Most reviewers like Karsen's food -- and so did I. Â The patty melt was fresh and tasty, the reuben was just as a reuben should be, and my bottled beer ... well it was bottled beer. Â The service was pleasant and reasonably prompt. Â So why just three stars? Â It's not just that the French fries were soggy.
Clue #1 - Our server was the bartender.
Clue #2 - We were not sitting at the bar.
It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that Karsen's must be a very small place. Â Indeed it is, with six small tables inside, and about eight seats at the bar.
So what's wrong with that? --- Nothing. Â Throughout Spain and Italy bars like this are the main places people go for quick meals. Â But Karsen's takes small to a new level. Â For example, there are no draft beers. Â For example, from your table you get a view of a long untidy corrider leading to the back of the building. Â For example, your one seating option is a bar stool.
In the end, Karsen's feels a bit like a third world beer joint, slightly upgraded, and with food much better than one would expect at such a place. Â Three stars -- that's just about right.
Great fish & chips! Found them on Yelp & liked all the reviews so went over with a girlfriend last night. The fish was fresh & flaky, the french fries were REAL, & the bartender was friendly & the service was great. The location is great in Old Town Scottsdale, and as a new person in town I know it will be a place where I can go alone and feel very comforable. Definitely will be back!
Review Source:Who wants a hug? I do!
That was my reply to our friendly waitress. This place is a small bar with better than expected food and like the other reviews say good service. It's amazing how much sincere, friendly service can make beer taste colder and sandwiches better. Karsen's is now part of the Scottsdale routine.
WOW! I cannot say enough great things about this place! I have been back on more than one occasion since the start of spring training & have tried something from every category on the menu.. & have LOVED every single thing. Everything comes out hot, fresh & looks as good as it tastes! And they don't hold back- you get very generous portions of everything! Can't beat their daily specials either! Great food, reasonable prices, & really good service. If you haven't been there GO & stop missing out on some of the best food in downtown Scottsdale!
Review Source:I actually just placed an order for pick up. Â The place was packed and kind of cramped, but my food was ready as promised right on time. Â I got a chicken sandwich and a burger - 19.06, ouch!
The burger was a bit bland. Â The meat was pretty good, but just needed a little seasoning. Â The onion roll and accompaniments were standard. Â The steak fries were definitely done right - not one of them was limp and not crispy.
The spicy chicken sandwich was very good. Â I liked this a lot better than the burger. Â The coleslaw I got as a side for it though was bland and watery. Â
All in all, its got a hefty price tag but ingredients are good and food is cooked right. Â Nothing a little salt won't fix. Â Place gets packed but the service seems very good considering.
Best bar in Old Town. Â Incredibly friendly staff with delicious Tracy Dempsey desserts. Â Always a great place to meet a character or two.
A couple of my food favorites beyond the desserts are the fresh made soups, any sandwich, and, of course, the nachos. Â Really, you cannot go wrong.
They have a fun Sunday brunch and if you are in town for Spring Training this should be your first stop.
If you can call a place that's been around for over 20 years a hidden gem, then I guess that's a good description of Karsen's. If I hadn't met dayside bartender Heidi at another location I would never have known of this place and I've probably walked by it numerous times in the past.
Located on 1st Street in Old Town Scottsdale, Karsen's is a great place for comfort food like burgers, salads, soups, and patty melts. Karsen's also sports a full bar.
In addition to the food, the other item that's clearly kept Karsen's going all these years is the atmosphere. The staff and the owners clearly know and value their regulars and you can tell that the regulars reciprocate. Even going in as a new customer I was made to feel very welcome and that's the type of service that builds loyalty.
If you want a no-pressure, low key place to get food or drinks in Old Town Scottsdale, check out Karsen's Grill, you won't be disappointed.
Found it by strolling through Old Town, liked the look/feel from the outside and peeked in and like it even more. Â Mah/pop joint for 22 years the last 19 by same two partner's. Â Very friendly bartender and server/owner greeted us immediately, as sat ourselves in this small quaint lil joint, most accompanied by locals, but did have the usual tourist of which we are. Â Full bar, menu of usual bar/grill fare, but we dug it. Â A club sammy and the special today, the pulled pork sammy. Â Both solid, not too anything including grease or sauce so that was nice. Â Great steak cut fries and potato salad to match. Â Bottomless soda and iced tea. Â Great place regularly checking back if we wanted anything, if it was to our liking and offering to top off our drinks. Â We understand the desert is bomb, but didn't have any room for it. Â
Check it out!
