Great little pub! Stopped in before jumping on the Red & Blue Express to the NC Courage Playoff game. We had the fish & chips & a hard cider. Food, alcohol and service were great! Great atmosphere too! read more

I really like Bull McCabe's. They have a fantastic Irish and British draft list. The food is always really good, too. I have had salads and burgers, as well as many of their specials. I don't think they have enough help when they get busy, you can wait a long time for service at a table. The bartenders are always spot on, though, friendly, and knowledgeable. The place can get uncomfortably packed, even on off nights, like Tuesdays. If you "like" them on facebook, they're really great about posting specials and events. read more

I great little pub with a very attentive staff. Came by for dinner and drinks with some friends and we were all extremely pleased with the food, service, and beer selection. The fish and chips were amazing and although the chips were regular fries they were seasoned perfectly so it made up for the fact that they were not the typical soggy, thick-cut chips. read more

Upgraded to five stars Every time I've eaten or drank here I've had a great experience. The beer is good, the food is good, the atmosphere is good, and in my opinion it is one of the best bars in Durham. You should definitely check it out. read more

I do love their homemade corned beef. I came here 2x once for the cabbage and corned beed plate and the other for a corned beef sandwich. By far the best corned beef I have had in a while. They have a good beer selection too except last time the draft for the paulaner was out. Though they did have some Gafel Kolsch on hand. Out door seating is available. read more

Came here the other night to get a drink with my boyfriend. Sat outside near the bar on the enclosed patio and had a great conversation with Georgia for about an hour. She is very friendly and laid back and my boyfriend and I had a great time. Thanks, Georgia! read more

Bull McCabes is a wonderful place to have lunch or dinner with excellent pub fare. The burgers are super, you can even build your own. The chili is wonderful, and the other sandwiches and meals are comparable. I had the quesadillas with chicken yesterday and they were perfect. There is also a wide variety of brews on tap that should appeal to anyone's taste. The atmosphere is what you might expect of a good Irish pub. read more

My family and I ate here after a long day of traveling. Everyone enjoyed the food they got, and we all got something different. Food was decently priced, but the beer was a little pricey. Over all we enjoyed the experience and hope to come back for trivia night. read more

My husband and I run the DurhamOnADime Facebook and twitter sites and are trying to visit all the great places we post and tweet about. We popped in Bull McCabes one evening for a drink and appetizer. The loaded baked potatoes were super and we also tried a basket of garlic fires. They were wonderful! This is a great place to stop in for something quick like we did or if you have more time, they have an extensive menu. read more

Came for a quick meal. Service was fast. Bar tenders nice and friendly. Good food. Will come back. Thanks.

I like Bull McCabe's for a number of reasons. First and foremost... Wednesday night trivia. We have a serious bar-trivia deficit in this town. I recently won my very own Viagra keychain here for identifying key characters in "Jane Eyre"! Awesome. Second, this is a pub that you can drink in without choking on everyone else's cigarette smoke. Yes, you may detect a whiff of Marlboro on your sweater when you get home, but you won't suffer while you're there, which is an achievement. It's also not small and cramped - there are booths (enjoy perusing all those books on the shelves next to you), a few outside tables, and lots of space around the bar. And as for the food, if you're like me and your mouth doesn't water at the thought of fish and chips or bangers and mash, you'll be happy to find that there's more on the menu, and it's pretty good. (If you like being authentic, never fear. The classics - cod, shepherd's pie, and the aforementioned bangers - are waiting for you.) Weenies like me will enjoy the pub-style BLT or one of the tasty-looking salads with our pints of Harp. read more

They have a great selection of drinks. I love that they have Magner's on tap. One thing I've experienced is that the service is not all that great-- they're not rude or anything, but just hard to flag down. The atmosphere is good, though, and it's right in downtown Durham. read more

BEST BLT in Durham. Hands down. I love just hanging out and relaxing in the picnic area on a nice day. We bring the dog and enjoy beers upon beers. Can't wait until the covered patio opens up! And trivia on Wednesdays is my favorite in Durham. read more

This is a spot I've visited on several occasions but have simply neglected to review--so here it is: This place is what it is--sure, it has the vibe of a hole-in-the-wall pub. It's a little dark, pretty small, and once in a while one catches a whiff of stale beer. Which is just fine by me. Personally, I like a good, honest-t0-god PUB once in a while. Bull Mccabe's is clean, the staff is friendly, and the food, while simply casual, pretty good. The locale is great too, as the place is sandwiched right in the midst of DT Durham. They have a nice little patio and a pretty good beer selection. This is my idea of a perfect "lazy friday night" spot, where you don't feel rushed, like you have to spitshine yourself, or like you need to dash to the next spot right away. All in all, I'm a fan. read more

Great beer on tap and the food is delicious. I loved the french dip. This is my favorite place to watch an Arsenal game.

