Friday, June 9, 4:11 pm
OUR FIRST visit to Mc & Sons was actually by chance. We were walking out of Vauxhall station and passed the pub along the way, P thinking it was the one he’d been telling me about that serves Thai food, which he thought was an interesting combination. So we went in to check it and out order a couple of drinks, some citrusy IPA for me, and a lime and soda for him. It was shortly after 4 p.m., so we basically had the place to ourselves, save for a few people in the large beer garden out back. There were cosy banquettes covered in smart green corduroy in the main area, but we chose the snug, because they are my favourite places in pubs. The sunlight was shining in and there was a nice vibe about the place, with walls covered with framed photographs and letters, the floors a worn wood. It felt a little like McSorley‘s in NYC. It turned out that this Mc & Sons, in Vauxhall, was not the one P had been telling me about, as this one had only opened two weeks before, on May 24th. The one he’d been telling me about was the Mc & Sons in Borough, owned, of course, by the same people. The service was pleasant and we liked the decor, so we planned to return at a later date to try othe food.
Above, seated happily in the snug, which the dictionary defines as “a small private room or compartment in a pub”. Further investigation reveals that snugs are an integral part of Irish pub design and were first built in the early to middle 19th Century as a private space for those who did not want to be seen in a public bar (women, the clergy, etc.). The snug would have a small window for bartenders to pass drinks through (so no one could see the patron order), as well as locks so that they couldn’t be opened from the outside, offering almost complete privacy. Today, snugs don’t serve the same purpose, but rather, are charming and nostalgic features in traditional pubs (and my favourite places for their cosiness).
Above, another view of the snug.
Friday, June 30, 7:09 pm
Our second visit to Mc & Sons in Vauxhall was as guests of the pub’s owner, Ryan, who passed along an informal invitation to stop by for a bite. The plan was for him to talk us through his family’s history, which was on the walls going back four generations. He unfortunately couldn’t make it at the last minute, so we thought it would be fine to still stop by try out the food. It was over three weeks after our first visit, and our dinner reservations for 7 p.m. We ordered some drinks, a couple of appetisers, and a couple of mains to share. After dinner, cocktails were suggested by a member of the bar staff, so I obliged. They didn’t have the ingredients for my first choice and no non-alcoholic options either, but the one I ordered was good. Was hoping to try the rice pudding for dessert, but it wasn’t available, so we stuck with our drinks.
Mc & Sons is owned by the McElhinney family (Ryan and his brother John and father Jack) who founded Windmill Taverns Group in 1998, which has grown to include five pubs now in South London. If you’re looking for a very authentic traditional old Irish pub experience (there’s live music every Thursday and Saturday) with a modern twist (Thai on the side), and great service, then you should definitely stop in. Sláinte!
