Spirits

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  Stopped there for a quick dinner last night, having heard they have good subs.  The hours posted on the door said M-S, 11am to something or other, but the dining area was closed.  Still trying to figure that one out - needless to say, we ate elsewhere.

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  Posted on 07.09.13 Karen T.

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  You read the reviews here and that should be enough to tell you NOT to eat here.  I've been a regular of Spirits for years but would never eat there.  I know better.  There are bugs, as in roaches.  They have mice and rats.  They have a lot of expired food as in mayonnaise.  I'm writing this to save people from being sick.  It's a miracle if you eat here and you don't get sick.  Usually the only people who eat at Spirits are tourists who don't know any better.
  
  Yes, the girls who wait tables are always new.  They can't keep servers downstairs because they can't make enough money to support themselves.
  
  Lately I've been less of a regular.  I'm kinda tired of being overcharged at the bar upstairs.  I'm tired of draft beer from dirty lines.  They never clean or change the lines.  The bartenders don't pay attention.  They spend me time on their android phones or talking to their friends than actually waiting on customers.  When Brian is bartending he's outside smoking and hitting on girls more often than serving customers.  Also, when he closes the place he often talks girls into staying after for more drinks behind locked doors.   I bet ABC would love that tidbit.  Brian and Richard are nice guys but they need a refresher course in bartending, or just a course in how to serve people.
  
  The bathroom upstairs is ridiculous.  The mens room smells like urine.  It doesn't just smell like urine, it smells like a porta potty that's been knocked over.  Often one toilet is broken.  
  
  About the overcharging.  There's been a lot of talk about it from customers and it'll probably catch up to them someday.  From hearing so many people talk about it it's becoming a huge problem.
  
  Dive bars are cool.  I like the clientele here.  I like the graffiti in the bathrooms.  I like seeing regulars.   I don't mind that the place is falling apart (though I do mind water coming out of the ceiling on top of people which I've seen happen twice).  But I don't like all the stuff I mentioned above.  And it's also amazing the health department hasn't shut them down.  You can go to the health department's website and read their inspections.  
  
  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthspace.com%2FClients%2FVDH%2FRappahannock%2FRappahannock_Website.nsf&s=984a413efbfa4971ee6ec41838bcce97bbb948ac250ef0d3499017c7dc47e4a3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.healthspace.c…</a>
  
  So, Spirits, stop.  Stop the shit and run a bar the way it should be.  Clean your taps.  Serve your customers.  Clean the bathroom.

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  Posted on 07.07.13 Jason Y.

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  We stopped into Spirits while killing time to grab a drink and maybe a small bite. Luckily, I had to use the restroom and the trip to the restroom and back convinced me that this was not a place where I'd want to order ANYTHING. The restroom and the entire back of the store was disgustingly filthy! If that's how they kept the front of the restaurant, I couldn't IMAGINE what was lurking in the kitchen.
  
  IMHO, stay away at all costs until it is gutted and remodeled.

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  Posted on 06.13.13 Deborah B.

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  It's interesting to see the number of bad review for this place.  We stopped here to eat lunch after antiquing all morning.  
  
  Yes, it's dark and a bit dated inside.   There is an interesting history to the place, though, and our food was actually quite good!  I remarked to the waitress that in our weeklong college tour trip, my sandwich there was one of the best that I'd had all trip.  It wasn't real busy, but our waitress was on top of everything, and the orders came out as we expected.
  
  We had absolutely no concerns about food poisoning, nor did their food affect us.  We'd eat there again - probably next trip!

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  Posted on 04.12.13 Rich O.

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  Spirits is the kind of place people will either love or hate. If you're expecting to get a group of people out and plan something for a night, I wouldn't recommend Spirits. However the best way to really enjoy Spirits is during a night of barhopping. This place has a certain non-pretentious attitude that is nice if you just want to drop in with a small group of friends.
  
  Spirits has a main bar area that isn't too big, but is small enough that you can easily have a conversation with people next to you without getting lost in a sea of people. Past the bar area, there is an area with pool tables if you choose to grab a beer then play a game of pool with your friends. There is also a backdoor for outside enjoyment.
  
  The reason for the three stars though is not necessarily because of the atmosphere or service, but the type of crowd it brings. The crowd isn't bad, but many people will not enjoy the environment because it's a straight dive bar. It isn't exactly sleek or sophisticated, so many others will be disappointed even though I personally liked Spirits for what it is.
  
  That being said if you're looking for a more-upstanding establishment to make plans for, I wouldn't recommend it. However, if you're looking for quick plans such as a guys' night out or for a casual night with last minute plans, then go to Spirits. Despite some flaws, Spirits has a certain charm to it that many others like.

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  Posted on 12.11.12 Michael H.

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  Not impressed with the food. I ordered a salad with NO tomato or black olives and it came with them. My husband and daughter did not enjoy their food either. There were little black looking gnats the kept flying around and then to top off a dinner we were not enjoying a roach crawled accross out table onto the wall. We stopped eating! We were done! My husband brought it to the servers attention and of course she was shocked and went to tell another person. They did not charge us for our food. We will never visit this place again!

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  Posted on 10.13.12 Beth J.

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  I agree with other reviews as i don't know how they stay in business. Went here because I had a coupon for a free meal and I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it! Food was not good, place was falling apart, bench / table was disgusting and like many other reviews say, the waitress told me She was new. Service was incredibly slow which I don't understand because there was only one other couple in the joint. They sat down after me but got their food before me. The place is just nasty and I don't recommend it - glad I didn't get sick!

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  Posted on 08.27.12 Jordan D.

