McCarron’s Pub & Grill

This is close to home for me so I’ve stopped in a few times for lunch.
Both times I’ve loved my food! I’ve had the fish and chips off the appetizer menu (portion was HUGE!- so much bigger than I was expecting) but it was delicious. I’ve also had the French Dip a few times. Which was a good portion and they have really good classic Pub fries.
This place isn’t super fancy. But if you’re looking for a greasy burger, in a small pub– McCarron’s is a great place!

McCarron’s is my boyfriend’s home away from home and second «office.» He is there several nights a week and has been going there after work for more than a decade. He still calls it Dean’s, so I call it that as well. I only go to Dean’s once every couple months, and it’s not really my usual sort of bar, but I always have a good time when I am there. Main draw for me is that they serve Alaskan Amber on tap, which I love and isn’t super easy to find in the Midwest. Plus we always get great service since my boyfriend’s a regular.
We ate dinner at McCarron’s last night and I was pleasantly surprised by how good my chicken wrap was, and the side of «potato medley» was downright delicious. My boyfriend gets takeout regularly and usually gets tater tots as a side, and they are always yummy. It’s obviously not fine dining (and I wish they wouldn’t use Styrofoam for to go containers), but I’d say this is a step above usual bar food. Yes you can get burgers and wings and lots of fried stuff, but there are other options as well.
Dean’s has live local bands a few times a month. There is also a pool table, pull tabs, and Golden Tee (the #1 draw for my boyfriend, aside from proximity to his office). My boyfriend says it’s busiest during happy hour during the week, but it’s pretty chill at night. Sometimes some kids roll in but the crowd is usually a little on the middle aged to older side. Fine by me since I’m gettin old. McCarron’s is a Rice Street standard/​friendly neighborhood watering hole and most customers live or work in the area. They have their own parking lot.

Fish tacos were filling. I felt like I became an instant regular after only a few visits. Real nice neighborhood bar. Britani, my bar tender on several occasions, was fun and lively. I’d go back again.

Dive? Dump? Both? Maybe so. This is one of those places where you stare long and hard and wonder «should I really trust food from this place?» I seen «best cheese curds» and «good burgers» in some reviews with 4 stars, what could go wrong?
Pop a squat near the bar and order up the curds right away while we wait for the menus. Very limited selection (one sheet, front and back). I opt for the black and blue burger — burger with melted blue cheese and bacon, while she goes for the hangover burger — fried egg + bacon.
Curds arrive shortly after with ranch. Curds were in fact pretty damn good. Best? Not by a long shot. But, the batter had a seasoning in it which was really good and made the trip kind of worth it. Apparently the server didn’t think we needed napkins or anything, so I got up and tracked down the mystery basket which had all those luxury items. Apparently the empty water glasses couldn’t stop our server from taking selfies of herself to do her job and get them refilled. No biggie. If you think I’m joking, I’m really not. The wonders of snap chat in the workplace I tell ya. At least be a little more discreet about it though.
Burgers hit the window with a ding from the cook. Bartender snags them while our server tended to another table and brings them out while refilling our waters (what a guy).
First and foremost, holy grease bomb. Inspecting these burgers, I actually had to wonder if this was going to be worth it or not. But, we were starving, crunched for time, and had already ordered. After a couple bites, we could literally feel our pores starting to close up from the grease. I know, I know, «how’d the burgers taste?» Hell if I know, I could only taste a faint hint of blue cheese and nothing but grease.
Ashley threw in the towel half way through as the stomach ache got her from the grease. Being that I haven’t had a good grease induced slide out style bowel movement in quite some time I soldiered on and demolished hers too. Yup, just as greasy as mine.
If you’re gonna serve burgers, serve beef that is a bit higher quality than this. Or better yet, server it from a grill and not a flat top where the patties wallow in their own grease.
My tots were nothing special. Her fries were so greasy, she touched one and said no more. I ate one, and said no thanks.
We wait for the server to get out of this place, because, well, we both need a bathroom, and kind of bad.
Good place to drink away some sorrow? Yeah, I can see that. Great place to get a burger? Hahahaha no. Great place to get a stomach grease bomb that will test your ability to not drop a load in your pants? Oh you better believe it!
Curds are the only reason this isn’t a one.

