Mac's Tavern

If you are hunting for great wings then this is where you go. Big fried just right and enough sauce that you need extra napkins. more

LAME towny bar. Manager is RUDE. The patio could be a great place, except the patrons are all AARP members (55+ & Up at least). There's got to be a better place to go for night life in Cary. If not, it's worth driving to Raleigh. I'll never go back. more

I am new to the area and was looking to see if this establishment would be a nice spot to stop and have a beer after work on a Friday night. I will keep looking. Some (not all) of the staff were very unfriendly to the point of being hostile. An investment by the bar in some customer service 101 classes would be money well spent on their part. I am a mature, professional who manages a customer service call center and I would not put up with my staff having the type of attitude I encountered. Too bad, but there are a lot of places out there where they are glad to see you and have your business. more

Let's start out by saying I have been going to this place since it has opened.\r The owner is an ex-cop/ who is stand up guy that would do anything for anyone.\r \r There was a review written by a ""Nicholas R"" and ""jenny r"" (if that is who really wrote this) about an incident that happened about 2 weeks ago that is totally untrue and just plain fabricated story by someone who was not there. A person whose husband more than likely lied to them about what really happened that night, because he ended up on the short end of the stick. He took a beating from one man and one man only...ask his buddies ""jenny r"" there were 4 of them at least.\r \r Some ""facts"" of that night..the bar was CLOSED, the doors were LOCKED and the blinds were closed. Everyone in the ordeal was already outside and NOBODY was inside. There wasn't a husband and wife inside ""scared to leave"", ""waiting on their drinks"". Everyone was already out of the bar! I am pretty sure they have video cameras in there to prove that as well.\r \r So again, the fight that happened started outside. The only time anyone went out from the STAFF was when someone heard the commotion outside, happened to look out and a woman was punched in the face. She was punched in the face, by the man who had the guy in a ""front ankle lock"" (he kept telling everyone that's what the move was, and not to mess with people who know how to fight)..SO the little guy who had the man in a ""front ankle lock"" was the one doing most of the talking and fighting. Do you know this guy ""nicholas r""? The one who punches women?\r \r The only lady who was outside was the who got punched. The STAFF were the ONLY people to intervene after she was punched, no one else outside watching the fight helped the woman. If there was another woman outside and saw another lady get punched, she never got out of a car or said anything. Some of the guys, in the fighting party said ""she deserved it, she started it. Do you know these people ""nicholas r""? You need to get your facts straight.\r \r After that was said, the threat was made ...""the cops are coming"" and then people finally started to disperse. Most of the fighting party, more than likely ""jenny r's"" husband, who likes to punch women, kept running their mouths about how tough they were and how they wanted to fight more.\r Such tough guys..or so we thought...haha.\r \r NO ""door guy"" or bartender kicked anyone. NO gang beating! \r There is only one Door guy on friday and Saturday...and I wouldnt call them bouncers or ""thugs"", thats hilarious...HAHA! \r \r What happened a few weeks ago really comes down to this...2 drunk groups outside, after doors are closed..someone starts running their mouths, things are said, a front ankle lock is made, a lady gets punched.\r \r ...... and then after all this.....\r 5 days later a woman comes into the bar asking about what happened to her husband? ""He has bruised ribs, maybe cracked.!! ""\r Oh no, honey! Well, maybe next time your meathead boyfriend wont get into a fight and punch a woman in the face....\r \r ...and then maybe you/his wife wont need to come in crying for him. more

My wife and I were at Mac's Tavern just about a week and a half ago, and it was the most terrifying experience we've ever had in a public place. We came to Mac's near the end of the night, just to have a couple of glasses of wine before we turned in for the night. The pictures online led us to believe this was a low-key kind of place, with an older crowd. What we found out was that it was nothing like we've ever experienced. As we waited for our drinks, there was a scuffle outside of the bar. I stood up to look out the door, and I could see a man on the ground, being attacked by another man and a girl. He was unable to fight back, as he had two people kicking him repeatedly. Much to our horror, a couple of bouncers and a bar tender RAN outside and JOINED IN - ruthlessly kicking the man on the ground as if this were some sort of gang fight. At no point did they try to talk to anyone or break up the fight - they just perpetrated more violence - I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My wife and I were frightened, and waited inside until the ordeal was over, about 5 long minutes later. When the guy ran away and the bouncers and bartender came back inside from the gang beating, my wife and I hurried out of the restaurant and sped home, not bothering to wait for our drinks to arrive. I was afraid we might even be chased down by the staff, so we literally ran to the car. This was a horrific experience, and I cannot believe how the staff there just ran outside and commenced to beating that poor man the way they did. I would never go back to this place again, for fear of my own safety, and the safety of those with me. Mac's Tavern is a place for thugs, as that's what their staff is. To top it all off, we called the owner to let him know about the actions of his staff, and he was very rude, and insisted that nothing happened that night, despite the fact that we witnessed the whole thing. He called us liars and hung up on us. Unbelievable. more

