Dark Horse Tavern, RVC

This is my go to place I always tell people that taverns are the best spots because they have great drinks and amazing food. The first time I went here I found it through groupon and have been hooked ever since. It is a very spacious spot they have happy hour 4-7 on all beers on tap. The pitcher of sangria here is only $16 which is super reasonable. All their prices for food are definitely reasonable and worth the money my favorite it the sweet & spicy Thai wings which are so good with so much flavor. There are plenty of TVs that show several different sports all over the restaurant. The staff is very friendly and welcoming.I would reccomend everyone to give it a try.

Really great place. Old Dark Irish Pub with very good food reasonable prices and excellent service Leah was my bartender and really enjoyed spending Sunday watching football eating great wings drinking Pumpking Beer yummy!

Went with my cousin (Female) yesterday. Mind you, we are in our 40's and just wanted a beer & and some hot wings before the young kids start getting packed in like sardines She felt uncomfortable with the unhealthy amount of tesostrone presented by the young/middle aged staff members. We asked for drinks and we seemed to be almost bothering the staff. Regardless of that, food was pretty good and music was the right vibe. We will try again but hopefully customer service improves.

Nice bar and chicken 🍗 wings was hittin 😋 so many different flavors 😋 👌🏽

Such a good vibe and time. We came during a Friday night for the bar and had the pleasure of being served by Jared. They actually have a curated menu of craft drinks created by him we learned and amazing is an understatement. He was super knowledgeable and friendly and the bar was super fun with great music and vibes. The back of the bar felt like a completely different world — go there. It will make your weekend. Note to management: Just bring Jared there every night and keep the Friday night music for every night and you have yourself the best bar in the world.

Came here on a Thursdays morning at about 1AM. They had 2 people working and there weren't too many people there, yet it still took me almost 8 minutes to get a bottle of beer. Drank about half of it and went out for a cigarette, right out front.Came back in and my beer had been cleared from the bar. The guy told me he thought I'd left even though I was right out front and had left my bookbag on the chair. He offered to buy me another beer but I had to go catch a train. Terrible service, in my opinion.

Unpretentious bar with good food, cold beer, and a friendly staff. Hard to go wrong with that! Perfect. Google is demanding an update and I have nothing new to offer, my previous review stands. Occasional marketing aside this is a no nonsense Irish bar. 'nuff said.

Honestly I have only been to dark horse for their after hours, but my mom had a Groupon so we decided to go to dinner there. It was a GREAT decision. The food was awesome and the service was great. I will definitely come back to eat here!

Today I stopped by the Dark Horse Tavern since I had business in the area. I was greeted by the bartender Ari who was very friendly and professional. I inquired about the beers available and her recommendation was excellent. I had the house burger which was cooked exactly as ordered along with crispy fries. The food was excellent as was the service. I would recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for an enjoyable burger and beer.

Bartender was very rude I even tipped 25 bucks on 50 dollar tab I ordered food after I closed my tab I ordered wings that I tried to cancel after they were taking a ridiculous amount of time I was yelled at and told they don't have people working in the kitchen how am I supposed to know this and if I did I would not have ordered food they also didn't buy anything back so if you want to be treated like garbage and not have any buy backs go there

Great spot with good drinks if you're out late near Rockville center. The only spot and still has better drinks and food than your regular spot. Service is on point and the ambiance is sport bar tv and a good place to just have drinks before or after an event.

Great cocktails and tasty shots! Great atmosphere. Actually love the food. You expect a pub menu but you get much more!

Second stop on our RVC bar crawl. Some more crafts with offerings from Barrier and Great Lakes, but mostly macros on draft. I had a Great Lakes Irish ale. Fair number of TVs and hood vantage points throughout the bar. They have a dart board but it's bring your own darts.

