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McHugh's, Belfast

Pub added by Old Boots
29-31 Queens Square
Belfast
BT1 3FG

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Steve C left this review about McHugh's

McHughs has a bar on the rear wall that is lined with bar stools and faces some high tables on the stone floor. There is seating up the right where there are stairs that lead down and another flight that lead up to the toilets and a multi-level seating area that I think is mainly used for dining. This was roped off during a recent early weekday evening visit. In the left side of the pub away from the bar is more seating and a television which was switched off. Live music is advertised.
Available from the bar on the lone handpump was Whitewater Brewing’s Maggies Leap. A standard and premium keg range was also available, I went for half a Heverlee priced at £3. I found the staff to be polite and would visit here again.

On 17th September 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5179 recommendations about 5148 pubs]


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Quinno _ left this review about McHugh's

Close to the Salmon of Knowledge (which I decided was my favourite Belfast tourist attraction) the exterior is an odd little amalgamation job - three distinct buildings knocked into one over two levels. Therefore fairly rambling inside but also obviously fairly new looking (so I guess it can’t be too old in its current guise) but the feel is that of a cosy, atmospheric middle class ambience ‘Stained glass Albert Tower’ says my notes but I fail to recall it now but it was obviously of interest at the time, though I do better recall the wall mural of the RMS Titanic. Listed in the GBG and indeed there was one handpump dispensing Whitewater Maggies Leap which was a nice fruity number that had been well looked-after (NBSS 3.5); this meant I didn’t explore the fridge options but I’m under the impression they stock a decent range. Friendly barman and a pleasant stay, though it was fairly quiet and they were closing up early as a consequence. If you like your cask, you should make sure you drop-by.

On 19th February 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


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Blackthorn _ left this review about McHugh's

A traditional looking pub just a short stroll from the river, a sign outside proclaims it is the oldest building in Belfast. The premises do however appear to be two separate buildings that have been knocked in to one.

Internally it’s quite traditional in appearance with a tiled floor to the right and sanded wooden boards elsewhere. There was a low beamed ceiling, and dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls with lemon paintwork up above. Large murals all along the left hand wall depicted a pictorial history of Belfast including such iconic events as Titanic’s maiden voyage. Seating to the right was fairly limited, although there also looked to be some sort of a mezzanine level which we did not investigate. The right hand half was somewhat cosier with large padded bench seats and a disused fireplace.

The menu offered a decent looking selection of pub grub dishes, including several “Boxty’s” which are presumably a local delicacy and consist of a potato pancake base with various toppings. Most of these sounded quite appealing, and I went for the barbeque pulled pork and apple, and this was a decent and tasty dish with a decent kick to it, and good value at £7.50.

Beer choice was unfortunately rather limited, with Maggie’s Leap being the sole real ale offering, although this was very much appreciated by my fellow drinkers. A number of local brews were chalked on to a board, but other advertising elsewhere suggested that these were bottled. Certainly there was no sign of any of them on the bar counter. The solitary cider meanwhile was Magners.

On 22nd October 2019 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


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Pub SignMan left this review about McHugh's

One of several pubs purporting to be the oldest in Belfast, this one’s claim centres around the age of the building itself, which started out as a private residence back in the early 1700’s, not converting to pub use until the mid-1800’s. Today, the pub presents a nice mix of the traditional and contemporary cross a number of rooms and levels. You enter to a rather cosy feeling ground floor bar with snug-like booths close to the front door, soon giving way to a more opened out bar area with the servery along the rear wall. The bar has a nice, traditional counter and bar back, befitting of an historic building such as this. From here, you can access a small seating area off to the left with some comfy looking bench and chair options, or else move to the rear right, where a lovely little isolated seating area can be found, with four or five tables around a fireplace in a space with some nice, interesting decor on the walls. Stairs here lead up to a first floor bar with a similar servery once again running along the back wall. This floor offers split-level seating areas including a nice section to the right which looks down over the front part of the ground floor. Up here, you can admire the amazing high beam ceiling with some dazzling modern lamps hung from them and some brilliant large-scale murals, including one that depicts the Irish equivalent of a Hogarth scene. Standard tables and chairs serve pretty much all of this area, although there are a few padded banquettes here and there too, with the seating options extending into a fairly uninteresting space to the left of the bar. There is also a third bar in the cellar, which we couldn’t explore due to a charged gig taking place in there that evening.
Just the one cask ale was available on this visit – Whitewater Upstream Tangerine – which I enjoyed a couple of pints of, despite it not being entirely to my taste. A few interesting keg beers infiltrated the usual suspects and we stopped off to eat, finding the food to be very good quality, whilst the service was outstanding, with the waited making one of our party a hot chocolate from the staff’s own hot chocolate stash, due to it not actually being on the menu!
This is a very interesting pub that gets a lot of the basics right and despite being a little touristy, would actually make a perfect introduction to Belfast’s pub scene for a newcomer to the city. I really enjoyed visiting this place and would happily call in again.

