Not to be outdone by Foxy John’s as a dual threat, Dick Mack’s is half pub and half leatherworking outfit, offering a variety of fine Irish whiskeys alongside that fine belt you’ve had your eye on. Recent times have included expansion into a brewhouse that now occupies a building that dates to the 1850s a few feet away, but the heart of the property is still the central, bright blue structure that has, in one form or another, operated since 1899.
The interior of the pub pays homage to every one of those history-steeped years, looking every inch the classic leather shop and pub with intense, full-wall shelves stacked with whiskey, with merchandise, with leather, with odds and ends from the many accumulated years. The pub, still owned by the same family that opened it those many years ago, can be forgiven for capitalizing on the fame that has come, with a robust online store and in-house offering, but the heart is still the dusty floor of this ancient building.
Characteristic to these converted spaces, the seating is sparse, low and devoid of knee space. The view of leatherworking materials (and it includes barrels with stuff in them) comes at the expense of a couple of bruises and a few bumped elbows, but a bag of Taytos and a Guinness can right that ship pretty quickly. The wood flooring extends up the walls, the wooden paneling creeping all over the space, claiming shelves and bookcases throughout.