I love this place. It's literally a home away from home for me. I moved down from Bellingham about two months ago where the other Mckay's is and a place the I visited regularly. Before leaving my beloved Bellingham I had no idea where I was going to get a decent beer in the Tri-Cities. After hearing of this location I was complete again. The beer selection is unmatched to anywhere else in the area. The selection is thoughtful and doesn't cater to one taste. I was really happy to see the other night they had '11 and '12 Abyss on tap. If you haven't been here yet, you are overdue.
Review Source:Amazing selection of tap beer. We walked in tonight w/o knowing anything about this place. They had Black Butte XXIV, 2011 & 2012 Abyss, Barrel Aged Rasputin on Nitro just to name a few.
If you know beer then you know the above is all super high end stuff.
Don't freak out if you call and get Pizza Pipeline. same owners and they are right next door.
I believe they have Fifty Taps with maybe two that are slop.
Very nice "dive bar" feel. And for all the reviews saying "decent beer selection"? Y'all have lost your mind! To be considered a Taphouse, they must have at least 50 selections on tap. Needless to say, the number of beers is by far the best in Tri Cities, and could hold it's own in any market.
Service, we went for lunch and were one of four tables, so service was good.
Ambiance, a nice dark pub. Separate seating for the restaurant and bar side. Quirky decorations, and a beautiful oak bar.
Food, we had mushroom swiss burger, philly cheesesteak, garlic fries, and bacon mac and cheese. Burger was excellent quality beef, juicy, tender, nice flattop sear. The philly was truly the gem of the menu. Perfect bread, seasoned amazingly, veg was cooked great. Seriously, this sandwich could stand up in Philadelphia! Fries and mac/cheese were ok. Pedestrian at best. Not bad by any means, but certainly did not have the same quality as the sandwiches.
Price was slightly on the spendy side, but not outrageous. I will defiently be back for another pint and the philly cheesesteak.
We stayed the weekend in the Kennewick area and ended up here on a Sunday night after seeing their flyer in the hotels directory... It was kinda odd because in the ad, they call themselves "McCabe's", they also didn't have any contact information, so it took a little bit of time to find their phone number online. I tried calling them to double check their hours and it rang into Pizza Pipeline, which is actually right next door.... Not sure if they're ran by the same people and they're too cheap or too lazy to get a second line...?
It took quite some time for a server to come to out table at all. We gave our drink order and then waited again for quite a while to get drinks. We placed our food order at that time. I ordered their chili cheeseburger with fries, the babe ordered their philly cheesesteak with garlic fries. The food took about 15 minutes... It seemed like they had it sitting for a really long time... Stone cold. I don't think they have a food warmer to keep everything hot while it's waiting to be taken out. Thought about sending it back, but it was another 10 minutes before our server came back, and we were going to a movie after, so we just dealt with it.
When it came time to pay, our server was nowhere to be found... We waited at our table for another 10 minutes and ended up just going up to the bar to pay. The server came by at some point and said, "Oh, sorry".
Sorry pretty much sums this place up. Sucks when you're only in town for 2 night and you end up at a hole like this when there are so many choices.
I give this place  5 stars and I cannot even enjoy the best thing about this bar! There are so many beers on tap that you get a 'Beer Bible' when you sit down! I cannot drink beer but they always have a few ciders on tap and several local wines by the glass. The food is good quality, slightly upscale bar food. Not fancy but always tasty! The best part is the atmosphere, unlike most bars in the tri-city area this bar is not uncomfortable, and the servers are not rude or simple.
Review Source:An update/upgrade has been sorely in order. Â I've been to this alehouse/pub a few more times in 2012, and they have certainly improved and grown on me. Â
First things first, they DO have a decent beer selection, and you won't find a selection to match their magnitude in the 509.
