This is a nice restaurant located on a great area. Plenty of parking available in front of the restaurant and plenty of things to do in the area. Overall I had great experience. The server was really nice and attentive. He also provided some good recommendations for my meals. I got the fisherman's pie and the Rueben rolls. Fisherman's pie is pretty much a seafood Shepard pie. Really good and really hardy. The rueban rolls were basically egg rolls with rueban filling. Hard to go wrong when dipping something in thousand island. I also recommend trying one of the half and half beers! I had the black and blue which seemed like an odd. combination but it worked well together! read more

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Great little area in North Charleston. Bars and restaurants up and down the street. Madra Rua is a traditional dark, rustic Irish pub. Guinness is on point. Fresh! Ordered the fish and chips. Tasted great. Would have been nice to have had one more piece of fish. The one I had was large but felt it was a small portion. Fries were good. They were the fresh cut, darker, flemsy kind if you know what I mean. I like them but some folks don't. Sat at the bar. Bartender was attentive and food came out quickly. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Bar area - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

We came here on a Saturday night and I was impressed by the livelihood and varying activities going on around the restaurant; the surrounding area seemed to be bustling with action. This came as a nice discovery for me as I am new to the area and still learning where the hot spots are. Inside, the restaurant feels like a traditional Irish pub: dark wood, very dim-lit, regulars pooled around the bar, weird little corners and nooks everywhere. Our server was as nice as can be. Can't go wrong with the Fried Pickles, they hit the spot and were not too breaded. Fries were great. We all ordered the Shepherd's Pie, served with a side of Irish soda bread, each $18. For what you get, I feel it's a little steep. The angus beef was seasoned and cooked beautifully, very moist and not dry at all. However, all three of our meals mostly consisted of mashed potatoes on top and an off-ratio of angus beef on the bottom. It felt unbalanced and did not have nearly enough meat, and all of us had the same experience. The potatoes were dry and not particularly impressive; I expected more from a place billed as a traditional Irish restaurant. Given that I came with two others and we all ordered the same thing, though, I didn't get to try more of their menu and I wouldn't be opposed to going back to try more items on the menu. Maybe it's just not the best thing they have. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Shepherd's Pie - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

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Got the fish n chips and a blacksmith, my usual order pre covid. Haven't been back for a few years but they still got it. Super cozy and great service. Actually love how browned the cod is but still so flaky. Prices everywhere have skyrocketed sadly. read more

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Very attentive staff. Food quality was above par for bar food. Nice ambiance and clean.

Good food, great atmosphere, nice outdoor patio is you want a chill atmosphere. It is more rustic and divey than upscale

Food is good, bar is pretty authentic but staff is visibly tired of the Irish music (I get it, probably like anyone working in a service position around Christmas, but all year long). Bartenders are usually good but servers are inattentive and brush you off if you ask for something when you're not their table. Sit at the bar if you want to be taken care of well. Their chicken fingers are oddly FANTASTIC and seem freshly breaded and fried. Why? It's an Irish bar Their Irish food is good too but their chicken fingers are much better than they should be. read more

A nice place for a meal with a good selection of beer. The booth seating was great for having a conversation and not having to shout. It was pretty busy on a Monday night. Service was very good and portions hearty read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Pulled pork sandwich and Stella Artois - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

We came here because we visited here 15+ years ago and had a great time. This time we came because it was relatively near the airport and one flight was delayed. We had a beer outside on the patio under heat lamps, which was lovely, and then came inside to the bar. Attentive service at both locations. Ordered spinach & artichoke dip with chips, then the fish & chips and a reuben sandwich. The fish & chips had too much breading on it for my liking, but the cod was delicious. My husband enjoyed his reuben. Fries were good. Rather standard Irish fare. read more

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Amazing always. The fish and chips is so good. The service is great! The atmosphere is so great! read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

Great good, awesome ambiance and service was great! A great end to our trip for an Irish experience. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Irish car bombs, Guinness and pretzels! What else do you need at an Irish Pub. Check it out - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

