McGuire’s Irish Pub is a Pensacola landmark.

You may have driven right past the green building without even noticing the giant two story bus parked out front.  With over $500,000 in bills posted to the walls- McGuire’s is a must-see tourist destination- but is their food good enough to warrant a local following?

Absolutely.

If you’re like most of us- you go to McGuire’s for a great steak or traditional Irish food; corned beef and cabbage, a Reuben sandwich or lamb stew.  But what about the 100% Angus Steak Burgers?

These monstrous ¾ pound patties are custom ground with steak trimmings and lean beef.  They’re certainly a part of any “Best Burger in Pensacola” debate.  So, this week the Tour hit McGuire’s.

Step 1 in enjoying a McGuire’s burger is this: try to avoid over-eating their delicious appetizers; Buffalo Chicken Thighs, Irish Boxtys (cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes rolled into a ball and fried) and their famous 18 cent Bean Soup.

If you resist the appetizers- you may (unlikely) be able to finish their burger.  It’s huge.

The burger arrives open (bun laid to the side) and it’s charred perfectly.  The McGuire’s burger is without a doubt- steak on a bun.  There’s no question this patty is made from the finest quality beef.

The bun (like the patty) is huge.  It’s more of a Kaiser roll, buttered and grilled.  This patty demands a bun of significant size that won’t fold (or sog) under the pressure, but sadly, this bun was thought by many to be “too big” and labeled “dry.”

The beef -which is the highlight of this burger- was also considered to be the biggest disappointment.

Each week our Panel Members are asked to provide “Burger Highlight” and a “Burger Lowlight.”  Each week we see a variety of answers- but this week every Panel Member provided the same “Lowlight” for the McGuire’s burger:

“Patty lacks flavor”

“No seasoning to patty”

“Beef is flavorless”

“Beef is bland.”

Perhaps a healthy dose of salt and pepper (see Blue Dot) would enhance the flavor of this patty.  Some Members agreed the outside of the burger was season nicely- but it was likely a matter of “season after prep” instead of “season during prep” that lead to disappointment.

The “extras” at the McGuire’s are just average.  The tomato is decent, the slice of romaine is disposable.  The slice of onion is forgettable and the cheese is relatively mild in flavor.

In spite of those shortcomings- the burger still received very high marks.

The McGuire’s burger finished with a final score of 7.57 and is most definitely worth trying.

Check out McGuire’s this week.  Kiss the Moose.  Let us know what you think.

Then report back next week as the Burger Tour rolls on.