Audio By Carbonatix
Each week, we venture to a new restaurant to check out what the spot has to offer during our favorite time of day — happy hour. Whether it’s affordable appetizers, delicious drinks, jaw-dropping deals, or none of the above, we’ll check out the situation and report back.
The Spot: McFate’s Tap + Barrel
7337 East Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale
480-994-1275
www.mcfatebrewing.com
The Hours: Happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, throughout the pub. McFate’s recently rebranded (it was formerly known as Fate Brewing Company) and opened a second, larger location in South Scottsdale.
Perfect For: Brews and ‘za with your buds at a clean, classy joint.
The Interior: McFate’s Tap & Barrel classifies itself as a “brewpub,” which essentially means pizza and beer with better lighting and a cheerier color scheme than your average bar. Red stools and cute growlers (can a growler be cute?) dot the landscape, and a glass garage door opens out to reveal a small patio. There are a few low tables, some high tops, and a community counter or two. The effect is cozy, and there’s no doubt that McFate’s has the clean and classic look down.
Will you step up to support New Times this year?
At New Times, we’re small and scrappy — and we make the most of every dollar from our supporters. Right now, we’re $17,250 away from reaching our December 31 goal of $30,000. If you’ve ever learned something new, stayed informed, or felt more connected because of New Times, now’s the time to give back.
The Food: During happy hour at McFate’s, items from the “Snack” menu are $2 off. This might not sound like much, but the already reasonable pricing and interesting selection should pique the interest of the discerning barfly. Beer-glazed almonds and Castelvetrano olives abound, and the food is sort of Spain-meets-Italy-meets American bar snacks. The soft pretzel ($5, normally $7) was decent, though the spicy mustard and hot cheese dip that accompanied it left something to be desired. We also got the McFata Plata, a charcuterie board with manchego, herbed ricotta dip, olives, jamon Serrano, capicola, pita bread, and Parmesan toast. Oh, and a mini arugula salad. For $11 (normally $13). Well played, McFate.
Other menu items included an olives and nuts combo ($5), chips and dip ($6), and the brewery’s version of a bruschetta board, made with beer-butter and Parmesan toast and a variety of toppings ($8).
The Drinks: As it should be at a brewery, the beer list at McFate’s is extensive and ever-changing. We ordered the Porch Pilz, the taphouse’s take on a German pilsner. It was crisp and light, the perfect accompaniment to all the food we ordered. During happy hour, all McFate beers are $1 off, except the milk porter (which rings in at a whopping 9% ABV, so watch out.) A Hatch green chile beer was on rotation when we went, which sort of sold us on McFate’s claim to being fresh and seasonal.
Conclusion: McFate’s is cheap and cheerful. It feels like the bar you and your friends always talked about opening – good food at good prices with an easygoing staff that seems to really enjoy where they work.
Don’t Miss: Communicate when planning your happy hour. There are two McFate’s, both in Scottsdale, and while the beers and vibes are generally the same, the menus and zipcodes are totally different – make sure you and your friends are headed to the same one.
Skip This: The pretzel. It was okay, but if you’re going to spend the carbs, the pizzas looked way better.
Grade: A-