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  Oh my god. I went to have a beer here and I think I caught a disease from everything--the disgusting couches, the fat weird looking bartender and the woman who looks like she is battling a midlife crisis. They overcharged me, too and my friend. Apparently this place overcharges all the time...a little scam that the bartenders got going. There was also a fight. Two. The pool tables look like someone shat on them and the bathrooms---how the hell does the Virginia health department allow this cestpool to exist?? Stay away!!!!

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  Posted on 08.29.11 Alien F.

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  The chef came out and was a kind, personable guy. The portions were big, and the burger was fairly good. The waitress did not check on me, offer any silverwear or drinks, and had me help myself to drinks. The outdoor table was underneath an air conditioner, which kept sprinkling the table and my food with drops of water.

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  Posted on 06.21.11 Dave M.

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  OK - first of all .... holy crap.  
  
  My friend and I were in from out of town, and I guess we really had no idea what we were in for, and a couple brews to the breeze we sauntered over to Spirits.  We were suckered in by the 'cafe' sidewalk table.    Which oddly enough sitting on the sidewalk was cleaner than the inside of the restaurant.  
  The 2 waitresses inside immediatley instructed us that we'd have to wait and they were buried with businessn and no one at the 2?3? tables inside had gotten their food yet.   Not exactly a sales pitch, and also not exactly busy enough to warrent the panic, but then again who knows what they had just smoked in back prior to us arriving.
  One waitress told us this was her "first night" on the job, which by the site of her left us both asking - what the hell did she do before this?  Unless they both had other careers as professional saddlebags, they looked like life long diner wenches to me.
  
  We got the food, 2 burgers, ate it, were actually concerned about food poisoning, but alas we made it out safe 24 hours later.  Phewww.... dodged one that time.  (apparently the waitresses were double duty as cooks that night too - oh great!)
  
  But wait there's more...
  
  I can not describe the bathrooms to someone who hasn't experienced it.  Intense odor of mold; tiles - peeled off, busted, shattered on the floor, dust, grime, urine dried and caked to perfection.    I went first and thought, 'Oh, shit" about telling my friend what I had seen as we were still waiting for our food.  
  
  Oh ya, just in case that's not enough for you - go upstairs to the 'bar'.     Standard dive, dark, cheap, pleasant barkeep that night though, but,uh.. let's just say not a 'date place'.  
  
  I'm just so glad we didn't get sick.

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  Posted on 04.02.11 Yishai M.

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  Mediocre food, slow service and bad drinks.  Really, that's all you need to know. Stay away. But...if you decide to ignore my warning, be aware that you may encounter not just bad waitresses, but older ladies in low slung jeans with their red thongs hanging out. I thought I was going to have to go home and bleach my eye balls. Oy.

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  Posted on 04.02.11 Kimmy M.

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  The food was alright, but the waitress and decor left A LOT to be desired. When we came in, the waitress invited us to sit wherever we'd like. We then had the pleasure of listening to her talk to the safety inspector that was reviewing the restaurant. I honestly and truly believe, regardless of how new you are (which she claimed many times), you should not tell the safety inspector that your building isn't "up to code" and "would fail any inspection". The place looked like a dump; broken floor tiles, broken bathroom door, missing ceiling tiles, questionable seating.
  
  I don't know why I decided to eat there, but the food was alright. If the restaurant got a complete makeover, I could see myself returning.

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  Posted on 11.17.10 James M.

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  I've lived down from Spirits for years and for all those years I've never seen a local eat here.  Myself included.  So many other places within walking distance of here to eat that there is no need to ever eat here.  For drinks upstairs... now thats another story.  Grubs~

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  Posted on 07.28.10 Roc G.

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  I enjoy this restaurant. It is a small restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg, and has a very awesome story behind it. Their pizza is very good, and the environment reflects downtown Fredericksburg. The staff is nice. I have only had the pizza before, so I can't comment on the other food. It does seem a little on the dirty side, but mainly because it is old. Definitely a must stop when visiting Fredericskburg. The story keeps me coming back. The name means more than just the alcohol. :D

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  Posted on 07.20.10 Sierra N.

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  This place creeps me out. i have had a clump of hair in my sub. We wait a looooong time for food, thats not good at all. The palce is falling apart and a bad repesentation of our old town. I have nothing good to say, and i'm  an optimist!

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  Posted on 01.28.10 Apryl S.

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  As I write this, I am still suffering from what I think is food posioning.. and since I've been home almost 3 hours already..I've run to the bathroom about 4 times already.
  
  I hate to give this restaurant such a low rating because the waitress was so nice and the outside was very clean but the kitchen was just dirty. After answering the phones and touching her hair, the cook reached into the potatoe chip bag to scoop up some chips for my sandwich platter. I got the BBQ pork sandwich which the waitress reassured me was "delicious". I wanted the pasta that they had but apparently she told me that the menu was outdated and they didn't make pasta anymore. I asked her what she recommended and she told me the reuben. I wasn't in the mood so I pointed out the other sandwiches and she told me that the pork was good. When I got it, it was on a plate with potatoe chips and cole slaw. I bit into the sandwich because it smelled delicious only to bite into some tendon? I spit it out and took another bite only to be unable to chew. It not only left a funny taste in my mouth.. I could smell it through my nose. I tried a bit of the cole slaw which was sliced carrots and cabbage and I'm pretty sure the mayo was expired. Not wanting to make a scene, I sipped on my tea and munched on my friend's french fries.
  
  I love mom and pop restaurants but I don't think I'll be coming back here anytime soon. =(

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  Posted on 02.23.08 Victoria Y.

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