Credit: J. Deseo/SSP
While the newsroom generally reviews McGinty’s Pub around St Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d make it a stop along my 2009 Burger Quest. Here’s how it all went down:
There once was a Penguin from Brooklyn
On a quest (you can say she was lookin’)
For the bestest of grilling,
Something tasty and filling,
A thick burger for her beak to be hookin’.
McGinty’s seemed like a good place
For this Penguin to go stuff her face.
She told her kind waiter,
“Some french fried potaters
And a tall glass of sweet lemonade.
“While you’re at it, please fetch me a burger
With a thick slice of Dubliner cheddar.
Tell the chef to be makin’
It with Irish bacon,
‘Cause nothing could make it taste better.”
The waiter got on it post haste,
And soon he returned with a plate
With a burger of bounty.
(It weighed half a poundy.)
So the Penguin went in for a taste.
The patty itself was so juicy!
So tender! So sweet! So kooshee!
(Yeah, I dare you to find
An appropriate rhyme.
It’s called license, so don’t be obtusey.)
The cheddar was beautifully oozey.
(Guess that could have rhymed well with “juicy”.)
See, this cheese-and-beef dalliance
Is all about balance,
And this combo was surely no floozy.
And what isn’t good topped with bacon,
Though different from what you’d be thinkin’.
It was thick — more like ham –
But still way better than
Those fried strips of fat prone to crinklin’.
When she ate all her stomach would bear,
Penguin finally came up for air.
Alas, she was pleased
With this good Irish feed,
So she hopes you will find your way there.
Cheeseburger, ordered medium, with Dubliner cheddar cheese and Irish bacon ($12, with a choice of french fries or salad).
McGinty’s Public House, 911 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, (301) 587-1270.
Read 
What the hell are they building now? Learn more from 
Boxed wines and rosés are back in vogue. Just ask The Penguin's sommeliers.
Great, now I want a burger for dinner.
Great, now I’ve got a jones to break out my James Joyce.
Yep, that’s generally been my take on McGinty’s. Their food is a notch above the usual pub fare, and certainly better than some well known irish pubs in the area, like the Dubliner. I’d recommend their salads and their half portion of fish & chips.
However, and this is a BIG problem for an irish pub, I still can’t get past how un-cozy the whole place feels. The downstairs just feels wrong somehow, while the upstairs has that weird pairing of a fake irish cottage with a sports bar/music venue. I realize Fado is a bit (or even a lot!) Disney-esque, however their pubs do convey a certain cozy element that is lacking from McGinty’s.
My advice to McGinty’s: close for a few weeks while you overhaul the interior, but when you do re-open keep doing what you’re doing in the kitchen.
But do they have a veggie burger? If they do, I hope they don’t top it with fake bacon.
Burger Quest ‘09 is service journalism at its finest! I hope the Pulitzer judges take note.
They have a really delicious veggie burger, which if I remember correctly is topped with grilled mushrooms and carmelized onions (along with lettuce & tomato).
I agree with Steve, I think their food is suprisingly good but it’s a very weird place to hangout in, and I’ve rarely gone there just to have a few beers or for happy our, only to eat.
I’m with Steve and JG…McGinty’s has good food and good beer, but the atmosphere there is too plastic and jumbled. I just don’t feel comfortable there as I do at other places, and that detracts a bit from the experience.
How does the burger compare with Quarry House?
If you really want to explore burgers, and do it from the comfort of home, check out http://www.cheeseandburger.com
McGinty’s has had some interesting events, I recall a fundraiser for my favorite public servant. And didn’t they join in that hastily-organized Harry Potter thing a few months ago? So it is a bit more of a “public house” than a bar? And if so, isn’t that a good thing?
Jen, thanx for the info about the veggie burger! If I get one there, I may skip those toppings. They sound yummy, but things cooked on a grill usually have meat essence, in my experience. So I will do lettuce & tomato.
Perhaps Im cheap, a $12 hamburger.
& no it isnt that Im used to eating Wendys, mcd, bk,checkers as I HATE all fast food. mcd irks me alot.