this place really sucks to be honest with you. i just witness somebody spending a lot of money getting really hurt by one of the security guards for no reason. i hope the really improve on that because me as a witness customer i would not wanna come back to this place if things like this happen. it was my first time and gonna write a police report about it and probably take them to court for it, and never come back to this place. very poor place in customer service and would not recomend this to anybody
Review Source:Being here for the NHL Finals was quite fun! Being that I was visiting from LA, & The Kings were up against The New Jersey Devils. Everyone in there were of course cheering for the losing team :p My bf and I were the only ones cheering on The Kings! GO KINGS GO!
This bar is located in Sterling, Va. so that being said, after visiting there for 2 weeks I noticed this town is like those small towns you see on TV where everyone knows each other. It's amazing, I didn't know those places actually existed. lol.
Anyways, the food was pretty good actually...Their hot wings were really great and the burgers were decent. The drinks are averaged priced. I love this one craft beer they sold, called The Devil's Backbone. It was very hoppy, yet tasty.
I didn't like the fact, that we had to pay a $10 cover charge because some crappy cover band was playing there that night; And the security at the door were completely rude. Also, the bartenders could be a little nicer, smile a little more ya know!? :) We did make friends with these drunk, old, hick guys at the bar who must have had at least 20 Jager Bombs & quite a few beers in the 3 hours we were there. That was interesting. lol.
I hate giving this place 2 stars because I come here almost every week for their dollar beers, but that is the only reason why I go back. Dollar beers. Don't let the sign when you first walk in fool you, there is no way this bar could have been voted #1 in the area.
I'm friends with the thursday night bartenders, and a couple of the bouncers and waitresses, and don't want to hurt their business, but I'm honest.
Like another reviewer said, there is no reason why the bar should be named Mahalo Cove. There is not a whole lot going on decor wise to tie it to Hawaiian themes. The tables and wall decorations maybe, but the whole place needs a serious rennovation. I would LOVE to call Bar Rescue to come in and give this place new life.
In the summer, the place is usually full. But this is Sterling, and you get a lot of hood rats and bike gangs and drunk idiots. I almost always witness fights breaking out, but honestly it just makes the place interesting, which is kind of sad. During the summer, they have 2 DJs. The one outside on the smoking deck is, in my opinion, the better DJ who should be inside. He plays the music you can really dance to, and who wants to dance outside on a full patio with people smoking? It seems a bit dangerous. The DJ inside was terrible. He played 80's music which I cannot STAND and then he progresses to the modern day stuff but it's ALWAYS the same music. I could probably recite the whole playlist. In the winter, this place is really really dead.
The waitresses really need to be trained in how to do their job better. They check on the tables sometimes rarely, and they are pushy when it comes to ordering from the bar when you sit at their tables. My boyfriend had a very big issue last December where our waitress was paid $300 in cash, the extra 100 being for a nice tip because it was her birthday. She ran the card for $1 and then claimed she lost it. Then we found out it had been charged $300, and it literally took more than a month to get the issue resolved. Every time my boyfriend tried to go in to talk to the manager, they would tell him something different, like "the manager will be in at 11" then suddenly he wasn't in at all. This went on for weeks. They finally found his card in the cashier drawer, so the waitress obviously was trying to steal from him because why couldn't she find it there in the first place?? Because of this, we do not order from the waitresses if we can help it. Yet there is no other option because the bar is almost always full of people and there are no other places to sit.
The food was alright but is steadily getting worse. The only thing I always find to be good is the cheesesteak egg rolls. I got the beach house salad for awhile but it was never consistent. Sometimes it would be good, sometimes it was terrible. Once I asked for it without tomatoes and found bits of tomato scattered in it, so obviously someone just picked it out. The waitress noticed the small pile of tomatoes, laughed and apologized, and I told her it wasn't a big deal because I wasn't allergic, but if I had been, I would have been really pissed off. I tried the fish tacos once...ONCE. Do not, EVER, get them. They are beyond strange. The "tacos" are some puffy things that you can't really eat with utensils or your hands. The seasoning of the fish clashed and was offensive to the taste buds. I used to be a fan of the cheesesteak before I started eating healthy, but the last time I tried to get it, they told me they were out fries (WHO RUNS OUT OF FRIES??) and out of cheesesteak.