Britani make the best shots during Vikings games!

Everything I want out of a pub! Friendly and attentive servers and bartenders. Super cheap drinks, even without happy hour! Great food!

Best cheese curds around. Not greasy and batter is perfect. Juicy Lucy is one of the best burgers. Bloodys are very good also. Service is great and you are greeted when you arrive. Don’t read into the older reviews. Don’t know what people expect when they go to a neighborhood bar and grill and this place can’t be anymore laid back local. And p. s. don’t bring you babies or young kids to a bar and sit in the bar area.

My husband and I stopped here this evening for date night, drawn in by the $ 10 bucket of beer special advertised outside the building. When we first walked in, we had the same experience as other reviewers where we weren’t sure whether to seat ourselves or wait to be seated. We didn’t see anyone coming towards us to seat us, so we chose a table and sat waiting for a server.
We waited for over 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us, although I saw at least 4 people working and it wasn’t a busy night. I finally made eye contact with the girl who eventually brought us menus, and she came over to take our drink order. My husband asked if there were any drink specials that evening, and our server said no, not until happy hour starts again. I asked her about the $ 10 bucket of beer special, and she said «well yeah, there’s that». So, that’s what we ordered. She said it was domestic beer only, and we asked what domestics beers they had since there was no list anywhere. She said «all the normal domestic beers you’d find anywhere…». Ok then. We ordered Coors Light, not knowing what all our options were.
The whole reason we chose this place was because their website advertised these awesome looking loaded hot dogs. When our server came back with our beer, I asked her about them because I didn’t see them listed on the menu. She said they got rid of them a month ago, and «the website technology hadn’t caught up with the menu change yet». I was disappointed, but things like this happen. I told her we’d need another minute to look at the menu, and she left us to make our decision.
Next thing we know, we have another server come to take our order. She says the other server is done for the night, and she’d be taking over for us. That’s fine, I know things like that happen. Except the other server WASNT done for the night, since I saw her take other tables. To me it seems like she didn’t want to deal with us, and pawned us off to someone else. We weren’t rude to her at all, we just wanted the drink special we saw advertised that she didn’t tell us about.
It worked out better in the end, because our second server was so awesome and nice, and the food we ordered was so good! I highly recommend the nachos, which are so fresh and delicious! Ultimately, I’m sure we’ll be back since this place is within walking distance of our house. We will go out of our way to avoid our first server, however. If we hadn’t had such a good experience with the second server, we wouldn’t come back.

My first impressions of this place were not good. We walked in and stood there awkwardly for a minute trying to determine if we should seat ourselves or be seated by a waiter. Don’t make people figure this out for themselves.
We ended up sitting in the wide open area that was cold and dark. And dirty. The lights were off for the first ten minutes, so I ended up walking around the room trying to find a light switch. They had a patio door wide open as well that let in a really cold breeze. So, I walked over myself and closed the door. I would’ve asked our waiter, but after seating ourselves we saw no sign of him for at least ten minutes.
When he showed, we ordered drinks then waited another 10 – 15 min for the waiter to return to order our food. After ordering our food (4 burger and fry combos, and a plate of mac and cheese), we waited a ridiculously long time for our food. 45 minutes we waited. All of this waiting, and I do not understand why. I could count the number of people inside this place on two hands: 4 people at the bar, and us.
But hey, if the food is spectacular who cares? Only, it wasn’t. The food was just fine. Passable. Nothing interesting. I can’t even say good. Just ok. And I’m not generally picky about my burgers. The buns were a bit drenched in grease, and too small for the burger patties. The fries were fine.
All in all, if you’ve got a hankering for burgers, go somewhere else. In fact, just go somewhere else. Unless you’re looking for a cold, dark, dirty and uninviting atmosphere. And average food. This place has work to do.
The two stars are for the nice waiter. And that’s all.

Met George, the owner, while we dined at the restaurant. Has plans and has changed the menu to be «home cooked». Motivated to make this pub successful. Had the pork sandwich and the rueben which were excellent. Onion rings hand dipped. We definitely would return.

