Hambone’s Pub

You must go in a Tuesday for the taco night– pulled pork tacos were so good! The open mic was super cool too, very chill atmosphere. Bartenders were a bit aloof, and friends and I had quite a wait for our food, but it was worth it. I’ll deff be going back.

A few years ago, they had a great shrimp po boy and a French dip sandwich that was rather impressive for a bar. After a recent visit, it looks like ownership has changed. A change in ownership can mean two things: things will be better or things will go downhill. Whether a change in ownership occurred or not, I’m sad to say that Hambone’s has gone downhill.
Our server, who could’ve possibly been the owner (and the only staff member working that Friday night) started by asking, «Have you been here before?» We said, «Yes.» She replied, «And you came back?» Not quite the response we were expecting. She continued to explain that the menu has changed and that she cooks everything herself so therefore, everything is delicious. Such confidence that woman had. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with confidence so we left it up to the food to speak for that bold statement.
We ordered the buffalo chicken dip, pulled pork sandwich and shrimp po boy. The buffalo chicken dip was edible, but not all too great. Honestly, you can make a better-​tasting one at home and it would be quicker too (which I’ll explain more in a little bit). The pulled pork wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. There just wasn’t anything special that you can’t throw together yourself in the crockpot. And finally the shrimp po boy. I was excited for this sandwich but it just wasn’t the same as what I remembered. Something was different and I can’t seem to really put my finger on what that difference was. The shrimp was soggy and the fries use to be fresh cut. During this visit, they were the frozen kind you can find at any old bar. What a bummer to cut corners like that: to replace fresh with frozen. I’m hoping that that was just a one-​time thing.
As far as the service goes, there was just one do-​it-​all person working the dining room that night so needless to say, service was agonizingly slow. In the time it took for us to get waited on, to get menus, then to actually order, and then to receive our appetizer (the buffalo chicken dip), you might as well save some time and spend 35 minutes making it at home.
If you know me, I always love a divey hidden gem, but with below average bar food, a cocky employee, understaffing and slow service, I regret to say I probably won’t be back.

It was a cold winter night and my dad and I were looking for a place to grab some quick grub during my lunch break. We wandered into this restaurant almost on accident. There are two parts to Hambones: the bar and the restaurant. The restaurant has a nice cozy feel to it. We sat ourselves and the server was fast and attentive. I got the sampler thing that came with broccoli cheese bites, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and wings (buffalo for me!). I really wasn’t expecting much just from the slightly run-​down look of the place. But when the food arrived, oh my god, I was shocked in the very best way. Everything was amazing. I know, I know it’s hard to mess up mozzarella sticks. But these weren’t those typical slightly bland and lacking mozzarella round kinda. These cheese sticks were rectangular and full of delicious, melty mozzarella. And the wings. Oh my god, the wings. I feel like it’s hard to get good wings around here. However, these were full and meaty, expertly coated in a delicious buffalo sauce. Everything was so good we had to come back! Also try their burgers! Yummmy stuff

I have been to Hambones quite a bit and always enjoy my visit for a few reasons. I’ll start it out by saying that I don’t really come here for the food. I’ve ended up eating here quite a bit and I would say it’s typical average bar fare that is reasonably priced for what you get. If you are feeling really adventurous, you can go for the Krusty Burger which is deep-​fried and something everyone should experience at least once. Hopefully no more than once so you avoid having a heart attack. I tried the Sirloin once but it was overcooked and obviously this is not the kind of place you should order steak if you are picky about it like I am. The sandwiches all seem pretty good. I’ve had a few and my favorite is the Reuben.
This place has a great beer selection with a variety of craft beers on tap. They have happy hour specials, but they are usually only 50 cents off drinks and nothing too crazy, however the typical beer prices are pretty reasonable. They typically have a good bottle selection as well.
What I love most about this bar are the pinball machines! They have one machine out in the main bar room and then a few older machines in the back room. I always tend to migrate toward the back room because it is less crowded and there are also darts back there. I think most people might walk back there and be confused about if they are allowed to be back there because it seems like they use that room for extra storage sometimes. There is occasionally be a crockpot on one of the tables, silverware being rolled or condiments being filled. I assume that most people are good people and would not mess with things left out, but it always seemed odd to me… hopefully they keep an eye on it if there are ever a bunch of drunk people back there.
They have events here too. I’ve been to a few stand-​up shows and Open Mic nights, both of which were very enjoyable. These take place in the side room, so if you happen to stumble in on one of those nights you can choose to join the show or hang out in the bar room instead.
Overall, I really like this bar. It is right in the heart of Lawrenceville and right next to Wildcard, one of my favorite stores!

