McCaffrey & Burke Bar & Grill

I may be impartial to Macs because when I lived in Astoria I was a regular. Vinny behind the bar is the best Irish bartender this side of the Atlantic. If I wasn’t feeling well, he would make me a hot toddy; which always seemed to make me better (could have been the whiskey talking). The buybacks cannot be beat here and they take good care of their patrons.
There is a pool table, dartboard, jukebox, smoking patio, and karaōke every-​other Friday. Always something going on.
Friday/​Saturday nights are always interesting. There always seems to be a different crowd in the bar every weekend, so you never know what to expect. But weeknights you can guarantee to see the same group of regulars having a good laugh. If you go in early enough you can watch Jeopardy and play along with your fellow happy hour drinkers.
Macs is a great place for holidays or big sporting events. I always made sure to get in there early enough to get a spot at the bar as it can get crowded. We would start our Thanksgiving holiday with a shot of Wild Turkey and a light beer.
Even if you’re just in it for the people watching, McCaffrey and Burke is definitely the place to go.
Just tell Vinny I said «hi».
*Local trick: if you use the laundry place across the street, the washer runs for about 1 drink and the dryer lasts about 2. I would usually get tipsy while I was doing laundry, which would make for interesting folding.

I’ve been coming by here for years. It’s one of the oldest bars in Astoria and is kept in pretty good condition. I know during the day it’s mostly the old timers hanging out here, but at night it’s a variety of people.
Certain Friday nights have karaōke which is a lot of fun! Drink prices are very reasonable too. The bartenders are awesome! Jukebox, pool table, and dart board are all there to play as well. Check availability though on the pool table and dart board for the night– I think they have pool and dart leagues that play on certain nights. Doesn’t mean you can’t go– just means you may not be able to play pool or darts that night.
Never had a bad time when I hung out here. Most of the people are regulars from the neighborhood so it’s sorta like a «Cheers» environment when you walk in. Check it out if you’re in the area!

I’ve been going to McCaffrey & Burke since 1989. This bar has always been a second home to me. McCaffrey & Burke has had a positive influence on my life, meet so many wonderful friends there. We all still carry that friendship up on till now.
When I first walk in there I remember just loving the vibe of the whole place. The old jukebox, wooden floors, long ass bar & most important the Bartender. He’s name was Niall Gunn, one of the most nicest, gracious & humble Bartender that there ever was. I had such great times there that up to this day I still go as often as I can. Niall as long moved on, but now there Tony the day Bartender & Vinny the night Bartender. Wow, these two Gentlemen always make me feel like its like the first time I walk into the Bar like it was 1989. That’s how impressed I am like It’s my first time all over again & I just want to go back almost every night like I use to. The atmosphere, the crowd, the prices, buy backs & overall feel good, feel safe & at home makes McCaffrey & Burke truly the best Irish Pub in Astoria. Hope to see you there!!!

Ok so it’s not a fancy place. But it’s probably the only place in Astoria other than gilbeys that you can grab an affordable drink. $ 6.50 for a Jameson neat is pretty damn good. Shots are huge so you get your money’s worth. A friend of mine said easy on the shot and the bartenders answer was «Irish bar Irish shot» I couldn’t have asked for a better answer! Stop by play pool or watch a game while drinking on the cheap end in this place

This is a no thrills dive bar where old men hang out but it’s literally a few feet from the 30 ave subway station so it’s a good place to get a buzz for cheap before I head into manhattan for the night I think the drinks are like $ 450 or $ 550 but they give buy backs and the bartender is attentive never let’s u sitting their with an empty glass so like I said deffinetly not a date spot or a place where your going to pick up any women but if you want a cheap buzz before spending $ 9 on a drink in manhattan is worth stopping in

At long last, I have my local watering hole.
I love this bar. It’s no frills, and the prices might be high but if you hang out long enough it all works out.
There’s a pool table, juke box, darts, outdoor patio, and plenty of seating as it’s never really busy there. Unless there’s a big sports game on, then you’ll be watching with the entire neighborhood… which is awesome.
You can order delivery, or just bring in your own food. The bartenders are the best in the area, really. This place fits like an old favorite hat. As soon as you’re settled and have a pint of Guinness, you’ll wonder, «Why haven’t I been here long before now?»

This is the best bar in New York City. I lived around the corner for years and was in here at least three times a week, sometimes more. I don’t live in Queens anymore, but I still stop by M&B for a drink whenever I’m in the neighborhood.
It’s unpretentious, welcoming, friendly to everyone, relaxed and everything a neighborhood bar should be.

It’s a good place to get a beer. No frills. pool table and lots of tvs. Beers are a tad pricy at $ 6 considering the type of bar it is. It’s probably never full and would be a good neighborhood bar, especially if you befriended a bartender and got a couple subsidized beers.

Greatest bartenders in the world.
Great selection of beers and liquors.
The regulars (not including myself lol) are some of the most interesting, well-​read, honest to god good-​hearted people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and spending time with.
Fights are broken up quick, please don’t come to start trouble.
Location is perfect.
If you behave yourself and treat everyone with respect, you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Great prices.
Great times.

Been here twice and for some reason something crazy ends up happening in the bar lol. I will not go into specifics but I am tempted to see what would happen if i went back…

I been here a few times. Not much to write about. Beer, liquor, bar stool…
This is definitely an old man’s bar with tons of regulars. I like places like this with lots of character, but this place is a real hole in the wall.
Lots of clutter in the back. Old light fixtures. Just dirty. Bathroom is definitely not a 4 star place. More like a hole and stand over it. I know this is rough, but you need to keep bathrooms at a high level of cleanliness.
This place could be so much more. Has lots of potential.
Amazing enough the times I visited after midnight there was a very attractive and trendy crowd. Don’t get it.