It had been years since I was here. It was called Deans back in the day. It has been modernized and we were greeted by a friendly bartender. Large dining area plus a bar dining area with plenty of TVs plus a pool table and video games. Outdoor seating too. The bathroom was clean and newly remodeled. Our waitress was Heather. One of the kindest people you will ever meet. She was efficient and had the perfect balance of checking on us and letting us enjoy a private conversation. It was taco Tuesday. Two dollars. We tried one. It was good. Grain Belt premium served in bottles. We ordered the regular sliders with fries and a Ruben sandwich. The four sliders were served with au juice. We did not use any condiments. So much flavor. So delicious. The fries were great. Ruben was excellent. We used an entertainment mobile coupon and so the tab was $ 16. Great value. Large stand alone parking lot. We will be back.

Stopped in on a Saturday after some errands. Was really craving cheese curds and the menu on the website said they had Ellsworth cheese curds.
The place was pretty busy for 12:45pm on a Saturday… turns out they had a meet raffle.
We grabbed a seat in the bar area. Our server came over right away. We ordered beers and a basket of cheese curds. We asked to see the menus (breakfast and lunch/​dinner). Our server chatted us up, asked if we had ever stopped in before. We hadn’t been there since it was Dean’s. She told, is she had been a patron but was so hooked on the sliders that she became an employee. Pretty cool and a great recommendation.
The cheese curds arrived. They were great. The batter was almost closer to tempura than normal beer batter. It was great. And the Sriracha sauce was a great accompaniment.
Played a couple of rounds in the meat raffle. No luck. No worries. We’ll be back. Great service and decent food.

Tough to know what rating to give this place. The service is usually good, and the food is always good. I particularly recommend the Reuben (one of the best anywhere) and the Ghost Wings. Though all wings are good. Our one complaint, and unfortunately it’s a big one, there are many outside doors in this place. Both times we’ve gone there in the winter, it was freezing inside. There is one door that is right off the main dining room, and it has a sign on it saying it is to remain closed. However, both times we were there, it was constantly being opened. So combined with the other two exterior doors, there is a constant frigid, cross-​breeze in this place. I was about to complain to the bartender about it the last time we were there, but then I watched him use the door to go out and smoke… like all of the other patrons. We will be back, but we will have to reserve this place for a warm month or a unseasonably warm winter, spring or fall day.

Always a great meal, love the fish tacos and the portion size is ridiculous.

Great food and great service! It was pretty empty, but I think it has a lot of potential. Definitely a place to try.

Have been there a couple times in the last couple of months. New owners have changed the menu and spiffed up the interior. Food is good, prices are very reasonable. Just came from playing Bingo (Monday nights) and it was fun. I haven’t been to Kareoke on Friday nights yet, but i’ve heard a really good band there. Good vibe, friendly staff.

Decent little neighborhood joint.
Hadn’t been since it was Dean’s, but a friend of my husband’s was playing in a band and wanted to check it out a couple weeks ahead of time. We met on a Sunday night around 6 and the kitchen was not open. No biggie, so he ordered a pizza.
I’ve been back a couple other times and service has been fine and the beer cold.
It is quieter than the joint down the road.
They claim to have a the Coldest Coors Light on Rice Street, but when a friend and i ordered one and used the tag line the bartender looked at us like I was nuts. Apparently we think we are funnier than we really are?

