Mac's Speed Shop

Wynn Davis and Hall Johnston opened the original Mac's on May 5, 2005, after buying a run-down motor shop and gathering a team to turn it into a restaurant. The South End site started a business that later spread to other cities. Its motorcycle connection comes from the founders' interests and the building's earlier life.

Down South Rolls fold pulled pork, slaw and macaroni and cheese into fried egg rolls with chipotle crema. The Smokehouse Dip layers smoked brisket, peppers, onions, American cheese and horseradish cream into a hoagie, with smoky jus for dipping. The kitchen makes its sauces and dressings from scratch, and the meat menu distinguishes twelve-hour pulled pork from eight-hour brisket and six-hour ribs.

A weekday visit between eleven and two offers a more economical lunch: the dine-in Speed Lunch includes a chicken quarter, tavern burger or chili-and-salad combination. Regular platters come with two sides, toast and pickled onions. Apple-pie egg rolls with vanilla ice cream carry the playful approach through dessert, while the South End location's calendar is the place to check for a particular night's music.