On 30th January 2019 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


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Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about McHugh's

Very traditional pub housed in two adjoining buildings of very different appearance. Various seating areas, including a mezzanine and a large front patio area. Three real ales on handpump, including two from Whitewater - Belfast Ale and Hoppelhammer IPA (£3.90) - and Shepherd Neame's seasonal Frosty Glow all the way from Kent. Well worth the walk out from the city centre.

On 19th July 2013 - rating: 8
[User has posted 8066 recommendations about 8066 pubs]


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David Ross left this review about McHugh's

A beautiful old, traditional style pub, in a building dating back to 1711 which claims to be the the oldest building in Belfast (although White's Tavern, from 1630, claims to be the oldest pub). The main bar has open fires and is decorated with paintings of scenes from the city's history, chess pieces resembling local historical figures and newspaper front pages reporting the paramilitary ceasefires. There is live music most nights and a separate restaurant upstairs. Unlike previous reviewers, I enjoyed a perfect pint of one of the local Belfast real ales. You should definitely include this place, along with White's and The Crown, in any city pub crawl.

On 2nd July 2012 - rating: 10
[User has posted 769 recommendations about 683 pubs]


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ROB Camra left this review about McHugh's

Fine bar & restaurant on 3 floors. The cellar is a venue with live music or comedy several times a month. The ground floor is the bar area with two rooms. As you enter there is a massive chandelier above your head and a number of booths on both side walls. In the room to the left are a number of dining tables where sometimes live music is played in the bar. On the first floor is a very good restaurant which specialises in "Lava Rock Steaks". When you order your steak it comes on a lava rock already sizzling and it's up to you to cook it as you wish. It's an unusual idea and one we enjoyed, but I don't think I'd do it again. The lava rock is very hot and it would be easy to burn yourself. It also gets you sweating as it's so hot. We tried it in May and it was steaming, I wouldn't have liked to try it in July/August. The bar has a couple of handpumps on it and this pub is in the GBG2011. Sadly it shouldn't be as my pint was pretty poor, but not quite bad enough to take back. When I went back to the bar for another drink I informed the barman. He said sorry it's at the end of the cask, but I can't change it as we've no more in the cellar!! Overall I really liked this pub and we visited 3 times in four days. It's just a shame about the beer. It would have been a 9 with decent cask ale.

On 18th May 2011 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3216 recommendations about 3127 pubs]


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Old Boots left this review about McHugh's

Interesting old looking bar with a dark characterful interior of bareboards, and wood panelling, the upstairs restaurant is more modern in style. Interesting art work and old newspapers on the walls, candles on tables in one part of the downstairs bar, seating on chairs with a central vertical drinking area by the central bar, I also noticed a stool constructed of cog wheels and a crankshaft. Mainly keg beers served by on the ball young staff, the only ale being Whitewater Belfast Ale on handpump in reasonable condition. Punters wewre mainly youngish with a few middle aged couples.

On 9th November 2009 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3209 recommendations about 2920 pubs]


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Clive Thompson left this review about McHugh's

Two distinct frontages, one old one new, that lead to the same bar with restaurant upstairs. Has claims as one of Belfast's oldest but seems quite modern. Interesting display of two Belfast News front pages from 1994 reporting ceasefires from Republican and Unionist viewpoints. Two real ale pumps but only one in use, Mayflower.

On 13th July 2008 - rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]