place to get away from the standard college crowd. You'll often run into a bit of the older crowd here, but it's a fun place. They have the #1 account of Jameson here, so definitely get an irish car bomb. They also have amaretto sours, which are quite delicious and can be hard to find. Sometimes the wait staff is a little slow at taking orders, but definitely a place to visit on a trip downtown to the bars.
Review Source:was on vacation and decided to grab a beer while we waited for our table at novo, yelp helped us find this spot. at first i was a bit nervous, you have to walk through the outside patio in order to get inside and it was filled with an interesting crowd blowing smoke through our path.
however, once inside and greeted by the bartenders our view quickly changed of this place.
let me start out by saying their happy hour is insane, its $1.25 for all of their canned beers!
in the short time we were there probably 80% of the customers that walked in were known by first name with the bartenders and bartenders would know exactly what they wanted without having to ask. love local spots.
Pro: The newish location is less crowded. strong drinks
Con: The newish location is off the beaten path, dark, and cash only
This is geared towards the local drinks (not Cal Poly kids) with the more mature atmosphere. Which is good for a good place for usual things to happen when drinking here.
ATM is around the corner.
This is among my favorite bars in the world, which is saying a lot.  SLO has a lot of cut and paste bars, so it's really refreshing to come to a real gem like McCarthy's.  The bartenders are fantastic, the people are local and the drinks are stiff.  There's always something good playing on the jukebox and there's always someone interesting to talk to.  They have been  cash only until really recently, though there is an ATM in the back and a $10 minimum for plastic.  They have good happy hour prices and they are always fully stocked with a really first class selection of booze and beer, though the sign on the wall is right; their house wine is without question Jameson Irish Whiskey.  Ladies, this is also one of my favorite bar bathrooms.  It's always clean and there's actually hot water in the sink.
Side note: On weekdays around lunch time, there's frequently a taco truck in the lot.
This place only gets good reviews because of the regulars or people who use to be regulars. If you are just visiting you'll notice it is cash only and a place which attracts the weirdest people in the town. Only bar I've been to where I was slapped by a random chick, or any chick for that matter. The crowd is between ugly and average when it comes to looks and personality. The male bathroom is awful due to there being one stall and one urinal which both leaked. The actual bar is unnecessarily dark. Supposedly they have the best bartender in SLO, but I'm not really going to a bar to kick it on a Friday night with the male bartender (not that I noticed any greatness).
Review Source:Yes, go visit the new location.
No, it's not the same atmosphere.
Why I'm a fan:
Low Turnover - same people working there as 5 years ago
Good Patrons - easy to strike up conversations with strangers
Acceptable Prices - yes, cash only
Fantastic Jukebox - you can play ANYTHING
Easy Meeting Place - everyone knows and likes it
Why only 4 stars? The old location was better, but I've you've never been there, it won't matter to you anyway.
When my friend Katie and I ask each other, "Do you want to go grab a drink?" It means two things: McCarthys and that we will probably get drunk, have a great time and stay till last call. We don't mean to stay till last call, but we just end up having a damn good time!
I do miss the old McCarthys that was a quarter of the size it is now but they have everything from the old on the walls as a way of never forgetting 1019. So, buy the boys behind the bar a Jameson (they are the number one seller in the US) shot and be prepared to talk to the coolest, friendliest, most diverse group of people.
Ew. I mean, yes...it's a bar, so it gets to be a little gross, but other than Bull's this is the grossest bar in downtown SLO, definitely a hangout for the umm...scarier locals? I only went here once on my 21st birthday, and some girl out on the patio somehow got her top/top of her dress pulled down by some guy and flashed all of us...bonus? Maybe. I went to McCarthy's to get my birthday Irish car bomb and left with any eye-full......
Review Source:I really don't get the high ratings for this pub - and yes, I have been since it's changed locations. The bar is dark, gives off a really seedy vibe, and always seems to have some sketchy characters inside. The music is ridiculously loud, to the point that I can barely hear myself think, and the wait to get the bartender's attention for a drink is long when it's busy. Drinks are strong and cheap but tend to leave me hung over.
Frog and Peach Pub is a better option.
So, it was about 10; still a little early, the place was full, but not packed. The bathrooms, um I wouldn't say clean, but it wasn't disgusting?....
It's definitely the atmosphere that has everyone swooning here. The laid back miller lite in a can, smoking on the deck ambiance is nice.
So, I am not a local, and I have only been here once.....AND it happened to be Saint Patty's day 3 years ago....so maybe I am not the best reviewer...but I will say I have never had to much fun in my life! The place was sooo crowded I was waiting for the fire-marshal to shut it down like they do in the movies....but no....more people packed in. I drank enough Guinness that night for all of Ireland! Somewhere in the background I could here music but mostly my ears were drowned out by the sounds of conversations and giggles. SLO showed me the best damn night ever!
