McBrides onthe Square

McBrides on the Square has traded from the same corner of Comber's Square since 1975, run today by Ivan and Iris McBride, the second generation of the family to hold the licence. The pub combines a ground-floor bar and off-licence with a first-floor restaurant, giving it a dual role as a drinking spot for regulars and a dining stop for visitors to the town. The bar stocks a standard range of draught beers, wines and spirits, with televised sport a fixture on quieter afternoons, while the upstairs room serves a more structured menu overlooking the Square below. CAMRA lists the pub among its recommended Northern Ireland venues. The business has stayed in family hands across both generations without expanding beyond its Comber premises, distinguishing it from branded bar groups operating elsewhere in County Down. Locals describe it as a fixture of the town rather than a destination pub, valued for consistency and for hosting community occasions across five decades of continuous trading on the same site.