McNally Grill & Pub

Came in for dinner tonight around 6 PM (still sitting here). I would say business was light.
The Good: Cold beer and great good. I had the beer battered fish and chips. Fish was light and crunchy, fries were good, slaw was tasty. The food was 4 stars worthy. Home of the hardest working bartender on the planet since she was working the bar, seating people and touching tables as needed.
The Bad: The décor is a bit dated/​banquet hall-​ish. The tables around us were left un-​bussed for the entire time we were there. Gross.
The Ugly: There was the bartender and at least one server and a «hostess». The hostess disappeared after we were seated. The waitress didn’t know her ass from her elbow («I’ve only been here a month»). She was slow to attend to her tables and got my gf’s order wrong (brought her appetizer version of eggplant dish vs. The dinner. Charged for only the appetizer but impacted the flow of the meal. If this were a Friday or Saturday night they would have been dead in the water.
Final thought. Food was good, bartender was a superhero, the rest of the waitstaff needs to be replaced. I will come back on a different night of the week and see how it goes. I’d recommend sitting at the bar, ordering food and watching the game.

We’ve been going to McNally’s for years now but haven’t been for a few months, and what a disappointment it was today! Where do I begin lets see the «new lunch» menu. So just to name a few they removed fried clams, sweetish meatballs, pot roast, sea scallops, and chicken pot pie (although that changed and wasn’t good last time). However they left on the menu «liver and onions» which I decided to get because I happen to like liver, and there weren’t as many good choices/​prices under lunch entrees. It was TERRIBLE two VERY THIN pieces of liver, which they COOKED THE CRAP OUT OF IT. Not to mention could they spare the onions, hardly any and they were under cooked. The coleslaw now tastes like they used one of those «coleslaw dressings» that come in a jar (edible but not good). My honey got the chicken parm (one of the specials) which did come with a ton of (overcooked) pasta, yet it had hardly any sauce. And the sauce tasted like they just opened a can of tomatoes! Price again nothing like it used to be, the turkey dinner went from $ 8.99 to $ 11.00 and although I can’t say for sure I guarantee it’s no more/​better than before. Now to the service which I’ve always thought was a mixed bag sometimes good/​sometimes not, the waitress NEVER came back to ask how everything was. I usually overlook it when we get bad service, and the dirty/​dingy atmosphere because the food/​price was always very good. However with the new changes that is no longer true, and we won’t be going back anytime soon (if at all). Seems to me like they want to attract a different crowd (maybe yuppie’s) sorry but it won’t happen if you don’t update and clean up the place. So sad because this USED to be one of our favorite places, which I USED to recommend (no more)!

I am not from this area and this place was close to our hotel. The service was slow and the waitstaff was unenthusiastic. The burgers were well done and dry. The nachos had fake cheese that was either gooey or burnt onto the chips. Let’s just say, AVOID.

Pleasant surprise! What a gem. We ordered several different styles of food from the menu. Everything was freshly made and high quality. Our server was attentive and knowledgable. A fantastic experience and a new favorite!

McNally’s never disappoints. The food here is great! This is where my boyfriend and I came for our first date and we return every year. The waitstaff is always friendly and attentive and the atmosphere is always nice. I highly recommend the almond crusted chicken or the pork chops.

Went for lunch recently and had the slowest service ever. 20 minutes just to get drinks! All said and done, it was a two hour mid-​week lunch when it should have been 45 minutes. My meal was really good, but another person in my party said their fish smelled very strongly and was clearly not fresh. She did not send it back because she didn’t want to wait another hour for a replacement meal. I’ve had better experiences here in the past, so I’m not totally writing it off, but I won’t be going back anytime soon.

My husband and I have eaten here at least twice every month for years. I don’t think I’ve ever had a meal I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The waitstaff are attentive and smiling. I’ve taken groups of 20 or more on some occasions and they handle the surprise with great charm!

I’ve been coming here for almost 10 years whenever I’m in town to visit my mother. It’s her favorite place. I’m pretty sure she always gets the baked haddock and loves it.
I like their seafood dishes a lot and the chicken, too. I had the Portuguese mussels on this visit and they were awesome! The waitresses are always nice.
The bar scene is fun when there’s live music (if I can get mom to stay). Overall this is a great neighborhood place, even if it is tucked away.

