Buster’s Restaurant and Bar

My husband and I just had dinner here for the first time since they remodeled! I wasn’t really sure what to expect based on the reviews, but we were really impressed! First of all, our server Eric did a great job. He was very friendly, enthusiastic, and attentive. Most importantly though the food was delicious! We started with the calamari. It comes with arugula and Fresno chilies mixed in. Absolutely delicious. For our entrees I got the chili glazed Mahi Mahi with corn salsa and mashed potatoes. The Mahi Mahi was cooked perfectly and the salsa was a great compliment to the fish. My husband got the super shrimp salad. It has kale, quinoa, beets and walnuts. He really enjoyed his salad as well, but I think my dish was the winner for the evening. The only very tiny criticism I would give would be there was a little bit too much dressing on my house salad and on my husband’s entrée salad. Otherwise great meal! We will definitely be returning for dinner in the future.

Just a-​ok guys. The happy hour food menu is hit and miss. The oysters used to be 6 for $ 8, but not they are 1 for $ 2. Be warned, the ceviche is very different from what you may be used to from a Mexican restaurant. I can’t complain about the taste but it wasn’t great. It comes on a small saucer with a disproportionate amount of chips. I was hoping $ 8 worth of ceviche would fill me up, but not even close! That feeling of not getting your money’s worth hits so deep for me. The artichoke dip was somewhat bland and also smaller than the past serving size. Had some nice chunks in it though! Next time I would choose the fish tacos, more food for less cash.
The service was great! The place looks great too.

Really pleased with this choice. Our waitress Bria was very attentive, friendly, and informative. We all enjoyed our meals and our glasses were never empty. The chili glaze mahi mahi was unique and delicious. The pork was generous and also well enjoyed. The kids had Mac n cheese (looked homemade) and the chicken pot pie would make the Amish proud. The locally baked sourdough and zucchini muffins were a bonus. I also appreciated the large, clean restrooms. Always a good sign. Would visit again when in the area.

Out of this world amazing! Ally was our server and she was fantastic!!! The food was beyond our expectations! The chefs in the kitchen know what they are doing for sure! We will be back again for sure! Thank you Buster’s for the most amazing lunch!

Went to Busters the other night with my wife. My wife ordered Sonoma Chicken which was excellent, however, I made the mistake of ordering the Prime Rib. I would have needed a chain saw to cut it. The meat while cooked correctly was terrible. The only explanation I can think of is they must buy extremely low quality beef (perhaps select grade). The waitress never said is there anything wrong she just took the plate (uneaten) and dropped the check. I was hoping Busters would have decent meat as there are no restaurants in Flagstaff that sell Prime beef, but alas they managed to hit a new low.

Busters has lost its luster!
Been going there since the early 80’s. The new décor in the dining room looks nice, but they missed the mark in the bar area. Colors don’t match and the noise level was extremely loud!
The food was ok, but the service was very good. Sometimes things are better left alone.
Also only one women’s stall for the whole restaurant! Who does that? Also no more famous zucchini bread!!! Boo!

I have learned to avoid restaurants which have their offerings in super big type but the prices listed in such small type that you have to strain to read them.
I have been to the old Busters and now to the new one. I was not happy with the new one.
First, despite what reviewers say, the place has been converted into a big box shape with no decorations on the wall except for some modern lamps on one wall. There is absolutely no attempt at noise reduction and the noise was like being in a chicken coop filled with overly excited chickens. There are half circle booths only that I could see except at one end where the tables were set up for a large group. The booths are supposed to give the feeling of intimacy but since they come up only shoulder high with the noise of other diners and lack of any noise dampening, intimacy is a figment of the imagination.
Prices were high but the stuff we ate was very good. I had the hamburger which was delicious but the bun bottom fell apart with all the juices that soaked through. Sour dough bread and muffins were served as well and they were good also.
One of the other reviewers mentioned that a patio was being considered. That’s wonderful since my party would have done anything to escape all the noise.
Other reviewers talked about how modern it is and how «hip» it is. That’s true if you consider a big boxy room with a noise that is slightly less that that of a jet plane reving up to be modern and hip.
Thanks but I think there are other restaurants more enjoyable to be in. We won’t be back.

I came up from Prescott for a conference and holy moly this place was fantastic. We had oysters for our app and I had the filet — cooked perfectly. It was SO GOOD!
Pretty pricey place, but it was delicious!

Fantastic steaks –we had a strip and a ribeye– great service and wine. Don’t let the bad reviews scare you off this place is definitely worth stopping.