Mac's Tavern may be okay for people who are friends with the staff. Anyone else, be prepared to have the doorman and bartenders stand by while customers they are friends with assault you. My husband was attacked by two people who are apparently regulars at Mac's. The staff stood by and even tried to attack my husband themselves. When I called to speak to the owner, he spouted lies his doorman had apparently told him about the event. Watch your back if you plan to spend time here. \r more

I stopped in a time or two - seemed too ""clique-ish,"" like nobody wanted to talk to you or wait on you if you weren't a regular, so I won't go back. Also thought odd that ""Bright and Shiney"" bashed other people for giving the place a low score. Claims he was there when ""Z Professor"" argued about his tab - how does he know an anonymous CitySearch reviewer using the nickname ""Z Professor"" is a particular customer who had an issue one night months ago? Sound like an owner or bartender with an ax to grind to me! more

When I saw these last two reviews I got fired up!! Mac's tavern is a great place where people of all ages can go to relax and have a good time. Yes the age range is wide, from young twenty some adults all the way up to older people in their sixties who still like to go out and tip back a beer or two. What makes Mac's special is that this huge range of ages and personalities seems to all get along and enjoy each others company. Maybe Geminitwin should get the facts straight. Mac's Tavern has been open for 6 years, not 10. Try talking to these so called ""worn out has been alkies"". You might find they are people who are very successful, most of which own their own businesses. And just a tip, the place is popular......this means if you go there on a Friday or Saturday night you might have to wait a minute or two for your drink. But if a place being busy annoys you, then maybe you just aren't a people person and should just stay home. I also happened to be there the night Z Professor had his dispute with the bartender Travis. Z Professor had a lot to drink and was arguing about his tab. Travis calmly told him that he really did have all those drinks and needed to pay the amount. Even when Z Professor started to shout obscenities Travis remained calm and told him it was time to go. These bartenders are providing a service, they are not slaves or dogs to be yelled and screamed at. I hope this give people a Real picture of what Mac's Tavern is all about. A place with good food and a great atmosphere. A place where anybody will talk to you no matter what the age if you have an open mind and give them a chance. more

I have given Mac's a try 5-6 times a year for the past 10 years because it's within walking distance of my house. It's a WASTE OF TIME - most UNFRIENDLY place I've ever been to, RUDEST bartenders EVER. There is a core group of power drinkers who are retired or semi-retired, who LIVE at Mac's and throw down huge bucks every night swilling down beer and competing to see which worn-out has-been alky can rack up the most points on the trivia game. Unless you are one of them, or you are one of the younger babes these tired sad old alcoholic men are trying to bag, dont waste your time, the bartenders won't look at you. If it's slow, they may eventually wait on you but they'll act like they're doing you a tremendous favor. more

Macs Tavern is a bar that is both close and one i would like to be able to go to for a good time.\r \r Unfortunately a male by the name of travis works there. And when his boss isn't around....Forget about it.\r \r This guy is a complete dousche. I really don't see why they haven't fired him. Usually people go to the bar to get away from people like this they encounter at work or elsewhere.\r \r However they do have some very pleasant servers such as one by the name of Emily who was excellent. I think macs tavern has the potential to be a great place. But a place can never be good if the employees treat there customers like dirt. more

I almost didn't go to this venue because of the reviews on here, but since I have never been very good at listening to others opinions, I decided with my boyfriend to stop by anyway. We picked up a pal from a local band and met other pals there. We were on the patio at first, which I really loved, and the bartender was so cool to serve us even though she had a full bar. We had a blast! The staff are awesome! Very different from the reviews on here. I even met one of the owners...a very smiling friendly guy. We went on St Patty's day, at the height of a very very busy night, and a dart league going on....and they were great! We had so much service it was incredible......one would leave and another would be by caring for us. They were all dressed up for the holiday in great costumes, and the patrons...regulars too were very friendly.\r \r I am very surprised at the reviews on here. Not at all right. The food was GREAT! I loved the wings. The place reminds me of my venue in Ga. \r \r The owners were awesome! He bought all of this great St Pattys day stuff and was passing it out himself to everyone. The only reason people would say the nasty things on here, has to be because they are just those unhappy types. The staff are super friendly, the owners are, the patrons are........I think that some of the reviews are just TRYING to be hurtful. Thanks for a great time Macs! I am so coming back. Pros: Fun, Great Food, Very nice staff more

My boyfriend and I probably go here about once a week and always have a great time. The bar staff service is amazing, they play really decent music and the crowd isn't so bad either. The only somewhat bad thing i'd have to say is that the tables are probably a little too close to eachother, making it difficult to walk around when it's crowded. I'd highly recommend Mac's! Pros: amazing bar staff, great drinks, quick service Cons: read below. more