I work across the street from Bull McCabe's and have gone over there several times for lunch. Every time I have gone there to eat lunch the server has given my food to another table and therefore made me wait over 2 hours for a burger. The food was decent but the wait staff is completely incompetent. Reserve a large block of time for your meal as mistakes are almost guarnteed to happen. Tyler's Taproom at American Tobacco or Geer Street Garden are much better options for great food, beer and outdoor seating. read more

Great crowds and atmosphere on trivia night. Can't comment on the food but it looked like your typical bar fare. They had a pretty good (and wide) selection of beers. I think it's the people that make this place fun. read more

Fish and chips are big enough to share and delicious! Didn't give me that gross greasy feeling that I usually get after eating fried good. Good spot for quality drafts and watching the game. read more

dittos on that wednesday night trivia. our team won one week, and we got a $50 bar tab as a prize, so... does that make me impartial? either way, i like that it's pretty chill atmosphere, but still dim enough and crowded enough on most nights to feel like i'm out and about. they have good beer on tap, and also chimay, if you're that sort of a wo/man. i also like the layout of the bars. a lot of the seatings are in booths, so even though you're amidst all the hoopla, you still feel like you're hanging out with your buddies, and getting some face time. read more

Good selection of beers, large selection of seating (never had to waitto sit down, even in a group of 6+), good pub food. The waiters that come to your table are pretty quick, so you're usually not waiting too long for a drink. They are also great about splitting checks. On a Friday or Saturday it can be a little difficult, but not impossible, to find a parking spot close by. There are also outdoor benches for the warmer times of year. read more

Bull McCabe's is a fun spot to grab a drink - good location in downtown Durham, and lots of microbrew and import draft beer selections. The atmosphere (music and decor) makes it one of the most authentic feeling pubs in the area - which I like. Although the food isn't particularly Irish. read more

Very unmemorable experience. The service was really bad (they struggled to accommodate our party of 8 even though there were several options to seat us comfortably). The food is mediocre at best-- I ordered fish&chips, which was almost 80% batter and hardly any fish, and was really greasy. They season their fries well, though. For an Irish pub, the selection of food is really dismal :/ read more

More like Bull Mcdoushes. I do like the outdoor area, but service there is overstretched. Service is the worst problem there

Casual family atmosphere. The veggie appetizer was sweet and tangy and left us fighting over who can finish it. I like this place cause we don't have to compete for a seat and we can enjoy the beautiful NC weather. Good alcohol selection and quick service. A favorite for any type of get together. read more

This has a fun feel environment. The food is really good as well. They have a good selection of beer to pick from. I would like to go back read more

Great outdoor seating for hanging out with friends! They have a very irish pub feel indoors and a bunch of picnic tables outside in the grass. They also have an outdoor bar in case you don't want to go inside to order. It is also a great place for dogs as the outdoor seating is fenced in so plenty of people bring their dogs. The burgers here are my favorite and come with some of the best garlic fries I've had. My go to order is their homemade Reuben sandwich with home made pastrami or corned beef. They have a great beer selection on tap and is also the best place to watch soccer games in the triangle. Definitely a great staple bar of Durham! read more

The most amazing Reuben with pastrami that I've had in Durham, maybe my life. Great fries, great soup, great salad. All kinds of beer! Yay! Good service, really love the decor. Really recommend this place. read more

All I can say is this place is by far my favorite place to go with my friends when we are out in downtown Durham. I first went here when I moved back to the triangle area about 6 years ago. I am a huge fan of the Ruben, the sandwich in my idea is perfect with a good beer. Also for sports its right on point , they show soccer and basketball , and football . For being out with friends it's perfect; a little too loud for a date . unless its like 20 dates down the line and you need a little noise to breakup the silence. And now they have built a huge patio .. Just awesome. read more

Ate there for lunch. Was in a hurry, and the service was good. Our food arrived fast and the waiter was very nice. Fish and chips were excellent and loved the garlic in the fries! read more

I have been to McCabe's three times now, and have enjoyed each visit. Today, there were seven of us and we sat outside on the patio. The server was friendly and courteous, and eventually, we moved to the picnic table area due to the size of our party, unaware that service was not extended to this area the same as the patio area. Regardless, our server continued service to our party. He politely explained that this area was normally not part of the service-at-table area, but realized there was some confusion and extended service to us anyway. This is customer service. read more

Great for late night food downtown Durham. Good feel and and atmosphere for a pub. Very much a local site.

