At first glance, MacLaren’s Pub in Berlin Friedrichshain is quite unusual for an Irish pub. Although we find typical green-painted walls, wood paneling and Guinness on tap here, the “Irish pub” theme is only secondary in MacLaren’s Pub.
The special thing about MacLaren’s Pub in Friedrichshain is the absolutely clear reference to the pub of the same name from the TV series “How I Met Your Mother” (abbreviated to HIMYM below). Much to the delight of Christiane, who is a big HIMYM fan. Nico, on the other hand, has never seen a single episode.
When we arrived shortly after 7pm on a Wednesday evening, the pub was almost completely empty. So we had a free choice of seats and chose one of the cozy seating areas with the typical red leather couches.
If you’re waiting for a waiter to place your order here … you can probably wait a long time … because at MacLaren’s you can order easily and conveniently directly at your table using a QR code. Without any waiting times.
After just a few minutes, the first Guinness was already on our table.
Ambience
The MacLaren’s Pub is completely decked out with HIMYM fan merchandise from the outside to the inside. The fact that this is actually an Irish pub goes unnoticed.
Even from the outside, you can see a banner with the words “PUZZLES” next to the actual name of the pub. Ted and Barney chose this name for their bar in a drunken moment. After they came up with the brilliant idea of buying a bar. Barney had the idea: “Everyone would ask why it was called Puzzles, and that would be the question”.
If you look in the window, a Stormtrooper is staring back at you. References to Star Wars and this Stormtrooper figure in particular are also part of the HIMYM story.
Once you arrive at MacLaren’s, a large room opens up in front of you, with more HIMYM merchandise adorning the walls. At the far end of the room hangs a large banner with the words “Intervention”. The yellow umbrella hangs from the ceiling. The swords from Ted’s and Marshall’s apartment hang on the wall. HIMYM fans won’t be able to stop marveling here.
On the left side of the room you will find cozy seating areas that can accommodate up to 5 people. On the right-hand side, there are more small tables that line up to the end of the room and offer space for smaller and larger groups.
The bar is located directly to the right of the entrance. Although you can’t sit directly at the bar here, there are more tables here to accommodate guests. Here, too, you can discover many other small details relating to HIMYM.
Whether motivational posters, intervention banners or a pineapple … every fan will find enough references to HIMYM here. However, if you are looking for other activities in MacLaren’s Pub, such as billiards or darts, you won’t get your money’s worth here.
Later in the evening, there was also live music in MacLaren’s Pub. A singer with a guitar performed a few songs, but moved on after a short time. So anyone hoping for a long evening of live music here will be disappointed.
Friendliness
When we arrived, a member of staff greeted us and pointed out that we were welcome to choose a free seat. The staff at MacLaren’s seem rather cool and unapproachable, which is relatively typical for Friedrichshain. This distance is also supported by the QR code ordering system. This means that we only came into contact with the staff when the food and drinks were delivered.
The orders were delivered super quickly during our visit.
Drinks
In MacLaren’s Pub you can of course get Guinness on tap, as is traditional for an Irish pub. A pint costs €5.90, which is absolutely reasonable for Friedrichshain. In addition to Guinness, we also have our popular Newcastle Brown Ale on tap. MacLaren’s also has an in-house beer called MacLaren’s Pils. However, we did not try this during our visit.
All beers can also be ordered in 1.5 liter pitchers. It is important to know that each pitcher comes with a maximum of 3 glasses.
When it comes to mixed beer drinks, you can find a new combination at MacLaren’s that we haven’t found in any other pub before. It’s the Black Castle, a mixture of Newcastle Brown Ale and Guinness. We ordered it straight away and were impressed by the taste. But what could go wrong here? We just really like Guinness and Newcastle Brown Ale.
The whisky menu includes Irish, Scottish, Canadian and American whiskies.
The MacLaren’s shot menu includes our typical favorites, such as the Baby Guinness. There are also other HIMYM-related shots. For example, there is the Naked Man or the Pineapple Incident. We tried the Naked Man and found it delicious. So why not try out their own shot creations at MacLaren’s Pub.
Food / Snacks
If you go to MacLaren’s Pub in Friedrichshain, we recommend you take a look at the menu. You won’t find any typical Irish dishes here, but you will find mega tasty burgers and hot dogs.
The burger creations are of course also based on HIMYM. You’ll find Barney’s cheeseburger, Marshall’s chili burger or Robin’s fried cheese burger on the menu (why Robin’s burger is vegetarian should perhaps be questioned).
We opted for Ted’s BBQ onion burger and it didn’t disappoint at all. A really tasty burger with onion rings. Served with fries and cole slaw. Absolutely recommendable!
And an absolute eye-catcher from all angles. Nico’s only complaint: he didn’t think the burger was hot enough when it arrived at our table.
Pros & Cons
- How I Met Your Mother style decoration
- Delicious burgers
- Good connection to public transportation
- Live Music
- Credit card payment possible
- No pool billard, darts etc.
- No sports broadcasting
- No pub quiz
Rating
Ambience
Friendliness
Drinks
Snacks
