BlackFinn American Saloon

It started off as a nice late night spot. But with all the staff changes over the years this place has become a place I avoid like the plague. It was a great after work spot since i was only a few hundred feet away but it has changed so much. If you make it in just for happy hour it’s still a ok spot but I wouldn’t recommend it for a late night weekend hangout.

I’ve gone here twice, once for an early dinner and the other to hang out in the bar area. The food was ok, kinda bland and the waiter was kinda out of it or something though there were only a few patrons there. On the bar side/​visit, it was pretty lively-​good music mix and good service, but the drinks didn’t taste good to me.

Too many little babies in this place!!! I don’t like drinking with little kids by little kids I mean CHILDREN over 21.

Because I work close by, this is usually the happy hour spot. Happyhour prices are decent and the staff is friendly. The downside is that after 9pm they have a cover charge and because of its location, trying to find parking nearby can be a hassle. They have valet but its limited. I’ve wondered why they consider themselves a restaurant when the restaurant area is ALWAYS dead. The music after 9pm is great but if you don’t like bumping elbows or a club, trendy bar feeling, this place isn’t for you. It’s much quieter during happy hour if you’re just wanting to relax with a good drink and talk with friends.

I had a lot of fun here a few weeks ago but I quickly sobered up when I closed out my tab– they had charged me 20% gratuity? !?! I don’t mind tipping but when it’s applied without warning, it really annoys me considering I usually tip as they give me my drink in cash. They drinks aren’t made consistently here either. I noticed the ratio of liquor to mixer changed dramatically as the night went on.
I’m sorry Black Finn, I don’t think I’ll be returning.

I don’t know why they even bother calling this place a restaurant. Its almost completely empty in the «Dining Area» every single time I go there.
This place is a baby/​wannabe/​almost dance club. Every evening they turn the lights down, set up the DJ and start charging a cover… So you can buy their over priced liquor and dance. Its only $ 5 so don’t let that deter you.
I will say I love the music they play– we always go in a big group and they play a variety of old school hip-​hop, rap and country along with the top 100. The bottled beer is very reasonable– so stick with that.
This place does get very crowed– so if you don’t like rubbing elbows– literally– don’t bother.

The only reason to go here would be to do as I did, for a good friend’s birthday party. As others stated, there is a $ 6.00 cover. No worries if you don’t have cash because you weren’t expecting a cover because the have their own ATM complete with fees that they pocket.
My first drink was Jameson on the rocks which arrived in a tall glass (seriously??) and looked like sprite with a splash of coke. My next one, I asked for a rocks glass. He had to search all over the bar, then gave me a shot glass. He did not talk, but was very adept at clearing your drinks right in front of you whether or not you were finished.
I am not as cosmopolitan as most, but I’ve been to a couple of nice spots where the 20% gratuity was added. I was cool because I was at places which required me to shower. Once I saw the grat on my bill, then it made sense that the servers could deliver service which can’t be described even in a Scrabble dictionary. Even the industry people I was with were irate and normally if you are in the industry or been in the industry, you don’t give the staff a hard time. However, the bartenders should know it cut into their money because the industry typically tips very well.
I was appalled to read the other reviews where people were charged for having dinner. In the words of Gomer Pyle, «Shame, Shame, Shame,» on you BlackFinn. Shame on anyone else who pays the cover from this point on to eat there. As Ron White says, «you can’t fix stupid.» That is directed toward BlackFinn and those who eat there at night… well, any other time as well. I can’t imagine giving my money willingly to that company. Take a page from Shuck ‘N Jive and Memphis. I would think spending a fortune on a less than mediocre menu would justify letting someone enjoy the MTV summer party in the next room.
Suggestion…treat this place like a place to go if you absolutely have no where else to go, then come to your senses and don’t go. No, really, don’t go. Did I say, don’t go? Just checking.

i really didn’t know how to review them… we went there a couple of weeks ago on a saturday night… it so wasnt what i was expecting… the atmosphere was cool & laid back! we got there about 9:30 b/​c we ate dinner 1^st & it’s sad to say it dawned on me the next morning that they charged $ 6 to get into the restaurant… yea we went to the club after eating but i would think for those customers that dine @ the restaurant they would not charge to get in the club! the music & drinks were great… i just can’t get over paying to go in a restaurant!!! not sure how i feel on if i’ll return. if i do… i dayum sho wont eat there!!!