The food here really exceeded my expectations. I came for brunch and got the eggs Benedict with homemade salmon cake. The cake was perfectly flaky and the presentation was on point. My friend got the the smoked beef brisket hash. She really liked it, but I felt it was a little too smokey for my taste.
Also there were two talented performers playing acoustic guitar and singing. A great addition to a lazy Sunday morning.
I will back on taco Tuesday.

Amazing tacos and cheap beer. 10 out of 10 likes.

TERRIBLE service. Sat in the dinning room area waited 10 min before some guy came over and asked if we were eating??? Menus were already on the table. Our waiter didn’t know the draft list. He got us a round of beers and didn’t come back for 20 minutes when we were putting on our coats. At that point I was tired of his rudeness and just paid for the beers no tip. We wanted to eat but he didn’t care. Awful experience.

Hambones is awesome for many reasons. Everyone is very friendly, the drinks are cheap, the food is good and the atmosphere is comfortable. One side houses the bar, some high tables and standing room. The other side is more of the the restaurant area which also has a stage. There is a back area with more tables but I have never ventured back there.
I stumbled into Hambones around 8:30 last Saturday for dinner and the place was packed to the gills. My buddy and I were lucky enough to grab a spot dead center at the bar as two people were leaving. Everyone seemed very chill and I decided immediately that I liked this place. Service was slow but it didn’t really bother me because I was enjoying the vibe regardless. I think they were pretty understaffed that night because the bartender was absolutely slammed with drink orders and the manager that was backing her up looked like he was also knocking out orders in the kitchen too. Being in the industry I can appreciate when you get a hit like that and everyone pulls together to put out the best possible service. The crew at Hambones did just that.
I will absolutely come back to Hambones, their aren’t enough good independents like them left in this city.

Waited 15 minutes at a dirty table and no server ever came. This was after someone stopped by and said someone would be with us shortly. They were busy but we waited a reasonable amount of time before leaving. Will take a lot for me to go back since there are better places on butler st

I had brunch here for the first time today. (I’ve had dinner and drinks here before) I had the pumpkin cheesecake pancakes. This wasn’t anything like IHOP’s mass produced canned and bagged crap toppings. You could tell it was made there specially. It was fantastic. Not to mention you can get alcohol too, which is always fun. The server was nice and kept the coffee filled.
There were no lines, no waiting, and it was really quiet. There were some people playing acoustic guitar and singing for fun. They were really good and it added a really nice vibe to the environment. I like that the place isn’t flashy and trendy looking like the rest of Butler Street’s cafes and bars. It feels more relaxed and neighborly. All the other places serving brunch in the area you have to fight to get into.
The prices were great especially compared to the competition. I’m definitely going back.

Love the pinball machines here that is the best thing about this bar. They bring in new ones every once a while. The food is ok. I tried the country fried steak which is on their new menu. It came out good, just the gravy was too salty to eat. But the service was good.

Disclaimer: my only experiences at Hambone’s are for drinks only and I have not had food other than the buffalo dip.
Now that PHI is gone, Hambone’s is one of the bars that can fill the gap in my soul that can only be filled by the greatest of dives. I just wish it would have been closer to Oakland when I was in school. I have never had a negative experience here with service and the regulars are very friendly. If you are around on a Thursday night, you must stop in for comedy open-​mic night. There are plenty of other events that happen (I think Wednesdays are board game night, that was a blast) and seating is usually adequate except during Thursday night in my experience. Drinks are cheap and they always have something fun — who would have thought about serving a Hug (the little plastic barrels filled with sugary drink) and a shot? Well a genius at Hambone’s did.
Put it on the list if you’re having a bar crawl through Lawrenceville, or just start here and stay all night. You won’t be disappointed.

Great food. I had the steak and funnel cake for a brunch meal and it was delicious. Definitely will be back.

