Thatcher McGhee’s Remains a North Jersey Gem

Bread pudding with ice cream Photo by Ken Schlager

Style

One of three Thatcher McGhee’s in North Jersey, the sprawling downtown Denville location has three sections: In front, a Victorian-style formal dining room; in the rear, a large tavern with big screens; and in the middle, a thatched cottage with stucco walls, exposed wood beams and a rustic hearth.

The scoop

The original Thatcher McGhee’s opened in Pompton Lakes in 2006. Denville’s dates to 2012. Fairfield followed in 2015. All three have the same menu; specials and the beer lists vary.

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The menu

Choose from a wide range of Irish specialties and American pub food. To begin, there are Buffalo wings, mussels, corned beef and cabbage rolls, and Guinness BBQ wings. Sandwiches, wraps and burgers are available with Thatch fries (topped with cheese, bacon bits and ranch dressing). Irish mains range from shepherd’s pie to lamb stew to Irish meatloaf (combining ground beef and Irish sausage). Desserts include bread pudding with ice cream (right).

Heads up

There’s live music from 4–7 pm every Friday, and bands perform select Saturday evenings.