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Barfly on the Wall
MacDinton's Irish Pub and Restaurant
By NICK MARGIASSO
Published January 28, 2005
Nick Margiasso
MacDinton’s is as traditional as Irish pubs come. And if you enjoy your nose the way it is, leave the leprechaun jokes at home.
Vitals: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 3 a.m., except for Sunday when the bar opens at 5 p.m.; 405 South Howard Avenue in Tampa; www.macdintons.com There's no cover and parking is free but scarce in the dusty lot next door, by my count the last plot of undeveloped land in South Tampa.
Packing the pub: This Irish pub has a little bit of everything, charting as a lunch spot with drink selection, ambiance and crowd diversity. Meal times may seem like high time to those who spend their nights watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns, but come 10 p.m. this joint is packed to the brim with guys and gals hoping to get luckier than a sack full of clovers.
Ole! Ole-Ole-Ole: This is the only place to go to see the beautiful game. When the urge for football (sans helmets and funny-shaped brown balls) calls, MacDinton's is home base for the rather large contingent of European transplants who like their pitches green and their squads fit come soccer Saturday. The crowd comes sporting entire team "kits," painted faces and chanting for their teams to put one in the back of the ol' onion bag.
Irish eyes a-serving: Talk about authenticity. From the owners to the bartenders and servers, the MacDinton's staff is made up almost entirely of blokes from the green fields of Ireland and Britain. The gig can't be half bad, as the ladies flock for the accents while the Guinness drinkers go for authentic pours by those who truly know how to tend the black juice.
Lay of the land: Three main bars are situated nicely within Mac's expansive innards. The lounge areas are filled with wooden tables and chairs that evoke an old-worldliness steeped in a pure pub pedigree. But the oaken bars and rustic rooms also make way for a pool and dart area, live music stage and a full restaurant. Not to mention a massive outside patio area including, say it with me now, another watering hole.
Pints and plates: Pick an animal and they've probably potted it in a pie of some sort. However, eat before you come and savor the suds instead of the mediocre grub. A nice Kelly's Irish Cider or Amstel Light might as well be a food group, anyway.
Go or no? Too good to be true? I did the only thing any level-headed truth seeker would do: I took an Irishman out for drinks. Luckily, we hit the place during soccer Saturday. After about an hour in a crowded room with folks juggling stories about the old country, mockery-by-chant ridiculing of some unfortunate goalkeeper and an inquiry into the edibility of American fast food, my pal said MacDinton's is just like being in a bar in the homeland. And for my money, taking an Irishman's word on a good pub is like taking the pope's word on a wholesome hangout.
This pub is authentic Irish, matey! From the moment you walk in and kiss the blarney stone, till the second you score with the leprechaunettes and get luckier than a pint of 4 leaf clovers! This pub is Irish all the way. I should know, cause I'm in I...
by Alpha
02/02/05 08:58 AM
Great if you like a Corporate Celtic package. Authenticity? Go to Ireland for authenticity.
by My
01/30/05 11:41 PM
MacDintons is a great place to drink and have fun with your friends. Especially during Happy Hour on Fridays :)
by johnny
01/29/05 03:38 PM
you are referring to the new "MacDinton's." Many of us longtime Tampa residents loved, and will never forget the "old Mac Dinton's" which closed in 1994.
by Lynnie
01/29/05 08:40 AM
I am a small girl and I went there I got lost in the crowd. As soon as I arrived to meet my friends, I went to the bar to get a drink, and was ignored byt the bartenders - only the taller and bigger people were tended to. I tried standing on a bars...
by Adonis
01/28/05 01:31 PM
This place is great, especially for meat markets. I'm batting a solid .800 there. Love that place!
by Larry
01/28/05 10:17 AM
This place is great...you feel like you're in a quaint pub in the UK! Try the Fish N Chips!
by Patrick Moody
01/28/05 08:43 AM
The decor's terrific, the pints are terrific and the staff are terrific. The patrons are another matter; three of my last four visits have been ruined by rowdy, belligerent patrons who made even the staff uncomfortable. This was not during football...
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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