The staff is generally cool & nice. Â
I think what made me a fan: Â their burgers. Â My bro and I stopped by after the gym and were famished. Â I hadn't had a burger at McKay's, so I was a little nervous---didn't want my bro to beat me up! Â We ordered a some brews and burgers. Â And it's been a few weeks and he still talks about that burger. Â
So this is a pub style joint. Â The interior is fairly cozy & cool. Â There are several big-screen TVs to watch a game. Â The bar looks like inviting although I've not saddled up there. Â The high-seat tables are a nice touch in the bar area as well.
McKay's, I promise to not be a stranger.
It's Saturday night and your pub is full. Why are there only two servers? Hire more people!
We came through town to visit friends and they mentioned this restaurant having a decent beer selection (which they did). I ordered a Rogue Hazelnut Brown. Now, you can hit or miss with Rogue's beer. Sadly, my pint was flat (I'm sure the keg was bad or not gassed properly), so I sent it back with no problem. My husband and his friend ordered several beers and seemed to enjoy them all.
The pub fare is standard and decently priced. I had a chef salad that came with all the fixins', including bacon. Most of their items have or feature bacon. This is the Tri-Cities, so I think the bacon bandwagon just pulled through town. Burgers and garlic fries were also ordered and were up to par with what we were looking for.
The reason I'm giving this place three stars is because their service leaves a LOT to be desired. I counted only two servers (one of which was the bartender) for a packed pub on a Saturday night. Really? You didn't have anyone else on your schedule who could come in and pick up a few tables and earn some cash? Our server was decent, but definitely overwhelmed with the amount of customers. We waited more than enough time in between her first greeting and by the time we received our beverages. After those were dropped off, it was at least another 10 minutes before she came back to take our food order. It was frustrating to say the least, but what can you do?
Anyway, stop by for a pint if you're looking for a decent selection, but be ready for a wait f you're present on a busy night.
Went there with a date on a Friday at ~6pm
Sat in the "table" section at the front of the place.
Positive:
Buffalo chicken sliders were good
seasonal pumpkin porter was really good
Not so Positive:
it was loud.... not slightly noisy.... IT WAS LOUD... as in I had a headache after about 30 minutes...
Primary reason for the noise was the yelling profane drunks at the center table, who wouldn't take hints or requests to bring the language back to at least PG13.
As I said, I was there with a date and it was uncomfortable for both of us (profanity)
Will I go back?
Probably
I really enjoy this place. Â For starters the beer list is especially stellar for the Tri-Cities! Â If you can't find a beer here that would please you then you probably should stop drinking beer. Â
The nachos are great! Â Who would have thought kielbasa would taste good on nachos??? Â The truffle fries are a nice touch and when they say garlic they mean it! Â I have also had the buffalo chicken sandwich and although not done to perfection, it is the closest I have found in this town.
We have always had friendly service. Â Sometimes it is packed and other times nice and quiet - it is really hit or miss with the crowd which can sometimes mean slower service. Â As an old Pizza Hut it isn't exactly the greatest spot but after a few beers the place becomes quiet cozy. Â Seriously though, they make the most of what they have and I appreciate that. Â
All in all a solid choice in the TC's if looking for a wide selection of beers to choose from and some decent eats (order from McKay's kitchen - don't bother with the Pipeline next door).
Mrs. and I went here on Wednesday evening. Â Place was busy but not packed. Â I was a little nervous after seeing some of the prior reviews and complaints about service. Â I can only assume that the staff here have read the reviews.
We were greeted almost immediately and informed we could sit wherever we wanted (and were subsequently led to a booth anyway :)) Â
Service was prompt and attentive; our server was very helpful in listening to what my wife wanted and making recommendations.
Food was good by my "bar food" standards. Â This isn't a place where you want to go for a fancy dinner, but if you want some good pub grub and a nice selection of 50 beers on tap including some fun exotic stuff, it definitely fits the bill.
I've went to McKay's a few times with co workers before I moved and I wasn't that impressed. Food wasn't bad but the service was terrible. There is no reason you should have to wait 5-10 minutes for a beer when it's not even busy. My waitress even had to come back and ask me what I wanted because she had forgotten. Hire better employees who actually care about doing a good job or this place will tank. People wont put up with poor service.
