Mary O'Neill's is a great Irish Pub, in downtown Waxhaw, with a lot going for it in their second month of operations. This evening we made our first visit and were pleasantly surprised.
The bar is a large section of the over all restaurant and provides a warm comfortable feel with friendly faces, exposed brick and a great beer list. The down side.....it's noisy as hell to diners on the other side.
Brittany G. was our server and provided insight and perspective into the limited menu. She was quick to promote the future menu but proclaimed
"we're getting good at this menu before we let it grow!". Great move by ownership to walk before you run.
My Bride and I shared a bowl of the Potato & Leek soup. Although served piping hot and thick, the flavor left us longing for the savory flavor of leek...in a word bland. The soup was served with warm soda rolls and they definitely stole the show....could have eaten a basket full.
Unfortunately our entree's were served 2 minutes after the soup...start ups are a challenge!
My Bride ordered Mary's Classic Ruben and I the Shepherd's Pie and we both had a similar reaction..."where's the beef?".
The Ruben was constructed of thinly layered thinly sliced corn beef with a generous portion of kraut and thousand island dressing . The marbled rye was a perfect compliment for this traditional concoction.
My Pie was a tasty, although an unbalanced combination of beef and lamb with peas and carrots and a VERY generous cover of mashed potatoes. The ratio of one part meat to three parts potato left me clamoring for more of the meat filling.
Although new this eatery is a great location, smart management, engaged people and a memorable Irish theme which will make Mary O's a place to go!