Mac's Pizza Pub

I walked into Mac's fully expecting standard bar food. You know the drill: solid, predictable, nothing you'd drive out of your way for.

I did not walk out thinking that. I've been back twice since.

Mac Ryan opened the original Mac's in Clifton in 2005. The MainStrasse pub belongs to Jeremy and Mandy Siney, who both worked for Ryan in Clifton, she for six years and he as general manager, before asking to open a Mac's of their own. They bought the building in 2015 and opened on St. Patrick's Day. There are five Mac's around Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky now, each run by a local owner-operator, and this one is theirs.

The Vibe

Mac's spans two storefronts on Main Street, one painted red and black with the name across the front in old saloon lettering, the other marked by a barrel sign reading Mac's 604. Green Bay Packers flags fly out front beside Bengals and Kentucky posters in the windows, so no one's allegiance goes unrepresented.

Inside it's exposed brick on every wall, open ceiling joists, worn wood floors, and Edison bulbs on long cords. A wagon wheel hangs over the bar. An old distillery ad is painted on one brick wall and a Patrón mural on another. There's a pool table in back, a shuffleboard table along the side, a chalkboard headed "Shots, Shots, Shots," and a sign at the door telling you to seat yourself. The plates come in every color, and the pizzas arrive on tiered stands to save table space, which you will need.

It's lived in and comfortable, the kind of place where you could catch a game or settle in for dinner with your kid and neither would feel out of place.

Our server on the first visit, Miranda, took great care of us and steered us well when we asked the question we always ask: what do we have to try here? The other guests were friendly too. We ended up in a full conversation with the next table and swapped contact info before we left. That doesn't happen in a room people are in a hurry to leave.

The Food

My daughter beat me there and had potato skins waiting on the table. I'm not a potato skin guy. They're usually generic and forgettable. These didn't convert me, but I ate two, which is more than I usually commit to. The right amount of cheese and bacon, hot, and done right.

The lemon pepper dry rubbed wings are marinated, baked, then fried, and the process shows. Good sized, juicy inside, crisp on the skin, with the rub laid on heavy enough to see. I always order sauces on the side, and the spicy garlic hit for me. My daughter insisted I try the ranch. I'm picky about ranch. This one is made in house, and it rates.

The Flying Pig pizza is the meat lover's lineup with a Cincinnati name: sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, provolone, and mozzarella. Solid crust, balanced toppings, better than average across the board. No complaints.

The reason I keep coming back is the Original Macover calzone. You pick three fillings, and here's the move: ask for more. I went bacon, bison, ground beef, and banana peppers. What came out was a deep fried monster, blistered dark in spots, finished with garlic butter and a dusting of parmesan, with marinara on the side. Crispy outside, packed and savory inside. Most calzones are a preset combination somebody decided you should want. Mac's builds it their way with your input, then fries it.

We couldn't finish everything, and none of it stayed behind. I may or may not have gotten back into that calzone before bed.

I still haven't gotten to the bison chili, which has caught my eye every time through the menu.

The Bottom Line

I walked in thinking "bar food." Three visits later, Mac's is a neighborhood pub that takes its food more seriously than it has to, run by two people who learned the menu from the inside before putting their own money behind it. Worth a Short Detour, and get the Macover.