So if you want to go somewhere for dollar beers, this is the only place I have found in the area.
Great place to come listen to live music. Saturday is live band night, Thursday through Friday they have decent DJs. They have pool tables and dartboards. A huge deck. Casual attire is acceptable and you will fit right in with your flipy floppies. The food is decent, try the pizza. Beer is cold and they have a huge variety. The locals come here and have a great time. LCDs and Projectors to watch sports.
See you next time at The Mahalo Cove.
It seems that some of the reviews may be based on not knowing when to go, which is totally understandable because I was a bit caught off guard this week when entering Mahalo. Â
The best way to review Mahalo is to break it down as its good for some things and not others.
When to go:
-you want to party casually in flip flops, tshirt, and shorts
-drink for a decent price in northern virginia
-summer afternoons to watch the game or catch up with friends.
-to have a good time with your group of friends
When not to go:
-you want a nice sit down dinner. Â That's not to say that the food is bad because, the appetizers are really tasty. Â But if you want to take your folks, wife, g/f, etc to a nice cozy dinner go to a traditional sit down restaurant.
-you're just "not in the mood for all that." This place isn't always quiet. Â It can be loud, flirty, and if you're not in the mood obnoxious.
Staff- The waitress kept the beers coming, after a bit asked me if I was hungry and wanted to order something to eat. Â SIDE NOTE: If you are starving and need food fast, tell the waitress- otherwise it may be a bit before she comes back. Â They don't rush you- they'll bring your drinks, and circle back later after you've had some time to settle in. Â
Therefore, I give four stars because I'll be back but now I know under which circumstances.
What in the HECK is going on with the reviews here??? Â Some overly harsh reviews that seem pretty out of touch with reality. Â We are talking about Sterling here, and not Hawaii. Â For Sterling, and the immediate area, this place is great. Â
So, to clear up some confusion:
1. Â I've never had anything bad to eat here, and everything has been fresh. Â Their menu definitely goes beyond bar food. Â
Their burgers are awesome and CHEAP when they are on special, the fries that come with it are as close to McDonald's fries I've ever had away from a McDonald's which is a great thing. Â Their monte cristo sandwich is fantastic, and just like they used to be at Bennigan's before that chain went under and the dipping sauce tops it off really nicely. Â The fish and chips taste fresh and have to be hand dipped, and are pretty darn good too. Â Girlfriend likes their salads with some sort of a mango vinaigrette that tastes really nice. Â
2. They have beers on tap here that you aren't likely to find elsewhere. Â I don't want to drink cheap garbage Miller Light or Bud all night long, and I definitely appreciate the variety. Â They've got some seriously unique brews on tap for a decent price, especially for the large size. Â On Thursday they do have cheap bottles if that's your sort of thing. Â
3. Their bands aren't no name bands, and I've always had a good time when I've come here. Â
4. The service has always been incredibly attentive and efficient, even when it is crowded. Â The bartenders will remember your name, which is a nice touch. Â Food seems to come out quickly, and the owner has come by our tables a few times to see if everything was okay and we needed anything. Â Nice guy. Â
5. Pool tables, shuffleboard, and darts if you want to play. Â If you want to come here just to chill and watch the game, it really is good for that as well. Â They've got a ton of TVs to watch. Â
Come on guys, this place is great. Please don't pretend like it is something that it isn't, and doesn't even try to be. Â Come on back down to earth....
This place is like a lifeline in the middle of suburban hell.
Speaking as a frustrated and bored dweller of Sterling, this bar is the best place around here. Â It's actually a chill place to hang out. Â I usually go into DC ... or Reston Town Center if I'm feeling bored and want to spend a lot of money for a make-believe city with no personality. Â
I was surprised the first time my friend and I walked in... there was loud thumping music, a ton of people, cool lights inside, a DJ, a dance floor (which actually got some use later in the night), pool tables, darts, shuffleboard, and a great theme/vibe. Â I felt like I was in an island bar, and it was cold outside. Â It kinda hit the spot. Â
We kept laughing, wondering if someone had taken a bar out of the city and plopped it down in Sterling. Â It was hidden way off in the corner of a shopping center, like it had no business being there. Â The only thing to complain about is the food. Â It's uninspiring bar food. Â I don't mind because I wouldn't go there to eat.