Fish was horribly undercooked and I definitely got sick from it. Not ideal. Service was also less than warm.

I enjoyed a warm welcome on my first visit to McCabe's. Unfortunately the bar area was packed and I didn't want to take a booth from the operator on what was a fairly busy night. So, I was happy to be seated in the covered patio that was just fine on a pretty chilly night. The hostess kindly offered to tune in my basketball game of choice which was a pleasant and much appreciated surprise. My server Jillian arrived fairly soon and recommended the Wicked Weed Lunatic Blonde beer ($6.50) that went just fine with my selected entrée: Fish and Chips ($12). The food arrived quickly and, as hoped, had been apparently been breaded in the restaurant (another nice surprise). The portion size was consistent with the price. The fish was fried to a good level but the "roasted red pepper remoulade" was only fair. French fries were only warm at best. Unfortunately Jillian never visited again during my meal in spite of passing by at least six times to visit 2 other tables on the patio ( I checked my breath...seemed to be fine.) and another server actually removed my plate and flatware. Jillian returned with my check but both she and her co-worker missed an opportunity to sell me another beer...never asked. Overall, the service was a disappointment especially after the extra effort of the hostess. I was thinking McCabe's might be more enjoyable in warmer weather with a group of friends. Perhaps a small group would enjoy more attentive service and we could share some entrees to find something more enjoyable. After considering it a bit more I'm confident Durham is surely home to a better all-around pub experience so we'll try another spot. My visit was a solid 2 star experience and well short of a "3" thanks to poor service and just OK food. I hope to see you at another one of the area's pubs sometime soon. read more

We were there for the Oktoberfest on a Saturday. Good outdoor space, festival menu was decent, bar area was a bit dark and crowded.

Was at B.M. this past weekend and not only myself but my cohorts were completely turned off by the bartender and the wait staff's overall attitude. When asking the bartender for a couple of drinks, he acted impatient, annoyed and not to mention had a scowl on his face. When we sat down in one of the booths it took forever for someone to wait on us and again, very curt, unsmiling service. There is a significant group of us that are regulars there but if that continues we have other bars downtown Durham that will gladly take our money. read more

Came with the intention to spend money but the bartender was very rude and unprofessional. Next time dont treat your paying customers like children. I understand it's graduation weekend but I'm a grown woman. No sir I do not need a water. read more

Gee was helpful enough to respond to my criticism's concerning trivia. I always appreciate that level of customer engagement, I think it shows that people really care about their customers. I'll give Bull McCabe's another star for outstanding customer service. Gee, when we go back for trivia, we will cease making fun of your mom (inside trivia joke, obviously). read more

I am really not impressed by any of the bars in Durham short of going into shooters 2 alone with a five dollar cover. I could have just grabbed the hand of the girl in front of me and left. The music at the bars is behind the power curve. Any DJ that plays "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry deserves a throat punch. I don't know in what world people think that type of music is cool at or around an Irish pub or any bar, but unfortunately our dumbed down education system left out Aristotle, and most people are potatoes. I was looking for some place cool to go to at 10:30 pm or so, and this bar let me down by its horrible music. Grab an iPhone, set it to The Black Keys or something cool on Pandora, and let it go. No one will touch the jukebox but a couple douche bags that don't belong there. read more

Fun atmosphere and great food! A lot of different beers on tap! Had the mac n cheese and it was amazing. Sweet potato tots were superb. Would definitely come back! read more

Great place to hang out for a casual night out in Durham. They have an awesome outdoor area right next to the bar with picnic tables that are great for larger groups. It's also nice to sit outside when the weather is nice and not to have to be squished up against people at the bar or inside. I haven't had the food here but I highly recommend this place for the casual vibe. read more