Good Friday. A night I was thinking we would avoid the All-​You-​Can-​Eat Friday Fish Fry. However, my Fish Fry levels were at an all time low. We’ve been taking a break from Friday Night Fish Fry’s during Lent due to the high demand in them. When I mentioned to Alyssa if she was interested in one, she said she really wasn’t. Good Friday. Busy. Pheona. Could be trouble. When I mentioned McCarron’s, which is right around the block from us, she thought, maybe. We’ll see how busy it is & go from there.
McCarron’s is the old Dean’s Tavern. Dean’s had the cheapest AYCE Friday Night Fish Fry known to humans. $ 7.95. Yep. Alyssa & I had that one at least a half dozen times. Basic. Nothing to write home about. Lightly battered Pollack. Fries. Slaw.
When McCarron’s opened, I stopped in a few times for a beer & a burger. However, no Friday Night Fish Fry’s to be had. I asked in person about one. I wrote an e-​mail to wonder about one in the future. Nothing. Then one day, I was shooting at some food, and up from the ground came a bubbling crude. Wait. No, no, no. One day, I noticed the sign out front claiming an All-​You-​Can-​Eat Friday Night Fish Fry. This was before Lent. Maybe it’ll be served year round?
Pulling into the parking lot, we knew we had a good shot at eating a Fish Fry. Maybe a dozen cars? We walked into the front entrance which brings you right into the bar. To the left, you could seat at one of 10 high top tables. To the right is the «dining room». A row of High Tops along the wall, with the rest of the void filled in with regular 4 top tables. The 4 tops were all taken but one. We snagged that one. We got there just after 6 o’clock & the «dining room» side was all AARP card carrying members. Oh boy, did they perk up when they saw Pheona. Lot of waves & smiles coming her way. Right by the table was a stack of high chairs. I took one to get Pheona set up. Threw a few Cheerios in front of her and we got her occupied for 3 minutes.
In those 3 minutes. I saw a couple of servers, but nobody stopped by to greet us. I saw a stack of menus so I got up & grabbed a couple. After that, the bartender came by. He asked us what we were drinking. Alyssa asked about Happy Hour, but it ended at 6. No luck there. I ordered a bottle of the High Life. Alyssa, a vodka Red Bull. After he got our order a server stopped by. We told her we gave our drink order to the bartender. When he brought them, we inquired about the Fish Fry. He explained it as Beer Battered Fish, Fries or Baked Potato, & Slaw. He told us that our server will be by to take that order. That server never came by. After 5 – 10 minutes, he must have noticed this and came by to take our order. Two AYCE Friday Night Fish Fry’s. He never asked what potato choice we wanted. The High Life I got was super cold. Wonderful!
Pheona was getting restless, so I took her out and had her walk around. There is a stage in the back corner which Pheona gravitated to. She climbed up on that thing & started rocking out. At least that what all the AARP card carrying members thought. They couldn’t stop watching her. Commenting on her. All that. She was a Rock Star. A couple of dart boards also kept her interested. Buttons to push. Noises. Lights. Perfect for a 17 month old.
I kept an eye on our table & noticed when our food arrived. I gobbled up Pheona & brought us back. I got her strapped into the highchair & Alyssa got a bit of food cut up for her. My plate had two golden fried pieces of Fish, a tin foiled wrapped Baked Potato, a large plastic ramekin of colorful coleslaw, & a small plastic ramekin of tartar. No lemon included. But Sour Cream was included for the Baked Potato. I asked for lemon when the bartender stopped by to ask how things were & if we wanted more Fish. We both ordered reorders.
The Fish was good, bordering on great. Smallish pieces/​strips, but perfectly battered and fried. I would guess it’s Cod, but I really don’t know. I’m sure it wasn’t Pollack. The pieces were nice & pearly white inside. Flaked away beautifully. The Baked Potato was a surprise & average. No butter for it. The Slaw was disappointing. Looked stellar. Tasted bland. The tartar was average. Seemed store bought. Reorders come in two pieces. They came out hot, fresh & with lemon. I even asked for one more reorder after this.
When we were finishing up & Alyssa was in the bathroom, I took Pheona over to the video game area. This is right by the kitchen. I was able to get a really good look into it. Closet sized? Super small fryer, which is why we weren’t given a choice of potato. It seemed like they were pumping out the Fish & that things might come to a halt if fries were ordered. One other thing I noticed was that the cook took pride in what he was serving. He took his time because he cared. He drained that Fish out fully in the fryer. Then put it onto a flat top grill to make sure that all the little flakes of batter and grease aren’t being served to you. High Five, cook! The price? $ 9.95.

Cool spot to eat and drink. Needs better management and service. it took the waitress ten minutes to give me water. Wtf?