I really dig Hambone’s for several reasons. One, it’s a really relaxed vibe. It’s not fancy, it’s rundown and chill. My friends come here for gaming, so you might be able to see why we like the place so much!
Drinks and food here are really cheap, and they have a small but nice collection of pinball tables in the back. The Elvira table is pretty amazing, and it’s pleasure to be able to play such a vintage table.
The drinks here are no fuss and to the point. I liked what I had, and there’s not more to say on that.
The appetizers are horribly greasy, but it’s so good. Fried broccoli with cheddar, provolone sticks, onion rings, yum!
Eventually I learned that there’s a restaurant portion next door. When I went to this side, it was really awkward. Our server was either new or just socially awkward. He barely spoke, but he did his job, and we weren’t feeling social anyway.
I like their menu. I’m a vegetarian, and there’s more than one option, so that’s always good in my book. I had a southwest wrap and my boyfriend had a grilled cheese. We swapped half of each so we could enjoy the flavors. When they something will be spicy, it will be spicy. I was impressed!
I’ll probably be back to Hambone’s a lot in the future. The food is cheaper than other places, it’s cozy in there and it’s perfect for a board game session or pinball. What more could a girl want?

Decent local hang out. They usually have a string band playing in the back room when we go on Sunday’s.
There are 3 – 4 pinball machines there all the time so it’s fun to go with some friends.
The food is good bar food. My favorites are buffalo chicken dip and the Krusty burger.
(10÷10÷15) — bring back the Krusty Burger!!!

My wife and I showed up at 5:30 for dinner before a 7:00 movie. We were greeted but then promptly ignored. It went downhill from there. We eventually ordered drinks and food, but the food did not arrive until more than an hour later at around 6:40. By that point I was so annoyed that I asked for the check and the food to go so that we would not miss our show.
I am a pretty reasonable guy, but the kitchen was unreasonably slow. I could understand the delay if they were busy, which was the excuse our server threw at us in passing, but the truth is neither she nor the kitchen staff were efficient. There were literally only two other tables when we arrived, a two-​top and a six-​top. Fortunately, there were two people helping her, or we may never have gotten drink refills.
On a more positive note… the food was delicious when I finally ate it at home.

I’m sorry, but I definitely do not like this place. I absolutely hated the décor– I felt like I was in a 70s style Golden Corral. The extra room with live music was just not my kind of place, and the bar was super crowded with bartenders who weren’t particularly nice or efficient. I can’t speak for the food, which others here have said is average. I will not come here for brunch, and I would only go here again if I was in a group who insisted. They are many better places in Lawrenceville to spend your money.

Well… I’m surprised they offer a brunch menu. I actually only thought it was a bar. Come to find out they have a dining room next door. Seems kind of like a diner. Which brings me to my next point. It was okay diner food.
The brunch menu actually looked pretty promising with some delicious looking breakfast sandwiches. Since I wanted something a bit lighter, I went with the omelet loaded with veggies and cheddar cheese. I didn’t realize it came with potatoes until I got it in front of me. Plus toast. Which is nice, but I wish I would have been told from my server so I could have ordered wheat… if they had it. The omelet was okay, but the veggies were still kinda hard, like it wasn’t cooked very long. And the homefries weren’t very crispy, which in my opinion is the best way to do them.
So here’s the weird thing. Everyone ended up getting their food in shifts. We had a party of 8, so it was pretty large, but we were literally the only party in there other than another four top. First shift got their breakfast sandwiches. They’d eaten most of their meal by the time the second shift got their waffles. The third shift was 3 people who’d ordered omelets.
It just seemed odd that it took so long in between. I wouldn’t have noticed much if it was by a few minutes. But it was a good fifteen or more. It wasn’t horrible, because there was good company, but it definitely wasn’t the best service I’d had.
Not sure about the bar area of Hambone’s, but I probably wouldn’t come back for brunch.

We came here around 1pm on a Sunday and the place was empty. After Having traipsed around Larryville looking for a spot that actually served lunch and not brunch, we were happy to stumble upon this place.
The service was lovely! We had a very friendly waitress who was super attentive and helpful with any questions we had. I got the Canadian Waffle drink, which secretly consisted of a two drink system comprised of a crown royal maple & lemon cocktail served with a Woodchuck Cider. Not. Too. Shabby. Yes, it did sort of taste like waffles.
We had the pretzel app the start with and they were just okay. My Pittsburgh steak salad was everything I’d hope it would be and more. The bed of greens it was served on was surprisingly sophisticated for a dive bar. All sorts of fresh chopped up veggies and such. Very big, very good and priced just right.
I’ve heard many things about this place for it’s night life, so I’ll be sure to stop in sometime for karaōke or something.

I love coming here on Tuesday for $ 1.50 tacos they are so good! Appetizers are half price during happy hour!
I’ve had the burger it was on point! I also had their seafood chowder which my boyfriend was questionable about but it was amazing! I would rather eat seafood chowder here than wholeys!
Hambone stew is also really good!