Under promises and over delivers! Â Truly homemade, delicious chow. Not your usual pub grub. Yup, it' s a tiny hole in the wall. Â But it' really big on service and excellent adult beverages. Nice surprise was Tracy Dempsey desserts top off the Monday Night Pork Chop Special. Yum. We'll be back. Soon.
Review Source:Perfect local bar wi great food and excellent staff. We met the owners who were having fun with the customers. Heidi, the bartender whips up some great summer drinks. Try the homemade pineapple infused vodka, it taste like pure in rapper juice...watch out, it creeps up quickly. Â Tried the homemade bloody Mary mix.omg...fabulous. The food was really good too. We had the homemade quest dips with fresh chips, French dip was outstanding (au jus, green chile, map,e bacon, prime rib and Boursin), did I already say it was to die for. Â We also tried the wings, teriyaki and buffalo....yummy. Â I give it 4.5 stars because it doesn't have much ambience but the crowd clearly hangs out there a lot
Review Source:Everyone is right that this place is (very) tiny and friendly. Â However, the service is a little slow, and the food just isn't that great. Â I mean, Yelp's "A-OK" description about sums it up. Â Nothing awful, but nothing awesome either. Â My friend tried their signature dish, the Mary Lou. Â Again, nothing great. Â It was okay, but we were expecting something in the burrito style, and it came out more like a quesadilla. Â Also, the flavor of the machaca beef was okay, but I've definitely had way better. Â And yes, I would say that the Mary Lou would feed two people pretty well. Â Basically, I am not sure if I would go back. Â It is rare that I am so entirely ambivalent about a food place, but this place (un)inspires it.
Review Source:One of our personal favorites on the menu is the Green Mary Lou. If you have never heard of one (don't worry, we didn't either) the Green Mary Lou is an extra large flour tortilla stuffed with Queso Dip, topped with Karsen's fabulous homemade Machaca Beef, green chili sauce and Cheddar & Jack Cheese. Wow. But we warn you, it's definitely a meal so come hungry! During the summer, the Green Mary Lou is one of the Cool Summer Specials and at $5, it leaves money still in your wallet for that adult beverage!
See our complete review here...
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fschmoozeaz.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D802&s=c87bc583507e58d6a37916d0c178c18f8d8b749203ebe949bf96d1822f71701d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://schmoozeaz.com/bl…</a>
Tiny little (I guess that's redundant) bar and grill that seems to have a regular following and serves simple, yet tasty food at a decent price.
Stopped in late one night.  Well maybe it was 9 or so, but that's late for me.  I went with the turkey philly spike style (jalapeño and green chiles) and potato salad.  The potato salad (house-made) was pretty good, and I'm extremely hard to please with that.  The philly was better than I expected considering it was smoked turkey and not ribeye, and the jalapeño and chiles definitely made it better!
I can't remember the name of the guy working that evening, but he was awesome. Â Even though he was tasked with both tending bar and waiting tables, actually one table, he was on top of things and made us feel like regulars. Â In fact, I'm wondering now why I haven't been back. Â Will have to rectify that soon!
KARSENS: Â Its great M-SUNDAY. Â It doesn't matter what time you got, who is there. Â When you visit Karsen's you are part of the family. Â The bartender Heidi talks to you and makes you feel important and valued (BECAUSE YOU ARE), as well as the owner who bar tends. Â He is golden. Â He might not remember your name, but he remembers YOU, and loves seeing new visitors.
Karsens has so many regulars, I swear everytime I'm in there I see alot of the same dudes at the bar, shootin the shit about ANyTHING, and you don't have to know them, just chime right in. Â THE people include you in the family, as well as the staff.
Did I mention the food is fantastic. Â I don't know what goes on in the kitchen, but the guy back there is MAGIC with everything I have had there, CHILI, ChZ Burger, Reuben.....everything!
CHE SE DICE
Karsen's Grill is the greatest little joint in Scottsdale. Â Fabulous burgers, great sandwiches and surprisingly good salads. Â It's really small, but you'll feet like an old-timer on your first visit. Â Very pleasant staff. Â I used to live live in Scottsdale and was a regular customer. Â I miss Karsen's Grill!