This is just one of those places.
It seems like Blackfinn has changed themes and directions at least three times during its short time in the Highlands. It’s got a real identity crisis going. I had the unfortunate honor of dating an employee, so I also got to experience a little behind the scenes nonsense. There’s almost always a cover at night since they often have a marginal rock band playing on the bar side.
First off, this place is too expensive for what it serves and what it is. It’s Chili’s, Friday’s, whatever, but they’re charging more. The dining side has tried to become so much of a «fine dining» atmosphere that it’s gotten to the point where they change out your napkin dependent on the color of your pants. Seriously. So that when you’re eating their below average food, you don’t get white fabric on your dark pants.
The bar side is like someone tried to replicate an old dive bar. The music is usually too loud. When there’s a band, they’re terrible. And even louder than the stereo. I’ve gotta debate whether I’ve ever heard a worse band than the ones I heard at Blackfinn.
Unless you’re ordering a Bud Lite, the beer is pretty old and past its prime. I get the impression that they ordered some «fancy» beers and that no one drinks them. Everything I tried there was off and old. Or maybe the tap lines aren’t kept up. Either way, I stopped buying beer from them.
The worst thing for me was that the business plan seemed to be set up like a high school fund raiser. Employees were required to bring guests to regularly scheduled VIP nights. If they didn’t bring enough people, then they would get bad shifts, end up with an unwanted cleaning duty, and then derided by management. This meant that I was often drug out to VIP nights so that I could write my name, contact info, and which server brought me as I was paying my cover. This information is later used to call and text you about later events. I haven’t been back in almost a year, but still get text messages from random servers asking me to come to their VIP night and write their name down.
A schizophrenic atmosphere with mediocre food, irritating service, old beer, and questionable business model? Yep.

First time I went was on Jan. 28, 2012, went at night, only adults. very large crowd, friendly staff… We are planning to go again on Sat. Feb. 25… the D.J. came on about 10:00 — 10:30, played a mixture of music.
Nice atmosphere. just do not sit at the bar, too many patrons reaching over you to order.

As for «pub» style places to go grab a drink after work. this is a decent place. There is a decent selection of beer on tap. although it wouldnt hurt to have a few extra european choices of beer. The service is good… when it is semi busy. Once the night moves on from happy hour to club hour. it can be a bit crazy ordering from the bar. Once to lights go out and the DJ kicks it in to gear… this place really turns into a booty shakin market… lol. Not my cup o tea. however every once in a while you gotta let loose and shake that rump!
I actually prefer the Black Finn in Addison to this one. But all in all a good place to grab that beer and be sociable! If you go late in the night you will pay a cover… go early and get a seat at the bar or near by table.

After reading and hearing all the rave reviews of Black Finn my sistas and I decided to venture in. «Whoa»!! This place is very over rated for happy hour.
Much younger wanna-​be grown patrons with very disrespectful attitudes, hassling like puppies for drinks. «Damn can you move out tha way so grown folks can get their drink on». Trying to squeeze in to the bar area was like a fish out of water very thirsty with Finns waving for attention and having senior moments…“Really”!!
Maybe well try this place another time, our buzz was fading and happy hour was too.

The vibe isn’t as good as it used to be. Something’s changed. Feels cheaper now.
Sat at the bar. Service was good and the bartenders were entertaining.

I wish I could even fully rate this place, but I didn’t even enjoy a drink when I went on Saturday night. We went in at 9:45 pm, were carded and asked to pay $ 5 per person for cover. My wife, without thinking, paid $ 10 and we went in. I began thinking about it and thought «we are at a bar, in Arlington, in a shopping center, 100 yards from I-​20. WHY DID WE PAY COVER?!»
We were dressed nicely, I was with my wife, about to meet friends. What in that situation is deserving of paying cover?!
We went back up to the hostess and said «can we have our money back? We want to leave.» She got a semi-​manager who said she’d asked the manager. She went and asked the manager, came back and said he said no. We asked to speak face to face to the manager and he tried to keep our money. Finally we just said on general principle we don’t want to pay cover, even if they were having the «awesome band» that he suggested they were having.
We gladly took our $ 10 back and went to a neighboring bar and spent it there. Had he made us stay I would have drank water all night just to piss off the waitress.

Came here Sunday night to watch the Mavs win the NBA Championship.
My friends came right before tip-​off and got us a table in the dining area. I arrived during halftime. The place was super crowded. They had TVs everywhere, so that was great to enjoy the game. They played music during commercial breaks, and it was really loud.
It took me some time to decide what I wanted to eat. I settled for:
Mac n cheese (side) — it tasted great. Pasta was cooked perfect al dente, and the cheese sauce is well seasoned. It’s served on a plate in a skillet.
Sex and the City Cosmo– the drinks are strong. They don’t skimp on the vodka/​alcohol for sure. It was ok for me. Wish is more fruity. I found a strand of short red hair in the drink, so I obviously didn’t keep drinking it after that.
Key lime pie– Best whipped cream I have ever had! I LOVED IT! This tasted great.
Peanut butter, hot chocolate (soufflé?) — This is definitely a dessert to share with the whole table. Lots of chocolate and peanut butter.
Overall, there’s not an overwhelming selection of food, but chances are you’ll find something to settle for. The food I had ordered tasted good. I do believe the food here is over priced. The service was OK seeing how it was crazy busy in there.
Would I come back? Maybe. I know I can find the same quality of food of the same taste or better for a more affordable price elsewhere.

BF is definetaly a hang out spot in the evening. I’ve only been there on a thurs/​fri/​sat night and its a pretty social vibe. I went last Friday ($ 5 covercharge after 10) and the DJ was the WORSE. But after a few drinks, I think anything would have sounded good.
The food-​, I’ve had a few appetizers here and there and I have yet to really be impressed. However, there is a good variety of food which is always nice when you dont exactly know what your in the mood for.