Went there for dinner with my wife last night. Â Is it a place I will keep on my short list? No. Â Will we go back if we are in the area and want to grab a quick bite to eat? Â Yes. Don't let the name fool you. Â The closest thing to Hawaii was the shirt I had on. Â The meals lacked salt and if you like salt free meals, this place will be a keeper. The best part of the meal was the warm chocolate cake with ice cream. Â While not a dessert fan, this one was especially good.
Review Source:My husband and I are always looking for new places to eat. Â I actually found this through Groupon. I probably never would have tried it if it wasn't for Groupon. Â We got there fairly early and were quite skeptical when we walked in. Â The place was empty and this was the weekend before Halloween. Â Little did we know, the place gets busier after 9pm.
Our Groupon included an appetizer, 2 entrees, and a dessert. Â The menu is NOT extensive and it's predominately bar/pub kind of food. Â We got the Mahi Mahi and the steak. Â The steak was cooked perfectly, and the Mahi Mahi was yumm-o. Â For dessert we split the Chocolate Lava cake and that was delicious. Â
Our service was great and the waitress was super friendly. Â Because they have all different kinds of beer that they change regularly, she was nice enough to let us sample a few before we settled on one. Â She also gave us recommendations for favorite dishes.
Again, even though the menu wasn't elaborate, and you shouldn't expect much when you walk in the door, we were surprisingly satisfied with our service and meal.
Lastly, the owner walked around and asked how everything was and was super friendly.
I would definitely go back!
So sad and VERY unprofessional...
A group of us went in after a concert 2 weekends ago. Â The service was pretty slow, but we were still making the best of it. Â Enjoyed the songs the DJ was playing....BUT at the end of the night some arrogant man started yelling "get the F*** out, everybody get the f*** out. Â My husband and I were shocked. Â Yes, we are at a bar and expect to hear patrons talk like that a little but when we found out it was the manager/ OWNER we were appalled! Â When my husband and I decided to tell him we had a good time overall but for his language we are deciding to not ever come back he told us that was fine and to get out. Â Of my 10 years of going to bars here and there I have NEVER heard or talked to a more unprofessional OWNER ever! Â Low class I'm sorry to say. Â Everyone, go somewhere else.
My wife and I were in Sterling and looking for a place to eat. Â We found this place and decided to go in. Â While in, I looked at the Yelp reviews - not good; discounting the bar part (I was looking more at the restaurant reviews). Â But, we were hungry and most of the stuff around was already closed, so hey, may as well.
I am glad to say my expectations were surpassed. Â I love tiki bars (well, technically tiki restaurants, but it's all the same, really). Â Having lived in Hawaii for seven years, there's no way this place is going to be confused for a joint in Waipahu or Kaneohe...or even the Keys (Waikiki, for the tourists), for that matter. Â No matter, it was okay.
While the waitress did take some time to get to us, once she did, she was on the ball and very attentive. Â The food was great (the Guinesss BBQ shrimp were to die for, and OMG I haven't had loco moco in a while (though where's the two scoop rice and the potato/mac salad?) and the drinks were plentiful. Â
Strangely enough, for a place laid out like a restaurant, I think they underplay the restaurant part and they should focus on that; it seems to be their strength. Â Also, I'm not quite sure that it's a sports bar; I think it's more of a bar and grill. Â Either way, it's a place to go. Â As for us, we're happily impressed and will gladly return. Â It's da kine, brah!
i can always rely on this place for a game of billiards or watch a UFC fight on a saturday night but then they started charging cover, $5 bucks. not cool. its never crowded so no need to cover. Â the waitstaff always are attentive when im there and they offer jello shots. Â on occasion they have theme nights but mostly during the weekday. Â the people are locals i see native to sterling like me. Â the prices are decent. Â if you order anything, may i suggest the big ole nachos? Â the crowd is hit or miss (mostly miss). Â i actually went on a saturday nite in the middle of summer and counted 6 other people. Â another time there was crowd of people in the table next just drinking it up. Â then around midnite when i was going home i found one of the girls drunk and half passed out about 30 feet from the establishment. Â she was so lucky im a nice guy and i stayed with her and kept her purse safe until her friends realized she had been gone for some time.