Review Source:I've come here multiple times since the opening. Usually with a pretty big group from work, but once with just myself and the other half.
1) Beer, is great! There's always some sort of selection, and I cannot stand dark beers, so it's great to have so many to try out. It's also nice that sometimes you'll catch Billy, the owner, there and he'll actually give you suggestions or even whip you up something different. The only downfall in this category is that every time I've been there, the lists have not been up-to-date, and the first two times the first 2-3 beers we tried were out, so the waiter had to keep coming back to let us know.
2) Service, great for the most part! We've never had issues with seating as I see on some of the reviews. I suppose we just knew to seat ourselves, so I never cared if anyone paid attention as long as we got our drink orders in. Safe to say, we usually get a smile from someone when we enter though. I have had some issues with cross service between McKay's and Pizza Pipeline next door (same owners). When it comes from getting pizza, I've found that making special requests (hold the olives, add the tomatoes) is just a no-go. Twice now they've gotten the order completely wrong. Once they took an hour and a half to get the order to us because there was lack of communication and the order apparently never got started.
But since this isn't solely a McKay's issue, I really only deducted half a star there.
3) The food I've had is great! Not a fan of the burgers though, I just wasn't. It was pretty bland, patty tasted as if it was just another frozen patty from the Albertson's next door. The nachos are amazing, and some other select items on the menu are good as well. The only complaint is that the kitchen closes at 10pm, and that's usually when we go because of different shift times for our friends.
4) Cleanliness. I've never noticed much, other than we have had the off issue with getting our old glasses cleared out when we have a large group, and they start stacking up - literally. Once night we had to start stacking the glasses. Everything else though has been pretty clean!
5) Noise level. This one has gotten really loud, or pretty steady. When it's loud, oh my gosh.. you may as well not even try to have a conversation. But we've been that loud group before, and honestly, it's just people relaxing, having fun, and having a drink. No big deal there!
6) On your birthday, ID to prove it, you get a free Sweetza Pizza from Pipeline, or so every time we've had a birthday in the group they've done it. Which is awesome!
All in all, I love McKay's. I really think there's still room for improvement. Maybe a sign for those to, "seat themselves" that way there's no further issues with that. Up-to-date lists daily, instead of coming in on Wednesday and finding a list of Sunday's choices. I'm in no way a 'regular'. I get carded nearly every time, unless it's BIlly himself, he seems to memorize faces quickly. So if you've had a bad experience or two, just give it another whirl sometime. Places like this are bound to pick up what needs to be changed, change it, and then improve a lot.
This place is awesome!!! Period. Â I guess I should say more, but I've been in the Tri Cities for a while now and there is finally a place that can cook a mushroom swiss burger (yeah how hard can that be). Â
On top of the fact that its got excellent food service, its got 50 beers on tap (and not the crappy ones from Milwaukee). Â I suggest that everyone gets down there and enjoys it.
While not officially open yet, Mckay's is serving from about 30 taps (out of 50 total).  There is no crap on tap, just good craft brewed beers & ales.  Mckay's expects to have all 50 taps plus 100+ in the bottle by their official grand opening mid January. The ambiance inside oak & brick with a embossed metal tile ceiling, very much like a small pub in Portland or Seattle. The menu is typical pub fare, but with a few surprises. The Bruschetta with Feta cheese is to die for!  Mckay's doesn't (yet) have a sign outside but they're in the old Pizza Hut  between Pizza Pipeline and Albertson's.
UPDATE!!!!!!
Two weeks after opening an d it's standing room only some nights. All 55 taps are on line, though at any given time 5-10 are out due to the high patronage and sheer volume of beer being served. Still no large sign outside, but just look for the large happy crowds. Â Food still good and they will also serve anything on the Pizza Pipeline menu (same owners.)
