Neighborhood favorite: Green Ridge's McGinty's prides itself on food, fun & affordability
May 10—Looking for a cold beer, hot wings and a place to shoot pool? Then, head out to McGinty's Bar and Restaurant in Scranton's Green Ridge section.
The Dickson Avenue bar and restaurant opens early and closes late to be a place for customers to unwind and order an affordable meal after a long day at work or a night out.
Known for its wings, McGinty's also serves pizza made with homemade sweet sauce, Texas wieners and cheeseburgers.
Chef's Table spoke with McGinty's owner Cathy Foley about the community staple.
Q: What is the history of McGinty's Bar & Restaurant?
A: McGinty's was established by Cathy Foley in the Green Ridge section of Scranton in March of 1989. It was originally owned by a relative, and it was a dream to get in the business. I jumped on the opportunity when it was put up for sale. My mother, Ann Maffei, and stepfather, Joseph Maffei, helped me get started along with friends and family.
We were known in the beginning for our men's and women's softball, pool and dart teams as well as the baseball team in the Freedom League in Dunmore. Many of these teams won local and state titles. This was when our motto became "Good Food, Good Times, Takeouts."
With all the ups and downs, the pandemic included, we currently still have our pool teams and dart teams four nights a week. A large group of our loyal customers are more like family.
Q: On your menu, what do you consider to be your signature dish?
A: Wings have been our best food item since our beginning. Our wings come 10 to an order, but you can order 30, 50 or even 100. An order costs $10 and runs cheaper the more a person buys. We diligently work hard to keep our prices low. Tuesday is Wing Night at McGinty's when wings are only 75 cents a piece.
We offer homemade mild, hot and nuclear sauces and BBQ and honey mustard sauces available on the side. Customers find our sauce to be so tasty, so they can buy 12-ounce containers to take home.
We offer specials on our Texas wieners, cheeseburgers and hamburgers on Wednesdays. During the Lenten season, we offer a special menu, and during hunting season, we serve up chili.
Q: How would you describe the atmosphere of the bar?
A: McGinty's has a bright, relaxing environment so a lot of working-class people come to relax after long shifts. A large number of people do not have the common 9 to 5 job anymore, so our kitchen opens early and closes later than most bars and restaurants. We try to keep things tidy with plenty of napkins available even though our wings seem to be finger-licking good to most.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: Our bar area has 12 stools and six tables, which is a smoking area. The backroom is for non-smokers and has five longer tables for families with under-21 members. We have an entrance in the rear of the building, so people don't have to walk through the smoking area.
Q: Could you tell us about your pizza?
A: Our pizza is made with homemade sweet sauce, and we offer toppings of pepperoni, hot or sweet sausage, hot or sweet peppers, onions and mushrooms. We only sell our pizza by the whole square tray for a reasonable $13. Extra toppings are $1 and extra cheese costs $2.
Q: Do you offer catering?
A: Catering is available on or off the premises. This menu includes our normal menu items plus exclusive items such as beef stroganoff, pasta and meatballs and sausage and peppers.
Q: What is your go-to late night snack?
A:Our late night customers enjoy our wings, mozzarella sticks, fries with cheese and wing sauce, and our famous porketta sandwich.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
