Asa L.
Yelp
OVERALL:
-Cool, old-school sports bar vibe with vintage furniture and decor
-Probably great if you're grabbing a drink or hanging out to watch a game
-Don't bother with the food unless you're desperate.
-Service is probably faster if you order at the bar.
ARRIVAL:
Came here in November for dinner because I heard it was a long-running institution with good burgers. My partner and I were looking for somewhere inexpensive to get dinner in the area on a weekday evening before seeing a movie. The atmosphere lived up, but the food and service were disappointing. There were not many people there and most of them were seated at or around the bar. We were one of maybe 3 groups that were sitting at tables.
FOOD/DRINK:
I ordered one of the specialty burgers on the menu. I ordered the burger medium and it was significantly overcooked: burnt on the outside and mostly grey on the inside. I am not picky about the quality of ingredients from a place like this, but the beef tasting low quality on top of the poor preparation made it unjustifiable. The grilled peppers/onions tasted bitter and dirty (I'm not sure if this is something you can taste, but almost like the grill they were cooked on was dirty) and had char marks, but were still raw in the middle. The fries were fine, but forgettable. Essentially, there were too many bad things about the food for me to chalk it up to a bad day. We only had water so we did not try any drinks. The portions were definitely reasonable at least.
SERVICE:
I think we would have had a better time if we had gone back and forth between our table and the bar to order food/drinks. However, we were sat at a table by a woman who came back right away to take our orders so we went along with the table service. She was very friendly and polite. The food came out quickly enough, but we didn't see our server for a while after she dropped off our food (to get ketchup and refills on water). The same thing happened when we were looking to get the check and leave. There were not many other people there and most were seated at the bar. So I'm not sure if she was busy or if it was because we were seated in a booth that was slightly tucked away behind the door to the kitchen.
ATMOSPHERE/AMBIENCE:
The authentic, old-school aesthetic of the place is probably the best reason to stop by, based on my experience. There was a beautiful, wooden bar in that created a rounded square in the center of the room so people could sit at 360 degrees all the way around it. There were televisions all over the room each playing different games or sports channels. The majority of the furniture was made from that dark, heavily-laquered wood that seemed to be built into the floor and walls of the establishment. There were stained glass dividers that separated some of the booths and tables. It feels and looks like the kind of local sports bar from a tv show (like Cheers) that is only sustained by locals and regulars for its simplicity and down to earth charm.
SUGGESTIONS FOR BUSINESS:
-Nothing specific other than to look closer into how food is prepared. I would have loved to come back for a drink or to watch a game if our food was not so bad.