Duffy's Sports Grill of North Miami Beach

Went there on a weekday afternoon to actually sit facing the water in South Florida. You would think that Miami Beach would have many waterfront restaurants but they are actually hard to find. Drove over the inter-coastal for this one.

I have been coming to this location for over 15 years. Every few years it changes names, changes ownership, and tries to reinvent itself but it is always a burger and fried food joint with a Tiki Bar and sometimes an actual pool. Just what I want so it does not matter what it is called.

This place is enormous and most want to sit outside facing the hum of the bridge and the occasional boat that goes by. We had the fried mushrooms to start... huge portion and tasty. Next. we followed with crab cakes and coconut shrimps, each one comes with two sides. I recommend the corn on the cob to complete the beach/clambake effect. Seafood and waterfront; just what we wanted. The best part was that every day and almost every hour is happy hour! Drinks are always buy one get one free. I could spend the rest of the day here with just $20.

The only thing that kind of disappointed me was that we were not informed about the importance of a Duffy's Card.  We were asked when seated if we had one and when we said "No" the waitress did not offer to sign us up nor did she explain why it was so IMPORTANT to us at that moment. You see, on weekdays between 2-4pm, if you have a free Duffy's Card, you get 40% off your food bill. That is a great deal and that is a very big deal. She should have told us about this. That is a little shady. She knew. Why not just get us the application and have us fill it out while we're enjoying our drinks? Why do I need to find out about this online after I have left when I am checking out the rest of their menu online?

That pissed me off a little. Not good customer relations or employee training. Or maybe it IS good employee training because they really don't want you to know. You decide.

This place is about the worst. I went there to have a drink with a friend and we sat at the bar outside. I had a draft beer and she had a strawberry margarita. You get 2 of whatever you order but they are priced for 2 so basically you can't just order one drink. A domestic beer in a plastic cup is $4.50 plus tax and tip. The other drink was $9. The beer wasn't that cold when I got it and it is in a plastic cup so it was warm in like 15 minutes so I couldn't finish either of them. They put the "margarita" in the same cups so it is mostly a cup of ice with kool-aid. I tried it too and it just taste like water and a little sugar. You couldn't even taste the alcohol. It's like 14 oz of juice and 1.5 oz of well alcohol. My friend tried to order a steak and they didn't have it so I decided we should go some place else. It is a bad sign of what is going on in the kitchen if the chef runs out of what is probably one of the more popular menu items. If they can't manage that probably they don't manage the cleanliness either. You need to wash your hands after you handle the menu because it sticks to you. Last but not least they let kids in the pool. Bars are for grown-ups. Once I went there and there was a lady at the bar drinking with a child in her lap. Poor judgement.

I love Duffy's. However, I rate three stars for the subpar service and management. Generally the waiters and waitresses do a good job or at least try to (sometimes). I've had great and bad, but I feel they are under staffed and not supported well by their management. I've had substantial issues on two occasions while celebrating with family members, but the details would get wordy. In the end the management just seemed unapologetic and lacked empathy or care.
I continue to go to Duffy's bc I love the food and the view. Two for ones aren't bad either.
If you go for a sporting event be prepared to wait, for everything, a table, a drink, your check, etc.