Review Source:My experience with Mahalo Cove was not a good one. Â The food and drink were good, but the management interaction was terrible when I had an issue. Â There is a lot more to the story that used to be posted here, but I got tired of the childish interaction with the restaurant on this board and decided to condense my review. Â While not all the information in the management response below is accurate, I've decided to move on to more important things. Â Although others may have had perfectly fine experiences with this restaurant, mine was an extremely negative and ugly one that I will never forget. Â For this reason, I would not recommend this restaurant. Â You can make your own call....
Review Source:I go there for the pool and the atmosphere. Â The service there is HORRIBLE! Â There's one bartender (guy with long hair) who's great, but the other bartenders are aloof and the waitresses are too busy flirting and texting to be bothered with taking orders. Â I seriously had to just about run the waitresses down to get service and then they still just did the bare minimum! Â If I go there again, I'll only give my business to that one bartender, the other people . . . the only tip they deserve is to switch professions.
Review Source:Two and a half star bar review. Â This place is in one of the smaller standalone buildings in the shopping center. Â Fulfilled my need to drink late at night near work. Â The crowd is mostly local dudes who are regular enough to know each other by name, with maybe 3 other women who just needed to get their drink on. Â Two clean bathroom stalls, both clean. Â Smoking patio hardly ever deserted. Â Some guy was playing covers on his guitar until midnight, when it switched to old school rock until one of the drunk suburbian fathers felt the need to karaoke. Â Decoration choices aside, my Red Bull and vodka was of average strength, and not quite as tasty as the raspberry iced tea & vodka cocktail the bartender/owner whipped up for me and Brian. Â I feel bad since Rick was so nice, but I probably won't be back to check out the food... better bars to be found elsewhere, even that far out towards nowhere.
Review Source:Oh, Mahalo Cove.
The night scene here sucks. Why would I want to spend a Saturday evening in Sterling, where I bump into people from high school as well as (mostly) unattractive and creepy townies. The food here is pretty disgusting...I mean it tastes alright but doesn't have pleasant after effects. I always get good service, but I think that it's because people like my face, and that this place is just a sea of ugly/overweight people.
Yep, that...pretty much sums it up.
Haven't been to this place in a while but thought I would give it a chance since I heard the menu changed and they serve Moco-Loco's. Sad but the only thing Hawaiian about this place is the name. Why would you serve white gravy over a Moco which traditionally has brown gravy, I was so excited but went limp when I saw it... Sad this place could be proper. Dinner took about 1hr 30min for just an entree our waitress sucked! She took everyones order I mean everyone instead of taking an order and input into the computer took forever. Drinks are good and cheap but what happened to the wait staff. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time unless you want to play games or pool and even that is sub par. Pool tables still suck and so is the league there, wish that would move else where. Maybe in another life!
Review Source:When this was Bungalow Billiards, I would have given it 4 stars. Â
Even with the new name (and presumably new owners), the place has a few redeeming qualities and very tasty chicken quesadillas.
They have New Castle on tap, a big plus to me, but last time I went it tasted flat...and generally crappy...very strange. Â I suspect they have some quality control issues.
They also used to have darts. Â However, when I asked to play, the waitress said "they lost them." Â Um...how about spend $20 and buy some new ones?!
The waitress also swapped my credit card with another customers which I didn't catch until the next day, so it was a major pain in the neck for me (and the other guy). Â I know these things happen, but...still!
The pool tables are okay and in reasonably good shape.
The waitress told me they also have Texas Hold'Em on Sundays and Mondays...no fee and a $100 to $150 pot. Â If this is true, I'll bump them up to three stars.
$2.50 buds, that's it. Atmosphere was very smokey. We waited around 25 minutes after we ordered for our food to arrive, and this was at 5:30 when all the other customers were at the bar. The food was not bad, but not great. If it wasn't for the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificate I wouldn't have stayed.
