McCabe's Irish Pub & Grill in Waterloo

Good food nice atmosphere

Said open it wasnt.. Friday night at 1200am said open till 1am nobody there doors locked. And its 345 king west not other

Loved the place. We went there for my wifes birthday and was nice. Had a good time there to talk and have fun.

I really liked this place, it was nice to spend a Saturday evening here. First of all, I would like to note the service - even if there is no free table, you can leave your phone number and they will call you back when a seat becomes available. Also polite and attentive waiters. The atmosphere is calm, comfortable, there are a variety of options where you can sit and have a good time. On Saturday we got to see a wonderful band play and enjoyed Irish tunes, thank you!) There is a large selection of food and drinks to suit any budget. I would like to share my impressions of the dish (steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes, asparagus). I have never tried better shrimp, apparently they are grilled, the taste is amazing!!! The steak was cooked deliciously, well done, just as I ordered. Asparagus turned out to be a little bland in taste. I think adding a little soy sauce and garlic when cooking would improve its taste. Mashed potatoes - it turned out to be not a classic taste, it was also poorly suppressed, there were whole pieces. In general, the visit is full of positive emotions, I definitely want to come again.

Food was great! Very filling. Restaurant was understaffed, but the young lady working did a fabulous job taking care of our party and the rest of the Restaurant. Wasnt even a manager present. A little disappointing to put it all on one person.

great pizza, ice cream, and moscow mules

If youre looking for an authentic Irish experience, go to Ireland, you wont find it in KW. If youre looking for a few pints, some decent food and the chance at some live music though, this is a decent spot to check out.

Iconic joint

Amazing place to hang out with friends and family. First time here, food was amazing, drinks made with love, the service was fast. But the most incredible thing was the live music. (@itsbomusic)

Didnt get any mushrooms or vegetables on the side with my steak and fries. Apparently they were out of mushrooms, and the menu was wrong. Probably waited about 30+ minutes for food, and was asked to pay full price before mentioning the issues. Was then only offered a 15% discount. Enjoyed coming here on several occasions, but will not return.

Great looking place, music was good. A bit pricey for me - The bill for the half-priced medium-sized plate of wings + one standard cocktail, with a bit of a tip was over $40. The place wasnt busy, yet we kind of felt ignored.

Food was great, service was very slow and very level. Order taking, ran out of drinks in two occasions. Even asking for the bill took too long. Eventually it had to walk up to the bar and ask for it. I am sharing so hopefully get an opportunity to improve the service (perhaps a restaurant manager to be oversee the servers).

Great service, food was quite good and there was a cover band playing that wasnt half bad.

Wheelchair accessibility: Main floor and bathrooms are fully accessable. Second floor is not Food

Service is rough...I wasnt even coming for the food, I really just wanted somewhere to stop in for a couple drinks. This wasnt it. The food and drinks were great but service was slow/non existent. I had to order a drink 3 times before it got brought to the table. Okay cool, you forgot about me once. But then I ordered another drink after finally getting mine an hour later, and it never showed up. I just asked for the bill at that point.

Live music adds to the atmosphere but building is usually empty. Food 0/5 Impossible burger was burnt and tasteless The chips and dip were the worst - 0/5 don t waste your money Beer selection is limited

Good

Time of visit: Saturday at 11 pm. Food: super bad food, the nachos and poutine were cold to the level that the cheese did not melt. The onion rings tasted like old burnt oil. Service: The table was dirty, the menus were sticky. The server took our order but did not bring half of it. Overall the experience was terrible and I regret all of it. If they continue at this low level, maybe its better if they close down.

Great food and location! Also the calamari is the best in the area, tastes the closest to freshly caught. Our server Matt was awesome! Highly recommend

Great pub. Staff was awesome, beer was cold. Hockey playoffs were on the TV.

Service was great. Server was very helpful and friendly. Wings were cooked perfectly and were larger than I was expecting. Will be going again next time Im in town

I went here with my friends, the drinks were watery, the food wasn t so great. And the attendants were racist. My friends and I decided never to visit there again.

