Rivals Bar and Grill

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  This place has closed.

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  Posted on 07.13.13 Lew H.

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  This was the worst service I have ever encountered.  We went in and had a seat in the restaurant and the waiter never came until 40 minutes later.  He took our order then about 35 minutes came back and told us they were out of everything we ordered.  We were using a deal voucher so we just left.  The manager tried to appease us with a coupon for a free appetizer but we kindly declined his offer.  I gave the deal vouchers to my brother who went and ironically had pretty much the same experience.  Apparently they don't care much for minorities or they just have the worst customer service ever.  I would never revisit this establishment.

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  Posted on 07.06.13 Madrika L.

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  I came here for a pre-fight party for one of my boyfriend's team mates who is fighting in June.  He had the whole pool area sectioned off for this event.  There was only one waiter for a party of over 15 people - so needless to say, he was slow.  We got our food after what seemed like an eternity.  No silverware.  Thankfully, I had a burger so a fork wasn't a necessity, but I could have used the napkin it would have been wrapped in.  
  
  Also, he came over to clear plates from the table next to us and dropped a little cup of ranch and it splattered all over the floor and some of the people.  I was shocked when he walked away and did not clean it up.  It was right beside me on the floor where I could have gotten up and slipped if my foot landed correctly.  Shame on them!  They should teach their staff to pick up spills immediately or face a nice lawsuit.  (I work for a law firm - so I see this type of thing all the time).  One of our friends wiped it up.  The guy never came back to check on it nor clean it up.  He literally had just walked away.  It wasn't a small spill either - it was quite large.  
  
  Also, at one point, my boyfriend tried to grab his attention and he stuck up his pointer finger and was like "WAIT."  Rude!  I dont think i'd ever pay for a private party here - or return.  
  
  This place ended up with two stars because I liked the sweet potato fries.
  
  (oh, and I can't forget to mention the awful karaoke)

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  Posted on 05.28.13 Maria M.

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  Let me preface this by saying that if the review was based solely on our waiter, it would be 5/5 stars. However, including food into my review, giving 2 stars is generous.
  
  I came here with my fiancé and both of our parents to grab a few drinks/food and watch the Bruins game. As it is a sports bar/grill,  I didn't anticipate an amazing meal, I did, however, hope for decent bar food. I decided to go with the boneless wings tossed in honey bbq sauce, my guy got the "get it gronked burger" and within our party there were two "Sue Bird" wraps, "LT club", and north atlantic salmon. It took a little over 45 minutes for our food to come out, so I was hoping it was all made fresh-to-order as we were the only people in the place ordering food. I saw my boneless wings and was immediately confused-- they didn't look like chicken, triangular meat slices that appeared to be beef? Cutting into these triangular pieces of meat, there was white meat inside. After dissecting/tasting the piece of meat- I came to the conclusion that they must be frozen and then microwaved pieces of already cooked, frozen and reheated chicken breasts covered in honey bbq sauce. The sauce was actually really good- unfortunately, the "wings" were inedible. I was beyond disappointed that a sports bar, which has an entire section of the menu titled "wings" and they weren't even made fresh. No one enjoyed their food aside from my dad who said that his wrap was good. Luckily the Bruins won, so it wasn't a total fail of a night.
  
  I'd definitely come back to grab a drink and watch sports, however, I doubt I'll be able to stomach their food again.

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  Posted on 05.25.13 Kayla C.

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  I truly wish I could rate this place higher.  I've been here twice now, with the same experience. The wait staff is phenomenal, but the food is just brutal.  The first time I got their special, the buff chix mac&cheese.  The second, I got a steak sandwich.  Sadly both tasted like they were reheated in a microwave at least twice.  I'd come here any time for a beer, because again, wait staff...AMAZING, but I won't eat food here for a third time.

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  Posted on 05.21.13 Bobby A.

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  after another great meal with all my co workers rivals is the place to enjoy!! wings were great!! cold jager delish!!!. so very clean, very impressed. keep up the great vibe rivals!!!! we will be back

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  Posted on 05.08.13 Nicole R.

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  Rivals is clearly a sports bar; big TVs with sports programs, pools tables, non-existent dining area, leather couches, pools tables, and bartenders dressed in referee gear.  If you love sports, this is the place for you.  If you couldn't care less about sports, like me, this place is boring
  
  I can't really judge the food because I went here for after dinner drinks with my boyfriend and another couple.  My stomach was upset because I ate too much at Plaza Azteca so I just ordered a ginger ale.  At one point, I spilled my drink and the bartender gave me a new drink instantly.
  
  If you can't find your boyfriend/husband/father/son, you'll find him here...lol!

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  Posted on 02.26.13 Lesley Q.

