McClafferty’s Irish Pub

Looks like a really cool atmosphere with a dance floor, pool tables, and some gambling machines. The bartenders here are by far the most friendly and most outgoing in Morgantown!

Neighborhood type of feel, little below average beer selection, and a little dingy looking. Type of place nerds go to and play a board game while they over analyze their beer selection. Better options close by.

Morgantown is a city that is well known for its legendary partying and epic nightlife. As a quintessential college town — home of West Virginia University — the nightlife can be downright electrifying. Students and townies will frequent and sometimes even troll the usual loud places like Bent Willies, Chicken Bones, Gibbies, Big Times, Sports Page, and all the other popular hot spots, but one icon has lurked in the shadows for a very very long time and is perhaps the most underrated of all the watering-​holes in town. Yes, McLafferty’s was always an afterthought in the old days — a place where impetuous drunkards would stumble upon after they’ve been forcefully ejected from every bar in Morgantown. In those days, the second you set foot into McLafferty’s (In most cases, at the tail-​end of a pub crawl), you’d expect to dodge the usual beer bottle flying across the room, along with maybe a bar stool or two followed by some obligatory profanities and just hope and pray you might not get caught in the crossfire. It would be worth it for this was probably what a true Irish Pub must have been like in the olden days — a properly preserved piece of history and amid all of the adversity, the amazing staff would somehow tolerate it all and happily refill your drinks with courteous and professional attitudes. Pretty Incredible.
Today the hostile crowd has been largely subdued and replaced by a much mellower one — but it’s a crowd that wants to have good times and good conversation but avoid the hassle of screaming into eachother’s ears, waiting in long lines, and paying premium prices for colorful cocktails. Besides for an expansion, the cozy, neighborhood pub feel of McLaffery’s has not changed, there is a pool table, a foosball table, and plenty of board games for people who want to play, there is seating for those who want to chill, and there is a shockingly good selection of pub-​grub for those who want to begin their quest to cure their impending hangovers. For all of those who have been pampered by pseudo-​dives in places like DC, New York and just about everywhere else, this a true dive bar and an awesome one at that. What is even more amazing is that this has become a go-​to spot for people who want to meet up especially around Christmas time when all the students are gone and the townies are in town visiting. In the relentlessly changing landscape of the Morgantown pub scene, I really hope that McLafferty’s never changes and maintain its charming appeal. I consider it a must-​visit especially for out-​of-​towners visiting on game-​days.

Whenever I’m in Morgantown on business, I stay at the Clarion Hotel Morgan on High Street, and I drink at McClafferty’s. As a 20-​year veteran of the NTN trivia collective (screen name: WVBEAR), the fact that I can play NTN there was my main reason to check this place out originally, but I also really like the ambiance; it’s not scuzzy enough to call it a dive, but it’s not pretentious and fancy and relentlessly HIP, either. Instead it has genuine atmosphere, with lots of brick and wood and generally subdued lighting, an impressive lineup of beers on tap and even more in bottles, and of course the requisite fully-​stocked bar. There are one or two pool tables and a row of video lottery machines if baby needs new shoes. The bartenders and locals are generally pretty easygoing and don’t mind being engaged in conversation, which is important to me because I went to West Virginia University in Morgantown. If I lived in Morgantown this would be one of my main hangouts.

Classic old-​school pub. Was rolling through town, and wanted to watch Sunday night football. Nice selection of microbrews, plus a few cheap, watery domestic varieties (my choice). If you’re a foo-​foo drink person, head elsewhere. Friendly barkeep and locals…

A great place to have a drink or twelve. McClafferty’s has that great dive bar atmosphere — smoky and funky, without being filthy or stinky. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like if you leave sober, you’ve clearly done something wrong while you’re there. It has all the dive bar staples: pool, dart boards, and a staff ready to sell you shot after shot until you’re eyes are bloodshot.
They also have live music quite often — from hard rock to, you guessed it, Irish! (if you are ever in Moorgantown and get the chance to see «The Staggering Cardoons», a local Irish rock band, at McClafferty’s definitely take the opportunity!) The venue is large enough to have a good sized crowd and a band and still have plenty of room for you to move around.
Food… They sell it, but to be honest, I’ve never ventured from standard fried bar fare here. The stuff I’ve had has been good, but I can’t really say too much about the menu. Many of my friends have eaten here though, and I can’t remember ever hearing any of them complain.

I loved this place back in college and loved it going back this weekend. Dark, smokey, obscure and definitely no frills. Eight years later and you still walk out smelling like fried food, cig smoke and whiskey-​love it.

Total Dive, Totally Awesome. If you are looking for a place to drink without all the drama this is the place

The Home of The Irish Car Bomb!
This is a complete one-​sided review of McClafferty’s Irish Pub located in Morgantown, WV. It has to be; I helped open the pub in the fall/​winter of 2000. I was one of the first employees to pour a perfect Guinness, dance an Irish jig, and offer a helpful word to a patron in need of encouragement. Before the days of Chez and Macaroni, I was Heather Mac, McClafferty’s original manager and bartender! I have since retired from the bar business, but still like to go back and visit the establishment that I helped create.
McClafferty’s Irish Pub is located on the corner of University Avenue and Walnut Street near the Mon River in Morgantown, WV. It is a cozy, warm, and friendly atmosphere and the staff pride themselves on having a wide variety of beers, drinks, and fun available. It offers up to 21 beers on tap, many different bottled beer selections, many specialty drinks, and a complete food menu. Prices are incredibly reasonable. They offer several forms of entertainment-​Juke Box featuring many local bands plus the favorites, Golden Tee, 2 dart boards, pool table, Video Lottery Machines, board games, NTN Trivia, live music, and multiple big screen TVs for your sports viewing pleasure! The bartenders, staff, and Shelly, the manager, are fantastic and are there to help you have a fun, safe, and enjoyable evening out. Unspun by Amazon ranks McClafferty’s in the top 15 best Irish Pubs in the state of WV. Find out for yourself, why McClafferty’s is the best bar in Morgantown to start or end your evening! Tell them that Heather Mac sent you!

Love this place. The bartenders are what makes this place great.

Didn’t think anything special about this place but had a good time hanging out with some new friends here and drinking beer. There was a cover that night but it might have been because there was an event going on that night. Probably won’t be back for a little while nut that is just me. Let your Irish out and booze it up at McClaffertys.

Great atmosphere, free pool, and almost never crowded. Crowd really varies but it’s always a nice mix.
One of my favorite of the Morgantown bars.

This place is awesome. The beer is cheap and delicious! There are board games in the back to keep you occupied as well as pool and darts. I love this place so much it is awesome!