Margie's Bar & Grill

There's just something about Margie's that I just love.  I think it's the complete and utter lack of anything that even resembles pretension.  And the food is pretty dang good!  

Margie's serves up simple food for folks looking for a relaxed environment.  The burgers are fantastic, as are the onion rings.  But their cream is the chili.  It is homemade, sans beans, and absolutely tasty!  

Margie's defines "hole-in-the-wall" in more ways than one.  Can't speak for the nightlife, but if you're hankering for a good burger or bowl of chili for lunch you should swing by this place.

Ok a confession that I'm sure will cause wincing: get me away from a gourmet burger place like Grub Burger Bar and all "normal" burgers are pretty much the same to me: a load of cheap meat, grease, fat with some standard super-market purchased condiments.
But sometimes you want a burger that is so normal, so basic, so dive-bar-ee. And here we have it. Grilled on a flattop, Margie's burger comes out with a nice char, and unlike some other places in town you are not getting 3000 calories in your burger. I eat "normal" burgers once or twice a year due to my aversion to heart disease and ass-cancer, but this one goes on the list.
Beyond the burger, this place has an old...OLD school feel. In fact, this is the closest we have in BCS to "Moe's Tavern" on the Simpsons. Think about that.

I wish I could write about Margie's food but unfortunately, I cannot.  As soon as we stepped inside the door, we were overcome by the dark and gloomy atmosphere and the prolific, lingering cigarette smoke.  The restaurant was relatively empty, save for a few regulars and the hostess/cook/waitress/bartender/dishwasher/cashier (yes, one employee).

A man who walked in and started yelling in Spanish toward the back of the restaurant certainly added slight entertainment value.  But since we were looking for a good meal and not a memorable but strange experience, we decided to cut our loses and leave prior to ordering.

Unless something changes, we will not be returning to Margie's.  There are other restaurants in the area that better appeal to us in terms of cleanliness and openness.  Your mileage may vary.