McCabe’s Irish Pub & Grill

Twelve wings, a basket of fries and a pitcher of domestic beer for twenty-four dollars — that combination runs every afternoon from two to four and again after nine, and it tells you most of what you need to know about how McCabe's Irish Pub & Grill expects to be used. This is a downtown Guelph pub where the day you choose changes the meal. The kitchen turns out wings, burgers and share plates at a steady clip, but the value calendar running underneath the menu is the part regulars actually plan around, and it rewards checking the day before choosing the table.

The heart of the menu is the wings. Classic Wings come lightly breaded and seasoned, ordered by the pound or the two-pound, with a choice of sauces or dry rubs, and a boneless version runs alongside. Irish Nachos are the signature share plate — lattice-cut fries under pico de gallo, bacon and mixed cheese, with beef, chicken, pulled pork or guacamole to load them heavier. Starters stay shareable from there: Bang Bang Shrimp under house-made chipotle mayo, a buffalo chicken dip with warm pita and chips, poutine with curds and beef gravy. Burgers are the other anchor, led by The Big McCabe's Cheeseburger, a six-ounce patty stacked with a double layer of cheddar, alongside a Brie burger, an Italian mozza version, a bacon cheeseburger and a Beyond Meat Save the World option. From there the menu reaches into Nashville hot chicken, a smoked pulled pork sandwich, a New York striploin steak sandwich, ribs and wings under house-made maple barbecue sauce, and a corned beef on sourdough — much of it on ACE Bakery bread, with certified Angus going into the patties.