Mac's Speed Shop — Restaurant in Greenville

Whenever I travel for business I make a point of trying out a local BBQ joint. This business trip was no exception. Mac's was directly across from the office, which made it a simple choice.

The restaurant had classic BBQ joint styling. Tall wood booths mixed with industrial style tables made up the seating.

The wait staff was friendly and attentive, and the attire was reminiscent of a biker bar during Sturgis bike week (low cut tops and short shorts). I certainly have nothing wrong with that, it fits the aesthetic of a 'speed shop', however, it might not be family friendly for more conservative families.

I saw, while I was there, and I have seen in other reviews, that they allow dogs. The one I saw while I was there was in a stroller, though I've seen other reviews of folks bringing their dog and being given a bowl of water for their pup. I /think/ this place is pet friendly, but I'd call and verify before showing up with your pup.

I ordered a 'sampler platter'-like meal to sample as many meats as I could in a single sitting. I got pulled pork, sliced brisket, sausage, and ribs, with a side of fries and a house salad with ranch.

The house salad was a salad. Nothing special to write home about, but it's not really their core product.

The fries were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Salty with just the right amount of crunch.

The sausage had a mild taste and a tougher than usual skin. I prefer a sausage with a little spice and a bit more smoky taste (though my personal preference isn't worth a whole lot in the world).

The pulled pork was cooked well. Moist and tender with a slight sweetness to it (perhaps due to brown sugar in the rub).

The ribs were done Kansas style with a sugar based sauce that was allowed to melt. Sweet and sticky with a little bit of heat. When it comes to ribs, some folks like them to fall off the bone and others like a bit of chew. I personally subscribe to the 'fall off the bone' school of thought, and these have a little bit of chew to them. Nothing wrong with either style.

Finally, the star of the show was the brisket. If/when I go back, I'll be sticking to the brisket. Savory and salty, the brisket was cooked to perfection. Good smoke ring, and the intermuscular fat had broken down just enough to leave it plenty juicy, while also pulling apart without issue. They left just enough rendered fat cap to capture the seasoning on the outside. Well done!

As far as the BBQ sauces available on the table, they had a Carolina sauce that was a tangy vinegar based sauce, A Western North Carolina sauce which was tomato based, and a South Carolina mustard vinegar based sauce. All were decent, though that day I was more in the mood for the South Carolina sauce.

All in all I think the food was 3/5, and the service was 4/5.

If they wanted to get themselves to the next level on the food, they could have their butcher be a bit more daring with the spices on their sausages and add a bit more heat as well as choose a skin that isn't so tough (most places use synthetic sausage skin these days as opposed to intestine), and do a bit more to add flavor throughout the pulled pork...

ORIGINAL REVIEW (see UPDATE BELOW): Mac's seems to be going through a Beer House-Cleaning. From what's been said by staff, they are getting rid of about 1/3 of the 48 beer taps ... well, they are apparently going to leave the excess taps, but not hooked up, with a repeat tap handle from some other beer on tap closer to the middle of the bar. So in effect, as many as 21 fewer beers to choose from. One that is being discontinued is Samuel Adams Boston Lager. This was 1 of 2 bars that featured Boston Lager. There will still be 1 American lager that is on the amber/darker side, Yuengling Traditional Lager, which is OK but without the richer, full-bodied flavor that Sam's has. They "might" still feature Boston Beer's seasonal beers (Winter Lager, Cold Snap, Octoberfest .... ), but that has apparently not been fully determined. The 1 beer in the list I could safely drink of Boston's Lager's caliber, was Boston Lager. On-line information reveals that Gluten Tests place it's level almost at Gluten-Free, below 20 ppm. And I have a Gluten sensitivity. And Boston Lager is highly regarded and consistent!

IT Looks like as many as 21 beers or taps are being eliminated, which is a shame, they were noted for their 48 taps and great selection.

So I guess for now, my backup plan is the Boston Lager tap at Carolina Ale House in city center, or Boston Lager bottles at home. Carolina Ale House has and still features 48 taps. I will still visit Mac's for their excellent food, their flavored Mules which are great, and their friendly staff, friendliest in town!

UPDATE: Having been contacted by Guest Relations from Mac's corporate, I can say without hesitation that they care about their customers' experiences as much as their local staff does... and that's a lot! I can certainly understand if the numbers say 1 beer has to go, another has to be added ... sounds like business to me. Response from corporate was well beyond expectations, and as of today they have added Samuel Adams Boston Lager in bottles to help keep me coming back, and it is greatly appreciated! I guess in the long run I'd prefer draught beer taste, however attention to the customer that they have displayed would easily win out. Sam Adams is great no matter the vessel, so I was the winner all the way around. Thanks Mac's Team...

This restaurant use to be one of our favorite spots downtown but we have been back twice this year and both times our dining experience has been horrible but last night was the worse. There was a wait to sit even though all the tables were empty. And then once we was seated after waiting a while a lot of other people got seated and then everybody got their drink order before we did. Smh that was the first complaint we had to go find the waitress. To get our drink order in and it wasn’t even our waitress. Our waitress didn’t show up until AFTER we ordered our food. And she had some excuse talking about she just closed out a big party and no one told her she had a table. (Remember when I said the restaurant was empty? Maybe she didn’t see that part) Next, my mom specifically asked for a particular part of the brisket and the kitchen guaranteed her she would get it.. and she didn’t! Smh second complaint had to send it back bc the meat was tough and had no flavor tasted almost like liver. She replaced it with a salad how about they don’t even wash the vegetables the tomatoes had dirt on them. Now it’s going on 11pm so we are tired and cold and ready to go...I didn’t even complain about my burnt, dried out, hard cooked in old grease catfish!! Smh, we still left the waitress a tip bc she waited on us and it wasn’t even her table and she had nothing to do with the kitchen ruining our food. But since this was the second unsuccessful dining experience we won’t be back. Before Covid this restaurant had AMAZING food! But since they have been back open the food and the service has...