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Located in an easy to access area that's called Park Circle, which wasn't there when I was living in Charleston back in 2000, it's been refurbished to offer a safe and broad shopping and dining experience. One particular restaurant I'd like to focus on is the Irish Pub called Madra Rua which looks almost exactly like their sister restaurant in Summerville. Walking inside, it feels like a pub in Ireland and that's not hyperbole. It's dark as if half way underground, many dark woods make up the walls, seating, tables and bars. The dim lighting also adds to the ambiance with accents of green and tans thrown about to break up the overarching monotones. Obviously the bar is stacked with many different beverages so "one can get their Irish on" (I'm part Irish so fighting then hugging it out is always on the forecast!). I had a bourbon and diet along with a black and tan, nothing special but authentic. As for the food, to my embarrassment I only tried a couple items, but hey I was on a date so I had to act like I don't overly enjoy food! The "Reuben rolls" are the best, period. I'm an advocate of putting all sorts of things in an egg roll and this was my idea a LONG time ago. My neglected compensation aside, these are the way to go b/c they're flavorful, scream Irish (besides the whole Chinese part), aren't messy and are sharable. Sorry every date I go on the lady orders very little, opting to steal my food as if I was distracted by her salad b/c she's on a diet, only to eat all my food. Nice try ladies... perhaps I won't brush my teeth when giving you a kiss as retribution! Oh the classic Shepherd's Pie is a show stealer. Tender and juicy beef in a rich gravy (although I think if they were to use Guinness as part of the gravy it would be out of this world, with traditional veggies topped with good old mashed spuds offer a decadent and extremely filling affair, oh they also give you bread. By the time I was done, my top button unlatched and a new found roll spilled over my belt. Overall, this place has the Irish theme down in spades. The safety of Park Circle along with a dim atmosphere creating a believable Irish setting was a lot of fun. Throw in some darn good grub and I'd say Madra Rua is the perfect place for a first of 10th date, an evening with some buddies, the family or whatever else shakes your money maker. I know outside they have live music but in the middle of summer I don't sit outside as I'll melt. read more

I love that Madra Rua rebuilt after the fire and kept everything exactly the same inside. That old Irish bar feel is what makes the place so great. I do love the addition of the outdoor patio too. I've been in a bunch but recently stopped in and had some Irish nachos and corned beef and cabbage, which was fantastic. The service was great and since it was a beautiful day out, it was pretty slow inside. I do miss that they close at 12 now instead of two because it was one of my favorite late night hangouts but maybe they'll change that in the future. read more

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My boyfriend and I dined here while visiting Charleston. The first red flag should've been the lack of patrons at 7pm on a Saturday evening. The second flag would've been the three waitstaff chilling at the bar. We ordered the Irish Nachos for our appetizer, the side salad with blackened shrimp, and the Corned Beef sandwich with potatoes. Irish Nachos - were okay. The potatoes weren't crunchy, but rather hard and chewy. The shepherds pie was pretty good. The raw jalapeno slices were a weird touch, pickled would've been a better choice. Side Salad - its a salad. You can't mess that up too bad, but the shrimp were small and overcooked. Corned Beef Sandwich - the potatoes were russet, not reds as per Irish tradition. The bread was burnt and the Corned beef was very fatty. Would not recommend. The only cool thing about this place was the Irish pub style booths. read more

The outside patio is usually where we land at Madra Rua but the thick humid air of Charleston in September drove us to the traditional classic Irish Pub offering a comfy cool inside table by the bar. While the food is always consistent and delicious, the corned beef and cabbage was exceptional. We received a generous portion of corned beef so tender and delicious surrounded by delicious mashed potatoes and yummy seasoned cabbage. It was just like sitting around our table at home. Our server was very friendly and attentive keeping the beverages flowing for us as needed. It's such a pleasure to have Madra Rua available in Park Circle so close to home without having to fight the traffic and parking issues downtown. read more

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Ate here during lunch rush on a weekday. Fast service, great food. I ordered the fish and chips. The ambiance is perfect at Madra Rua. Recommend this place anytime. read more

Docked in here to check it out. Always have to go to the Irish pub in town right? This place is really big with lots of different areas to sit with your friends. Enjoy a cold one and have a bite to eat. Very authentic inside with lots of things to look at and enjoy. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - perfect margarita:) - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

Always enjoy going here. The BLT for lunch is good. Fish and chips are great. Tried the pretzel recently, thought it was the best thing I've had there, incredible! Food is always great, service is always good. Hard to beat the fish and chips + Guinness combo read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Fried green tomato BLT - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

Bartenders are not friendly, food is great but overall service makes you feel like you shouldn't be there.