OK, I've read these review and I think I can help here--I AM one of the regulars at Mac's. I know all the servers extremely well and the daily specials by heart, and they bring my ""usual"" drink without me asking when I walk in the door. To get this kind of service, GUESS WHAT--you have to go there regularly! No one is instantly a regular, and any smart business will take care of the people who give them repeated business!\r On the other hand--I can see why this puts some people off, but I also think that many folks come in expecting a ""Bar and Grille"" atmosphere. If you want a calm, family-oriented place you simply should not go during the big games or Fri/Sat nights. When it gets busy, regulars may have to wait a while for a beer too--I have no problem getting off my behind and going to the bar because I know everyone is working hard and I am not their only customer! This is a SPORTS BAR. It is casual, it gets loud and smokey and busy, and THAT'S HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. This place may not be your cup of tea, but the staff does its job well, the food is really great FOR BAR FOOD, and the atmosphere can vary greatly depending on the game/time/crowd. \r In closing--Cary seems to have only very preppy, snobbish bars or hole-in-the-wall redneck hangouts, but Mac's Tavern stands alone as the perfect NORMAL neighborhood bar! Pros: good food, great for darts, friendly staff Cons: not for everyone--snobby Cary-ites should pass more

We arrived a little before 8 on a friday night, when we first walked in the service was great the waiter came gave us a menu and took our drink orders. When the rest of the group arrived we went to get a pool table, Once there we never saw a waiter/waitress for another hour. We had to go up to the bar to get our drinks and to order any food that we wanted. I will not be going back to this place again. Cons: service, dense smoke more

Mac's SO wants to be the neighborhood bar, but it can't quite get beyond the novice stage. They have lots of TVs, sure; they have just enough distractions, game-wise (two pool tables, four darts lanes, the obligatory golf video game, etc.) to keep the younger set happy; but they can't seem to nail down the basics. That is, there seems to be either too much attention (as in asking how you are every 4.7 seconds) or way too little (as in going to fetch a beer and not coming back...ever). Plus, the place REEKS of cigarette smoke. Seriously. Just spend ten minutes in there. Even if no one is smoking at the time, I guarantee your clothes will stink of it to a ridiculous degree. Pros: The food isn't awful; lots of TVs Cons: Service (or lack thereof); dense smoke more

Apparently if you walk into Mac's Tavern and aren't a regular, the whole place will stare you down as if your an alien. And then continue to stare at you the entire time that your in there as if you should leave. And really, it only got better once we sat down! My husband and I just left there not an hour ago and were so disgusted with the service that we will never go back! The entire time we were there, there weren't more than 15 people in the whole place, and two people behind the bar. We left Mac's Tavern not only feeling ignored, but that the one bartender that was waiting on us, if you could call it that, actually was offended by our presence. Apparently the other bartender wasn't allowed to wait on us, or even give us a friendly look. So, if your looking for insight on whether or not to give Mac's Tavern a try, just ignore any positive reveiws that you read, they sound like employees trying to cover there own tails. Also, you would think that the owner might check some of these reveiws out every once in a while, and maybe take the opportunity to fix some of these problems. Pros: ZERO Cons: Bad service, bad food, crappy atmosphere more

I had read some good reviews about mac's so i thought i would check it out on a saturday night. The service was horrible and the manager was very rude. The bartenders ignored us even though they were not busy. I've been to bars that were a lot more crowded and have gotten much better service. When i finally got a bartenders attention, he gave me an attitude and was very condensending to me and my friends. Pros: absolutely nothing Cons: service, manager's attitude more

When my friends and I first got there, we thought it was a cool place, until the bartender started ignoring us. Then, he actually started asking why we weren't leaving a tip every time we got a drink! I was planning on leaving a very nice tip at the end, like I do at every other place I go, and even tried to explain this to him and he turned around and walked away. Talking to other customers in there, they said they've had some issues with service there on their first visit, so apparently you can't be a first time customer there...but I can tell you that I am only going to be a first time customer because I will NEVER go back there again!!!!! Cons: Horrible service, only like regulars more

We stopped in at Mac's last night because it had been recommended (for the music, once a month, now that I recall). Our waitress came to our table within 10 minutes, left menus, served our drinks and vanished. We gave her a good 20 minutes (way too much time, but we were engrossed in the ""Trivia"" game on television). We told the fellow behind the bar what had happened and he told my husband, ""Yeah, we're busy tonight"". Not an apology...just a statement of the facts as he saw them.\r The bar is very smoky, very loud between the televisions and open seating, and undeserving of any new business. Bottom line, we went to another popular neighborhood bar (Hibernian) and were treated as though we were regulars...which we will surely become. Pros: Parking, second-hand smoke for those who have quit smoking, pricing Cons: Service, atmosphere more

Mac's Tavern seems like a good choice, but the employees seem to only care about their regulars and no one else. My friends and I came in to have a good time but were neglected. It was impressive for a 60/40 bar but lacked new atmsophere. I could have easily gone to another bar and had such a better time. Plus the food was gross even on bar standards. Pros: Big Place, Lots to Do Cons: Prices High, Small Staff more