I have been here twice. Once after a Mets game. I just wanted a couple beers before I went back to midtown. As I sat in the bar, a patron ordered a pitcher of beer– and only ordered one glass for himself. The bartender got off duty and prompty sat down next to me at the bar and kept drinking. He had these classic old school pink colored blublocker style glasses. A short time later, a woman in her twenties walked in, claiming some there «owed her money.» The off duty bartender got in her face in an amusing manner, tell her «no one owes you shit! Beat it! get out of this place.»
Seemed quite routine. At one point in my life, I was going to move to NYC, and was likely looking to live in either LIC or Astoria. Well, that didn’t happen, but I could see myself popping into this place off the subway line and ordering my own pitcher from time to time…

I feel like this is the type of bar you go to when you lose your job, your significant other leaves you, your car gets towed and you slip on a banana peel — all in the same day: THIS is the place I’d want to come to just crawl into a whiskey bottle for 3 – 4 hours and drown my sorrows away.
Just your standard Irish pub with the usual standard operating procedures going on:
–dimly lit
–funky smell (no matter the hour of day)
–interesting/​shady characters at the bar, no matter the time
–3^rd world country standard bathroom
–cheap drink specials
–a beat-​up TV or two to catch the game

I came here for a quick drink before headed to the city to meet up with a few people and what a lame bar I came inside. Everyone was old as my grand parent but everyone was drinking. I order the Guiness which cost $ 6.50 and it was soooo water down. This place just SUCK!

Pool, dart, all kinds of people, wide selection of alcohol, and nice bartender.
What else do you expect then? :D

Epitomy of a dive bar. If that’s what you’re looking for, look no further!

First off, let me clarify that this is not a grill in the traditional sense of the word. They do have a grill on the back patio but it is only used on holidays and is usually manned by customers. I’m not sure when «grill» was added onto the name but I’ve been going there since 2004 and they’ve never served food like you would expect at a true bar & grill.
That aside, this place has become a second home to me after moving to Astoria a couple of years ago. I used to live right around the corner so it was a curious mix of convenience and danger. I’ve come to know the bartenders like family and I’ve yet to find another bar that is as loyal to you as you are to them. I’ve also gotten to know the many colorful people that frequent the place, both the good and the bad. That is perhaps the thing that keeps me coming back. The place has an authentic vibe unlike some of the other places in the area that practically hit you over the head with their manufactured «atmosphere» as others have so correctly alluded to.
Another plus is that my pool and dart skills have improved greatly. Good players abound in both disciplines and it re-​kindled my serious interest in darts. So much so that I got my own set of darts and set out to practice at home. Vinny, the bar’s patron saint and weekday bartender, got wind of this and gave me a used dartboard they had lying around for free. Another regular of the bar also donated a brand new professional backboard as well! You couldn’t ask for more. I now live closer to the Irish Rover and The Quays but McCaffrey’s will continue to be my regular pub.

I got filtered the first review I wrote for this fine establishment. So hear goes attempt numero dos, in bullet points:
Great place to meet great people.
Local place, neighborhood staple.
Bartenders are great, they take care of customers well.
Not a place for egos, leave it at the door, people just like to have a good time, no fights and nonsense like that.
Regulars here are good people, come from a variety of backgrounds, and treat other regulars and newbies alike the same: good.
Come for a pint, shot, cocktail, or whatever you fancy, enjoy yourself, mingle with the other customers, and have a great time.
SIDE NOTE:
Pool league is usually on Tuesday nights, and dart leagues is on Wednesday nights. All this means is that both pool and darts are off limits no matter what league it is, but bar is still wide open. Good to come watch some talented guys play some 8-​ball or throw some darts. Also an opportunity to cheer the home-​bar squads on (M&B’s obviously lol)!

This is hands down the best bar in Astoria. It’s been around since I was a kid, and it’ll continue to be open way after those annoying trendy wanna-​be hipsters run back home to nowheresville after their trust funds run dry. Vincent is the main bartender there. He’s a no nonsense kind of dude, and if he sees that yer okay, he’ll take care of you.
The crowd is a mixture of everything and everyone. Here you’ll find your locals who never left, the struggling artists, your sports fanatics, the fading alcoholics, your college students, hipsters, what-​have-​you. You’ll be sitting in-​between the whiskey shooting grandma and the young struggling actor. You’ll be doing shots with your gifted poets as well as sinking lowlifes. It’s Charles Bukowski’s version of nirvana. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Oh, and as a previous review on this site said… it’s a great F***k you to those pretentious annoying Astoria trendroids.

To say that this local is a dive understates things; its wood-​panel dinge and threadbare pool table are accurate indicators of how long it’s been since the place was decorated. The only additions to the look of the place since the mid-70’s are the big-​screen TVs showing sports all day & night, the LeRoy Neiman knockoff of Joe Namath, and the CD jukebox. (They recently shot an episode of «Life On Mars» there. I’m sure there was very little that needed to be done to the place.) And the locals can be loud, rambunctious and sometimes a little belligerent. This isn’t a great first-​date place, unless you know who you’re meeting enough to know they’d be into that kind of vibe too.
But Vinny is a caring and attentive barkeep, the jukebox is way above average, and even the career alcoholics in the bar are good-​natured and reasonably well-​read. There’s a smoking patio in the back, which is a nice touch, and they do have darts & pool tournaments, and the karaōke night is a very big hit, even though it sometimes gets chaotic. If that’s your thing, or if you just want a decent local where you can grab a pint and maybe watch the game, this could be your place.