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  The food was very good. My complaints were that the pool room where we were led to our both, the floor was so sticky you could hear it when people walked on it. The second was our male server  was nice but talked WAY too much.  We heard about his girlfriend, what restaurant she works at, how they do tips there and at Rivals, that the prices are a little high but it keeps it from bringing in thugs and ghetto people (his words).  Hey, what if I was a thug from the ghetto, I'd be offended. He said he reads the yelp reviews so maybe he'll get the hint to be more professional.
  
  Although our response was minimal he continued to crouch by our table.  The nearby table of older women couldn't get enough of him so maybe it is just me. I want to eat and talk to my husband, not make a new server friend.
  
  Release the hounds.

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  Posted on 02.19.13 Sheila Z.

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  Despite Yelp revoking my 2012 Elite status because I was too busy to post, I still believe in the cause...so here I am back at it!
  
  Major upgrade from Fat n' Happy!
  
  I only ended up at the last iteration at this address twice and was let down both times. I ended up at the new version (Rivals) with my sister and her friends late one night because we were hungry and wanted to keep a good buzz going. I am glad we went, for sure, but there are some concrete reasons it lost points. But let's review the pros first...
  
  Pros:
  - Great bar food. Simple, yes, but definitely done right. The Fat n' Happy menu was too weird.
  - Still one of the best bar set ups I have seen: nothing beats a full wrap around bar
  - They got rid of some of the unused extra seating and put in pool tables and extra standing room in the "north" side of the place that will hopefully contribute to a better social flow
  
  Cons:
  - We had a bartender that was dumb as rocks who overpoured my simple Absolute & Sprite and he tried to hit on my sister right in front of me...automatic dislike.
  - One of the clientele noticed I was an EMT and called me an "ambulance driver." Douche.
  - The band would play one song and then stop for 10 minutes. What's up with that?

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  Posted on 12.02.12 Ryan B.

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  I've only been here once, it was a Monday night to catch the football game and grab a drink. Atmosphere was ok, nothing special, place was pretty empty (it wasn't a big game so that type of crowd was expected). I was kind of confused when I ordered the drink "the green monster" because there were two types of rum in the drink, one being Malibu, and the other being what I thought was a dark type of rum which i'm not a fan of. I asked the bartender if there was a dark rum in the drink and he said "no, it's actually Malibu" which I knew already because it said that in the description. As I watched him pour captain morgan rum into it... either he didn't realize what he was doing or he didn't understand my question. Kind of annoying, I didn't drink the drink. Rivals didn't seem to have anything about them that stuck out, I wouldn't return.

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  Posted on 11.29.12 Noelle S.

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  Went to rivals after purchasing a "deal" from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsavenowct.com&s=0272feee1f52bc723dd86735d1684ced564aeda1412d1e0b2561951a220fdc96" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://savenowct.com</a>.  I'm very happy that I didn't spend the full amount out of my own pocket.  There was no staff, we waited 10 minutes to be served (it was empty!) and it went downhill from there.  We ordered an appetizer sampler that included cold chili on the nachos and Buffalo wings with hairs/feathers on them.  I then had to ask for the basics such as silverware and blue cheese for the wings.  During our brief stay so many other things went wrong.  For example, one server kept "fixing" her hair (right before delivering food/drinks which is a BIG no-no in server world), another server came in for her shift complaining (across the bar and in front of customers) about the fact that "no one else is coming in, it's just the two of us".  Public kvetching by staff members is not OK.  That conversation should be held in private, away from customers' ears.  While the beer was cold and tasty I had to ask for an orange for my Blue Moon and there was a plethora of HD televisions, nothing was going to save Rivals in our eyes.  The kicker of the entire experience was when I tried to redeem the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsavenowct.com&s=0272feee1f52bc723dd86735d1684ced564aeda1412d1e0b2561951a220fdc96" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://savenowct.com</a> voucher.  The bartender tried to tell me the voucher was for Rivals' predecessor, Fat 'N Happy, even through it clearly said "Rivals".  Only after showing her it was indeed for Rivals did she relent, but there was no way to redeem the voucher from the phone and I'd have to go home, print the voucher out and come back.  Finally, a manager was summoned but she didn't know anything about taking vouchers from a smart-phone either.  I was the one to explain to them how other businesses had taken them in the past.  In a bad economy where new restaurants are a dime a dozen, there needs to be a "wow" factor, something that sets a restaurant apart from others.  Rivals did not have it.  We will never go back.   One more thing....didn't the owners do their homework on the location?  It's a doomed spot.  Nothing has lasted there for very long and sadly, Rivals doesn't have what it takes to "rival" its odds.

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  Posted on 10.27.12 Maureen K.

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  I like the menu . Affordable and a good variety. Fat and happys menu was way too limited. The food was good and the drinks were very good. A fun atmosphere. Worth the price.

