Plano North | February 2024

Dining

BY KAREN CHANEY

Classic Chicken Sandwich ($16) features chicken, brioche bun, hand cut slaw, pickles and house sauce.

Fish and Chips ($18) features ale battered cod, crispy fries, lemon and house remoulade.

KAREN CHANEYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

McNeal’s serves Irish fare and pub food in Plano

Tom McGill opened McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery with Chris O’Neal in 2022.

“Everyone does frozen burger patties, but not our burger. We have a combination of beef, short rib and brisket mixed together,” he said. “He told us this will be so good no one will ask you for salt and pepper and they will never put ketchup on this burger.” Looking for a libation? There are 24 beers on draft, which are rotated out seasonally. McGill said they also have a good selection of scotch and bourbons. “The biggest compliment we get is people who come in from Scotland and England, and they say, ‘We hear you pour the best Guinness,’’’ McGill said. “People say to me, ‘My husband makes me come 20 minutes across town to get your Guinness. I say, ‘Well, good.’”

As a teen growing up in an Irish and Italian neighborhood in New York, Tom McGill got his start in the restaurant industry bussing tables at a pizza joint. During the ensuing decades, McGill continued gathering industry experience and in 2022, he opened McNeal’s Tavern and Eatery with business

partner Chris O’Neal. What’s on the menu?

E . 1 5 T H S T .

McGill said their menu is approximately 30% Irish fare, such as bangers and mash, while the rest of the menu features a variety of elevated pub food. Prior to opening the restaurant, an executive chef was hired to help create the menu. McGill said the advice they got has proven benecial and points to the McNeal’s Classic Burger as an example.

1422 K Ave., Plano www.mcnealsplano.com

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