Walked into the newly remodeled bar. Lo and behold, the back wall was replaced by windows to look out on parked pickup trucks and the side wall of Target. The bright lights and stark modern accoutrements established an atmosphere that is unwelcoming and not even close to producing the joy that walking into the rustic former bar created. The food was no better. Forget the wonderful early menu with the great fish and chips. They no longer exist except for around $ 17. Ordered the calamari and could barely locate a few pieces within the greens that dominated the plate. I decided not to order the wonderful bearnaise burger from the old days. Couldn’t bear (sorry about the pun) to see how they’d ruined it as well. The company that now owns this restaurant and taken over at least three others in Flagstaff should be run out of town. This ain’t New York City, people! You are destroying the trade.

Not AT ALL as wonderful as when John owned it. Food is mediocre at best. None of the old favorites, cocktail hour sucks, new décor is awful. Sadly, after thirty years, we have lost our favorite restaurant.

Busters used to be one of my favorite restaurants when I was a student at NAU 2 years ago. I came up this weekend for graduation and decided to stop in for some food. When I walked in I was amazed at the new décor! It was so modern and hip! We were seated quickly and our waiter was very prompt. Sadly, these were the only good things about our recent trip to Busters. I was saddened to see that some of my menu favorites were gone, but I decided to press on and try something new.
I ordered the chicken pot pie and my fiancé ordered the prime rib dip. While we were waiting for our food to come our server brought out our favorite part, the bread basket! We took our first bite and we were so disappointed! The once wonderful sourdough was hard and seemed stale and the moist zucchini muffins were tough. After being thoroughly disappointed in our bread our food came out.
Let me tell you, both plates looked delicious! But on further inspection and taste they were mediocre at best. The chicken pot pie was a hip take on a classic, instead of a crispy crust there was a large biscuit sitting atop the pot pie filling. Unfortunately the biscuit was dry and tough. One could very easily taste that the dough had been over mixed thus causing the butter in the dough to break down before it had time to melt into the layers in the oven. The pot pie filling was fairly good but nothing to write home about. My fiancés prime rib dip was incredibly bland. There was almost no flavor to the meat at all. It was desperately needing salt. One would think the flavor would come from the aus ju but unfortunately that needed salt as well. Now I know that I am capable of adding salt to my meal but the sandwich and the aus ju should be flavorful enough so they don’t need copious amounts of salt.
All in all the old Busters is gone and it will be greatly missed! I can’t see myself going back to the new Busters again because I really don’t think I could find something that I would actually want to eat.

Good food… needs some revamp on procedures and policy. We have always eaten in the bar so this review reflects that experience. This is now my fourth time dining since the reopen of the restaurant.
I shall begin by saying that the remodel of the restaurant is refreshing and I’m excited to see what they will do with the patio area. The staff are friendly and welcoming. Our waitress was conscientious and attentive. The food was well done… the oysters were lovely. I had the fish market herb crusted halibut which was delicious.
I do have reservations upon returning though due to the lack of expediency when it comes to clearing dishes/​glasses from the tables. In years passed when I worked as a server the cardinal rule was to keep glasses full and clear dirty dishes immediatly. Our plates and empty glases remained on our table for an inordinate amount of time which made our experience cluttered and uncomfortable. I asked various employees to please clear our table. All the while, numerous staff members were standing in the kitchen accessing their phones. Numerous tables had the same situation… staff was eager to process the check… but where’s the cleanup? As a customer I do not want to constantly ask for dishes to be cleared. I also do not want to have to reorder drinks/​food. The gentleman I am assuming was the shift manager (I assume this because that is the persona that was presented… I may be completely incorrect) should not be in the kitchen on his phone while tables need to be cleared, or, in the past, sitting with aquaintances in the bar eating while customers are waiting.
A professionally trained and skilled bartender should be on staff … every time I have come and ordered the same drink, it never tastes the same and is thusly inconsistent.
To recap… food is good… staff needs policy and procedures… maybe bring in a consultant to find tune the procedures and let the slackers go.

Not crazy about the changes. Décor seems dark and cold, a lot of dark and stark white.
Menu choices were okay, but I don’t get the weird French fries covered with soup. Clam chowder? Whose idea was that?
Both companion and I ordered salad, and she ordered soup. We asked for bread and server brought us one small piece of sourdough bread and a zucchini muffin. Really felt stingy; we had to ask again for two whole pieces of bread.
And I had to ask for a freaking spoon to put the dressing on my salad.
I longed for more interesting fish choices. So over the same old salmon offerings.
Used to be reliable and a good value… Probably won’t come back.

THE NEW BUSTERS is clean, sharp and the food is phenomenal! I would recommend the fish of the day along with the THE BEST French Onion soup I have ever had! I have also tried several of the steaks and many sides — all wonderful! The beer and wine selection is wonderful and the service has been spot on every time! The atmosphere attracts people from all walks of life! The dining room is quite and intimate while the bar area is fun and inviting! Kuddos to the new owners for making Busters great again! We will be back AGAIN AND AGAIN!
I have been in several times since the reopen. WHAT AN IMPROVMENT! The old Busters was tired and appeared to be stuck in the 1980’s with nasty tile, carpet, names all over the wall and dusty beer bottles. The food was extremely distasteful and poor quality. I am baffled at the negative reviews since the reopen as I cannot understand how dining on mauve carpet and dirty tile in an old dingy environment is enjoyable.