Tuesday half price burgers are great.

Good food good service

Good service. Decent food. One of the cooks needs a haircut and new clothes.... homeless look isnt a fashion

Food here is great, there s some vegetarian options. The mushroom gravy is fantastic. Unfortunately the staff weren t helpful at all, didn t check on us all night and were hard to get the attention of. They were having a squabble with each other too, and the manager was acting pissed. Paid cash and was no way going to tip after that, only to be out some cents because they don t carry nickels and dimes. What a joke LOL but the kitchen is decent.

Great place to be for a pub outing with authentic feel and experience! Absolute gaff of a time

I like the Ambience but they could have made it look more Irish. And I tried their Irish Bailey hot coffee-- Aah it was really good.

The food was below average than expected Ordered nachos poutine burger wings onion rings some drinks Everything taste too much salty especially the poutine Liked their nachos only , wings we ordered sauce on side that was a bad choice.

Service was slow. Typical pub food at a premium price. Read other reviews.

Very impressive impossible burger.

Great atmosphere and food (the steak is amazing!) Parking: Free parking in the large Uptown Waterloo lot across the street Food : 5/5 |

Amazing BBQ chicken wrap and fries! All Sunday specials are great. The whole table enjoyed their food and draft.

We usually love this place, but our recent visit was less than pleasant. We invited friends to experience Celtic night and we were all so excited. The music was great, but very loud. It took forever to order and get drinks. The next drinks we ordered didnt arrive. All 4 of us ordered burgers and fries(finally) - how hard can that be, right? Mine was very pink(raw) in the middle, but I couldnt tell the server because she never came back to check in on us, so I ate around it. The fries were only half cooked. Not a great experience!

Service was on the slower side. Food was good, but could use some improvements, especially on presentation

Great service, nice atmosphere. Food could be better - burger was dry as a bone. Beef dip sandwich had thick gravy instead of au jus.

Highly recommend the fish and chips! The batter is so incredible and house made!

Squandivilous

Food and atmosphere was good however service was slow for lunch service and considering that everyone in the party ordered sandwiches/burgers. Good spot for lunch if you are not needing to be in and out in under an hour.

The food was good, however, the service was poor. When leaving the restaurant we had forgot a significant amount of leftovers, and we returned within 15 minutes to see if they were kept for us somewhere, but they through them out. After spending the amount of money we did for those leftovers, its dissapointing they couldnt store them somewhere for a little bit before throwing them out.

Slow to non existent service

Service was a bit slow....only 1 person working so it wasnt her fault. Food was traditional fare for a pub but quite good. Parking: Parking is nearby...no parking at restaurant

Nice little place, downtown Waterloo on King Street... Had a one man band, with live music Overall the first time there was pleasant and had a cool vibe I will definitely be back again. Food : 5/5 |

The lemonade tasted overly sweet rather than sour, and our well-done steak initially arrived rare to medium. Despite requesting a change, it took 15 minutes, and when returned, the steak was almost burnt(The burnt steak left a bitter taste, further impacting our dining experience!) Despite the issues, the restaurant only offered a $6 discount as compensation.

As much as I realize there was only one server, we did wait over an hour for our food. ( restaurant was not busy). We informed the server we had an appointment we were pressed for time and still we waited which made us late for our appointment

Great place to eat in Uptown Waterloo!

the impossible burger from here was so good omg probably the best burger i ve ever had in my life

Very dirty and will not go back! We went with a group of friends for drinks & apps after work. The service was very questionable. We went probably 30 minutes at a time between seeing our server, and when they brought the apps they didn t bring side plates. After asking for some, they brought us over two dirty plates. Not only that, but one of the beer glasses had a giant lipstick stain on the rim! It s very evident they don t utilize their dishwasher

Excellent service

Cosy irish pub, and really good crispy wings.

We went out for food last night after an escape room on a whim and came to McCabe s. it was cozy and clean. We had great service and the food helpings were HUGE. Then the music started and I felt as if I was whisked away. What a love Celtic bad! It was all I could do to not get up and dance!! We will be back 100% and definitely on a night this band plays. Such a great unexpected time!!