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  Posted on 10.24.12 dianne c.

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  We paid a lot for average food and average service.  It's too bad.  This place is close to our house and we will NEVER go there again.  It's not that it was awful but the Wood-N-Tap does basically the same thing - pub food - so much better and for less.

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  Posted on 10.07.12 Robert C.

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  As a former, sometimes-guest of fat 'n happy, i was glad to see something else move into the space.  While fat 'n happy was a good concept,their execution was lacking, and food was never quite what it should be.
  
  Tonight was a bit of an experiment, to see how much of fat 'n happy lingered at rivals.  Well- save the decor and tvs, there was little similarity.  I went during a football game, and took advantage of their nfl specials: $4 tall coors (or bud) light and 60 cent wings (there's also $5 pizza).  I opted for 6 wings- medium, which were just spicy enough, and served with my choice of ranch or blue cheese.  Wings were good- not huge, but moist and juicy, and they use sweet baby ray's sauces.  Odd?  They're served in, like, a beer bottle boat.   Definitely a weird choice.
  
  The rest of the menu is heavy on apps and sandwiches.  Other apps inuded nachos, fried pickles (yay!), sliders, and pig wings (a fried pork rib, frenched to look like a wing).  There's a huge selection of sandwiches and wraps, all named for the spots elite. I ordered the jose canseco, a french roll stuffed with naked pulled pork, sliced ham, mayo, swiss, and pickle chips.  This sandwich was an excellent take on a cuban, and totally delivered.  The meat was juicy and delicious, and the toppings made the rest.
  
  This place is a great sports bar, complete with a ton of tv's, and a conscientious and attentive staff.  I'll definitely be back.

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  Posted on 10.07.12 Denise N.

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  Ok. 1st time there. Soup of the day (Cream of mushroom/chicken) was very good. Pastrami sandwich also good. My complaints are they charge for ice tea refills (didn't tell me and brought 2nd one over w/out me requesting it and also charged xtra for sweet pot fries w/out telling me either.

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  Posted on 09.20.12 Chuck N.

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  Love the bar, with the added TV's.  The waitstaff is great !!!
  
  My favorite by far is the fried pickles, must be tried.
  
  Great place to watch a Steelers Game!!!

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  Posted on 09.19.12 Lysa A.

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  I guess naming a restaurant "Fat & Happy" in a country where much of the population is sensitive about their weight is a perscription for restaurant industry disaster... Totally unsurprised they lasted less than a year.
  
  Formerly known as "Fat & Happy," Rivals largely retains the same vibe as its predecessor [not to mention the same waitstaff], but has a much more down to earth menu. Frankly, I think it's better, and more likely to cater to the typical meat and potatoes bar goer.
  
  The specials are where its at. For NFL Games (which nowadays means Monday night, Thursday night, and all day Sunday), they do $4 tall beers, $0.60 wings, and $5 12" pizzas that could serve two. Now that's a bar special.
  
  TVs? EVERYWHERE. In HD, playing any game you want. The bar itself has what you might call "personal" televisions lining the bar from end to end. Seriously, there's probably 14 of them surrounding the bar alone.
  
  Only drawback? There's other people besides Giants fans there... :D.

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  Posted on 09.17.12 Jason M.

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  Interesting to see the first review as I view his positives as negatives...Went there this past weekend to catch out of town NFL game (Jets...don't hold it against me).  Here are my thoughts:
  
  Vibe:  Good job on this front.  Wait staff, managers are all out there trying to build rapport with the customers and appreciate that.  Beer glass was never empty.
  
  Beer:  Somewhat of a beer snob here and $4 tall glasses of Coors light isn't getting me excited...even with the glass...Perhaps when I was in college...not now.  The Sam Ocotberfests were tasty though...Would like to see a specials for something higher end than Coors though.
  
  Food:  Much to be improved here...Wings were average...Like my wings crispy and these were not.  Also, 60 cent wings?  That's $7.20 a dozen and would expect to pay $7 - 8 for a plate of wings...So not sure about the special being...special.  Poppers were average.  Nachos were pretty bad.  Served with chili which as room temp to cold.  
  
  Jets will probably be on TV for next 3-4 weeks...will I go back to Rivals when I can't catch the game at home?  Honestly, I'm not sure...Might give them one more try, and hopefully they have some better specials and better food as well.
  
  Two last calls:  Get rid of the ref whistles with the bar staff....That was annoying (and there multiple comments made in our area) and get some Jets players worked into the menu / decor :)

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  Posted on 09.11.12 Jeff F.

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  They have great specials for sunday football! 60 cent wings and $4 23oz drafts of coors light and you get to keep the football glass!  The waitresses and staff are also very on top of things.  This might be my new place.

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  Posted on 09.09.12 Max V.

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