Restaurants
McGugan's
Mcgugan's Fine Scottish Pub opened early last year on Gerrard at Jones, taking the space over from Judy's Flower shop and enriching the east end neighbourhood with a handsome outpost for Highland flavours and libations. The trio of owners includes chef Bryan Burke and husband and wife team, Ted and Mary (maiden name McGugan) Koutsogiannopoulos, who also own two adjacent restaurants; the Great Burger Kitchen and Aprile Bambina Cucina.
Swaths of deep red, exposed brick and dark wood furnishings play into the traditional pub setting though there's nary a tartan in sight. The bar upfront is stocked with 12 taps of craft or Scottish beers, as well as 50 or so single malts, including some quite rare bottles of Dun Bheagan and a chocolatey Glengoyne. If you don't know where to start, try one of feature drams or ask Ivan behind the bar for a recommendation and watch his face light up as he speaks passionately on the subject.
On the menu are the usual suspects of Scottish fare offered as bite sized morsels for sharing. There's battered Haggis Balls ($5.95) with hot mustard and single malt aioli, as well as, Scotch Eggs ($8.95, lead photo) with brown sauce. Though I have no complaints, I'm intrigued to hear talk of changing up the egg dish in time for summer to a lighter, unfried deconstructed variation.
The signature dish is the McGugan's Beef Sammie ($9.95), featuring shaved roast beef over slabs of Yorkshire pudding, topped with rich brown gravy and horseradish mayo.
The Fish & Chips ($14.95) is the clear favourite at my table. Commendable for its golden, stout battered exterior that is remarkably crisp while the inside is delicately flaky and moist. Along with generous sides of fries and red cabbage slaw paired up with a pint of Tennent's lager make for a super satisfying combination.
In addition to the spacious back patio, there's also a roof top patio and second floor dining room dubbed 'the kilt' that hosts weekly events like board game nights, comedy shows and tutored scotch tastings. Of course the joke is that everything on the first floor (including live music on Fridays) happens under 'the kilt'.
Photos by Morris Lum
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"...and husband and wife team, Ted and Mary (maiden name McGugan) Koutsogiannopoulos"
The new patio looks great and we had a nice evening there. Excited about the rooftop. Nice trees in the back, good design and open air.
When this pub first opened, the food was pretty stellar but it has fluctuated due to changing kitchen staff. The very first few meals were exceptional. I had the fish and chips and we all agreed they were delicious. The burger was great. The haggis balls were my favourite. The wings are always too charred. I had a curry there on red rice that was insane but they've since gotten rid of it. The beef sammie was very good for the first while until they switched to a different cut of beef and added a soggy lettuce leaf (see above). The beet salad was fantastic until the portion changed, they changed it to some processed cheese and the chef cut the beets into little cubes. I also had a trout there and it was actually pretty fantastic. Juicy, great sides and presentation.
The last time I got my favourite, the Ploughman's platter. They ran out of cheese, didn't have the haggis balls and there's no longer a rillette in a mason jar (that they let me take home to finish). I'm not sure why they keep screwing with the menu.
So I think when they figure out their menu and solidify their choices, it'll do much better. You alienate locals when you keep revamping over and over. I can easily just go to Ceili's, Morgan's or even Chinatown for a beer and cheap eats.
But I have zero complaints about Ivan so not sure about the vitriol. The service has NEVER been bad and I've definitely been here over 15 times.
I like that they have Innis & Gunn on tap. Anyway, I'm rooting for them as they've become a very friendly neighbourhood bar with some kinks to iron out.
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