I've lived down the street from Stray Cat for almost 5 years and the first time I paid them a visit was this past weekend. I was there for an event and the flyer said that there was no cover for ladies but I was asked for $5 when I walked in. I headed over to the ATM to take out some cash which wasn't working and the bouncer said that was fine and let me stay. I was meeting a friend for drinks and to watch her boyfriend's band perform so I was there more for company than ambiance. It is definitely a dive bar so have no expectations otherwise. I opened up a tab and the bartenders were very nice and attentive. I believe they serve food but I didn't see anyone eating while I was there. They have some arcade games, darts, and a few pool tables.
Review Source:Bars must be a bad business for making money. Its seems ridicules that they can't spend the 12 bucks and replace their pool cues every once in awhile. Also, re-felting the table can be done like every 2 or 3 years depending on the use. I like to practice on bar size tables and I heard Stray Cat usually has one "open" table during the day. I thought this would be perfect. I drink beer so ill still be a paying customer. But after 30 min on their table with their horrible cue sticks I thought "they would have to pay me 50 cents a game to keep playing". Also I remember coming into this place about 5 months ago in the evening and only one table was available. No one was shooting on it because the lights where burnt out above it. How much do 3 light bulbs cost these days?? Anyway I thought it was funny because I was in yesterday and not only did I notice the lights were still out but the table I was shooting on only had one working bulb. COME ON STRAY CAT!! How about this, give me a bar credit of 2 beers and I will personally come in and replace the bulbs.
Review Source:I had a fun time at this place last night but the place is in desperate need of an update. The booth seats are coming apart, tables a rickety and the bathrooms are dirty. It's a nice sized place and they have some good game stuff plus a stage and a good sized dance floor. With some upgrades this place would definitely be bumped to a 4 or 5 star. The drinks are priced right and they know how to handle a big crowd. The people we were with made this place more fun for us... perhaps the downside would have been more apparent if it hadn't been for the good company. The staff seemed friendly as well.
Review Source:I've been going here for many years. Actually since well before the new owner(s) came in and renamed it Stray Cat. For a long time, I really enjoyed the drink and dinner specials.
I've noticed the food service sliding down hill quickly this year. Earlier this year, I brought some of my visiting family to the business because the food and service had been so awesome to that point. For some reason, they had a useless cook working that day who burnt everything he sent out to us ... twice. The owner on site was so embarrassed after we showed him what was served, he offered us gift cards to cover our food. My family vowed never to return. I figured it was a fluke and was impressed that the owner acknowledged the problem and did something to address it.
In June, I went in on a Monday and ordered a basket of chicken wings. To my surprise, they were completely out of wings. I ended up going elsewhere to eat that night and sent Stray Cat a private message on their Facebook account letting them know what happened. A month to the day I received a response, "That was a busy weekend for us. We never want to let a loyal customer down. Hope you'll be back to 'Fix' your wing cravings soon."
In August, I went in on a Sunday and again ordered a basket of chicken wings. I was stunned because they again were completely out of wings. I sent a followup message to Stray Cat via Facebook letting them know of the pattern and advising they should speak with whomever is doing the product ordering. Their ENTIRE response:
   "Maybe eat wings on Friday or Saturday when we're fully stocked"
WOW! I immediately went to the bar and requested to speak to the owner who had ironically "just left". I gave a printout of the messages sent back and forth to a server who knows me well, told her what happened and asked to have the owner contact me. No contact what so ever.
If this is how they treat a longtime patron now, imagine what this place is headed for. Save your money for a business that actually cares about the people bringing cash through the door.
That snarky message was it for me. I'm done.
This place is awesome. Â 3 dollar import beers on tap?! Â 5 dollar wings, and really good tasting wings at that?! Â A hospitable bar manager by the name of Dan got our drinks and took our order. Â He's a long time patron of the joint who's known the owners for a while and he's on board now looking to make some changes for the better. Â So I'd say that if anyone rated this place 3 stars or below, you should definitely check it out again. Â Not sure what isn't to love about this place. Â When good people and affordable food and drink culminate together, it's a 5 star dealio. Â Oh, and the dart board with pool table is definitely a nice touch. Â The only other thing that would float my boat more so would be if they got Photohunt !! Â
ADDENDUM: Â They DO have photohunt. Â How could I miss it! Â Yeah, I'll definitely be back at this place!
I am totally a fan of this place! I went on a random Wednesday night and ordered a salty dog and got lucky enough to catch the 5 dollar burger special! The food was good and I loved the chill atmosphere. I cannot stand stuffy bars and this place was so relaxing and both bartenders were friendly and attentive and came back with suggestions when I ordered something!
