Aiken meets Ireland at new downtown pub called Jameson McDubby's

Dede Biles, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Aug. 29—Jameson McDubby's is "Where Aiken Meets Ireland," according to the sign hanging above the bar in the new downtown establishment at 126 Laurens St. N.W.

"We're not a gimmicky Irish pub. We're an authentic Irish pub," said co-owner Marty Dubber. "My heritage is Irish, and our executive chef's heritage is Irish. When you step inside this pub, we want you to feel like you're in a real public house in Ireland."

Dubber teamed up with James Anderson to found Jameson McDubby's, which made its official debut last week after a soft opening.

"We just figured that Aiken needed a good Irish pub, and we've always wanted to open one up," Dubber said. "We love Irish food, and we love Irish culture."

The Jameson McDubby's moniker is "a play on both of our names," Dubber added.

He and Anderson also own two JDubbZ restaurants, one in New Ellenton and the other in Jackson.

Reese and Shannon Randolph are the managing partners for all three businesses.

"We've got a passion for serving people and giving good service," Dubber said. "The service industry as a whole has been commercialized, and the quality of service has dropped. We want to bring back good service, good food and good decent pricing. With everything that is going on in the world, we just want to have happy places for people to go."

Dylan Strickland is Jameson McDubby's general manager, and Josh Cocke is the executive chef.

"He has years of experience," said Dubber of Cocke. "He's been an executive chef in restaurants in Charleston, and he has studied at The Culinary Institute of America."

Irish and British dishes such as corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips, shepherd's pie and bangers and mash were among the dishes offered at Jameson McDubby's during its first several days of operation.

"We will have a lot of different Irish things come and go on our menu while we're finding out what people are enjoying the most and figuring out what our staples will be," Dubber said. "There will be some real authentic stuff that a lot of Irish pubs don't usually have. Right now, what we're hearing is that our corned beef is amazing, so I think it will be one of the things that we'll really be known for."

Jameson's McDubby's alcoholic beverage options include Jameson whiskey, Guinness beer and a variety of other Irish favorites.

"The community has really embraced us and given us a lot of business," Dubber said.

S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, visited Jameson McDubby's recently and was impressed.

"I think it's very nifty to have a place in Aiken that has the slogan 'Where Aiken Meets Ireland,'" he said. "It has great vibes, good food and good libations. And I think it also clearly has the attitude of being fun-loving. The first thing they said to me was, 'Are you Irish?' I said, 'I'm one-third Irish, and I've kissed the Blarney Stone.' They said, 'That counts.'"

Jameson McDubby's operating hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Saturday until midnight.

For more information, visit the Jameson McDubby's page on Facebook.