M'Coul's Public House

NOTE: Provided you get there early enough (they open at 11 on Sundays), M'Couls has proven to be a great weekend brunch option.


Located at 110 W. McGee Street in downtown Greensboro, M’Coul’s specializes in Irish fare and pub food. It offers a full-service bar with an extensive selection of drinks, patio seating, late-night dining, and a Sunday brunch.

Restaurants with Irish-sounding names are a dime a dozen, but ones that offer authentic Irish dishes without any semblance of kitsch are fairly rare. That alone makes M’Coul’s a curiosity. The food, however, elevates it to something more.

M’Coul’s menu is an intriguing combination of traditional and experimental. You’ll find the requisite corned beef and lamb stew, but you’ll also find Irish “nachos” (potato wedges topped with chili) and dishes that incorporate tabouli. A gouda-topped shepherd’s pie was hot, savory, and delicious while the emerald isle chicken (with tomatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese, spinach, and more) was moist, well-seasoned, and nicely presented. While the dinner menu includes all of the above (plus breakfast foods, if you’re so inclined), lunch selections are a little more limited.

If you come seeking mere bar fare, M’Coul’s will seem pricey, but for the quality of the food, the prices are about where they should be. Factor out steak and seafood, and dinner entrees run between $9 and $14 while the lunch sandwiches (side included) go for about $9. Servers are reasonably quick, friendly, and willing to offer recommendations.

The atmosphere at M’Coul’s is both a blessing and a curse. It sits in sturdy, multilevel brick building, which you enter by passing the iron gates and traversing the patio. Depending on the weather and the number of patrons present, you’ll either be eating inside or outside, downstairs or up. On a good day, you can take in some sunshine on the patios or admire the classic wood-and-brick interior. On a bad day, you may find yourself faced with a wait (due to limited indoor seating), a headache (due to the noise), and a growling stomach.

The popularity of the downtown location makes it a bit of a gamble, but if you are able to hit it at the right time, M’Coul’s makes for a memorable meal.

8/10