Really disappointed, this used to be a fun place with decent service and ok food. Went in on a Saturday night for drinks and apps, place was dead save one large seated party. Our waitress was horrible, in her defense not sure if she was the only one actually working! Wait for food was ridiculous, drinks were dry so my husband went to the bar– swear to God if the bartender did not turn and walk away from him! By the way it was 7:30 probably 8:30 by the time we got food. If they were closing early they should have said so! Ordered pumpkin fritters sounds great right. RAW Batter in the middle! Could’nt even find anyone to complain too or send it back, too much effort and time to get it taken off the check by the time we finally got it. The place is filthy and run down! Come on Sean if you don’t want to run McNallys any close the thing! WILL NOT GO back.

I am from out of town, but have family in the Gardner area. This place is the best in the area. The food is great, service wonderful and during the cold months just love the fireplace. I dine here about 15 times a year and have NEVER had a bad meal. I have been there with just one family member and have also been here with a group of 15, size has not altered the service or quality of the food. I can also call a day ahead with reservations for my group and they always accommodate us! Hats off to a great establishment!

I’ve been there twice and that seems one too many the décor is WAY out dated. the dinning room feels dirty, dusty, and old. Then the bar is a let down I asked for a captains and coke and well i got some cheap rum with a lot of coke it was awful. a couple of us wanted to do shots and asked for kick in the crotch shot and they made it into a drink. its not worth it.

I’ve had terrible food experience here again and again. Most recently, my caesar salad that I ordered was made with MAYONNAISE. The waitress made my salad with mayo, and brought me a side of mayo. After I tried the salad, and the side of «dressing» (and everyone else at the table tried as well) I brought it to the attention of the waitress who said that was «their version» of caesar and it «always looks like that»…never once did she double check to make sure she/​the kitchen wasn’t using the wrong thing. Guess what, I know mayo when I see, taste, and smell it. It was disgusting. I sent it back and didn’t get another meal. Not impressed with the carelessness of food or the waitstaff’s attitude. Needless to say, I will NEVER eat here again and I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone I know.

Good food and fairly priced. The restaurant is very clean and the food is always good. The wraps are great!

We used to dine here regularly but our last few visits weren’t great so we have decided to go elsewhere. On our last visit we were seated at a pub table in the bar area, we sat there for just about ten minutes before the hostess came by and plopped three place settings down, she didn’t even put them out in front of us she just put the paper mats down with the three rolls of utensils in a heap. We waited for another ten minutes before someone came to take our drink order and that alone took about fifteen minutes and when the drinks came mine was wrong but it was like pulling teeth to get her to take it back.
Our food order came and my husbands burger was charred black and obviously overcooked. I ordered steak tips which were so bland, I asked the server for a side of Teriyaki Sauce and she came back several minutes later stating the chef had to make it and next time I should order something specifically with Teriyaki Sauce if that is what I wanted. We sat there amongst our dirty plates for what seemed like forever, she never came back to see how the meal was or if we wanted anymore drinks. My husband barely touched his burnt burger and she didn’t take the time to ask if there was a problem with his meal. Needless to say we will not be back to McNally’s anytime soon. The kicker was the email we sent via their website and they never responded to our email.

I’ve always had pretty good experiences at McNally’s. I’m kind of surprised at the other review. Nice fireplace, nice bar, good food.

In a party of 9 people, 6 of us were truly appalled by the food. Gigantic, sloppy portions that tasted straight out of the freezer.
Secondly, for a place that was practically dead, they were out of half of the items we ordered. Coleslaw? No. Tortellini? No. Apple crisp? Nope!
They also think that grilled vegetables = boiled/​steamed soggy vegetables and that a fresh salad = brown wilted lettuce.
Let’s get into what was the worst:
— Chicken Carbonara (out of tortellinis and looked like a pile of white cheesy vomit).
— Fettucini Alfredo must have been sitting out too long because the butter and cheese was completely separated and was reminiscent of leftover Fettucini Alfredo that you microwave the next day
— Chicken Parm was burned and the sauce was crusty.
The good?
— Buffalo wings (mild) and garlic chili wings were not half bad and they didn’t skimp on the celery.
— While portions were grossly gigantic, at least they don’t skimp on the food.
— while none of us loved our desserts, we didn’t hate them either. Again, good portions. The lava cake was a little too «chocolate flan» texture for my taste.
One person at our table said, «it’s a good thing we’re not here to review this place». Little did they know.
This is $ 10 a plate fare, not $ 16-​$ 20 a plate fare and you could get better food at your local Applebees.