Testimonials > Critics
Click on location of your choice to view media comments:
Arlington - Colleyville - Plano
Arlington
“Mac’s Bar & Grill (try the crawfish gumbo or beef shish kabobs) does everything well…..” O.K. Carter’s Column, Fort Worth Star Telegram
****************************************************************
Voted Most Underrated Restaurant – Fort Worth, Texas Magazine
****************************************************************
The brass table lamps, dark, wood-paneled walls and tasteful black-and-white tiled floor all contribute to an elegant ambience that attracts a loyal clientele. THE HITS: fresh bread, bottomless house salad with a zesty vinaigrette dressing and the flavorful grilled shrimp Argentina topped the list. Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
****************************************************************
A sign at the door explains the dress code is casual, but the food at Mac’s would be suitable for any formal occasion. Dark paneling, white linens and shaded lights at each table add to the restaurants elegance.
……An 8-ounce top sirloin was so melt-in-your-mouth tender, it could be cut with a fork; so flavorful, the steak didn’t require any steak sauce…
…….Our waiter was attentive and friendly, stopping briefly to chat when asked about his career choices. He was also very knowledgeable about Mac’s menu, patiently explaining the extensive wine list and offering suggestions….. Arlington Morning News
****************************************************************
The name may be deceiving, but the tasty food is not. The name might evoke an image of a rough-and-tumble, blue-collar neighborhood bar, but Mac's Bar & Grill is anything but that.
A pressed metal ceiling, sprawling hardwood bar, a black-and-white tile floor and warm, dim lights evoke a Gatsby-like, 1920s elegance - a swank but cozy place to share an intimate meal.
The food's not bad, either. It's reflective of the environment: tasteful, understated and enjoyable…..an eclectic menu that ranges from Cajun to Mexican, seafood to steak. Unlike some restaurants that try to hit every ethnic food for everyone and fail miserably, Mac's has found a few, wildly diverse dishes it does really well. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
****************************************************************
You are getting an early start on your Christmas shopping this year, hitting the malls right after Thanksgiving. Problem is, it seems like half the rest of the world has the same idea. You have been fighting crowds for hours: You are tired, hungry and more than a little cranky. You want to sit down, relax and enjoy a good dinner, with no surprises. You probably can't do better than Mac's Bar & Grill.
The food is consistently good, the service top-notch and dinner doesn't have to significantly affect your shopping-depleted spending power. A chicken-fried steak with cream gravy is so good that one weight-conscious woman I know counts calories and fat grams all week just so she can splurge on the crisply breaded steak every Friday. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
****************************************************************
Good food in a pleasant atmosphere at a reasonable price ought to thrive in any market. And Mac's Bar & Grill has provided just that in southwest Arlington...
So charming a place is Mac’s in fact that, that its name doesn’t do it justice. The atmosphere, from its white tablecloths and dim table-side lighting to its sculpted ceilings and wood-paneled walls, complements an extensive menu of steak, seafood, chicken, burgers, specialty sandwiches, soups and salads.
What we have here is far more than a bar & grill. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the number of dusty softball uniforms and “deer-caught-in-the headlights” expressions that must have entered this place, anticipating only beer and burgers. To such an unsuspecting first-timer, Mac’s proudly says “au contraire!”
Mac’s makes a nice transition from a family restaurant in the afternoon and early evening to a cozier, more intimate place to dine later on. The bar, with its two televisions flanking a wall of assorted spirits, is separated from the main dining area, making Mac’s a low-key sports bar as well.
Actually, I need to come clean. This was hardly my first trip to Mac’s – not by a long shot, in fact-but I remember distinctly my first trip to the southwest Arlington restaurant. I too fell for the disparity between name and décor, but an hour later Mac’s was securely a personal favorite of mine. Fort Worth Star Telegram
****************************************************************
Colleyville
When a restaurant is packed to the rafters before 7 p.m. and would-be diners are contentedly hanging around the front door clutching the clunky pager issued by the seating hostess, you certainly hope there’s a very good reason.
That’s what I was thinking when we found this scene at Mac’s one recent evening: It had better be great, I muttered under my breath, annoyed at not having thought to make a reservation. But nobody seemed to mind hanging out. Between 30 minutes and an hour later, I was beginning to understand why everyone waited patiently for a table.
That’s when I was sipping on a perfectly chilled glass of chardonnay and tucking into the first bite of Mac’s smoked crab cakes. The wonderful appetizer was a meaty blend of pieces of smoked fresh shrimp, silky scallops and big shreds of crabmeat. Alongside was a salsa made of roasted tomatoes and mild red chilies, which offered a tartness that played nicely off the deeply flavored fish.
That alone would have justified hanging our until a table opened up, even if I hadn’t adored the pecan-crusted trout that followed and even if the others at my table hadn’t loved their filet with chimichuri sauce and bacon-wrapped shrimp. But that’s another story, well worth waiting for. Star Time – Fort Worth Star Telegram
****************************************************************
My favorite is the etouffee with a choice of shrimp or crawfish. The etouffee is spicy, tongue-wagging hot, and it has plenty of crawfish. I tried a cup of file gumbo and the prime rib and crab legs entree during a visit to the Colleyville location. The gumbo was delicious, with a rich, Cajun flavor. My partner had the fried seafood combo with shrimp, oysters and crawfish and a baked potato. The seafood was lightly fried with a crispy coating. We capped off the meal with cheesecake and Key lime pie. Both were good. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
****************************************************************
Plano
Voted Best Sunday Brunch – Reader’s Choice – Plano Star Courier
****************************************************************
“You can find good homespun restaurants in Plano. Owner Mike McMahan pays homage to beef, chops, and seafood with such dishes as chicken-fried steak, seafood rellenos, and some of the best gumbo we’ve had in Dallas.”
D Magazine Eating & Drinking****************************************************************
Diners who profess to “Mac attack” aren’t always talking about fast food. Mac’s Bar & Grill offers diners here (and in Arlington) a classy, clublike atmosphere and a broad, rock-solid menu of aged steaks, seafood, chicken, pasta and appetizers. The lunch menu adds lighter fare, including po’boys, sandwiches and burgers…..
……Regular clientele swear by the bar as well, known for its single malt scotches and martinis. Despite the saloonlike digs, families often feel comfortable here; the menu includes a children’s section for little appetites.
…..Entrees, as usual, were excellent across the board……The restaurant doesn’t skimp on portions or ingredients, and dishes are prepared with even-handedness and a mild touch. GuideLive, the Dallas Morning News****************************************************************
What the heck is an American restaurant supposed to serve these days? It used to be if you went to a place that called itself a bar and grill, you could expect sandwiches and maybe a steak. But in this era of food trendiness, counting calories, and an incessant appetite for something safe and new at the same time, you never know quite what you're going to find.
The menu at Mac's Bar & Grill is all over the place - but with the elements of surprise and safety pretty well balanced. You'd expect as much from the handsome decor, set off by high ceilings, suspended fans and sunlight pouring in in the early evening. You'd expect as much, too, from the service, which is solicitous without being overbearing.
Mexican shrimp cocktail held many tender, juicy shrimp among vegetables -.Best of the starters, though, was a quarter-pound of crab fingers in a sauce that tasted as though wine had been boiled down to a buttery essence. You don't want to walk out without having sampled a steak and a glass of good red wine, and the rib eye did not disappoint. The beef here is advertised as aged, and this flavorful little slab surely had been.
Another nice thing about Mac's is the large variety of dishes in the children's section of the menus. Families clearly have been paid attention. The Dallas Morning News