My spouse and dined at
McHale’s for an early dinner on a Saturday evening in mid-April 2018. McHale’s
is open daily from 10:00 am until 4:00 am for lunch, dinner, drinks, and
everything in between. The restaurant accepts reservations via telephone, which
are necessary during pre- and post-show times when the masses from nearby
theatres are trying to dine.
McHale’s, a second-generation
family business, is located on West
51st Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue in Midtown West/Theatre
District. It occupies the semi-ground floor (a few steps down) and the second
floor in a row of brownstones/stores. The original location of McHale’s occupied
a space at the corner of 8th Avenue and West 46th Street,
where it was famous for its movie bar scenes from “Sleepers,” “She’s the One”,
and “Money Train”. A few items from the previous location were installed in the
new venue,
including the original bar (which came from the 1939 - 1940 New York World’s
Fair), and the 1930s sign hanging in the back room that reads “Cocktail Lounge”
in faded gold lettering.
McHale’s serves pub food,
some with an Irish twist, including fish and chips, bangers and mash, curry,
shepherd’s pie, and pot pie. We shared one the daily special appetizers: a
plate of three slices of thick-cut bacon, served with a small dressed arugula
salad and (untoasted) baguette slices. For our entrees, we ordered the
shepherd’s pie (minus the cheese upcharge); the lamb, pea, carrot, and gravy
mixture was flavorful, which blended well with the more bland mashed potato
topper. We also ordered the chicken curry over half chips (French fries) and
half rice. For dessert, we followed our server’s recommendation for the
“amazing” Jameson-Baileys cheesecake, but we found it disappointing; we should
have ordered the bread pudding instead. (In our experience flavored cheesecake
tends to taste just like plain cheesecake, and this slice was no different.)
We enjoyed our time at
McHale’s; it provided a convenient location for our “between shows” needs, and
the Irish food was tasty, too.
