Macado's Pub. Lexington, Virginia

30 North Main Street

Guinness Tag: $7.00 ? | Overall Rating: 6.45

Today's Dedicated Pint: Joe Hedrick

This article's going to start off strong. These first two paragraphs aren't for the feeble, so buckle up, and I hope to see you at the end!

I always get feedback on both sides of the aisle whenever I slap a rating on a Pub. People either forget or don't realize that almost every single one of these ratings are from my first and only impression that I received from the place. If I'm going to conquer this goal of stepping inside every true Pub in America, then you'd be a Bonafide idiot to think I'd have the time to visit each place multiple times before giving it a "review," and still be alive by the time I hit up every state, let alone every Pub. Besides, if you're truly a good Pub, then why should anyone need to walk through your door more than once to know you're legit? You can sign my name in permanent ink with that one, because I'm taking those words to the grave.

To be fair, I'm not really reviewing any of these Pubs, I'm really just telling you what I encountered, how they pour their Guinness, and whether or not I think it's worthy of my friend's time or not (ok, I guess I'm reviewing them). I've been in the industry throughout my entire life, and I like to think I know how to spot a good Pub vs a bad one. I can typically tell if I've caught you on a bad day or if you just flat out suck in regard to your hospitality. The other things like your curb appeal, wall hangings, music, value, cleanliness (it's ok to be grungy sometimes), craftsmanship, drink selections, and Guinness pours tend to speak for themselves. If you think I rated your favorite Pub too low or your least favorite Pub too high, then by all means; it's your God given right to tell me I'm an idiot. However, if you think I give a damn, then you are highly deluded. At the end of the day, this is my mission in life, and I'm doing it how I deem fit. If you disagree with anything I say, then nothing is stopping you from opening up your own platform and writing an article about the Pub at hand (we'll see how many people will take you seriously). It's easy to blow smoke from the sidelines, but when it comes to calling the plays when the game's on the line, all of a sudden, it seems like just a few are willing to be "that guy," and take the hits. I'm doing this for anyone and everyone to live vicariously through me and to have a laugh every week. I'm not doing this to become the next Gordon Ramsay or Food Network critic. I'm living my life to the best of my ability, trying to enjoy every minute of it until my quarters run out. With that being said, let's get into what happened at Macado's in Lexington, Virginia!

I pulled out of the driveway in the beautiful city of Sharonville, Ohio at around 5:30 in the morning to set sail towards a city I've never even heard of before: Lexington, Virginia. Well, technically my overall destination was Virginia Beach with the plan to throw darts in the second biggest Steel Tip Darts tournaments on the continent, but for the time being, Macado's was the prize in front of the eyes. As I hopped off the highway and perused through the downtown area for the first time, I quickly realized how quaint, beautiful, charming, and neat this little city is. I finally found a parking space about 5 blocks down the street, and I was praying to Saint Patrick that Macado's would be a good Pub, because cool little cities like this always deserve a good Irish Pub. Foreshadow: I like the city more than I like the Pub.

It's funny, actually. Growing up, we had a bunch of random pint glasses in the cabinet (like I'd assume most families do). One of the glasses that I'd imbibe Kool-Aid and juice out of was one that said "Macado's" on it. I always thought it was a gimmicky glass with a fake logo that my parents found at a Goodwill or Dollar Tree sometime around St. Paddy's Day one year, I didn't know it was an actual Pub. So, it was neat to step foot in here knowing that my (probably) dad stepped in here at one point in time himself and felt the desire to purchase (or steal) a pint glass from the place! The glass is currently being used by guests inside The Drunken Mallard to this day. So, dad, how did you find yourself inside this place? And the more intriguing question... did you purchase or steal that glass? **inner thoughts speaking out loud, screaming, "please say you stole it, please say you stole it!"**

I was about a block away from the front door when I walked past a barbershop named, "The Irish Barber." As you could imagine, that got my juices flowing. I make my way to the Pub, I walk up the stairs and open the door to a hostess sitting on her phone who wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. I walk past her, plop my potato on a barstool, and proceed to wait for my long-awaited Guinness after my 5+ hour drive to get here. The bartender acknowledges me and says, "Hey what's up? What are you drinking?" I asked for a Guinness, and she replies, "We ran out due to Saint Patrick's Day." I think to myself, "That was over 10 days ago..." Alright. "No worries, I'll take a Yuengling, I guess." She delivered me a Yuengling and that was the last I ever seen or heard from her. No, honestly. There were maybe 12 other people inside the place throughout my visit (lunch time) and she never came back to offer me a second beer, make fun of my hair, or ask if I wanted to close out.

Let's rewind time about 15 minutes. I take my first sip, and I place my head on a swivel. I see a nice fireplace, worthy photographs and signage along the walls, decent furniture, and a good touch of natural lighting. The building is old, but in a charming and nostalgiac way. I see the GM walking around, and the only reason I know it was the GM is because I heard him tell a few tables that "I'm the general manager." He looks like the typical guy in his 40's who's been in the industry forever and probably isn't leaving anytime soon. Seemed like a decent dude. I hope one of his calls to action to make Macado's better is to introduce the bar to a reputable Irish Whiskey selection, because the choices on the shelf right now are pretty pathetic.

Their food menu though, holy smokes. The thing is huge. You could spend an hour trying to pick out a sandwich here. Apparently, the sandwiches are worthy, but I wanted to save my appetite for a Reuben at another Pub. One thing I love about this place is its branding. They have branded bar napkins, signage, shirts, glassware; the whole kit and kaboodle.

More things I love about the place are the creaky floors, the multiple staircases with carpeted runners, multiple dining rooms/event spaces upstairs, crown molding, marble pillars, and truly unique signage on all of the walls. I'm sure the place fills up on the weekends and it's impressive that they do, because they can surely fit a lot of asses under this roof. The building definitely has a lot of charm, and you can tell there have been many fun nights with plenty of stories within the community throughout the years.

I had a $10 bill at the end of the bar throughout my entire visit, and by the time I finished my drink, neither the bartender nor the manager paid me a visit. I waited around for about 5 minutes with an empty glass in front of me for her to cash me out, but with my dart tournament starting at 7pm in Virginia Beach, I didn't have all day. So, I left. She either received a pretty decent tip off of that one beer and

shitty service, or their Yuenglings are 10 bucks and she got stiffed. Something's telling me it's not the latter. I'll never know how they pour their Guinness here, and I'll never be able to tell the bartender how much I appreciated her hospitality.

I'm sure the locals have a great time at Macado's, but I can't imagine ever wanting to come back to this one. Did I catch them on a bad day? Perhaps. Is that my fault? No, but I'm sure someone out there will say it is... haha.

I like your place, Macado's. I hope you stick around for years to come. Lexington is a sweet place and I'm a bit jealous it's not closer to my home. I'm off to Durty Nelly's in Charlottesville. Slainte!