Mario's East Side Saloon

We reluctantly came here on Sunday when we were looking for a place not too far from our abode to go watch non-Steelers football (I am a fan, however, the husband is not, so we needed a place that was other team friendly).  Mario's was a great choice.

Unlike a lot of other bars in the city, the crowd was chill, not rowdy, and the service was good... and he got to watch the Ravens :)

I highly recommend going here if you are looking for a place to watch your team!

This was my first time returning to this place since it was Doc's, and wow...what an improvement! We stopped in to catch a game on NFL Sunday Ticket and it ended up being a great choice!

We were there around noon and the bar stayed low-key for most of the afternoon while we were there. The service was really good, the bartender was nice, and the food was solid (for bar food). Not to mention, I didn't get any pushback when asking to get a non-Steelers game on one of the TV's. There was a small sampling of fans for other teams watching games on other TV's as well. Now, I can't attest to the crowds at any other day/time of the week, but if you're an out-of-towner looking for a place to catch your NFL team on a Sunday, Mario's is definitely a solid option.

I want to like Mario's, I really do. I always have a good experience with the bartenders, and the handful of times I've ordered food here, it's been decent. But there's just a vibe I can't shake about the place, like the other patrons think I'm not cool enough to be there.

They have a decent variety of drink and food specials, and other things throughout the week like karaoke and wing nights. But there are dress code signs on the door (like seriously, places that require a dress code that is posted on the door? they make me uneasy), and a feeling of general discomfort I get by not meeting some imaginary 'cool' quota each time I walk in.

You know in high school, when you were one of the nerds, and the cool kids were like, 'what are you doing at our lunch table, dork?' That is how I feel when I walk into Mario's. Like I just dropped my protractor and everyone is laughing at me.

Alas, my husband's bromance lives right down the street, and we always end up meeting him here for drinks, so I shall continue to withstand the uncomfortable feelings to enjoy a couple of rounds in the early afternoon. I'm grateful for the good bartenders who make this more bearable and don't mind if I accompany my vodka with a few games of bowling on my Ti-83.