A beautiful old bar in an historic building in downtown Ellicottville; this is a must stop in any pub crawl! Great music , friendly vibe, and quick bartenders. There are multiple bars on either side of it, around the block, and within walking distance of great restaurants like the West Rose and Villaggio's. Pro tip: On ski weekends and for festivals, use a rideshare or sleep downtown: Parking is a disaster. 30 years ago this was a logging/milling town. No provisions have yet been made for tourists. read more

Little hole in the wall vibe. Local, sports bar, wth full bar. Friendly staff. Pool tables, some arcade games, and a full upstairs to dance or do whatever. Decent patio. The drinks were glowing. The big negative I had was this place has no air conditioning so after a day of golf , we were already hot and sweaty and this gave us no comfort. The second negative is the bathrooms. Atleast the men's room, smells like a legit sewer. Flies and bugs buzzing around, you can kind of smell the bathroom like 5- 10 feet before you even enter the room. Could be a great vibe. I did see on Friday night, the upstairs was bumping and had a DJ blasting music. Cool place, just needs to find a way to stay cool. read more

I very disappointed tonight with my Madigans experience. I ordered a burger with onion rings as a side (upcharged). When my food arrived, the onion rings were completely cold and my "medium rare" burger was well done. I should have sent the entire plate back but instead just commented to the waitress that the OR were cold. She offered me new rings. When i received my bill, I was charged for the cold rings because I put them in a takeout box with half of my overcooked burger. When I questioned the charge, I was told "well you took them so I need to charge you again"... really so disappointed. I'm sure they were going into the garbage anyways. $27 for an overcooked burger and two orders of onion rings... not sure I'll go back nor recommend Madigans. Btw my burger was delicious! read more

What a place! Hits on the weekend just as much on a Monday! Easy access bar, great atmosphere, great prices. read more

Better menu. Food is cheap but bland at best. Play better music and promote live music. Get draft beer. Get rid of the coke sales in the bathroom. Stop serving underage HS kids. read more

Always our first stop in Ellicotville during the Octoberfest festivities. Great back patio upstairs, and a decent amount of room for the 'overflow' of people from downstairs. Always friendly and quick service. Ive never eaten from here, so I cannot review them on that aspect, but I do recommend you stop by when your in town. Great location right on the strip. They have a wide variety for a drink selection as well, and decent sized drinks. read more

Stopped in during an overnight in Ellicottville and cannot say enough about how welcoming this place was! My first impression was a nice sized beverage after being served a rocks glass drink at another establishment. After sitting a bit we started to notice other patrons ordering tacos! My fav! My boyfriend ordered a pair of soft shell and I opted for hard. They had a slight sweetness to them and when we asked we were told a bit of their bbq sauce is added to the meat. We met and chatted with the owner a bit too! All in all a good evening out. Thanks for the fun time. read more

Great bartenders all around. The drinks were inexpensive compared to other joints in town. The owners are great people.

Madigan's back patio was a great place to sit & relax a few weeks ago. The bartender was super friendly and managed the post-lunch crowd very well. She also helped me when I foolishly injured myself in the restroom, trying to close the swinging, split-style saloon doors to the stall. ‍ My companion & I split an order of wings that arrived crispy, saucy, and delicious. I'd go back again for a bite or even for a takeout order on my way through town when traveling. read more

Love this place owner is friendly. Always have great service and good food. If coming to EVL definitely the place to stop.

The bartender (man in his 50s) took our order of an EBC beer and whiskey on the rocks. He appeared to not like my friend, a woman of color who paid the tab. He got my beer but gave her only a shot's worth of whiskey. He didn't mention how much she owed, and when she paid with a $20 he took it and gave no change. Later when she was using the restroom, other customers (white guys) also ordered beers. They were charged $7/beer. I asked the bartender why my friend and I were charged more for ours. He said my beer was $7 but my friends shot of whiskey was $13. He smirked as he said this, giving the impression that perhaps he was not a fan of serving non-white patrons. My friend was uncomfortable at Madigans and I can only hope she'll give Ellicottville itself another try after out unwelcome experience with this bartender. read more

Cool setup for a local bar. They regularly have live bands right in front by the front bar. They also have a back bar which is a little bit more low key. It gets pretty tight in there with people dancing. I have not tried any of the food (I'm not even sure if they have food because we only went there for drinks). Drink prices are reasonable and the bar tenders were attentive all night. Not the best nightlife in the area but if you are just looking to hang out, it's a nice place. read more

