Muggsy's Mug House

Bar, Eatery

1236 Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland, 21230
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.93
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
4
pDev:
2.8%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of jgasparine
Reviewed by jgasparine from Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Went here for Baltimore Beer Week... they were having their "Hoptopberfest" event all week long. The atmosphere was that of a cozy neighborhood bar- warm, worn and inviting. There was a fantastic range of craft/micro brew on draft... predominantly domestic product... and everything was served in a mug (hence the name of the establishment). Quality was great- everything tasted fresh... nice clean draft lines. Service was prompt and courteous. Definitely would go back if I had some time to kill in Fed Hill...
Oct 19, 2009
Photo of qchic
Reviewed by qchic from Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped by yesterday when i was simply looking to have a beer before another stop. Being a former patron of Sean Bolan's, I was hoping for something at least decent. During happy hour, I found the place to be very welcoming. Right after I walked in, I noticed Southern Tier's Cherry Saison on tap (not my fave beer by them, but that's another story), a sign that they rotate their selection with seasonals and less ubiquitous beers. After grabbing a seat at the bar, the bartender immediately rattled off the specials--all drafts were 3 bucks before 7pm! Great deal for good beer in Federal Swill. Got a hefty mug which very well could be more than a pint, so the place was only getting better in my eyes. After going elsewhere, we ended up returning for a final beer of the night (Loose Cannon) and while they were significantly busier, we received great service once again. Sampled some wings, and they were good enough that I'd have high expectations for the rest of their menu. I will surely return to this comfy neighborhood bar, and hopefully soon :)
Aug 13, 2009
Photo of danadeny
Reviewed by danadeny from Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3
We came across this place when looking for a bar to grab a beer and some food that wasn't too crowded that food would take forever to order. It was the opening day of the NFL season so every bar was packed. This place was nice and casual, and enough TV's to watch the game. The draft beer list was a surprise:

Ephemere, La Chouffe ($6 for about 20oz.), 2 pub dog brews (local beer), 2 clipper city beers (local), a fordham brewing beer, a blue point, 2 flying dogs, and one more local that i didnt know.
All beers are served in big mugs, i would guess about 20oz. and range from $4-6.
Sep 05, 2008
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Well, this place has a long way to go before it ever makes people forget Sean Bolan's, but it does seem as if progress is being made. I was much more impressed with my latest visit to Muggsy's (as opposed to a visit I made back in April when it first opened).

Muggsy's is a small, hole in the wall bar just off of Light Street in Federal Hill. I didn't go upstairs, but I assume it looks pretty much the same as it did when it was Sean Bolans. Upstairs and downstairs, I doubt this place can hold more then 50 or 60 patrons at any one time. The bar area is definitely no frills and is informal. It has sort of run down, seedy vibe to it, but is comfortable enough. The TV situation has improved over the two old sets on the ceiling at either end of the bar back when it was Sean Bolan's. The current bar has three flat screen TV's set over the bar where they are considerably easier to look at.

The beer selection has definitely improved from April, with some of the more interesting selections including the uber pils, Stoudt's american pale ale, doggy style ale and La Chouffe gold. They still have a lot of boring crap on tap as well, but things are definitely getting better. The day I was there, I think they had something like 12 to 15 beers on tap. There were the usual suspects (guinness, bass, marzhon, etc), but as noted above, some interesting things as well.

Service was OK, consisting of several distracted young people on this particular day. It took a bit longer then I thought it should to get my nachos (nearly half an hour), but when they arrived they were fine. The menu looks to consist of the usual pub grub, but with some interesting additions as well (panninis, shepards pie). Prices for beer were VERY reasonable. Both my Chouffe and uber pils came in 12 ounce mugs and cost just $3. Sure, it would have been nice to have my Chouffe served in the correct glassware, but for $3, I'll let them slide on that.

One thing I do wish is that they would update their website from time to time. The website mentions over 50 bottled beers, but then lists around 25 selections. They also note a constantly rotating tap list, but then indicate the list was last updated back in April.

In any event, while certainly not a great place, I had a good time at Muggsy's and would recommend it. Hopefully, over time, it will get better and better. Cheers!
Jul 04, 2008
Muggsy's Mug House in Baltimore, MD
Place rating: 3.93 out of 5 with 4 ratings