McKinney Downtown Square

The downtown square in McKinney is super cute, with many interesting stores (including a lot of handicrafts) and restaurants nearby. It’s very photogenic, and parking was free and fairly easy to find. Definitely recommend wandering for a few hours.

Downtown Mckinney has a lot of charm and character as well as history. While walking down in this small downtown you can see that you’re in Texas. It’s almost a different part of time when you walk around here.
It’s great to see a downtown that supports local businesses.
Lots of great places to hang out and sit down, and many awesome places to eat as well. I hope Downtown mckinney stays this way for many years to come.

Yeah a lot has changed sense the old McKinney jail shut down just off the square. I remember my parents shocked in horror when I accidentally (?) locked myself in a jail cell before they tore the building down. Your asking… Well what were you doing there? Oddly enough my parents asked that very same questions as well as other adult figures. Even made the local paper. Kids will be kids.
As for now downtown McKinney is always fun and even more fun now that I take Über to and from… Can you say party at the pubs? I can. Seems that old jail cell was a great teaching tool and supplied quite the motivation not to take risks with brewskis… Too many that is… I believe that is now called a life lesson. Any who its a blast down there, especially when they have special events. You owe it to yourself to check it out. Über it if you are like me and associate a beer with a lays potato chip… Why would anyone want to have just one?

This is such a groovy little area! We’ve been here several times for special events but it would be a really cool to spend a girls weekend shopping eating and relaxing here. Parking for events can get interesting… but if you don’t mind a short jaunt, I recommend street parking.

McKinney was always one of those towns I wanted to check out, but never made the time for it. They don’t have big shopping malls or a whole lot of late night finds, but sometimes I don’t want the crowd. McKinney is so cute and people are really friendly. This is my kind of town! It’s great to see a small town flourish with local businesses. You can tell that the locals really care about their town and support one another.
I’ve been able to tour downtown by simply walking around and I love that it’s so chill and not so busy like the other downtown areas. I’ve been able to visit a few of the boutique stores and restaurants and so far, they’re all great! If you want a place to dine here, I highly recommend Harvest. Amazing food, cool décor, and great outdoor seating!

Bless your heart, how cute!
With up-​and-​coming as well as established restaurants (Spoons, Square Burger, Rick’s Chop House, Gregory Bistro, and the ZAGAT rated Harvest) Mickinney Square is becoming a brunch & Saturday /​Sunday afternoon destination for nearby towns. I have visited a few times and most recently made the trek after church in Plano just for brunch.
The square offers plenty of afternoon diversion from food and drinks, to a number of great pubs, tons of artsy-​fartsty décor stores, art galleries, fine furniture shops, clothing stores, boots, antiques, craft markets, candy & games — you name it. It’s like a mini Fredericksburg. Minus the wineries.
While, for those who are traveling in to visit Dallas, I don’t recommend this detour — this is a great spot that locals should open their weekend adventures up to!
I also highly recommend Cadillac Pizza Club off Louisiana Street. Oh my, good pie.

Beautiful old refurbished buildings that will take you back in time. Great shopping & restaurants. Shopping includes new furnishings, home accents and wonderful antiques. A wide variety of restaurants. Incredible meat market. I would give 5 stars but the lawn surrounding the old courthouse is a bit small. Courthouse is Neo-​classical style, preferred by Thomas Jefferson for government buildings and is beautiful. I go here quite often, but had only one option for time of travel. Love, love the square.

This was my first time visiting the square and I absolutely love it! It felt like you were downtown in a small town. There’s a ton of cute shops with clothing and furniture for sale. Many of the shops have a shabby chic theme. There’s also a ton of restaurants and bars. Many of them are organic, gluten free and all natural! Parking can be a pain but be patient and you’ll find a spot. This is definitely a great place to wander around and spend the afternoon!

One of the best things about living in McKinney! We love the square, date night or family outings its perfect!

Such cute stores I could spend hours here. My daughter and I had a lovely time exploring all the cool shops.