Always stop here when we re in the city to visit friends and family, can get a little loud of weekend nights if they have musicians. Great food, decent number of vegetarian friendly dishes. Vegetarian options: Decent number of vegetarian dishes, burger is amazing as is the pesto pasta.

Great service from waiters, we were a little bit to go in because there were not available tables, but worth 10 minutes wait. Great beer and good food.

$17 for this mac n cheese

We had to wait over 10 minutes for the server to arrive and take our drink order, even theough the restaurant was only half full. When he did arrive, the server was very friendly and the food came quickly after that. Sub-par food. Not great.

The steak was excellent and the service, too.

Live entertainment and amazing appetizers...great atmosphere

Shouldn t be allowed to call itself an Irish pub the way they serve a pint of Guinness. Please teach the staff how to pour and serve a proper Guinness. Decor good, decent atmosphere, food okay. Please get the basics right.

Had a few great pints in a nice, homely, clean environment . Friendly staff. Easy going customers.

Excellent all around. Music is a little loud but there were a lot of empty seats at lunch today probably because of the weather. Maybe more bodies would soften the music!

Terrible food. Rude manager.

Strange service here last night; The host seemed a little miserable... I was told to wait to be seated as there may not be a server available for a table that a group was just sitting at. 5 minutes later I was seated in the same spot after waiting for a few folks elsewhere to receive their food. Shortly after a server arrived with water for the table and, on a budget of $25, I ordered 2 beers... my friends ordered drinks and food for themselves. Long story short, I have no idea why the server decided to bill me for half of my friends food and 2 additional drinks I didnt ordered. We would have mentioned it to the server, however, it was so difficult to get anyone to pay attention for more than a few seconds before they were distracted by another tables needs. I mean there was no cutlery, napkins, side plates for friends entree, nobody came to see if everything was ok with the meal or drink. When it came time to pay, the server would drop off the bill and run to another table, come back ask if we need the machine, go to another table, come back with the machine, take the money quickly and off to another table, with barely a word spoken. I have never been to a restaurant and felt unwelcomed, rushed and tossed out, nor have I ever not had a server not fully serve the guests, provide everything needed for the stay nor ask how to make up the bill when multiple people are sitting together. I am sorry to say but, McCabes, there are so many bars/restaurants uptown Waterloo that do get these sort of service and hospitality things correct, that was my last time visiting. This place has a very nice setting, its a shame that the service is so slack, otherwise McCabes would be a real gem.

Was here for lunch today with my husband. The gentleman that served us was super attentive and personable! Seemed like he was the only one there with quite a few tables as well as the bar and he was handling great. Unfortunately I now have food poisoning after eating the chicken...

Came in for a few drinks. I was disappointed by their lack of quality craft beer. Service was slow but they were busy. I didnt eat.

Good decent all around place for whatever your looking for.

Like the sign says ... Irish Pub. Lots on tap, great food, excellent service what more could you ask for? No, leprechauns dont exist Vegetarian options: Yup, vegetarian options. Parking: Free across the road. Paid garage next door. Kid-friendliness: kid friendly in that your kids will like it. Cool kid menu as well.

Great local pub with live music.

Our waitstaff (who was doing amazing by the way),based on the manager, refused to serve us more of the half wine bottle deals past 3 (for a group of 5) when were were celebrating a major achievement in our group. It really put a damper on the night since it appears the management cared more about protecting their deal then the customer experience :( Too bad but not a great place to celebrate

Had the 1/2 price burgers and some Kilkenny. Delish!

The atmosphere and decor were great and really added to the overall experience. However, I was a little disappointed with the quality of the food. It wasnt terrible, but it wasnt outstanding either.

Loved this place

My 1st time in Waterloo and this was an amazing pub with great service.I got the wings and wow best wings ive ever tasted

The absolute WORST manager in the history of managers! Great place for drinks, the experienced service staff are friendly an great all around however; the new staff are usually overwhelmed an swamped with picking up all the slack left over from the mangers poor to non existent leadership roles. Must be because to the new employees arent trained properly or even at all. This is all due to the managerial incompetence.

