Sports-themed establishments (bars, restaurants and the like) are a
dime a dozen, and generally serve up cheap beer and greasy food in a
dingy environment with TVs blaring—not that I mind, actually. I
frequent some of these fine local establishments whenever I’m in the
mood for a cold beer and fried munchies.
But Game On Sports Grille is different. The owners of this upscale
sports bar/restaurant took the old Chuy’s on the northwest corner of
Oracle and Orange Grove roads and did an amazing job remodeling the
once-dingy space into a sleek, modern joint with many well-placed
flat-screen TVs, a polished bar and reasonable prices—not to
mention attentive service.
I had heard rumors of cheap, delicious wings, which I was really
excited about—rightfully so, as it turned out. We started off our
rainy weekday-evening visit with nice, cold Full Sail Session beers (99
cents each) and a few varieties of wings (50 cents each; a minimum
order of six per flavor). Six each of the classic, ancho chili and
spicy BBQ wings were brought in short order by our smiling server. The
classic wings, with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, were crispy and spicy, but
not too spicy. They’re contenders for my favorite wings in Tucson, if I
dare say so. The ancho wings were subtle and flavorful, with just a
hint of heat, and the spicy BBQ were truly outstanding, with a sweet
homemade barbecue sauce that packed a little punch right at the end.
After devouring our wings, Ted and I were definitely ready to see if
the entrées stacked up.
Two giant platters of food arrived moments after the chic
stainless-steel wing baskets (who knew baskets could be mod?) were
whisked away. The large trifecta burger ($8.99) was placed in front of
me, with a generous mound of hand-cut fries; the equally giant
Southwest open-faced corn (sic) beef reuben ($7.49) with a huge pile of
fresh, crunchy coleslaw was Ted’s entrée. The burger was
delicious; it was just a touch overcooked, but the tasty, tangy
barbecue sauce and generous helping of cheddar cheese and caramelized
onions made up for it. The fries were nothing short of amazing:
perfectly cooked—crispy on the outside and flaky-hot on the
inside—and well-seasoned to boot. The heaping pile of corned beef
was thinly sliced, piled high on rye and not too salty, and smothered
in cheddar jack cheese. The coleslaw was fresh, crunchy and light, and
not overdressed.
We left, stuffed and scheming about when we would be able to come
nosh on more wings.
Our next visit, a late lunch on a hot Saturday afternoon, showed
Game On’s consistency and excellence. We couldn’t resist another go at
the Full Sail beer—we got the amber lager ($1) and a Session (99
cents)—and decided to try out a few appetizers, even though the
wing menu was there, taunting me. The bacon-wrapped shrimp were a
delight with a honey chipotle glaze, and not overcooked at all ($7.99);
the half-time Buffalo cheese-stick originals ($6.99)—a breaded
crispy mix of blue and Monterey jack cheeses, served with Frank’s Red
Hot Sauce and ranch dressing—set the bar for all future
deep-fried pieces of cheese I shall consume. Next up was the Tucson
Philly cheese steak sandwich ($5.49 regular size) and knock-out fish
and chips ($7.99), on the server’s recommendation.
The cheese steak was good—not revelatory, but darn good. A
generous pile of meat, cheese, peppers, onion, lettuce and tomato
somehow all fit in a soft hoagie. The only thing it was missing was
more peppers. I couldn’t resist getting the fries again … and again,
they were superb. The fish and chips were also excellent: Three large
pieces of whitefish sat steaming-hot on a mound of those yummy fries.
The batter was crispy and flavorful without overwhelming the moist,
flaky, tender fish. The tartar sauce wasn’t even necessary, but was
also delish, and tangy, a great complement to the fish.
Game On certainly has its game on and is setting a new standard for
sports-themed establishments in Tucson. Their menu also features some
fresh and delicious-looking salads, south-of-the-border creations,
soups and desserts. It has clean, sleek, modern surroundings without
pretension. There’s not a greasy plate in sight, and service is
thoughtful and always with a smile. Each booth features its own
flat-screen TV, and there are plenty of others to look at from the
tables and bars.
I could get used to that. Well, that, and the wings.
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2009.
wow that is some cheap beer prices. How big are the beers?
99 cent bottles of session is the highlight of game on. My wife and I went there Saturday aug 29 2009 after reading this review. We were both very disappointed. My wife ordered Death by Pork sandwich with fries and a Margarita. I had shellfish Po Boy with cole slaw . We shared 6 tequila lime wings, smallish but tasty. With a name like Death by Pork you think the sandwich would be bursting with flavor, this was not the case. The pork did have a smoky flavor but was extremly dry. The bacon was chewy to the point of tasting stale. her sandwich also had a onion ring on top, it had a freezer burned taste. her fries were soggy. my sandwich consisted of 2 pieces of fried fish and 3 fried shrimp on a large hogie roll. On first bite the fish had a nice crunch, the flavor however was reminescent of a urinal cake. I think there may be something in the freezer tainting the frozen stock. the cole slaw was warm and a mayo sludge pile. i was hungry so i ate the fish and shrimp but left the bread and cole slaw.beyond the food the reviewer praised the service, on my visit the service was lacking. there may have been 4 other tables of patrons there but yet our food took forever i had to go up to the bar for my second of two 99 cent beers, i was charged for 3. the bill also took a very long time to arrive, there were 3 girls working at the time. Also the margarita mix was watery much like the top of the lemonade water in the top of homemade lemonade. I wanted to share a nice evening with my wife and i like to try local establishments, this review led me to trey game on . i really wanted to like this place with the football season coming up, unfortunatly I cannot recommend it and will never return.
jprenteria, your writing style may lack the flourish of the TW reviewer, but I think you may have a future in the restaurant review industry. Keep them coming.
jpreteria-I have been going to Game On since they opened…I don’t know what you
re talking about, but the place has been great….if you were so unhappy did you ever think about telling someone you weren’t happy. It is a locally run place, but I guess you just happy to bash the little guy. I go there 2-3 times a week and it gets pretty crowded, but the food and the service is always excellent.