Review Source:There was a time that I would give this place a 5+, but it feels like the times have changed. Â Back in the day when they were on court street it was a fun place to go to. Â The bar tenders knew your favorite drink and you could have a good conversation with someone that was old enough to be your grandfather.
Now the music is far too loud on something that resembles an electric juke box and far too many frat boys.
Some of the great tenders from the past are still there, but i am sure that they miss the old days.
They do make the best bloody mary that I have ever tasted.
Even though I've had my issues with this place over the years McCarthy's has become my fav local bar for numerous reasons:
1) Off the beaten path. Â You still get annoying college kids in there but they fade away quickly (unless its St. Pattys Day) Â But most don't stray far from the main strip of bars on Higuera.
2) Older crowd. Â A good portion of the people who go here are usually 25+ so there's a little bit more maturity going around and less tolerance for (stupid) shenanigans and people being jerks to one another. Â
3) Prices/bartenders. Â Their prices are good and the bartenders know how to mix up some drinks and are pretty personable as well. Â
4) Locals. Â Some people may scoff at this but being a local and having a place where you can go, chill out, shoot the breeze with a buddy or two and NOT have a full on meat market going on or some meat-wad trying to fight someone who spilled their drink on his "girlfriend" is fantastic! Â
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are when you're likely to encounter the Cal Poly crowd. Â St. Patty's Day is their busiest day of the year and plan on waiting in line for at least 15min and having to fight your way through a crowd.
Sorry, I have to say it... This place used to be better when it was on Court St. of course.
They replaced their old school jukebox with a digital jukebox that is 50 cents a song and the selection isn't even that great! Â The bartender did give me two bucks to play some songs, but that lasted oh 12 minutes and it was quiet the rest of the time we were there. Â Honestly a better jukebox and this place would be much better.
Maybe I need to come back on a different night? Â I just got a weird vibe here...
Just as funky and even more tacky. They actually were able to refurbish the old smoke sausage house and the new place is still tacky. It only lacks the slight urine smell of the old place (you can still go to Bulls if you find that appealing). The new place has no focus, just lumps of booths scatter around the bar. The patio is a place to smoke'm if you got'm, but is unattractive. Maybe the best thing going on is you can order Foster's Freeze burgers to go and bring them back for a snack!
Drive Bar Rating ***** (see SLO Drive Bar List)
Drive Bar Rating Factors: (1 * for each)
Small, dark, seedy characters on bar stools *, windows and floors could use a wipe, good drinks *, smart ass folks on both sides of the bar, locals hang out *, clandestine meetings * in the far corners of the lounge or the bathrooms, extra points for smell, tacky design* and poor service.
For a place being closed for so long, spending a bunch of buck$ on the new place, they are still a drive bar - perhaps their goal all along.
This is a great place to get trashed. Stiff drinks, stiff drinks and more stiff drinks. Be sure to have a Jamesons when you are here. The people here are pretty friendly and even friendlier after you've had a couple.
Irish? It seems more like a dive bar with an irish name than a real irish bar, but what the hell, you are gonna love this place if you like to drink especially on St. Patrick's Day.
In any case, this is a great bar in a great town.
I have a real love for Irish Bars.
This place opens at 5:00 a.m. the day of graduation for the students, how cool is that? Seriously cool. I was absolutely trashed by the time that my parents and grandparents got to my house (classy, I know). Great drinks, awesome people, the regulars are fun, good tunes on the Music box, basically great dive all around!
They have a count down to St Patty's day on the wall which I always found amusing- Being the ONLY Irish place in San Luis, it gets INSANE on St. Patty's day.
jameson's? you want jameson's? get in line behind all the other people here drinking it. the NUMBER ONE JAMESON'S DEALER IN THE USA. deal with it. have some. sure they've got guinness.
this is a great local bar. nobody really comes in here to show off, or pick up on people like a meat-market, you come here to see friends, meet their friends and get a stiff drink. the bartenders are good here.
at the end of the night, the music shuts off for a couple seconds while the bartenders and doormen scream out loud: "McCarthy's is closed! finish your drinks and get the fuck out!!!" my favorite part, and i scream with them.
sidenotes:
6am on graduation day(december and june) for cal poly is fun for a couple hours, it's kind of a tradition to drink there before you go to the ceremonies...
6am on St. Patrick's Day is a madhouse, because you've got all these people who don't usually go there showing up for one morning of the year. i call it "amateur day". this continues into the night till closing.
not too busy after work, but it's nice to meet up w/your peeps and have a drink before dinner, or to wind down after a long day...
i will always come here.
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