I had my first McCabes experience tonight. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. The fish and chips dinner was very good, and enjoyed the live musician while I was there. Looking forward to coming back again sometime!!!

Not good service. If you re not white don t go here

Plastic pieces served in drinks from stoppers used on liquor bottles. DO NOT DRINK THERE! 2 PEOPLE AT OUR TABLE ALMOST CHOKED

Great fare great entertainment.....

Great atmosphere! Love listening to Mighty Kin perform

Great place for a great night out. Sometimes theres live music as a plus. Sports games will play on the TV, although no sound is played. Great food, overall would recommend. Portions are generous.

McCabes has good vibes and decent food.I recommend their wings, Ive had those quite a few times here. They have a good amount of flavours; BBQ and garlic parmesan are some of my favourites. Their burgers are kind of meh (a bit dry), so Id probably stick to the wings.

Ambience was enjoyable. Unfortunately cannot say that about the food.

Took us 2 hours to get our food and wait staff not overly pleasant, so Id services was lacking.

Visited this pub a week ago for lunch. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. The food was okay. We ordered chicken wings and salad. The service was prompt. Overall, its a nice place to grab a beer and eats

For dinner I had the California burger with wings and it was pretty good. Also the long island iced tea is definitely worth trying out.

Jessie is a Rockstar, felt at home and comfortable while she was getting crushed on service bar....amazing service and easy on the eyes

Service was slow. Food was so so

Great wraps!! Havent tried other food there.

Cant even make a sandwich right. A $20 sandwich. Easiest thing in the world and they screw it up.

This place is great, they have reasonably priced food for the taste and a great atmosphere. However there service has been inconsistent. At times you can sit down and actually order food. Other times you wont be seated despite there being avaliable seating. Overall its a bar with good bar food and bad bar service.

Nice looking restaurant with decent food, and somewhat slower service

What a ridiculous place. This restaurant couldn t even be bothered to stay open hours away from closing. If their rude customer service is any example of what their food is like, I ll pass. What kind of owner has people like this working for them?

Coming from Toronto, I miss solid pubs like this one. With two floors, booths with open air removable walls, a giant chandelier in the middle, and all the homey vibes one could want, this place was a great pick. She showed up for some of the live music which was a great addition to the atmosphere! The waitress completely filled out the rest of the welcome atmosphere as well. I felt genuinely cared for and all of the staff seemed happy to be there (I think the music helped everyone). I loved the food, enjoyed the Irish nachos and a burger, and totally loved the vibe. Id say its a perfect place to bring some friends or even just sit and enjoy the ambiance if you have the time. Vegetarian options: They had gluten free options, some vegetarian options, a normal array of pub food, and we used the large parking lot behind the building Dietary restrictions: Some gluten free options like gluten free buns or chips instead of naan. Parking: Behind the building. A big parking lot, paid normally but some free days.

Nice spot good atmosphere.just had a beer .only one person serving the who pub which made things a little slow .liked the place .menu was good

Best fish and chips in town for sure. We ordered one with regular fries and one with sweet potato fries. Loved both fries too. Great atmosphere and service. The menu has several seafood and vegetarian options too. Would go back again.

Good service at bar.

Fantastic fun and great food! Service was tremendous and enjoyed the black and tan!

After waiting 16 mins for my 1st drink on the empty patio....I waited for my 2nd drink for 15 mins after making sure it was known that the 1st drink took way too long. Edit. Came in and sat at the bar hoping for better service....got eyed by the guy and girl behind the bar without a hello....then rushed to greet someone at the door I waited at when I arrived....and seated myself almost

Worst food (chicken wings, ceasar salad) I have ever had. The wings were almost raw. The ceasar salad was very bland.

We only ordered drinks so cant commnet much on the food, but the portion sizes looked generous at other tables. The drinks were delicious, best mojito Ive had! Not super sweet and not skimping on the mint or alcohol, the aperol spritz was great as well. Definitely will be returning for the mojito!

