By Bob Townsend

For the AJC


Nowadays, there must be more Irish pubs in America than in Ireland. And surely on St. Patrick’s Day the madding crowds will be packing them cheek by jowl.

All that makes it even more sublime to think of nestling into the snug environs of Mac McGee for a quiet pint on an afternoon when nobody’s around.

The new Irish pub on Decatur Square looks as though it’s been there forever. Add an imaginative menu, plus an impressive selection of beer and spirits, and it becomes an even more pleasant surprise.

Vintage character

Occupying the former Saba space, the ultra-bright red color that frames the door and windows announces the entrance. The interior makes the most of brick walls and warm wood, with a busy array of knickknacks, signs and artwork. Among the intimate seating nooks, there’s a table pressed against a brick hearth. A vintage arched stained-glass window casts a glow over the burnished bar, giving the place an aura that seems more West Coast of Ireland than Downtown Decatur.

Playful concoctions

When he worked the kitchen at the Glenwood in East Atlanta Village, chef Ryan Stewart put together a fairly ambitious menu of creative takes on Southern classics. Here, Stewart is doing much the same thing with Irish pub grub.

Among the most playful concoctions, oysters on the half shell ($13) are topped with apple bacon mignonette and a molecular-style “caviar” made from Talisker 10 single malt whiskey. Other starters include a smoked fish plate with gooseberry jam and blancmange ($9), and mussels ($8) steamed with Irish moss and white wine.

Traditional favorites

More traditional Irish favorites are less flashy but deftly executed. Fish and chips ($11) is a winning combo of a moist fillet encased in a crunchy, tempura-style batter, and crispy-outside, pillowy-inside potato wedges. Irish stew ($10) is a basic but perfectly satisfying blend of lamb, carrots, potatoes and onions in a rich gravy.

Savory “pasty” beef, seafood or veggie pies ($7) come with chips or a side salad. The Dublin Burger ($9) is topped with Cashel blue Irish cheese and housemade bacon. And the full Irish breakfast ($10) — fried eggs, bangers, bacon, black and white pudding, baked beans and roasted tomato — is available all day.

Malty delights

Malt lovers will find lots to like at the bar, which is manned by some friendly veterans of Fado Irish pub in Buckhead. Of course, there are properly poured pints of Guinness. But the beer list goes well beyond the plain to strong seasonal ales from Terrapin, Sweetwater and Red Brick on draft, and the likes of Victory Hop Devil, Duvel, and Rochefort 8 in the bottle. Whiskey offerings now top 150, with rare and not-so-rare Scotch, Irish, bourbon and blended delights.

Dining out

Mac McGee Irish Pub, 111 Sycamore St. (on Decatur Square), 404-377-8050

Signature dish: Fish and chips

Entree prices: $10-$14 (some specials higher)

Hours: 11:30 a.m. -2 a.m. Sundays-Thursdays; 11:30 a.m.-3 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

Reservations: No

Credit cards: Yes

Online: No Web site yet

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