McGuire's Irish Pub — Restaurant in Pensacola

100% Honest Review. If you see the hundreds of 5 stars, trust me on this.. its really a 2 and I'll tell ya why The wait to get inside is at bare minimum 80 mins. There are no places to sit because the people waiting with you have already been there 20min-2hrs waiting to get into this "wonderful/amazing/poop myself its so good" restaurant... right?.. After we finally get in you are welcomed with the smell of grill smoke (normal for a steak house) and the blast of AC which we appreciated after frying in the sun. By the time you get in you are exhausted from the wait and the heat of Florida. The dollars on the walls and ceilings are a cool touch and unique, yes, but you can to wonder about the cleanliness of the restaurant, the fire hazard, nobody is dusting those, so that alone makes you wonder, but then your water finally comes and its like you have been wondering the desert and you finally got to an oasis, they give you the menu's after sliding you into the long booths that fit the 6 of us, we decide on the Boxty's (which were good, don't get me wrong, it was the only reason we got so hyped about this place is because of these fried potato balls), we each get a steak or prime rib and one of us gets the fish and chips, you have your choice of the salads or bean soup (should have went with the bean soup if reminded me of home, excellent bean soup our friend was generous enough to let us all try hers) I got the garden salad, which you come to the problem all restaurants seem to have, they pile the salad on the bowl and you have nowhere to mix it, so I didn't finish mine, my boyfriend got the Caesar salad and he finished his, he said it was amazing, and my other friend got the wedge and it was GIANT, she couldn't finish it. Our waitress for some reason had put a timer on our steaks, so they were not being prepared as we were eating our salads, so we were done and there was no main dish until about 15 mins later, when our main dishes were served, you would expect us to gobble them up, we had waited about 3 hours at this point for "the best steak" as all the tiktoks and reviews would tell you... not a single one of us finished our steaks or our sides, we are all from the Midwest, we aren't shy when it comes to eating our meat, especially steak, usually straight to the bone or getting that last bit of juice with bread, but when I took a bite of my bacon wrapped filet.. I was met with a taste I can't even describe.. it didn't taste spoiled or anything.. just.. not good. I figure, okay, if my steak isn't good at least my garlic mashed potatoes should be? Right..?? They were just okay as well.. We all caught each other staring at our unfinished plates, each knowing what the other was thinking, but it was my friend who broke the ice first "this isn't good" and we all immediately agreed. Now I have been to many many many steak houses, some great and some not so good, trust me when I say you could have a better steak at a hole in the wall in a small town than you could here, I honestly was let down, it is definitely a tourist spot, time is one thing you cannot get back in life, so don't waste your time coming to this place, unless they can get you in immediately. We did end up getting my friend a slice of the pizza they sell outside ($7 dollars for a slice) and it was pretty decent, so maybe just order pizza if you really want to try their food. Also, this might not matter to some but it sort of mattered to me, there was maybe 1 irish person in the whole of the staff.. granted, florida doesn't scream "irish...

I absolutely love McGuires Irish Pub, God bless McQuire and his family for creating such a fine establishment. Initially when I found out there was a pub with millions of dollars hanging on its walls I was planning a heist, however during a reconnaissance mission my heart was changed forever. My wife and I dropped by on a food tour of Pensacola, after eating at Crabs (one of the other McQuires owned establishments) and immediately upon pulling into the parking lot you can hear music playing, too my surprise on walking in, it’s the same live music going on in the bar, they broadcast it outside as if it’s a sirens song.

The host was an older gentleman who was so kind I almost called him my grandpa on accident. The menu is vast and the music is booming, before we get to food I need to tell you that the man playing that name 2/21/24 was putting on a SHOW! he got a group of guests to come up and sing and they sang their hearts out, after that he brought up some guys who gotta be regulars to belt out a song, and a blind harmonica player!

After the singer knocked out a couple of songs, he whipped out some John Denver Take Me Home, you the whole bar erupted into singing. Some of the best live music I have ever seen.

I love the menu, it’s huge. And they have 18¢ bean soup? Yes they do, but it’s a gag, a gimmick, however of the best kind because if you buy this bean soup, not only do you get delicious soup, but you also get a beautiful loaf of bread with amazing butter. The bread was soft & sweet and the whole thing is such a great idea.

I ordered the Irish wake, limit of 3 and for good reason, I felt great, so great in fact I might of out sang the musician when he brought out Sunshine on my shoulders John Denver.

I got the Shepherd’s pie and my wife ordered the Fish & Chips. To be honest, the fish & chips were just alright, it was a cornmeal batter which doesn’t really hit for me, but their Mango coleslaw was amazing, wedge fries were good. My shepherds pie was huge, garlicky and delicious, I loved absolutely every bite. The table next to me ordered burgers which were HUGE, I was almost jealous if it wasn’t for the Bean soup filling me up I would have ordered one just to try.

My favorite thing was the Irish wake, absolutely delicious, might be the best cocktail ever made.

Kaya our server was a Godsend and absolutely perfect. I loved this place, it was our second stop on our tour of 3 McQuires owned establishments but it’s #1...

I had planned on going here twice during our week long stay in Pensacola, but after the first experience on Monday we couldn't do it. McGuire's was a hang out for me when my ex was in the Navy. Loved hanging out here during our time. Spent many nights yelling 'kiss the moose'. The place is much bigger now - menu has changed a bit. Atmosphere is kind of the same but the food disappointed us on that Monday night last week. We started with the Boxty's which were great. I ordered fish and chips, hubby ordered shepherd's pie. We had planned on ordering dessert to go but ended up deciding not to after the dinner experience. First of all our waitress, Brianna, was stoned, or somehow in an altered state. She could care less about what was going on at our table. I broke off a small narrow piece to start as it was hanging off the plate - then went into the thick part to break it and it was rubbery. My fish came out raw. Not the entire piece, but the thick part at least half the fish was raw - fish is supposed to flake apart. It took several times to explain to her what was wrong for her to understand - then she took it back to the kitchen. Fish in picture is before I put the fork in it. So...she came back and said they are remaking the fish. Now my husband had his food and was eating and by the time I got my plate he was pretty much done. We could not eat our meals together. My appetite was spoiled as it grossed me out that the fish was raw. A kitchen lead brought out the new plate and had me check the fish, and it was cooked but I just couldn't eat it. Hubby tasted some of it and we put the rest in a to go box. Also put his remaining shepherd's pie in a to go box. We ended up tossing the to go boxes later that night. We passed on dessert as I wanted to get out of there. Raw/undercooked food and the illness it can cause makes me nauseated and as much as I wanted to enjoy being back in the place where I used to hang out, I couldn't shake that feeling. In spite of everything that happened the only thing McGuire's did was remake the fish.

Before we left I did show hubby where I used to sit most of the time many years ago and did try to see where my mom's dollar bills were hung (she passed away almost 20 years). Sometimes the memory of a place is all that is needed. I don't know if I would go back. I know that things happen sometimes but this experience ruined McGuire's for me, at...