PS I'm now changing my review from 4 to 5 stars
Just went to McKays for the first time and it was a great experience! Â Immediately, Billy offered to make me a special beer off-menu...something he called a Huckleberry Hefeweizen or something like that. Â It was delicious! Â My husband had the Dragon's Breath (something like that) -- he liked his beer, too! I chose the buffalo chicken sliders and man! were those yummy and spicy! Make sure to order a glass of water with that. Â My husband ordered the Feta Bruschetta - and come to find out that it is house specialty! Yep, it was special!! Â The feta spread like butter and all the flavors melded together so well. Â
I had to withhold the fifth star for a couple of reasons:
1) some visible clutter behind the the bar -- old rags or something stuffed up in cabinets
2) the pull handles of the taps behind the bar obstruct the bottom portion of the tvs behind them making it impossible to see game scores and other info that sits on the bottom edge of the tv...ya have to look at the other tvs to see it
3) the lady bartender and servers were not nearly as friendly as the men and didn't smile nearly as much
4) I miss seeing some standard bar food items on the menu such as garlic fries, onion rings and chicken strips...i may not actually order them now that I know how good the other food items are, but i would feel reassured if they were there...weird, i know.
So, if ya like beer and yummy bar food and ya like making friends with your bartender - namely with Billy - then this is the place for you.
Also, It can get loud so beware of that.
4 stars for McKays. Â :-)
My wife and I went to McKay's for lunch on a Friday afternoon ~12:15 PM. Â We were immediately, greated by the bartender and told us to pick any table that was available. Â Menus (both beer and food) were already on the table. Â Within a couple of minutes we were greated by one of the waiters. Â The "handles" listed on the drink menu are amazing! Â .... there's almost (50) micro brews listed with a couple of "hard ciders" and even a non-alcoholic Root Beer. Â We asked our waiter about a couple of micro's and he asked us if we would like to have a "free" tasting sample. Â They bring the tasting sample in a miniature two ounce pilsner glass. Â I remembered YELP'S Shane D. recommending the "Iron Horse Irish Devil" and ordered a pint ... delicious. Â My wife ordered Bayern's Dragon's Breath Dunkleweiss.. it also was delicious. Â Lunch was good and serving sizes plentiful. Â I had the mushroom & swiss burger with fries. Â My wife had the Buffalo Seasoned Chicken Breast sandwich and fries. Â The Buffalo sauce was very good and spicy. Â We sampled a couple more beers. Â My wife ordered a micro brew called "Bitteroot Huckleberry Ale" ... a perfect palate cleanser. Â I ordered "Deschutes Red Chair Ale" ... also a perfect "after lunch" beverage. Â Both beverage and food service was attentive and "spot-on". Â I notice, they rotate their beer selections as a "handle" becomes empty. Â You can tell McKay's has a local following.... I think we will join the gang. Â It's a fun place to be at!
Review Source:Solid place, one of my favorite places to go. Â With 50 beers on tap, there is something for everyone -- my favorite is the Bitterroot Huckleberry Ale. Â They've got some rockin' appies -- I dream about the chicken sliders, and the nacho bombs are, well...the bomb! Â It's a comfortable, cozy place to hang out with your favorite people and taste different type of beer. Â Oh, if you aren't sure about a beer, they'll give you a pretty good-sized sample to try it.
Service is very good. Â I understand the earlier comments about some of the issues with service, but they've only been open a couple months. Â They, like any new restaurant, need time to work out the bugs, and I have noted vast improvement in my ~10 visits. Â It's all been very good, and I'd like to see these folks stay in business for a very long time.
If you like beer, this is the place to try!
I'm surprised there are so many reviews of a taphouse and so little mention of the beer. So! I'll start with that.
