McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar — Restaurant in Bethlehem

*If you’re planning to bring a group read!

TERRIBLE SERVICE tonight. I messaged them through Facebook WAY I’m advance to ensure they could accommodate a large group. The response I got was “Good Morning Terra, We do not do reservations at this time. We do have two communal high tops that can seat up to twelve people each. When were you thinking about coming?” AND Thursdays shouldn’t be a issue.

We get there tonight, The place is maybe 1/4 filled capacity and are told AFTER seating that everyone had to be on the same check because we had more than 6 people (we were going to have roughly 15-18 who planned to come), but they could run separate cards. We explained that wouldn’t work because not everyone would be leaving at the exact same time at which time we were then informed/clarified they could run separate cards but only in equal amounts of the the overall check. (Ex: 100 with 4 cards - ran a $25 each)

The manager went back and forth to “think” about how they could accommodate us, only to return each time with a different reason or excuse - from they didn’t want the waitress to have to deal with that many different checks (yes, they said that), to “it’s just our policy”, to “we’ve had people leave without paying.”

When asked if we could move to the tables (all right next to each other) as if we were coming in individually to eat (vs the communal high top) we were told in exact words “Yes, but you can’t get out of your seat.” 🤦🏻‍♀️

Again, if you’ve ever been in there - it’s small, they were not busy and you pass a hostess stand where there’s never less than 3 people standing there in a tiny corridor to exit. So policing dine & dash issues should not have been an issue.

Their last offer was the best they could do was split the table in 2 checks instead of 1.

In the end, the group went across the street to Fegleys Brewworks who accommodated us with absolutely no issues.

Long story short, if you’re planning on going to McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar as a group - be sure that you’re aware you can’t have your guests on separate tabs because we were not advised this, even though I contacted them well in advance before planning to patronize their...

Thought I would stop in during a recent solo trip to visit my family in the area. Barring the unfortunate issues finding parking in Bethlehem, McCarthy's is in a nice spot off the beaten path but easily within walking distance of the Main St. shops.

I walked in to a sign saying "the hostess will seat you". No hostess but a number of employees around. It was only a minute ot two before I was able to catch a seat at the bar. The selection of whiskeys is very nice if you're a whiskey person. Beers, not so much but still some quality options.

I decided to order the Fish & chips on recommendation of the bartender to go with my Kilkenny cream ale. At $17, I expected a very filling portion, but one piece of fish and a handful of chips on the plate left me wanting a little more. The food was plated very nicely on a long rectangular platter. It did nothing for my expectations as its a pub, not a fine restaurant. At the price, it seems lost between expensive for what you get, vs cheap for what you didn't get. Everything on the menu seems that way. Like a $2 upcharge was added to what's considered "normal" pricing at other venues. I will say that the food was very good, but not something that garners any type of upcharge.

Being left wanting a little more, the lamb stew was the next to catch my attention. I ordered a cup and it came out relatively quickly. I'd been reading some reviews that stated there wasn't enough lamb in the lamb stew and found that not to be the case. There was a good amount of meat in the stew and the base was delicious. I did find the meat lacking in texture and flavor that I expected from lamb. It experienced more like a budget beef roast than lamb. A coarser grain, tough cut indeed considering the softness of the stew itself. The veggies and soda bread made it a good option to round out the meal, and I was thoroughly full after.

All in, one person with one beer, an entrée and cup of soup is $35. Ok for a once and done, but the proximity to "touristy" Bethlehem is definitely seen. Definitely stop in but expect to have a pretty...

The chips were amazing !!! I had them with the Parmesan cheese and jalapeños and mind you, the jalapeños were pickled in an amazing pickle juice or however they pickle them which made them taste oh so good. My waitress Jen, i believe she said her name was, she was great. I just wish I was allowed to order more than two drinks at a time since they were closing the bar at 10 pm and then cut me off at 9:40. Other than that, all was good.

Well, another day has come, above was from 3 years ago and the food me and my date had was amazing.  She had the stuffed flounder, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I tried it as well and it was good, I'm not that big on seafood so if she said it was very good I'll take her word for it. As for me, I had the wild bore burger, and it was definitely great. I loved it!  There are no issues with the food at all. As for the drinks we ordered, I had the Granny Mac, which is their own brand of  Irish whiskey, and it was very smooth. It was so good that my girl and I will be purchasing a bottle or two when they are ready. My date had the banana infused Old Fashion, and that too was really good. The hostess also gave us a sample of the Irish cream liquor and me and my date and I both agreed it was probably the best cream we ever had. Our service was absolutely awesome. I didn't get our servers name, but he was great. We went there on Mother's Day and he was the Irish looking fellow that was very friendly and very knowledgeable of the menu and even gave us a history lesson of the snugs which is where we enjoyed our meal at. The hostess was awesome as well. She popped in on our snug to see how we were doing and talked to us about the food and liquor, which I can talk about for days. The snugs are so cool to eat in when you're on a date with your loved ones. Or if you have some bad ass kids and don't want them running all around the restaurant and bothering other customers like how my kids do sometimes. You can keep them locked away in the snug with you. Lol This place is great. Definitely give it a try. You...