Review Source:Thursday karaoke for all!?? with a great selection!!??? I can't believe I was living more than a year across and never entered this place before!
Yes, this is a cool place for a dive bar...HA! forget about posh and fake places. You can scream or delight ppl with your voice, no one is judging. Friendly service and if they could take a bit more care on the smell coming from the restrooms.
The bad: its a cavern with suspect patrons and greasy food.
The good: its a cavern with suspect patrons and greasy food. Â :-)
Seriously, its a bar and great for a few drinks (don't worry about getting prettied up...just go in your workout or work clothes or pajamas and you'll fit right in). Â I wouldn't drive across town for this place but if you're close by and want to relax with a beer and friends, this place works just fine.
I have a hard time loving Tempe bars (esp since Mill Ave dominates that scene) However Stray Cat was a good time!
Tuesday night is the night to go! $5 for unlimited wells and drafts from 8:30 to 9:30. Â Its not terribly crowded either (somehow people don't know how great this is) so you can easily get refills etc before time runs out. Â But don't be too sad because once 9 30 rolls around they have great drink specials. Â $3 long islands etc etc. Â
They serve food all night too. Â The Ghost Pepper wings were AWESOME. I love spicy hot food and the bartender kept warning us about these wings- even gave us plastic gloves to eat them with- warned us about going to the bathroom afterwards without a thorough hand washing. Â They were sooo good! Yes, they were hot but they still had flavor, which is really hard to find in 'super hot foods'. Â Granted I had my fair share of alcohol coursing though my veins. Â So take what you may from the Ghost Pepper Wings review. Â
Its a big place with lots of different areas including a DJ/dance area. The DJ's are awesome - especially Julio- Â Totally a hipster vibe there - along the lines of Timeout Lounge and Yucca. Â Everyone there is super friendly in the best way... not like 'I am a predator that just wants to take you home with me so I will pretend to care what your name is' or 'I am a creepy man that will roofie your cosmo when you look away' ... but rad people that can hold conversations. Always bodes well for a bar when they tend to draw a cool crowd of people. Â
GREAT FOOD, DRINKS, MUSIC, PEOPLE and FUN!!! Go to Stray Cat!!!!
Very much a dive bar, but comfortable. Not typically my scene, but they do offer (through outside source) free learn-to-play-craps tournaments on Monday nights. Â Its fun and the winners usually get little freebies such as a gift card to the bar. Â Fun for a last minute drink on a weekday after work.
Review Source:This is probably one of my fave lil local dives. Great place to grab a stiff drink (at a reasonable price) and check out music, of all types really. Depending on the night, you can hear anything from hard rock/metal, club/Top 40 to even some hip hop music.
The owner and staff are always friendly and look forward to checkin in and seeing them when I'm able to make a stop by the place.
For those whom are a bit A.D.D. and can't take the constraints of the bar stool or booth, they've got a few pool tables, Buckshot and a dart board to keep your attention as well. And for those smokers they have a 'pit room' I'd like to call it. Basically another room with ventilation for those of you who would like to smoke.
FYI: Tuesday's they have a $5 cover for unlimited well drinks and domestic beers, between the hours of 830pm-930pm.
Cheers!
Caught a show by LA's The Joneses here a few months back. Â The layout isn't bad, many vantage points of the stage as others have mentioned. Â They have a smoking room just off stage right which is a choking hot box of airborne particulates with some nasty furniture to relax on. You can actually take a swill of your goddamn drink in between drags while the band rages 10 feet away....genius.
I was pleasantly surprised to find several micro brews on tap, along with a bartender who was both interested and knowledgeable about them. Â He suggested one to me (forget the name) that was fan-friggin-tastic. Â I get thirsty now just thinking about that beer. Â Good prices. Â Did not try the food. Â The rest of the staff was likeable.
Lots of leather and scuzz in the crowd. Â An authentic rock dive, I'll be back.
This place is a sh*t-hole, but in a great way.
The staff were cool as hell and I ran into several people I knew from the opposite coast.
I was there on a good night for music and the sound was a-ok. Good beer specials, huge bucket rocks drinks and good pizza. Usually I am hesitant to order grub from dives but this place has a open kitchen and it looked clean as well as the mellow fellow preparing it.
I'm not a smoker but I am always happy to see a smokers porch. that's a plus.
This is a cool joint to see a show or play some pool.
a pretty decent juke to boot.
I never would have even considered eating at this bar, but my friend tried it out first and said they had awesome burgers. Â I trusted her judgement and off my classmates and I went to celebrate finishing our final final of med school. Â I had the Royale with bacon. Â This is one of those places you don't feel hosed for buying an $8 burger; it was huge and tasty. Â The fries were definitely from real potatoes and overcooked a little so they were crispy the way I like them. Â And our server was very nice and on the ball, although I think we were the only people eating or at the bar area for that matter.