Just your regular bar with really good food. We can in to Game 4 of the finals and grab a couple of drinks. We were able to find seats right in front of the tv which was great and our bartender was swift to bring us our beers. We initially weren't going to get a lot of food but the food looked and smelled so good so we decided to eat. When I tell you our chips gauc were so dang good. The chips came out so warm and I think demolished half of the plate before I touched the guac. The wings were decent but the shrimp was ON POINT, not too spicy not too salty just right! I think I got the burger out of pure greed because I couldn't finish it but it was delicious so I definitely tried. My man happily finished it and he agreed it was good. This will be my new spot to watch any game.

The bar is dark with really loud music. The Playlist is more of an alternative rock, i'm guessing, since that's there demographic, on that part of town. There's a million TV'S . So, you can watch any game, from every league. You can order beers on tap and there's a food menu. We had to ask for it. Then we ate quickly and left.

This bar is awesome! What a random funny little spot. I came the other night after a long night of canoeing and was looking for some late night grub/drinks. The bartenders were all super chill, reminiscent of what you might find at your favorite dive bar. Not only was their kitchen open and their beer ice cold (Guinness bottles, yum!), they also had some super dope live rap performances. These guys crushed it, rapping original song after original song. I had such an unexpected great time and even found myself chatting up with locals on their back patio. I'll def be back the next time I want to throw a few beers back and "chop it up" as they say, with some cool random strangers.

My wife and I wanted to have a few drinks and a snack in town, but our regular spot and a few back-up places were all packed. So we ended up at Dark Horse, which was practically empty, arguably for good reason. They had a nice tap selection, including some local micros. It's a bit more upscale than a dive, but certainly was nothing fancy. So I was somewhat taken aback when I got the check: 2 prosecco (not flat, but barely bubbly) 2 beers, bruscetta flatbread and an order of 8 wings - 70 bucks? Ugh. And the bartender could have been much more professional. She spent most of her time talking to one of the regulars while sitting on the back counter with her feet up on the bar - not a good look. Next time, we'll put up with the crowds somewhere else.

a few months ago, on the LIRR i had a conversation with a stranger and it came to light that i had never been to Dark Horse Tavern despite living here in RVC for several years. i have had the opportunity twice since then, to sit at the bar and enjoy a beer. both times that i went were early Saturday evenings, before 8pm. ( i had dinner plans next door) so i did not have the chance yet to have any of their food offerings, which the regulars informed me is an outstanding menu. the bar staff are efficient and friendly. im fairly certain after 8pm it gets rowdy and loud and crowded and fun if you are into that type of thing.

Wings were good...very cold in here. Beers were silly expensive for Sunday football! Bucket of beer 30$!. Pumpking beer 15$ waaat??

Those glorious mid-twenties days (or nights) were often filled with trips to the town of Rockville Centre, mostly just for drinks. We really did some exploring of bars and spots to hang, but really had our favorites. Dark Horse Tavern wasn't one of them. Well, let me elaborate a bit (and help you to understand the four stars of this review). When you're a little younger, slimmer, other youthful words that end in "er", you might gravitate towards the places that hold the most of these kinds of humans. That had my peoples and I hitting up RJ Daniels for 2-for-1 specials on Friday's while Saturday nights at Kaseys were for shots and doing the semi-club thing. Occasionally Black Thorns, The Beach House (RIP) and Churchill's fell in there, and once we reached the age requirement, we tried out Cabo (that didn't last long). But Dark Horse wasn't in the mix...until one day, when the years had accumulated a bit, and we wanted a more casual scene. Enter one of the best spots for this kind of feeling. Dark Horse really has that grungy tavern vibe while still being of reasonable size to house a decent amount of people (careful of the dart board). Tables, booths, high tops, bar seats. You name it, they've got it (for you to sit in/on). But who's really looking at that? The beer is really what's important. Is it the best menu of brews around town? Nah (Croxleys FTW on that), but their selection is of quality and crafty variety. The other upside is the little outdoor area they have in the back. A few tables and a bar makes up the setting and depending on how many others are with you, it can almost feel like your own private party. Though it's not the kind of fiesta you'll find at all those other alcohol-serving establishments. Nay, Dark Horse is about the casual bar scene, and that's what you get (plus they do serve food here, but this isn't the review to read for that). This review was sparked out of our most recent late night trip where Dark Horse was the focal point of the libation evening (well, after a beer fest in Freeport). Overall, Dark Horse Tavern might not be a spot that you'll want to frequent when you're still young and on the prowl. For me, being in my third decade and not searching for a significant other makes this place one of the better (almost best) option in RVC. If you don't think so, you'll get there, eventually.

