McGonagle’s Review: Pub Lives Up to the Publicity

McGonagle’s Pub, an upscale Irish pub and restaurant, opened in Dorchester in December of 2024. Less than a year after opening, the New York Times dubbed them one of the 50 best restaurants in the country.

With a focus on modern versions of Irish staples, Chef Aidan McGee serves up absolutely delicious and authentic food. The relative simplicity of their menu does not mean that the dishes have simple flavors. Rather, each menu offering is the most excellent representation of what that dish could be, and nothing masquerades as anything else.

Paneled in dark wood, the first floor of McGonagle’s resembles a typical pub, albeit with more elegant upholstery. Plenty of TV screens ensure patrons can sit anywhere and still watch an evening football match. After walking through the bar area and descending down a short staircase, patrons enter a much larger dining area that swallows bustling noises. Sitting in the dining area doesn’t mean sacrificing the game, as there are still various TVs playing football at a gentle hum.

Their Spice Bag appetizer perfectly encapsulates McGee’s culinary philosophy. A fast food that has gained more global recognition recently due to their popularity on TikTok, the Spice Bag originates from Chinese restaurants in Ireland. McGonagle’s serves theirs in a paper bag branded with their name accompanied by a silver gravy boat of curry sauce. Pouring the bag onto the plate reveals a heaping quantity of fries, fried chicken, peppers, and onions all steaming hot and producing a mouth-watering aroma of garlic. The batter on the chicken is thin and crispy, shattering to reveal the juicy flesh. The curry sauce soaks the fries and chicken thoroughly, enriching the flavor.

The Irish Stew showcases thick pieces of beef, potatoes, and carrots in a delectable gravy. Herein lies the only critique from the entire meal: The beef, potatoes, and carrots are cut so large that they can only remain partially covered in stew inside the bowl. Thus, the upper half of the pieces get colder and tougher more quickly than the bottom halves. Everything still tastes wonderful, but if the pieces were cut smaller and could rest in the gravy, the overall texture would have improved.

Almost more delectable than the stew itself is the slice of soda bread that accompanies it. The bread is pillow-soft but still has a delightfully satisfying chew. The soft, salty butter — so soft that a spoon does a better job of smearing it over the bread than a knife — then adds an incredible sumptuous flavor. Dipping the butter-covered bread into the stew creates the best bite of nearly any meal.

The Bangers and Mash at McGonagle’s are showstopping. The delicate skin of the ‘banger’ or sausage bears no resemblance to the thick, plasticky texture of supermarket sausage. Rather, the exterior barely holds together tender meat that melts in your mouth. Topped with caramelized onions and laying atop a bed of mashed potatoes, this dish in and of itself is worth a spot on any top 50 list.

To break the proverbial fourth wall and share an anecdote from The Crimson’s visit, this reviewer brought her best friend, a real-life Irish American, to share the meal. About halfway through our entrées, my friend’s eyes began to well up. I asked her what happened, concerned that something had upset her. She replied that everything was fine, but the meal had just brought her back to her cultural roots with such a strong image of home that she couldn’t help but shed a tear.

In a city with a long history of Irish heritage, McGonagle’s is a fine addition to the rich tapestry of Irish culture in Boston. Perfect for a special occasion, this restaurant has the power to bring back childhood memories through a deep love for authentic culinary traditions and near-flawlessly executed craft.

—Staff writer Ria S. Cuéllar-Koh can be reached at ria.cuellarkoh@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @riacuellarkoh.