Mac’s Proper Pub – Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series

In this week’s edition of Spiciest Dish in Columbus, we headed to the Short North to explore Mac’s Proper Pub, the revamped restaurant touting the “No Refund Hot” wings.

When we lived in the downtown area we visited Mac’s several times and have to say we do enjoy the recent renovations. The large open window leading out to high street and the updated interior are a nice touch and it feels less cramped. Located in the heart of the Short North, it’s a decent pub, but hard to stand out with all of the surrounding restaurants.

Seating ourselves, we chose a booth and ordered some beverages. Any time we try a “spiciest dish” in Columbus, a wave of panic washes over me. I start thinking about my next day and whether or not I have anything important that I need to do or if sprinting to a restroom is acceptable. My experience at Mac’s was no different, especially with all of the Reddit comments we had seen around the heat level. We asked our waitress about the wings and what makes them hot. She didn’t know initially, but went and checked for us (props to her!). There was something about a different that had been used that was straight ghost peppers but that one ran out so now it’s a mix of cayenne, chipotle, habanero and ghost peppers. Here they are in their No Refund glory.

Caked on nice and thick, you can still see the seeds of one of the peppers. The lady of the farm could smell them from across the table, wincing and looking at me like I was insane (I am, but for other reasons than just eating hot things). First off, these flats are huge, probably the biggest in Columbus. I’m not sure what they gave the chickens that they served me, but whatever hormone is in there, I’m on board. The drums are a bit smaller and the meat was tougher to get off, but a decent cook overall.

Now for the heat level. While our top two spiciest dishes both use Carolina Reapers in a buffalo-type sauce or BBQ sauce, there isn’t a whole lot of style with the No Refund wings. There’s a hint of vinegar, but we couldn’t place much else in terms of flavor outside of the hotness and rawness of the peppers involved. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in most cases I like more flavor to be in my spicy dishes. After the first couple of wings, my nose started to run a little and by the end was in full-on drip mode.

The lady of the farm braved a bite of the chicken and took it like a champ. She agreed on the flavor front that it mainly tasted hot and that it wasn’t overly spicy. A full plate definitely wears you down, but are these wings the spiciest dish in Columbus?

Proof that they were eaten.

The answer is no. While the pepper punch combo in this sauce is a lot to handle, we’re placing it at number four just below the Fukuryu Red Dragon Ramen. These wings are not for the weak-willed and we can definitely see why they are called “No Refund” especially after the story OH Pizza and Brew told us last week about customers thinking they were being poisoned.

One of the downsides of such a pepper-heavy sauce is the next day. People often talk about a ring of fire and this one definitely had me questioning my life choices. The one-two punch of sauerkraut balls and these wings did a number on me and puts the No Refund wing close to the top in terms of long-term pain scale. The linger of the sauce wasn’t bad, but the aftermath is another story.

Sauerkraut balls were great by the way. And the potato wedges the lady of the farm got were also well cooked. There was a chicken sandwich floating around that looked pretty good, so there are definitely some tasty things to try at Mac’s Proper Pub. You can find Mac’s at 693 North High Street Columbus, Ohio.

Look below for more in our spiciest dish in Columbus series and hit us up if you have any suggestions that are not already on our list!

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram or contact us via our contact page.

More From Our Quest To Find The Spiciest Dish