Wow what a really great bar. I was hungry too and I wasn't disappointed. Feeling seasonal, I got the pumpkin ale with the brown sugar on the top. They've got a couple of dozen beers on tap here, depending on your mood. I really liked hanging out at the bar with my choice of newspapers to read and beers to drink. My barmaid /server recommended a a specialty Burger that had candied bacon and served on a pretzel bun. I had heard that this was not just a bar but also the place for a good burger .Sold! I paired my burger meal with their yummy Cajun tater tots. I had a great time hanging out at the bar meeting new friends and old. My lunch here was really good especially because I really wanted a great burger today. Did I mention that my burger had candied bacon on it?? I'll be sure to bring my darts next time.

Came here last Monday with some friends for drinks and lunch. I ordered a pumpkin beer. Very good. For food I ordered the pretzels with the Brie (delicious) and the Thai Wings. Everything was good and the bartender was friendly and accommodating!

My boyfriend and I split the Golden Garlic Wings (blend of franks red hot sauce, butter, and roasted garlic). They were too tangy for me. I had the juicy lucy burger with bacon. The bacon tasted microwaved...such a simple thing to fry bacon, people!! It adds so much flavor. The burger and fries were meh. There's much better bar food in the area, might come back for drinks.

Great place to come and relax at the bar for happy hour! They have a lot of different types of beers and ciders on tap. Also, they have good seltzers and canned beverage selections like high noon, white claws, and nurtrls. The bartender was really nice and friendly. TVs were huge to watch sports. Will definitely be back to try their food soon!

Went to the Dark Horse for a little liquid lunch Monday. Had the Garlic Parmasean wings with blue cheese and split the Brie stuffed pretzels with fig jam with a buddy. The wings are definitely up their with the best in the area. The garlic Parmasean seasoning/sauce was amazing. Definitely a favorite. The Brie stuffed pretzels basically just melted in your mouth and the fig jam complimented the pretzel perfectly. Definitely would get it again. Amazing beer and booze selection too.

This place is Awesome!!! Definitely THE place to be on Football Sundays! They have TVs covering the walls inside and you can watch the games at the outside bar as well! Whatever game you're looking to watch, they will absolutely have it on, or put it on for you if you ask. The wait and bar staff are so great! So friendly and accommodating, always ready to fill your glass with another drink! Definitely the best staff in the area! They have a special Football Sunday menu with a bunch of different appetizers that are perfect for snacking while watching the game and drinking! I absolutely recommend you check this place out! I love watching football here on Sundays and will be back very soon!

I was here on Saturday Feb 29th for a Birthday Party. Ive never been to Rockville Center before. S Park Avenue is like a street out of a Hallmark Movie! So quaint and elegant, it actually looked surreal! The Bar itself outside looks great, inside, I love the way the front of the bar has a long bench across the wall and tables to eat at. The crowd was lively, the music was great and the bartenders nice, friendly and very quick. The Birthday party was awesome and if the food was from the Bar itself and not catered from another place, it was awesome! I had a great time here!

Came here on Sunday with a couple of friends to watch some of the football games and grab a beer. They have seats by the bar but also tables throughout so you can sit. They also opened up the garage/window in the front so the bar was the perfect and we had a nice breeze coming through. There are multiple tvs throughout the place so you can watch just about any game you want. We asked the bartender to put on a specific game near our table and it wasn't a problem at all. We didn't order any food but we did get pumpkin beer with cinnamon rim. The bartenders and waitresses were very accommodating and helpful. I will deff be back another Sunday to enjoy some football and beer again soon!