Review Source:Nothing makes me happier that $1 beers. That's their happy hour special on Thursdays. Can't find them cheaper anywhere else...unless you're in Mexico...LOL
I would give it 5 stars if I were a smoker. Everyone below is correct about the powerful and penetrating smoke fumes. You have to put your clothes in the hamper when you get home because the smoke smell is so profound that you can't just air it off.
We have never had bad service probably because we come here almost every Thursday, more days during the summer. Plus its so cute how they serve your drinks in "honey jars" (that's what they look like to me). And of course the prices are decent. Each night they have good drinks and/or munchies specials.
There's nothing Islandly about the place but who cares, I'm here to drink! But they do have pool tables if you're into that.
A smokey bar that doesn't let anyone under 21 play on their billiards tables or sit at their bar. Therefore, my review is only on the food. Â Mahalo cove has some delicious burgers and ok wings; however, it is difficult to enjoy when all you smell is smoke. I will not take off any points for the smell since it is a bar and at a bar you should bge able to smoke. Although most happy hour(5pm - 8pm) specials are on drinks, there are some food deals: On Mondays wings are 25c each and on Tuesdays all burgers are half price. I work nearby so I often take advantage of these, even though my co-workers are confused why their non-smoking buddy smells like an ashtray after his breaks.
Review Source:My hubby & I found a sitter & ended up going to play pool at Mahalo Cove. We had some fries (a bit soggy & had a stale taste) and a few drinks. The smoke was unbearable, but we sucked it up (we were finally alone - and not at Chuck E Cheese's). If it weren't for me beating my hubby at pool several times, I would've said that it sucked!! Oh, but the lingering smoke in my jacket and skin was a cruel reminder of that night. Definitely NOT impressed ... I think next time we'll hit the movies.
Review Source:I came to Mahalo Cove with three friends, expecting to find "Bungalow Billiards"... I guess the name changed at some point, but everything inside was exactly the same... except maybe the prices.
Let's start with the facts: 4 people. 1 pool table. 8 Bud Lights. 2 Hours. $100, including a begrudging tip. That breaks down into $50 for the beers and $50 for the pool. Definitely steep after the review I'm about to leave.
Upon arrival, I tried to get us some beer at the bar, and was quickly turned away, noting that a waitress would serve us shortly. A waitress saw me leaving the bar and helped us quickly; after that, she was not extremely attentive.
We did not try the food, but did have some draft Bud Lights which were served in "Ball jars"... decent size, $5 each.
The pool tables, of which there were about a dozen, were in good condition, though pretty close together. (We spent a good amount of time waiting for our neighbors to take their shots.) There were not enough cue sticks (we had to share) and those that were available were slightly warped with poor tips.
The pool hall pricing scheme was unconventional, charging by the person and the hour, seemingly penalizing the groups you'd think they'd want to attract. I believe it was $6/hr for the first person, $6/hr for the second person, $4/hr for the third person, $4/hr for the fourth person... and then the price went up as it got later. (Their pool prices are conveniently not on their website.)
The bathrooms were a disaster -- very "pool hall typical" with mystery liquids on the floor and archaic soap and paper towel dispensers.
I know that smoking in bars is legal in Virginia, but the lack of ventilation made this venue the smokiest I've been to in about a year.
When it came time for the check, we waited around for 15 minutes before getting our surprisingly large bill. After some discussion about tipping etiquette, we opted to tip on the cost of the drinks and not the pool table.
Mahalo is a Hawaiian word meaning "thanks, gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, regards, respects." If it weren't for Wikipedia, after this experience, I might have thought it meant "smoky, dirty, overpriced, and inattentive"... Good thing I was there with good friends to compensate!
Came here for a company function.
It was OK, the waitress was efficient, the beer selection decent. I stuck to Yuengling , as I can't get in it in California.
They have pool, and darts. The tables and boards seemed to be in good condition. Someone had a set of darts so we didn't try the house ones.
The food was eh. Spinach dip, pizzas and wings were all at least fair, but not that exciting.
Very smokey, though (I know it's a bar and all) but I'm not used to it anymore.
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