Review Source:Love, love, love this neighborhood bar. There's no signs of Ikea or strappy sandals around only flip flops, good food & tastey drinks. It's seriously the best neighborhood bar in all of the Phoenix area in my opinon. The service is attentive & nice. The food all tastes home made. I haven't tried the Sunday FREE breakfast buffet yet simply because I've either enjoyed Saturday too much & I'm still sleeping or someone has scraped me off of my bed too early for church. But one of these days I'm going to make it. Mark my words I'm going to make it. So if you can & are in the old town Scottsdale area stop by say hello to everyone & pull up a stool & watch some sports or just catch up with someone. If your agenda is chill, nosh & have a drink this is your place. Try the grape crush tall on the rocks. It's refreshing & goes down like grape koolaid. Now go & chill you'll thank me later.
Review Source:Came across this while walking Old Town Scottsdale. Â We were having trouble finding a place open for a late lunch at 3pm, so we picked this.
The bartender is the server and the inside seating is all bar stools and high tables so this is not the best place for comfort. Â We both ordered chesseburgers that were fantastic. Â They have a few TV's on with sports and the staff was very friendly. Â I would suggest this if you want a burger and don't mind sitting on bar stools. Â I do think there were tables outside but we did not chose to sit outside.
Wandered in here quite by chance on a Friday night. We had been at Rusty Spur most of the evening. Got out to wandering around and found ourselves here, after initially passing it once, we returned.
Such a small down to earth, charming spot with a few tables and about 8 stools at the bar. It had a crowd of mostly regulars, but being that is was such a small place it wasn't crowded while we were there. They had a small flat screen in the corner playing the Suns game and several people popped in to pick up phone orders and take food to-go.
Seeing that we decided to supplement our liquid dinner with a shared chicken strip plate. Over all it was good, the chicken tenders and the fries were cooked to order and they served with our choice of both BBQ sauce and ranch. Hit the spot.
Service was prompt and very friendly (sorry but I can't recall the man's name who was tending bar...my attention was elsewhere). But I would be sure to go back when he was working.
Excellent little gem of a neighborhood restaurant! Their sandwich bread is amazing and their sandwiches are huge! The main bartender/waiter who was there on Monday was the friendliest guy and made us feel welcome the minute we walked in the door. This place is tiny, but what it lacks in space it makes up for with the food! I highly recommend this grill to anyone in the Scottsdale area!
Review Source:I must have walked past this place hundreds of times before I even knew it was there. Â I was invited here for a meeting of a local pet welfare group I'm involved with. Â Our meeting was a small group, so this place was perfect. Â
Great location, great food, great prices and great service. Â They even have a $5 food menu.
Cons - Very small. Â Seats maybe 20 people.
Karsen's Grill is a great  little spot to go, their food  is great and most of the bartenders are friendly.  With the exception of one bartender I can't  which her name is Liz, she's such a cold fish.  Her attitude is she's doing you a favor by serving you.   I've been a frequent out-of-town customer and never a friendly welcome.  Conversations etc is to be about or evolved about her she doesn't take interest in anyone else,
Review Source:since introduced to KG's over 10 years ago (by Big Pete of Oregano's) i've been a huge fan and always sure to visit when i'm in town. stopping by is like visiting an old friend (the place is uber small) where you say hi to John or TR behind the bar and they remember you.
a little (pun intended) description: its a small bar that serves OK food (burgers and the like). very basic TV's. Most importantly, its where your likely to find yourself making new friends. It's frequented by local restaurant owners and staff (front and back of house), professional baseball umpires and other interesting folks.
The Monday Night Pork Chop Special (MNPCS) was really good, as were the mashed potatoes! My mates tried the Turkey Ruben and the Club Sandwich - both were said to be quite edible...
This is a very affordable dinner for the old town area.
I saw what looked to be several "regulars" hanging at the bar.
Karsen's will also deliver to several local bars that don't serve food! (J Chew, Rusty Spur, Patties...) Also note that this place is TINY.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.manta.com%2Fcoms2%2Fdnbcompany_035ff3&s=aeaf26a4f5777d1519d12a085019cb8a403fb9e602c8f52e5891ab2adc0224be" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.manta.com/com…</a>
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