Nice spot. It's not always easy finding a place for Brunch on a Monday afternoon but we lucked out. The avocado toast with pico de gallo was so delicious! A must try. I will be going back just for this. My husband had great things to say about his burger as well.

We came in here for a girls night out and they were unbelievably accommodating. They were able to get a table for all nine of us in their outdoor space which was enclosed and had heat lamps so it wasn't cold. Overall the food and drinks were great. We also ordered a couple of bottles for the table and the prices were very good. Thank you to all the staff for being so helpful and attentive! It was a fun night out for all of us! Will definitely be back once the weather warms up a little bit.

Easy to get to as its right across the street from the large municipal parking lot. The reason we chose to go here was because my friends wanted to play darts. We ordered food and drinks and half the items I ordered from the menu I was told were not available. Considering their menu is all bar food items, I was surprised they didn't have so many items. Food was decent but cocktails were kind of expensive for what they were. Small glasses and shelf liquor. So many other options in the neighborhood.

Came here last weekend with my friend after the bar across the street was dead. Extremely cozy and a great selection of drinks. They have speciality mixed drinks for the winter and I ended up getting three because they were so good. The music was a good selection and not too loud to the point you couldn't talk to people. Also, they had basketball on two TVs even with a soccer game being on. Bless them for that.

Can't beat $0.25 wings on a game night here! So many sauces to choose from, even as hot as ghost chili pepper. The raspberry chipotle was a different flavor but a little spicy and really good. Standard hot was your average Frank's Hot Sauce, but again really good. The fried pickles were the star of the night for me. They're thinly sliced and the batter was nice and flavorful too. We also had the pizza rolls which are like pepperoni & cheese egg rolls. They were OK but a bit too greasy for my liking. Drinks were decent and well poured. There was a gametime special on domestics but the only domestic on tap was PBR, the rest were bottles for $3.

Another pleasant surprise I discovered through Groupon! Because what better way to celebrate my roommate's new job than with craft beers and delicious burgers? Casual atmosphere, and above-average food for a bar! Definitely get the Cajun tater tots. They're very family friendly as well, since I saw some people bring their young children in for dinner. Overall, it's a cool spot to drop into once in a while if you're a local - but not really somewhere to go out of your way for.

If there was an option to select Zero stars this place would definitely receive this rating from me. I came to this bar on a Saturday night to celebrate a friends past birthday. I will say that there was a was a good amount of people in there upon my entrance into this bar and the DJ played a variety of music. My issue with this bar was the bartenders and the security staff. My friend ordered a vodka soda and when served, was given his drink in a beer glass (pint glass) as opposed to a cocktail glass. This oversight definitely affected the taste of the drink by altering the universal ratio of Soda:Alcohol for this simple cocktail. When we brought it to the bartenders attention he answered condescendingly "I've been serving everyone here in these glasses and no ones complaining except you all". After that interaction we decided that we would be better off if we ordered a round of shots as opposed to cocktails, man oh man were we sadly mistaken. Upon ordering our second round of shots the bartender literally wanted to serve us in dirty shot glasses, luckily we noticed just before he poured the shots. My last issues with this bar is with the security staff. The lights to this bar fully illuminated at 03:29 and once they did,the security guards began to shout very loudly " the bar is now closed, everyone leave the building" they seem to not care that the hours of operation posted on the website clearly states that they closed at 4am. I will never ever visit this establishment again.

Let me tell you about the ice cubs! They are solid , hard and cold. If you want an extra spice to your nice drink, ask for their ice cubes !

Stopped in this great little place on a Wednesday night with a coworker after dinner. We liked that the place was open to the street so decided to go in for an afterdinner brew. Sat at the end of the bar and was immediately greeted and served. Bartender was awesome and since we weren't familiar with all of the huge variety of beers they have, he let us try a couple different selections before we ordered. Atmosphere was great. Waitstaff was wonderful too. Music good and not too loud that you can't hear yourself talk. Looks like a great neighborhood bar for regulars and it was perfect for two folks from out of town visiting on business. So great, we were back in the following night for another couple beers and a great time.