Ate outside on a lovely day. The bartender was attentive. Shepherds pie was good but the prime rib sandwich wasn't great. Soda bread less dry than I recalled but still makes me thirsty. Inside is quite dark. Surprisingly small tap selection. read more

It was a cold and rainy day and I was in the mood for some comfort food. Madra Rua Irish Pub's shepherd's pie hit the spot! I love that they have two portion sizes - a side of shepherd's pie and a full entree. I went with the entree. The potatoes were delish. The meal, veggie gravy part was full of flavor. They have other pub staples like fish n' chips and reubens. The prime rib sandwich also sounded delicious. I'd go back again! read more

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Oh my goodness, the absolute best fish and chips!! Friendly people working and it was a wonderful dining experience. If I didn't live 800 miles away I would be a frequent visitor. read more

Toothless bartender said no glass outside and served me a Guinness in a plastic cup but then proceeded to give the person next to me a glass bottle of miller lite. Seems like he just didn't want to run the dishes at the end of his shift. Dude was lazy, on his phone and ripping shots. I've been there plenty of times and they have always served Guinness in the proper pint glass. Disappointed. read more

Ive lived in Park Circle for almost two years and still haven't tried Madra Rua. I looked at reviews and a lot of people said they didn't have good service so I was a little nervous. However, I always like to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt and went for dinner anyway. We were seated quickly and our server was very nice. Once we placed our order, our food came out crazy fast. Since I love meat, I got the prime rib sandwich with an old fashioned. The meat was cooked so nicely and had a lot of flavor, but there were a lot of fatty pieces on my cut that I had to work around. The fries were pretty standard. My old fashioned was super strong. It wasn't my favorite, so maybe I should've gotten a beer instead? Overall it was a good experience but I did think it was a bit pricey. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Old fashioned - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

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Longstanding Irish Pub here, my buddy used to own this one and the one in Summerville. Decent Irish food, along with traditional English. Darts and drinks paired with a huge portion of shepherds pie! read more

Lunch time, went in sat at bar was told someone would see us shortly. After 15 minutes we left no one came to the bar to assist us. Not busy, 3 other persons seated at the bar. We left!!! No way to run a business. Frank G read more

I have been to Madra Rua for drinks and fun in the bar, but I was not aware of their excellent food menus until today. The food menu available on the amazing patio outside or on the cozy Irish pub interior , is phenomenal and true to origin. We tried the Fish and chips, and they were probably one of the best I've tried not only in town, but when travelling through the UK. I also had the beef sandwich which came on a toasted bun and was a generous and delicious portion. The french fries that accompanied both of the dishes were fried to perfection. Great food , great beer and great ambiance, MadraRua has it all! read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

We were intrigued by all the people here so we stopped for a drink. The inside is dark but so full of character! Two bars from what I saw and lots of booths and seating. Bartenders were friendly and loved the brunch and drink menus! There seemed to be a lot going on outside as well, but we did not make it out there. We ordered irish coffees and a blueberry lemonade drink which was outstanding!!! Great irish bar/ pub right in the middle of park circle. read more

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Had lunch at the outside bar with Caleb - the burger was amazing! Definitely recommend coming here for a quick, delicious lunch!

We had a blast here for St Patrick's Day! Our group hung outside the whole time on their large patio. There is a mix of high tops and a few low tops as well as bar seating and a countertop that lets you face the sidewalk. Lots of overhead lighting as it got dark. The bartenders were super kind and busting it with the large crowd. You never waited long and they were efficient. Lots of great drink selections - we stuck with Harp's most of the night with a mix of shots. I think because of the holiday they were using all plastic wear which is a bummer but understandable. For appetizers, we did the Rueben rolls and fried pickles. Both with really nicely done and the two sauces that came with each were excellent. Food also came out very quickly. For dinners, the chicken tenders tossed in Buffalo were excellent and the fries were so nice. The shepherds pie unfortunately was an epic fail - mostly mashed potatoes, small serving for the price and the taste was lacking. Lots of parking options around - street and large lots. We'll be back! read more

The service was fine definitely can tell they know their locals. Great ambience , great little patio area .I got what was supposed to be shepherds pie but it tasted like Hormel chili covered in mashed potatoes and cheese. I've eaten this before at this restaurant when in town and this was totally different. It was a tomato (red) not a beef (brown) based sauce? We got the fish and chips the batter was not cooked,brown on the outside but raw underneath. The fish was good though. It looked like the oil was too hot and it browned on the outside before the batter inside was cooked. Don't like giving them such a bad review but hopefully they will address this. We'll go back next time we're in town, I'm sure it will be worth it . We've always enjoyed their food before. read more

This is a hidden gem. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. There are definitely a group of regulars that frequent the bar. They are super friendly but the bartender can get distracted with serving them. I like how there are two sides of the bar which gives more room. My salad was extremely Delish. My husband got the corn beef plate which made me think if my mothers home cooking back in the day. Good portions too. They also have some fun drink specials. Cost are reasonable and parking isn't too bad. I'd god again for sure! read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Bar view - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