I've also been here for libations, to celebrate with a bunch of friends while there was a band playing and I had a pretty good time. Â They have a variety of beers on tap which is always nice. Â
They have some betting thing going on that keeps a bunch of regulars down on the lower level by the stage. Â They have a separate pool room and a smoking room. Â I definitely liked the separate sections of the bar.
I will definitely go back if I have the opportunity!
Very divey - in the most fantastic way possible. Cheap beer, friendly staff, hilariously diverse clientle, bar shuffleboard!
I only hung out here only off nights (hello Tuesdays!) and have made out way too many times in the posh smoking lounge.
Oh to be young again (they served me when I was 18...) Â ;)
This place is pretty neat... as a venue, it's got potential. There are a lot of vantage points to catch the show from. It's a great nook and cranny bar. The food is kinda greasy, but decent for bar food. The drinks are reasonably priced. The pool table area is well kept.
I have yet to have a really great time here. I think if they could land some really good bands here (read: bands I give a crap about), then it would be a different story. As others have pointed out - it's a little divey, but it's also pretty nice. I'm actually surprised I hadn't reviewed this sooner.
Fun Fact: this is sometimes a hangout for off-duty strippers... whatever that means to you.
I love this bar. Â It's divey, dirty and delicious. Â The patrons range from demure to delightful to demented. Â I always meet someone new and interesting every time I go there. Â All the staff are awesome and low key. Â This is a good place to just chill out and relax in. Â Not your typical meat market. Â The Jukebox has some good tunes, the drinks are stiff and the pool is free. Â They also have live music which is always a plus in my book. Â And a nice little smoking room off the main bar area and I haven't been 86'd yet!
Review Source:Having lived in Mesa and delivered sub sandwiches to some of the tweekiest of tweakers, I don't feel any shame in admitting that whole area now resides in a dead zone for me. When I get that itch to go out and tear up the town, waste away a lazy afternoon, or enjoy a nice dinner, I think of places north, south and west of Tempe. It's like my brain has one of those little electric dog collar things attached to it, and when I start to stray too far east, it gives me a subliminal zap so I erase Mesa from the map in my mind.
So naturally, Stray Cats is usually a place I visit when meeting up with others who have suggested it.
Thing is, I always end up having a pretty good time when I go there. The drinks are priced reasonably and generally on the strong side, the bartenders are friendly and quick to serve. The music is pretty good, but I've never been here when a DJ's spinning. I used to like the fact that there was an air conditioned smoking room off to the side with plush couches and big televisions. The crowd is always diverse, friendly and easy to engage in slurred conversation.
It just doesn't have any special oomph for me. I'd much rather frequent Hollywood Alley a couple miles south, where there's pool and live music. Unfortunately it's also on the black list of Mesa, so maybe I should find a way to reverse that programming. It's not just tweakers and mormans, it's not just tweakers and mormons, it's not just tweakers and mormons....
let me see... it only sounds like a good idea to go to this bar when i'm already drunk. yep, that about sums it up. i only see this place with a serious pair of beer goggles, and even then i've got my reservations.
it's ok, decently-priced drinks and a very large venue. i love that they have shuffle board, that's a treasure bar find.
on wednseday nights they have the "banned in tempe" nights which get a good crowd. great DJs spinning old, good rock n' roll and such. i was surprised to see the smoking room in a tempe bar. it's got tsome industrial-sized floor fans, but  isn't seperately ventilated, so i don't know how they get away with it.
and yeah, the bathrooms aren't the best.
I walked in and uttered, "I think I found my new home".
1) Miller High Life on draught and bottle.
2) Buckhunt (the lil orange gun has even been taped together-double buck bonus!)
3) Bowling videogame...god, I love these things
4) Indoor smoking lounge!!! With a large screen TV, two tables and a lot of pleather seating, the large fan won't mean much but WOW-exciting! There is a french style door separating the lounge from the bar area where the stage is so you can still peak at the band while sucking tar.
5) Well...even the womens' bathroom is pretty gnarly...which would normally subtract a star-but I was so happy to pee in the unmarked restroom I won't touch it!
Other notes: all bartender, barbacks, security were extremely sweet and friendly; all other patrons were either pretty chill, excited to see the band that was playing or willing to strike up conversation; tons of televisions everywhere; they had a lot of beers on tap-cheap too; this place is HUGE. In fact I would consider it a liability since there are a lot of steps connecting each section-at times I found myself balancing precariously-and that is b/c I am a klutz-wasn't even drunk...ok, not that drunk. Most everyone had tats, black hair, laid back. This is def. not a scene-and I love that!
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