Holy figgen smokes. These gosh darn cubes AND THAT SURFACE AREA!!!!!! The gin was up to par and those cubes, oh Lanta. It was like sliced bread!!!!! JFK was shot for this shit!!!

Great place for cheap specials and to watch a game. Pros: .25 cent wings and others cheap deals during games. Excellent wing sauce selection. Friendly staff. Good frozen bar food. Jukebox! I will keep going back for those ghost pepper wings. Cons: The wing quality really isn't great. The food isnt fresh. You order from the bar. Beer selection leaves a lot of be desired. In closing, fun and cheap divey bar for drinks and quick eats. Will definitely be back for those reasons.

Amazing food. Strong drinks. TVs all around. I come here all the time with the Groupon coupon... Its good I get to save a little because when I come here I always eat alotttttttttt. Firecracker shrimp. Bomb. I always wanna order it twice before the meal comes, but I dont cuz I know ima stuff my face with wings and short rib tacos...those tacos... Omg.. That was what initially made us come back after the first time. The service is cool but I dont really see the same waitresses every time I go. My only bad experience was with one of the waitresses, she was extremely THIRSTY AND UNPROFESSIONAL.... couldnt keep her eyes off my man and when I got up to go to the bathroom she went up to him and tried to make small talk... he just brushed her off and told me what happened. I'm not going to let one lonely waitress keep us from having a good time so we've been back like 5 times since then lol. Shiiiiiiit. I recommend this place, I'm Spanish(and I'm not that light skinned) and I've never had problems with service because of my ethnicity. But that's just me, and my 12 or more separate visits there lol.

To put it lightly, if I could give this place negative stars I would. We walked in and it was empty and after the service my party received I can't say I'm surprised. Not a single worker was wearing masks and on top of that every worker was as rude as could be. When I used the restroom it is safe to say hygiene and sanitary precautions are not in there vocabulary... bugs on the floor and covered in filth, very gross. There are so many better restaurants around please stay very far away from here and support the businesses that care about the customers!!

The short rib tacos were good. The sweet potato fries were good. The wings with chipotle bbq lacked actual chipotle. The wings also were like spare pieces from what I don't know. The brunette bartender with the crooked teeth was rude. She was much more interested in the other clients than in keeping all clients happy. She slammed down the drinks to the point where they spilled over and did not clean it up. She made snide remarks as she walked away. I will not be visiting here again. 06/15/16 - Wednesday

Went to the bar on a Wednesday evening it was pretty dead. We just walked in and sat down, our waitress was really good even when it got crowded. We had no utensils on the table at all even when we ordered food and drinks. The drinks were great, they are not cheap with the alcohol and the food was good also. The atmosphere is pretty chill. USE GROUPON if you going to go here

wow. Really enjoyed this place. It's more a bar then a restaurant but still really worth coming for the food. Walked in and sat at a table waiting for another couple. Waitress came over and took our drink order. Very pleasant and personably. Friends arrived and we ordered apps and meals. I had the meatballs crock (good) and fish tacos (awesome). Mrs had the chili and a burger and mac and cheese. All were excellent. Friends had fish and chips, chili and beef tacos. All very good. Selection of tab beers were also very good. Enjoyed the two we ordered and the third round we asked the waitress to pick one. That was was REALLY good. Overall really enjoyed this place and will be back. Try it out. Well worth it.

This place has become a regular once a week lunch stop! They make some of the best wings I've had on the Island!! And for me to say that, means something, since I've lived in Buffalo and had the best at Duff's and The Anchor Bar up there! They cook them just right, nice and crispy on the outside, yet still moist and meaty on the inside!! And they offer many options other than the standard Buffalo style (which is excellent) such as Jamaican Jerk, General Tso, Honey Habanero, Cajun Rub, and many others! I'm working my way through the entire menu and haven't been disappointed yet. They also offer many other lunch options, such as a Juicy Lucy Burger, Tavern Burger, BLT, among others. And on top of the excellent food, they also have a very impressive selection of beer on tap. The daytime bartender, Rachel, is very friendly and professional, she makes wonderful mixed drinks for my daughter, and when my daughter can't make up her mind what to order, she comes up with a delicious surprise for her every time! I don't know how it is here in the evenings, but I can say that if you're in the area at lunchtime, you cant beat this place!! It's great!!