My daughter and I had great meals at Madigan's last night! My burger was perfect! The service was fast and thorough. Kudos to the bouncer who helped us find seats at the bar and recommended the burger. Great guy! In a town of pompous pricks, Madigan's remains the normal and best place in town! read more

This is a review for the "bar" aspect of Madigans - no food involved! We were in EVL for Fall Fest, and I've also been to Madigan's for a variety of other reasons - bachelorette parties, pre- and post-wedding celebrations, etc. The good: - if you're looking for some groovin' music aimed towards 23-33 year olds, this is your place. But, it's not the only place in EVL. - big enough to accommodate crowds on most nights (but def not during Ocktoberfest) - drink prices aren't too bad, all things considered. The bad: - Bouncers are power trippy. I know this is the norm with bars, but that doesn't make it okay. We had left and lost our friends on the way - when I tried to go back in the door I had literally *just* walked out (not the front door... just an re-entrance), the guy wouldn't make eye contact with me and kept man-handling me off to the side while he starting calling at a group of guys a few feet away to go in. douche. - sort of covered-in-sweat-and-booze feeling. The ugly: 1. $5 cover... that's fine. BUT... $5 to go upstairs (which you pretty much had to because there wasn't one inch of space downstairs). A promise that it was roomy and not as hot upstairs... that was a complete lie. If you go downstairs and want to go back up? another $5 please. Just charge $10 right away and let us come and go as we please. 2. $50 credit card minimum?!?! Time to get all lawyer on this. A law passed in 2010, H. R. 4173 sec. 1075, states: ''(3) LIMITATION ON RESTRICTIONS ON SETTING TRANSACTION MINIMUMS OR MAXIMUMS.-- ''(A) IN GENERAL.--A payment card network shall not... inhibit the ability of any person to set a minimum dollar value for the acceptance by that person of credit cards, to the extent that -- (II) such minimum dollar value does not exceed $10.00(.)" TEN DOLLARS. Not FIFTY. Again, douche. So, as per usual with my unhappy experiences: place wasn't too bad, but management is clearly doing something wrong. I'd much rather go to... lots of other places in EVL! read more

Madigan's - a man in a dark room - American Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

Wow, this is probably the very first and very last time that I'm updating a review based on now having gone to some place to DRINK. This place is great during Fall Fest, filled with appropriately aged (for me) people, great music, cheap drinks and quick service. It turns into the Holy Hubs of Hell around 12, when it is a veritable stampede/fire trap, but the dancing and the drinking and the shaking and the making....well, it was quite a night. read more

This is a review for the dinner aspect of Madigan's only. Stopped here for a nice lunch the day we went to take our puppies to the vet. It was completely empty on a Friday around noon. My grandmother's maiden name is Madigan, so we're actually related to the owners (didn't see them there that day, unfortunately). For lunch they had a sandwich and soup-type special, but I personally wanted to keep it light so I stuck with a chicken salad. Soup of the day was FANTASTIC; it came with a large roll and saltines, and it was just delicious. I usually don't eat all of my soup, and I did this time. The chicken salad was well put together, and very delicious as well. Service was fair and pleasant. I would probably go back! read more

Great place to get your calm or "bow chica" groove on! Walked in, were asked for our ID's, and turns out ... was just some stranger having a good time. I immediately was happy, and felt like I was home! This place was a breath of fresh air compared to the crowded bars around the corner. You can grab a spot at the bar, get an affordable beer, and enjoy being by the warm fire! Decor is nothing special, but it's not needed. Downstairs is more of the dive bar theme - pool table, a few stools (some broke), old school video games, and some booths. Upstairs was dance party central - 80's, 90's and today style. It was starting to get hopping when our party moved back to the ski chalet, but I'm sure it kept going until late in the evening! read more

I do love the tacos on Tuesday but service is so spotty when I come in afternoon. Today got here at 1:53 PM sat outside upstairs patio bar for 7 minutes no service. At 2 PM upstairs bartender comes by to tell me no food (nor offers drink even though according to google & Yelp say open). So walk downstairs so I can receive a white claw. Walk back upstairs & sit inside bar this time drinking can. After nobody asks me how I'm doing crush my can & sit outside patio. Still nope no service. Try to walk back downstairs for hopefully a 2nd drink or perhaps a taco order to be placed? Cranky female bartender tells me I can't go downstairs. She said I have a voice I should have flagged her down! Meanwhile a group of 5 men now where I began are being served. I didn't feel like dealing with it anymore paid for 1 drink & left. read more