This is a place to get a variety of amazing microbrews. They don't seem to be biased towards one type of beer or another. Pale, ESB, amber, red, IPA, stout, porter, they've got it all and them some. Â I've been to Mckay's about 4 times so far, and each time there is a significant change in the beer list. To me, this is a plus because I like to try something different all the time. I've managed to find some of my favorites on tap here that are not common to this area; such as Humboldt Brewing's Red Nectar and Bear Republic's Racer 5. Of course, they support local as well, Ice Harbor's IPA was on tap also. Â I really appreciate this selection because many of the bars around seem to carry the same microbrews. And, while I do like Mac and Jack's Amber, I want to mix it up fairly frequently.
Suggestion to the owner: do a taster flight of beers so we could try 6 or so of the same type: amber, IPA, whatever. Rotate with whatever you have on tap and surprise me!
I think some of the other reviewers have a point. You've got some nice servers at McKay's, but attention is inconsistent. Sometimes they're on it, and sometimes not. The food is good and the beer is great, so I'll keep on coming back. Maybe a little more training, and I'll be happy to change my 4 to a 5 star rating. And as for the one star reviewers...JEEZ! Seriously? One star is for abuse, vermin, disease. Giving someone a low rating without great cause is just rude.
I also didn't want to leave a negative review - I was excited that this place opened, and was looking forward to giving it a try. Â I read Charlotte's review, and it was deja vu! Â We walked in around noon about a week after they opened. Â Nothing at the entryway indicating whether to seat yourself or wait to be seated. Â A bartender eventually told us to sit wherever we liked, so we chose a table close to the bar. Â It was busy, but there were a couple vacant tables, and several servers. Â In the next 10 minutes we were never approached by a server, no drink orders taken - we were just ignored. Â Apparently it's hit and miss, feast or famine at this place because there are some glowing reviews and several just like this one. Â I'm not a high-maintenance customer, but ignoring a table of customers is a pretty big lapse in service. Â Owners, get your staff whipped into shape on this, or you're going to lose more potentially loyal customers at a really unique place.
Review Source:If you are quality beer fan, this is the place to be. Â The cougar gold macaroni and cheese with bacon was excellent. Â They also have the 'fat kid candy' option were you can put chili on top. Â Great service and a fun atmosphere. Â
The only thing I would change would be the salsa. Â Ordered the chips and salsa for an app, tasted like Pace Picante. Â Something fresh and local would be my choice.
I'm really thrilled to see a taphouse in the Tri-Cities. The selection is more than enough to keep any microbrew aficionado happy, and the prices seem pretty standard (the pint I had was $4.50--I didn't see the price until my bill came out, and I think it would be nice to see prices on the menu). Seems like a good place to come enjoy some great beer, though I won't be coming back for the food. The dinner menu is very limited, and the $10 burger I had was just alright (definitely not worth the price). Overall though, I'd like to keep giving this place a shot to see what it becomes after they've been open for a longer period of time.
Review Source:Fantastic! Â We had a blizzard snow storm and it finally broke, every one and their dog were out to dinner. Â We tried Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse, and each place had over a two hour wait (just to give you an idea of how busy things were out.)
We went to McKays (It was a bit hard to find as they don't have a sign up yet advertising themselves) which is nestled between Albertson's and Pizza Pipeline in Richland. Â We snuck in and grabbed a booth by the door and were promptly greeted. Â
As is any where in the Tri-Cities, every one in the joint felt the need to scream over each other. Â I could hardly hear my husband but the guys across the joint made sure every one heard their conversation. Â It was packed, but still fantastic. Â We ordered the kid Mini-Corn dogs, my husband ordered the grilled salmon, and I ordered the Bacon Bully. Â
About 5 minutes after ordering, the waitress came back to say they were out of bacon. Â Understandable, due to the unexpected rush of people after a nearly empty week. Â She gave me a few to peruse the menu, then promptly returned telling me some one had ran to the Albertson's next door to get me bacon. Â Score.