This bar is doing an amazing job with social distancing. I even saw the bouncer go up to a group of people and ask them to sit and put masks on. I felt very safe drinking here.

Best ice cubes you've ever tasted..if you're looking for a good time, you need to stop here for an ice cube. Sounds stupid but I'm telling you these ice cubes are magical. Would I really take the time to write this if the ice cubes weren't amazing? Just go there and order ice, nothing else

The Dark Horse Tavern seemed to be the ONLY spot that had some activity happening on a Wednesday night in RVC. If you like tacos, you should be at The Dark Horse Tavern on a Wednesday because they are only $1.00! Yes...$1.00! You have a choice of chicken or beef, and yes they were yummy! I also walked to the backyard which had a cute set up, benches and a bar. This was my first time here, but every one I met tonight seemed to be regulars. I'm hearing that it gets pretty packed on the weekends & is a lot of fun. The music was controlled through a jukebox and played a nice selection while I was there. The atmosphere was exactly what I needed on a Wednesday night. Not too crowded, great vibe, and fun people.

Their burgers and wings are the best. Prime meat burgers, great drinks, open the latest out of all of the bars. Have not gone to the outdoor part yet. Would have given 4 stars but one burger was too salty. This doesn't usually happen. Will continue to go.

Yikes. What can I say? The service is lousy! Ordered two entrees and an appetizer and all were served at the same time. The food? Completely forgettable. The ambiance? plenty of TV's and that seems to keep the bar flies happy, but even at that they show talking heads when there are games to be watched. The prices? Well. not bad. They have Taco Wednesdays - a taco for $1 each (3 order minimum) ---they're mediocre - a lot of taco shell, light on the fillings (AND they charge extra for a tiny serving of salsa! Holy S**T!) The place is pretty lousy - if you're set on going there - hurry -- probably wont be open much longer.

Went this past Friday to have a drink or 2. Honey BBQ Wings are delish but I was not feeling the potato skins. They put pulled pork inside of the potato. It throws your tastebuds OFF. Well Vodka and cranberry were average. It's just ok.

Came here on Saturday night around 1am with my friends and got so drunk. The place had a lot of people and a live dj. Everyone was friendly and and danced together. Can't really write much because I was intoxicated as you should be at a bar lol

We bought a Groupon for this place when you first walk in it looks like a little bar not a restaurants. We liked that the seats were not on top of each other. We had a really nice waiter named Scott. He was very helpful with the food suggestions and making sure we were ok and happy with everything. We ordered boneless chicken to start they were good. I ordered the Juicy Lucy Burger and onion rings on the pretzel bun. I thought the portion was big and delicious. I'm sure we will be back!

I went to dark horse with two of my friends and asked if they could play a lil uzi song. The dj says, and I quote "we aren't allowed to play music like this-" he called this underground hip hop- "because it will turn up a certain crowd and cause trouble" he proceeds to bump me and say "oh you know what I mean!" No you asshole I do not. Do you mean a crowd that is black? Is that discouraged? Racist as fuck and I won't be back. As a black woman I am offended and disgusted but what did I expect.

This place is your average bar. They do have decent drink specials, and the wings are your typical frozen processed crap. Whatever.

Wednesday they have dollar tacos and great happy hour prices. Great selection of drinks. I love that the front opens up and it feels outdoorsy, great live music. Had their grilled chicken sandwich, it was a big serving a great price!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place always and forever. Amazing music, friendly staff and decently priced dranks. Not to mention I met my man there so I may be partial ;-)