Perhaps you should go to Denny’s for Football Season
jprenteria: Kim and I appreciate your comments with regard to the quality and service you apparently had at our restaurant. Kim and I are both at the restaurant for 12-14 hours a day seven days a week. We are concerned that if you were that unhappy, you would not have asked to see us, or a manager. As a local establishment, we do all we can to provide the best products as services available. Quite frankly, it is our entire life to do so….. With that said, I would like to set the record straight with regard to some of your comments that concern us.
Death By Pork Sandwich- If you were concerned about the sandwich, we would have been happy to take it back and replace it with anything you would have liked. We are sorry it was not to your liking.
French Fries- Hand Made every day. Fries cannot be soggy as they are blanched and cooked twice to maintain crispness
Onion Rings- Also hand made every day with Fresh Colossal Onions.
Shellfish Poor Boy- Also Fresh 21-25 shrimp with farm raised tillapia in a home made beer batter and made to order. As well as the cole slaw that went with it, made to order and not mixed until the order is processed in our kitchen.
With regard to a taint in our freezer, you might want to know that (a) 90% of our products are fresh and are never frozen and (b)we passed our recent Health Department inspection with and (E) excellent rating with not one critical or non critical violation. It is with this comment I take the most issue. Your comments are liablous and not based in any truth.
Should you ever wish to come back to our restaurant and not have a pleasurable experience, we would be happy to do whatever we can to make it right. If you know us, as many of our customers do, you would know that we do all we can to have happy, satisfied, customers that turn into friends. In the future, you should however be careful with your choice of words and characterization of your concerns. They are hurtful, not factual, and do not represent what are restaurant is, and who we are as individuals.
I can go on in detail about the many steps we take to insure our customers happiness and satisfaction. It is what we do and we take it seriously and personally.
Should you wish to discuss your comments in person, Kim and I would be happy to meet with you and try to find a way to gain your business.
Thanks
Dear Game on i stand by my comment as a true record of my experience of my time at your establishment. Attacking my comment as “liablous and not based in any truth” does not change the fact that the service and food was lacking on 08/29/09 around 5 pm. we did mentioned to the waitress/bartender, a thin brunette, that the flavor of the fish was off and my wifes pork was dry. I had already eaten the fish before she returned to the table, like i said the service was inattentive and i was hungry . She did ask if my wife wanted something else we declined on the simple fact that if took close to an hour to receive our meal the first time and we had plans to go to 4th ave. She did bring a cup of barbacue sauce. Ask the server who worked that day if she remembers the 1$ tip on the $27 tab. Fries can be soggy if they are not fried at the proper temperature the cole slaw was a warm sludgely mayo mess. the server even agreeed it is heavy. I was charged for 3 session beers when i had 2. the margarita mix was watered down . i did not even mention that two tvs wee not even on, in a sports bar with a football game on thats a crime. I chalked it up as a lesson learned so I did not seek my money back. Attempting to discredit my comment is hurtful and calling me a liar makes me wonder what kind of person you are. Maybe the cook was having a bad day . maybe the servers had better things to do. Dont personally attack me, I just had a bad experience at your place. i felt the need to comment based on the sparkling review that got me there in the first place.
jprenteria: My apologies is you feel we were attacking you. When something goes out, not to your liking, as often happens at any establishment, 5 star or otherwise, the only thing we can do as owners is try to make it right. We are not mind readers, so the only thing we can do when you are unhappy is to remake anything you wish or offer your money back. The point is, although we strive to make everybody happy, we sometimes come up short. At that point, all we can try to do is make it right. You commnets however about the fish tasting like a urinal block is a bit immature, as well as saying that there is a “taint” in my freezer. Those commnets are sophomoric and untrue. The reason we take that personally is that both my wife and myself spend 12-14 hours a day- 7 days a week at Game On, to make it the kind of place people wish to frequent. In your case we obviously fell short of your expectations, but based upon our growth of our business and the comments received from others, your experience certainly seems to be the exception to the rule. In any respect, we stand by our committment to make it right with you, so feel free to take us up on the offer and we will do our best to make you a frequent customer.
Best
Jay and Kim Thorpe-Owners
Game On Sports Grille
I accept your back handed apology. I stand by my description of the food and service. You can keep my 27 bucks. I will take my immature money elsewhere. I hope your business grows to the point where you dont have to be there 14hrs a day 7 days a week.
best
J.P. Renteria
a sophmoric immature ex patron of game on.
J.P you left a $1 tip! Obviously you wouldn’t know the definition of hard work. 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week is admirable. As an owner of a local business in Tucson I don’t HAVE to be at my place of work everyday nor in the field, however I do so because I have respect for the quality of service my business produces. I’m sure that’s why Jay owns a business and you leave dollar tips. It’s no wonder a “night out” for you could be as cheap as $27 wait $28 and you take it out on your SERVER because you didn’t enjoy your FOOD!?! Never in my life would I have the nerve to do such a thing to someone WORKING HARD! As a frequent of Game On due to the dedication of their owners and staff to put out the best possible combination of product, service, and atmosphere for their patrons, I recommend JP that you get a life…and keep the change!