The food, service and atmosphere are great! So much better than the old and tired Busters. Can’t wait to go back.

OMG! John, I hope you’re enjoying your retirement because your old life’s work has gone to hell in a hand basket. I just had lunch there today to give the remodel/​under new ownership thingie a try. The place looks about the same from the outside, but once you enter it’s obvious that they hired some neo-​modernist hack (on a budget) to redecorate.
The hostess nearly tackled me as I turned left to walk into the bar — as I’ve done for the last fifteen years. «Oh, no! It’s no longer seat yourself in the bar area. Have you been here before?» I was scolded. «Yeah, for about fifteen years. I didn’t see the Please Wait To Be Seated sign,» I muttered. We followed her into the bar area. I should have kept my sunglasses on. Huge windows, austere neo-​modern design with pale colors and primarily «hi-​top» tables with spindly, hard seats. Gone was the cozy, warm, woodsy ambiance, and privacy of the former Busters and it’s snugly booths and partitioned rooms. This «new and improved» Busters had me feeling glum, uncomfortable, and on display. Maybe college kids and preening narcissists like the new look. I’ll pass.
After the «you ain’t from around here» bad start at the hostess desk, we sat at a high top in the back of the room. Our server finally arrived and asked for our drink orders. I ordered a Shirley Temple for my boy and a Ferrari-​Carrano Fume Blanc for myself. I saw what looked like a Long Island Iced Tea being delivered to our table in a «to-​go» cup. «What is that?» I asked. «Oh, it’s an Arnold Palmer,» our server said. After reiterating that we’d ordered a Shirley Temple it was «my bad» and the drink went away. About the time my son’s correct drink arrived, a carafe and glass of red wine were put on the table. I waited another several minutes before the server returned to tell her that I’d ordered a WHITE Fume Blanc. «My bad» — I heard, again. The look on the manager’s face later was priceless as I saw him and the bartender confab over what must have been the void ticket for the $ 11 glass of red blend I’d mistakenly received. Oops. Her bad!
Like most of the restaurant consultant make-​overs of restaurants these days, the menu has been given the chainsaw treatment for the ubiquitous (these days) single page, double-​sided menu. Limited menu on one side, booze galore on the flip side. Oh, and jacked-​through-​the-​roof prices. I saw one thing that got me excited, though. Green-​lipped mussels! Woo-​hoo! [So you’re saying there’s a chance. .. .]
Well. .. the green mussels I ordered were just OK. I love, love, LOVE green mussels and it’s darn near impossible to screw them up. .. but this came perilously close. Dry, hard to remove from the shell, and a non-​existent oily broth in the bottom of the bowl. Meh.
So. .. so. .. disappointed at losing a stalwart like the old Busters. It was the «go-​to» standard for our family whenever we were in Flagstaff. I guess the search is on for our new «go-​to» place.

My boyfriend and I regularly went to Buster’s and had many happy memories there. We were nervous about the remodel, and all of our fears came true. We have always ordered the maitai Buster Bowl, and that’s not even offered now. What once was a cozy and relaxed atmosphere is now a loud and echoing space. The food has drastically changed and is nowhere near what it once was. We were terribly disappointed and feel like we have lost one of our Flagstaff gems. This used to be our favorite place to get drinks and appetizers and just hang out and relax. We are very sad to lose a place so close to our hearts.

After the long awaited remodel we visited the place over the weekend. What a major disappointment it was. First of all we didn’t understand why they even kept the Buster’s name because nothing on the menu reflects what used to be offered there.
For the space, there is a lot of wasted space in the restaurant now. Very little seating and a lot of open floor space. The bar is way too noisy for socializing.
For the menu, what a terrible selection of food. The cobb salad was very mediocre. Ordered one of two hamburgers on the menu with cheese. The burger was so dried out and burnt you needed a ton of catsup to make it moist and it didn’t even come with the cheese ordered. All the old favorites from the good days are no longer offered. Can you imagine eating a steak without a baked potato (not on the menu)? When we inquired about it we were told you had to specifically ask for that and they only made so many a day and could possibly be out by the time you ordered.
Not a place we will revisit soon.

Went here before a bike ride in Flag and we ended up in the family dining half of the restaurant. We were the youngest people there by a good 10 years. The food was very family dining-​ish. Pretty decent but nothing to stand out. Some things that tasted premade and some that tasted made from scratch. Not bad but I probably wouldn’t go back.