Blackfinn is a perfect example of mediocre American food. With fake-​attentive service, generic décor, and very boring food, this place falls flat.
Though it is affordable, the menu does not offer anything worth coming back for. We had the pork ribs, the French onion soup, the chili, the fried chicken, and the prime rib.
The chili consisted of ground beef with some chili-​like sauce topped with a cap of cheddar cheese. It was alright, but totally not worth it at $ 4 a cup. Even less bang-​for-​your-​buck was the French onion soup; it was flavorful, but it did not justify the $ 5 tag. The final appetizer was the best of the bunch, but at $ 3 a rib, it was way overpriced. The spare ribs were oddly reminiscent of Chinese fried ribs with a sweet and spicy sauce. They were both crisp and moist on in the inside – aspects you cannot find coexisting in BBQ.
Entrees did not fare any better in terms of value. Though there was an abundance of meat on the plate, the mediocre sides and plainness of the meal dropped the food a notch. I have been studying «Foodservice Management» and have actually learned more about the aesthetics of a menu and food presentation than I thought was really pertinent to simply feeding grub to patrons. Keeping all of my knowledge in perspective, the lack of garnishing really made the plate look depressing. Also, the new potatoes and rice pilaf sat on the plate with absolutely no color. Imagine a few potatoes siting next to a grey-​ish steak, or off-​white rice sitting next to light brown chicken.
The fried chicken had a fairly nice crispy crust and moist skin, but the meat itself was on the bland and dry side. The prime rib had a nice salty fat cap, but the actual steak had «seared» marks – which should not be on «slow-​roasted» prime rib! The horseradish «flavoring» on the steak added a surprising touch. The flavor was OK overall, but it was a bit chewy, AND YOU CANNOT SEAR PRIME RIB!!!
I digress… Blackfinn American Saloon is Big And Sad.

What a steaming hot mess of fish innards BlackFinn is. I guess my first clue should have been the giant mural with the come hither stock photography Bimbos.
Was there a sign that I missed that if you wore something from Ed Hardy’s garage sale that you’d get a free appetizer or something?
The hostess had as much between her ears as I had scotch in my double. I don’t need to hear your constant apologizing for what tables you have sweetheart, seat me or tell me to wait I’m a big boy.
After a heated debate with her own psyche, the hostess finally seated us in one of the lower cantos of Hell. I looked up to see if there was AC anywhere and the duct work even flipped me off.
Our waitress offered my visibly pregnant wife the Martini list. There was no silverware. We must have ordered a Noah’s Ark salad as there were only 2 of everything in this poor excuse for lawnmower clippings. 2 croutons, 2 shabby slices of cucumbers, 2 dry pieces of red onion. I practically laughed the watery scotch out of my nose.
This is one of those bring you your entrée as fast as possible even if you’re not even halfway through with your salad places. It’s also great getting shouted «BEEF TIPS» at 120 decibels when the server doesn’t take the time to look at the ticket to know who ordered what ahead of time.
Predictably, Beef Tips they were not. More like crock pot roast that was drowned in French onion soup. A stewy brown pool that resembled something I’d find in a can of Alpo, I’d wager the Alpo smells better.
Since things were going swimmingly at this point, I decided I’d try to order a martini. Those are practically all booze, how watery can they be? Turns out they didn’t make it until we had finished eating. 15 minutes later the waitress came by to tell me that they’re starting it now. I told her forget it at this point. She insisted that a manager come talk with us.
We had noticed the group of managers 10 minutes beforehand when they came by our area, opened the blinds and blinded us all. I wondered which Hyundai Sonata in the parking lot these guys all rolled up in from Jersey Shore. The one one with the tallest faux hawk approached our table and offered me the martini on the house. I appreciated the gesture but I felt like I had to take a Valtrex after drinking it. Yet again in a display of Archimedal intelligence, my visibly pregnant wife was offered a make nice glass of wine.
I’d like to think that I’ll never go back, so I’ll just make the decision for myself right now. Self, we’re not going back. I’m not going back?! We’re not going back. Wow. Maybe that hostess was on to something.

Last night was my first time at this location which is ironic since I live about 10 minutes away (I’ve actually visited the Addison location more). The Arlington location definitely has a different vibe but it was still fun. IT was a very mix crowd and there was a live band playing classic covers from Queen to Vanilla Ice and everything in between. The drink prices were priced decently and is comparable to most bars/​pubs.
The only downside is the parking. Arlington Highlands is notorious for being a place with very limited parking. They really need to build parking garages. Until then come early, pay for valet, or be prepared to park far if you want to come here.

this place lost two star for me because of the rude bartenders! They are so snooty and I dont understand why… it’s just Arlington… not new york or highland park. People who work in service industry like bar-​tending should be extra nice to people because they work solely on tips.
anyways, I had dinner here once and I got the fish and chips! IT IS SO GOOD HERE! and its not your typical fried fish and chips. The fish is so well seasoned and perfectly cooked.
Their grilled skewers appetizer with the peanut dip is pretty delicious, too.