Service was slow considering not many people there. Food arrived quickly. Wings were very tough meat. The deep fried Mac n cheese was pre- fabricated and sounded better than it was.

Tried to visit for lunch but other than getting our drinks after 20 minutes we left after 1.5 hours without getting our food. The Kitchener location is pretty good, but Im extremely disappointed in the service and how inattentive they were. From the fryers not working, not having coasters ready when the drinks came, to not getting food Id hesitate to recommend McCabes Waterloo to anyone.

Just bought a bong and went to eat and I wouldnt get serviced for having it. At least the next pub I hit wasnt prudy.

Delicious food and cocktails and great service

Nice staff - though clearly not engaged in customer service. Dreadful natchos. They have the cheese on the very bottom where it sticks to the paper liner so you cant eat it. What would normally be toppings (beef, tomato, onion) are on top of the cheese and below the layer of natchos. The only item actually sitting on top of the dry natcho chips are the jalapenos. Teeny tiny portions of salsa and guacamole on the side (you pay extra for the guacamole and its about 2 tbsps). Hope the other food is better...? Cause theres really nowhere to go but up. Caution when exiting the booths by the windows. There is a step up which is easily forgotten. Witnessed an older woman take a nasty tumble onto the floor - and according to the staff, this happens often, yet they havent highlighted the edge of the step with paint or any visual reminder.

Great place for pub food and drinks. We sat outside on the Saturday if the August long weekend and enjoyed a bit of a quieter afternoon with our mini meal while watching the people go back and forth. Bathrooms are at the back and were Neely renovated. Very nice and clean there. Will go there again. Wheelchair accessibility: I believe there was a step so wheelchairs would have a difficult time.

Being a McCabe, we had to check it out! They make an excellent black and tan. Food was typical pub food , but quite good! Tried to use my name for a discount,no go! Apparently the owner is not even a McCabe!!

Great pub with a patio and live music on some weekends. The food is great however the service is usually a bit on the slow side as there never appears to be quite enough staff. Definitely worth a visit though just dont go if youre in a hurry.

TERRIBLE service. We had drinks plus chicken wings to share between 4 of us. They gave us a basket of wings and a bowl of sauce. Period. No plates, no cutlery and not even napkins until we insisted on having at least the napkins.

Good food but twice now Ive tried to order from them online and only after I ordered did they cancel it and then change their status to not taking any more orders.

This is a cool spot!

The food was great, delicious vegan/vegetarian options. Andrea was our server and she was so friendly and went above and beyond to make our experience amazing! Thanks to Galaxi in the kitchen for the accommodations too. We ll be back for sure!

Best pub experience ever had. Food was fantastic. Servers were very very friendly and on top of things. Andrea and Matt made my night so much better. Manager was fantastic and professional. Would recommend 110% next time you re in Waterloo. You will not be disappointed.

Good beer, nice bar, nice staff. Busy though, time your arrivals well. Service

If you expect an Irish pub, you will get an Irish pub. 3 pints for 24 plus tip, average cost but good feel and solid draft beer.

10/10 da best

Live music on Saturday which was great and nice servers. The drinks we had for thr Autumn Special were not as good as we were hoping - basic level drink for a more premium specialty drink concept but not the worst. The Autumn Sangria tasted mostly like apple juice with some vodka in it so I wouldnt recommend that drink but the experience was good. :)

Service was Horrible only three tables seated. Food took over an hour to get.Our waitress only came by once. No refills on drinks My wrap was ice cold And the finale bill for two people to eat was over $100.00 Definitely do not recommend! Everyone in the restaurant could have left and nobody (staff) would have noticed Didn t see our waitress for over 20 minutes

The environment and the service are totally great, especially if you would like to take your board/card games with you and play with your friends. The food is usually okay, but has many hits and misses. In my experience, the only unbearable thing on the menu was the Canadian Burger, because it has consistently come overcooked and tasted like charcoal.