Food was great, service was very friendly and attentive. Great ambiance and felt like a great local pub to pop in for a pint and a good chin wag with friends. Unfortunately we were only visiting the area, but that didn't prevent the waitress from including us in helping them settle a debate they were having about US geography! read more

Good place, good vibe! On July 4th night, it was just impossible to get table at any restaurants around King St. So we chose to dine in North Charleston. Found this place, and it was definitely worth it. I loved my fish and chips! Best ever.. My husband enjoyed his grilled cheese sandwich. He enjoyed his Irish drinks more Only disappointment was queso - it came out too hard. But server was generous enough to address the issue and not charge us for it. read more

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Fantastic Irish Pub in the heart of Park Circle! Good beer selection and pub fare. We tried the fish and chips and Shepherd's pie. They actually ran out of mashed potatoes but gladly made another batch for us. They weren't quite done but it was still good with the cheese oozing over. Fish and chips were pretty standard. Reuben rolls were not good. They sounded like they could have been tasty but lacked flavor. Great atmosphere with friendly staff. read more

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Kilkenny beer, thats it! We've searched many states, looking for this beer and this is the SECOND place that I know of, outside Ireland, that has it. The other place is in NJ so I don't have too many options. Everyone was friendly. We sat at the bar and got the Irish nachos and chicken fingers. The nachos were shepherds pie toppings on chips. The flavor was good but the portion was too small to warrant the $. The chicken tenders came tossed in any sauce you want. We got the mango habanero and the flavor was great. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Chicken tenders - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

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I haven't been to this place since before it burned down and was rebuilt because I was actually served a hamburger with a full grown dead water bug right on top that no one noticed before serving it to me. I was done and didn't go back until today. Figured it had to be better 10 years later. I was wrong. The lights are turned down so low that you couldn't really see what you're eating or the condition it's in or the cleanliness of the place which may be the whole point of the low low lights. The location that they set me in was freezing and I asked to be moved to another table . The waitress acted like I had just asked her to give me 100 bucks, but she moved me to that table. I ordered fish and chips. The fish was good and looked good. The fries looked and tasted like they had been warmed over and were just not edible. When the young lady asked me how I was doing I told her the fish was good but the fries were suspect. After a really dirty look, She asked if I would like more fries I said no. I said what about onion rings. She said yes, but there would be an up charge I said never mind. I just won't eat the fries. She said how about potato chips. I said OK. She then returned with onion rings and told me there would be no up charge. They were good. When I got ready to leave, I realized my glasses case was missing and figured I must've left it at the other table. I mentioned this to the waitress who said there's someone already sitting there and you can't expect me to go look under the table for your glasses case and walked away. I had her cash tip in my hand, but I put it back in my purse. I went over to the table that I was at before and asked the young lady if she had seen a glasses case and she said she gave it to the bartender a little while ago. I went and stood by the bar, waiting for the bartender to show back up and waitress walked by and asked me what I needed. I should've told her I needed change for a quarter so I could leave her a tip.... but I said I just wanted to get my glasses case from behind the bar that the young lady turned in a while ago. She said no problem I'll get it. I gave her a really sarcastic, thank you and left. I will never go back to any Madra Rua anywhere. Hot tip.: never go to Park Circle on a Monday night. The only thing open our bars and this dump. read more

I am so glad Madra Rua reopened in Park Circle. It was a great place for Irish fare prior to the fire but it is twice as good now. The patio areas are super nice and have a quiet courtyard feel. The food is too notch. Fish n chips are delicious a ms well as the Shepard's pie. One of the few places that know how to serve Guinness correctly. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Fish And Chips - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

Food wasn't great, fried green tomato BLT was overcooked and tasted mostly like fryer oil.. But the food is not the draw to this place. The atmosphere and staff were superb. We hung with a whole group of families (including a gaggle of children) to watch a Liverpool game & everyone enjoyed themselves. When the game channel wasn't working properly, they had someone dispatched to resolve the issue right away. Nice pub experience overall. read more

"fish and chips" The fries were cold and soggy, the fried fish batter couldn't hang on for dear life, and the fish itself was gamey and barely lukewarm. I didn't feel safe eating it. "pretzel bites" Were not the pretzel bites I've always gotten at their summerville location, wasn't warned about it. Gave me a giant, super dried out pretzel. Sad night for me, really disappointed and wished I had gone somewhere else. Our server ran around everywhere, left before we could ask for anything, made me feel super awkward to even ask for the dish to be taken back because I felt like he didn't even want to serve us. read more

Madra Rua Irish Pub - Cold soggy fries, barely Luke warm fish.. and super fishy =\ - Irish Near Me - North Charleston, South Carolina

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