This is the dive bar of Ellicottville NY for both tourists and locals. When we walked in, we were carded by a man who actually didn't work there. The actual door-man was playing pool. A general observation. There are several people who work there who are pretty friggin' obese. I guess that says something about the food, but I didn't try any. I was there to fiesta. There's a wood burning stove that we used to warm our tooshies after a long day of skiing - the door man would come over to fill it with wood and turn the logs. Upstairs is a dance floor. There's also pool and foosball there too. I think it also features a stripper-pole for little drinkers to play on (stripper not included). My friend hurt her knee playing on it. When I drove past it the next day, it reminded me of that feeling where you thought someone was attractive until you saw that person the morning light, not intoxicated. It looks dilapidated. Regardless, if you go there with the right crew and an open mind, you'll have fun! read more

Hands down favorite spot for the spring/summer and fall because of the outdoor patio. I mean who doesn't love sitting outside having a couple drinks, the food is good but Taco Tuesday is where it's at but better get there early or they're likely to run out! read more

Not for me. Run down dive bar with overpriced cocktails. The ones that have the state minimum alcohol content combined with bartenders who are just smart enough to know how to pour. It reminded me of a cheap coed bar that people avoid once they grow up and realize life is not about skiing, then getting drunk, then skiing, then getting...catch my drift? We rolled in for a quick drink because 3 of the other bars in town were wall to wall. This place was nearly empty. Had to find the bartender who was hanging out in the back with the cook. She didn't seem to have much motivation. I'm sure the story of her life. This is the type of place where if you don't live in town you aren't very well received. If you are a loser looking to hang with other losers, come here. That goes to the coeds who think going to bars like this is somehow "cool" because all their college teeny bopper friends like to hang out in lack luster s**tholes too. read more

Stopped in for a few drinks while out on the town. There was live music and a lively game of pool going on when my girlfriend and myself arrived. It's a a fun atmosphere! Drinks were good, and the bartenders were friendly and fast. Recommend for a good time. read more

In Ellicottville for the wine and beer fest at Holiday Valley, shuttle dropped us at Balloons. Definitely not ready for that, yet. We decided to pop into Madigan's. Not too crowded. Easy to get a drink. Prices good. Music was hit or miss. read more

Dive bar but not in the cool sense. Overpriced lame selection of beers. One star for upstairs patio only.

2016 Fall Fest... 5.00 cover to get in.. no band playing just jukebox.. go to the bar ordered a beer and a mix drink...total was 17.00... they had a separate ptice sheet taped to wall for Fall Fest prices..unreal. 9.00 for a small plastic cup mix drink is horrendous. A girl next to me knew the bartender her prices were different than mine.. wont be going back.... read more

I've been here a host of times in the few years I've been coming to EVL. The staff is always extremely friendly and the drinks are strong. My husband and I got married in EVL last year and they couldn't have been more accommodating. For a troupe of Black Gay and Trans people to descend on EVL for a wedding and us have the time of our lives at this bar is a testament to Madigan's and Ellicottville in general. Our bar bill for roughly 20 people was laughably cheap compared to what it would've been in our hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From Connor to Dawn hooking up the music to plying us with booze, we had a blast. I was even able to get my mother-in-law out on the dance floor because of the awesome music and fun atmosphere. If you happen to be LGBT; relax, there's a place where you can be comfortable. I recommend that if you are ever in EVL, stop and have a drink or 12 at Madigan's. read more

The tourist's come in expecting a party, whether it's saturday night or tuesday afternoon. When the party is happening those who wish to slander the oldest and coolest hangout in EVL are the one's causing trouble, bitching about the credit card limit, which is there to exact conversation and keep idiots from using their credit card for every order, keep a tab or get money from ATM. Simple. Making a review about Madigan's and making it negative proves you are not worthy of the hidden beauty it is. Because of the negative ninnies who think they know what's up the Fall Fest they keep bringing up is being scrutinized to keep those fools from coming and ruining it for the cool people. be cool read more