The food was delicious! The service was delayed though, the waitress ignored our table and then a waiter came over to take care of our table. The atmosphere was nice, it was pub style. Food : 5/5

Chicken wings felt extra oily. The restaurant also ran out of wings. Servers provided good service by checking in regularly. Good atmosphere overall.

Absolutely delicious burgers and maybe the best fries I have ever had. It was easy to tell they used fresh oil. Really not much more they could do to make this classic pub food any better. Classic large pub feel with two levels.

Great staff. Good music. Thanks

I dont even want to give a star ...becauseme and my friends waited for more than hour still nobody served us greet us we literally went by our self to ask for menue still no body came.. bad bad bad.

Very good with allergies.

Great food. Great staff. Great atmosphere. Thank you

Came in on a Monday to celebrate an achievement with a steak. Ordered the steak and chips, medium. The steak I received was barely seared, and the entire outside edge opposite the fatty side was pink and fleshy. On the inside, one half was rare and the other was well-done. When I sent it back, I received a very overcooked well-done steak. Service was fine, the servers are always pleasant. I get it, its a Monday, but if you have steak on the menu you should ensure those in the kitchen know how to make one.

Perfect for a time with friends, good beer and reasonable prices

Great waitress good food

What a joke of an establishment! Mom called ahead to book a reso for my dads retirement dinner. They said they re not taking resos but we would be fine to walk in (5:30 Friday night) Against our better judgement, we took them for their word. Walked in stood there like idiots for 5 minutes. Buddy comes to the stand. We tell him we would like a table. Multiple booths were open, many chairs at that weird trifecta table they have open. He tells us we have to wait 15 Minutes. Dad yells at waiter, we leave, mom yells at dad. Ruined the night. Absolute clown show. I used to work in the industry, never seen anything so stupid yet avoidable. DO BETTER

Solid Irish pub. The food is as good as youd expect, and the portions are pretty massive.

We went to McCabe s for dinner on a Friday evening, it s was my first visit. The atmosphere was casual and friendly however we did have to wait to be seated for a bit. The menu had lots of choices and the prices were reasonable for an Irish Pub. The service was very good as well as the food and a decent acoustic trio were playing for entertainment. We will visit again.

Great sweet potato fries! The best Ive had in ages. Had the plant based burger and it was super tasty. Will go again.

Nice friendly place .

Predictably good. Its a regular place to go. Good staff.

Burger and fries salty. Usually food is consistent.

I was there for few drinks. Prices are good, friendly staff. Not very noisy with loud music like other places.

A great place ! Had a family birthday upstairs for 30 people. Good food, good service. Well be back !

Awsome place, service was good, and the food was fantastic. I will definetly be going back

Greater vive and music. The food was really good but the cocktails could be better; I had an Old Fashion and it was very mild.

Pizza was delicious! Beef dip sandwich was not good at all! Over cooked and chewy.

A great uptown spot for a weekday lunch or an evening drink. Friendly service, decent food, and handy location.

Been a couple times and service has always been a bit spotty. Food is so-so. With a bit of work from the staff and the kitchen this place could be excellent.

California burger was awesome, onion rings tasty too. Fries could (should) have been cooked longer. Waitress was attentive, fast, professional. Venue was clean, tidy. We sat at some odd y-shaped table in the middle, which I think Ill avoid in the future - its nifty to look at, but makes conversation challenging beyond immediate neighbors. Paid parking in an underground structure, or free across the street. Overall its a great joint and Ill happily return.

Nice place to eat, clean and servers were amazing. The food wasnt the greatest tho Dietary restrictions: They accommodated my friend who is gluten free

Excellent selection of beers on tap. The fish, wings, and sweet potato fries were all great. The regular french fries were undercooked and underwhelming, however. It was pretty quiet for a Thursday night but the weather was threatening freezing rain.

I specifically ordered a vegan quesadilla, but the waitress forgot to record it and served a chicken dish. As a religious Hindu, words cannot accept how shocked I was. This was frankly unacceptable and in no good conscience can I recommend this restaurant to any vegetarians or vegans.