I'm not a big beer drinker and when I told the gal that she decided it was her mission to get me something I'd enjoy. Â She won on the first shot. Â The fact they have so many beers on tap and the staff knows the menu so well, I was impressed. Â I think it was called "Down Town Brown" or maybe I'm thinking of that because the real thing she gave me still rhymed. Â
I peeked back into the kitchen and was thrilled to see there weren't a bunch of line cooks. Â Simply a head cook and his assistant were taking care of a whole restaurant.
My burger was awesome and the fries were fantastic. Â Nathan's salmon was savory and perfectly spiced and even the corndogs tasted good. Â
I'm going to go back for lunch, hopefully it will be a little less busy and I'll be able to enjoy it a bit more. Â
Why four and not five? Â Everything is decently priced, but they could knock a dollar off the burger. Â It was more of a $9 one, not $10. Â I'd also like them to throw in some free wi-fi, it's a place I wouldn't mind chilling with a beer, a laptop, and some chili-cheese fries to do some homework.
Edited to Add: Â I have since found out the fries are out of a bag. Â Lame.
I really really don't want to be the first negitive review and I really really really really wanted to like this place. I always give locally owned businesses more slack than chains since I own a local business and chains cater to the mob and shoot for mediocre. I am also sympathetic to places that have just opened. I know first hand how hard it is to have new employees and customers with high expectations.
From opening the door to leaving nothing went right. Stood at the front door, waitresses walking by not sure if we should seat ourselves and the waitresses were not going to help with that question, just walked by looking away. One dirty table open, waitress came by and took away the plates but didn't wipe it down and the table was sticky enough you didn't want to touch it unless you wanted to spend the night there.
Beer came quick and was cold, AWESOME! that is always a great start. Sadly a refill was a battle....In a tap house. Ordered burgers and fries with no glorious expectations. Burgers came out one side charcoal other side charcoal +10. Not seared....thick layer of burnt. one ring of one slice of an onion....... Burger was a inch smaller than the bun more of a slider size. bacon was awful and i thought that was impossible to do. I could have counted the fries and they were burnt and greasy. Wife ordered a hard cider and after 15 minutes we found out that the keg exploded which is no biggie we understand things go wrong but when we got the bill they charged us for the cider we didn't get.
This is a bar and i don't expect great food but at $10 the burger should be at least as good as Denny's or in this case McDonald's. I wont be going back but I really hope they take this seriously. If you want to sell a $10 burger then make one. If Bobs can do  it then you should be able to do it tied upside down. Nobody will complain about the wait if you put out food that is worth it. keep the beer coming, waiting 20 min for a refill in a tap house when liqueur is the money maker is just crazy.
I can't believe they got so much stuff in this space! Â This used to be a Pizza Hut delivery only location, but somehow they managed to fit a cozy fun pub style place in the same building.
I want to speak about the service first. Friendly, super friendly, like you have been a regular for a long time. Think Cheers and you are Norm.
Now I am not a beer snob, so the sheer volume of offerings for all the different taps is just awesome to me. Irish Death seems to be the talk of the town lately, and they have it. I normally don't like the dark beers but this one is good and went great with my food.
And about the food. First of all, I think the prices overall are really reasonable, except I would say knock a dollar of the burger. My Bacon Bully, a six piece of bacon burger, tasted awesome and was big, but $10 for a burger seems just a bit high. Next time I go back I am getting a rib eye steak though cuz those are only $13. That is an amazing price for a rib eye steak.
Also had the Nacho Bombs which are like cheese sticks but they have cheddar instead of mozzarella and the outer coating is like nacho chips. Served with sour cream and salsa, this was just awesome!
The atmosphere is like a rec room. Nice dark woods and comfortable booths and chairs. And six 51" screen tvs to catch some sport action...awesome!
Billy, the man in charge, came and talked with me about how I liked everything and just really seemed to care that I enjoyed my food, which I REALLY did. I haven't felt this welcomed in a restaurant in the TC since Baron's Beef and Brew was running. Sadly that place is long gone.
They are going to be open until 3 am starting January 15, pulling the taps until 2 every night. Can't wait to eat here again!
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