Downtown McKinney is a popular spot on the weekends. It is family friendly and safe, but still fun. Lots of live music and good food. There’s shopping as well earlier in the day. It’s fun just to walk around. They have frequent events and things to do.

***While lacking the great dining boutiques of other quaint small town downtown areas like Ann Arbor and Frederick, Maryland, this small town square in a suburb of Dallas has a nice look and the right approach with several local boutiques; it is also an alternative to the more planned and new communities that are abundant in this part of Texas***
Free street parking is available.

Such a cute place to walk around and window shop. Restaurants and stores are super cool. Library in the square helps. Came for Oktoberfest yesterday. This is how to do a small town gathering. No admission price, no parking fee and two free music stages.

Loving the vibe of historic downtown McKinney. What a great way to spend your Saturday browsing around the shops. They have since put a few new shops and restaurants in the area but there’s also some fun antique places to browse around in. I used to love stopping by the Pantry for a delicious lunch (they have the best tortilla soup) then going and spending some money or do a little window shopping. Great for families or a fun mother/​daughter or girls day!

What a great area to spend the afternoon!!!

I’ll admit… i used to be a hater of mckinney… Never really thought there was anything there but i was wrong.
Downtown McKinney is filled with precious shops and good artisan products. The area is nice to just stroll around and take a look at the various places.
Anyone who is a steak aficionado needs to check out Local Yocal… they got that wagyu bro.

I love the Downtown McKinney area. Rick’ Chophouse, Sauce, and Square Burger are my favorites. I love a family owned or mom and pop restaurant versus a chain. The square has many to choose from.

Anyone who gives downtown McKinney less than 5 stars, deserves a thousand lashes with a wet noodle!!! You’ll never meet friendlier people, have more wonderful restaurants, or more wonderful shops in one place within walking distance… complete with the beautiful Grand Hotel right in the midst of the square. Yes, it may be hot and humid, but that’s not our fault! God decided to give us an extra dose of sunshine! October is actually heaven here! Cruise through the historic district homes… there are gems of Victorian and craftsman architecture. and I am blessed to live in one!

Downtown McKinney is super cool. Unlike so many other DFW area cities, McKinney has been able to effectively gentrify an old historic downtown square. The right balance between making it nice to reflect the needs of the relatively high income residence of the area and really keeping the original historic feel has been struck. There is a diversity of higher end establishments found here. It is classy but not overly pretentious and the place is just good for shopping at unique stores, having a meal on one of the many patios and even having a drink in one of the taverns. There is a place for great coffee, a historic hotel with fancy steak house, a store that sells specialty items for dogs, an upscale pub, a rock bar and a million other things. The sheer number of establishments in this small area is amazing and all the buildings are beautifully restored. Even the other really good DT squares in DFW area just don’t have this much stuff.
DT McKinney is the best gentrified historic downtown square I have ever seen. The only issue I have with it is that parking can be difficult but that is to be expected. When you want to maintain a historic feel you cannot just flatten things to build garages and parking lots. The parking can be difficult but it is not as bad as one might think. I have had much worse times trying to park in the Bishop Arts District or even the West Village. I actually think that the area is a little too gentrified and would like see a few businesses that reflect a more rural past but this is McKinney and that is likely not possible. I accept DT McKinney for what is. It is truly excellent historical preservation mixed with smartly done gentrification and brings a really cool vibe to what would likely be a very bland suburban community otherwise.

My husband and I were out here in May for a wedding at the United Methodist Church. The town was very quaint and the people super friendly. We visited Spoons Café, Gather, the Grand Hotel and tiny toy/​hobby shop with great Star Wars collectibles. The one feature of the downtown square @ McKinney that caught my eye were the ceramic frog planters. So my husband and I walked the square and I took a photo of every frog I could find (plus the old tractor). I think the frogs are pretty much in order if you were to walk the square… I found 28. some in great shape and very creative… and some froggies in great need of repair. We never learned the historical significance of the frogs, but I definitely enjoyed finding each and every one!
(took away 1 star due to the heat and humidity and thunder/​lightening storms — miserable for a pregnant woman!)