Backyard Bar & Grille

Food was good and the décor was inviting. The service was terrible. He never introduced himself, so, I cannot list the name. Our table got two different prices menus which isn’t very comforting. 3 of us had lower prices, 2 had higher. Tables near us came and went, our ordeal lasted over 2 hours. If I do return, I will certainly request different wait staff.

Travelling through with the family, stopped by wanting to try something besides Outback. Was very happy with the friendly service, and how fast our food arrived, but to be fair it wasn’t busy at all around 4pmish on a Saturday.
Pros — Clean and comfortably lit bar and restaurant with plenty of tvs.
Kids were happy and enjoyed their fries being served in a tiny basket.
Try the Gordo burger, was delicious but couldn’t finish it because it was so big, bring your appetite!
Cons — The wings were too good not to have a spicier sauce on the menu, and ranch was a little watery for my taste.

Worst restaurant in Western Massachusetts. Started with the water, which tasted metallic, along with the iced tea so had to switch to diet soda. The beer was warm, not very fresh. We shared an appetizer which tasted like the WORST heated up TV dinner I’ve ever had… THEN the meal came. My husband had BBQ pork sampler which was literally one of the worst thing he’s ever tasted. Meal was flavorless, cold, watery and just all around bad. I had the chop chop salad. The menu states that there is «fresh applewood smoked bacon» on it, turns out it was just grocery store packaged bacon, which may or may not have been bacon. Overall experience was terrible. Only positive thing was the waitress, who was very sweet, and kept a smile the entire meal.

They don’t have bubble hockey anymore. This place is –1 Star.

We ate here a few times when it first opened and just tried it again yesterday with a party of 22 and everyone loved the food. It was hot and fresh. The service was prompt and we were wanting for nothing. I highly recommend their wings and shrimp for starters. The décor is really nice and the music wasn’t too loud either.

Very nice meal. My quirky order was delivered just as requested. Burger was juicy but not drippy. Coleslaw was a nice consistency. The server was efficient and attentive. Overall very good.

Went last night I had blackened chicken Alfredo more like mac and cheese with burnt chicken my wife had a rack of ribs they were cold told the waiter he took it back 15 minutes later he brings it out now her mashed potatoes are cold but at least the ribs were warm we had wings as an appetizer way over priced for what we got and they had no flavor the waiter did give us a desert for free for the aggravation I won’t be back

I would love to give this place five stars, but they do need to do some work on the service.
I had heard of this place but had never gone to either location. Craving ribs and such, we decided to give it a try. After reading reviews here, we decided not to risk bad service with two small energetic children, so went for takeout. We called to order and no one answered the phone. After a few tries, I called the Enfield location and a wonderfully professional hostess answered on the first ring. She assured me that the West Springfield location was open, so I decided to try a couple more times before giving up and going to Enfield.
I finally got through and placed the order, although there did seem to be some confusion on the other end of the phone and got put on hold before I could pay.
I do have to say that once we got the order home, we were very pleased. The chili is very flavorful and not spicy (not a fan of spicy food). I ordered the fish tacos that were also really delicious, although if I had been in the restaurant I would have asked for more sauces. They should put some on the side. We ordered the sampler plate with ribs, pulled pork and brisket. Everything was flavorful and fresh. I completely disagree with those who say it’s on par with Friday’s or tasted microwaved. This is real backyard bbq. The garlic mashed potatoes are also really good as is the coleslaw. The only thing I didn’t love are the chips, but I am not a fan of spicy so that’s me. The children loved the min-​cheeseburgers.
I asked about dessert, love our dessert, on the phone and was told they serve several varieties of cheesecake. Not sure why there are not other choices, some bread pudding or apple crisp would be in line with bbq food, but many restaurants just aren’t into the dessert thing. We passed this time.
I have been looking for a good bbq restaurant around here for years, and none has been very good. I am very pleased to have found Backyard BBQ. We will for sure go back and try more selections.

Visited on Saturday afternoon and the restaurant was dead. Despite that, the service was slow. I ordered scallops and they were good, but my husband ordered the bbq sampler and it was nothing special. Also, it was freeeezing in there. So, probably wouldn’t go back. Lunch was $ 50 with tip and (1) we had no alcohol and (2) it was just ok. I don’t think it will last. Sat. afternoon and nobody in there on a busy weekend before the holiday. That says something.

I went here for lunch with a couple of my friends about a week ago, and it was a fairly underwhelming experience.
To start, we split an order of their Backyard signature dry rub wings. For a seasoning labeled as «signature», it was just… average at best. Nothing spectacular flavor-​wise. Our server (who I think might have been a manager as well) suggested a side of their sweet Thai chili sauce to accompany the wings. It was a nice addition and I’m glad he suggested it, but if their signature rub needs another sauce to make it better, there’s something more needed from that signature rub.
For my meal, I went with their «The Gordo» burger, which included avocado, pecan wood smoked bacon, jalapeños, cheddar, onions, and chipotle ranch. Despite the plethora of bold ingredients included, this burger somehow managed to be pretty bland tasting. Not the worst burger I’ve ever eaten, but I didn’t try and finish it or take it to go. On the plus side, their fries were very good, so kudos on that!
Unfortunately, as much as I love my fries (and I do LOVE my fries), they weren’t nearly enough to make up for the middling, bland food that made up the rest of my meal. Nothing terrible, but it could have been SO much better given the ingredients used.

The service wad terrible. Got seated. Got ignored. Waited 15 minutes in not teal busy section. Then left.

Not even worth reviewing. Was seated at table. That’s where it ended.
No one came to take our order. The water walking by only complaining about being paid in change. Then being more concerned with picking up the pennies spilt on the floor with the hostess.
Waited 15min then walked out.
First time there and also our last.
Was warned by a couple of people not to go.
Lesson learned.

Clean place. First, your website is horrible. The rotating disc that you may find amusing is unnecessary. It had me having to open multiple pages as the delay caused by this «toy» of yours was wasting my time. Actually, the first time I looked at your website, I had closed it within the first 15 seconds due to the stupidity of the disc. When I told my friend about this badly designed website and how we would be eating there, she went to your website via cellphone and got frustrated as she waited to download your menu. She then closed the website and declared it to be poorly designed. We both agreed that we could access other restaurant websites faster and that this would prompt us to consider other restaurants in the area due to the convenience of viewing their menus online.
The hostess could be a little more welcoming but our waitress made up for it. Our friends had salads that were large but they thought the chicken portion was undersized. He was upset that the «roasted peppers’ on the cobb salad (unusual) were actually raw, not roasted. My partner’s meal, bean burger was «ok» in her words and wasn’t the inspired burger described on the menu. We all looked at it and said, «Is it cooked»? It was warm, but looked quite like it was quickly heated and tossed on the bun. It was served with fries. Nothing special to look at or eat. My fish and chips were the tastiest and freshest that I had recently and I look forward to returning. At $ 15 it was an acceptable portion of haddock, although at $ 11 I have had larger portions elsewhere. It was crispy and not oily, so why complain. We all are expecting to return if we are in the area. Our friend’s beer was served quite cloudy and so opaque that it resembled light coffee. How the bartender didn’t notice that the beer was bringing up the yeast at the bottom of the keg while pouring it into the glass is beyond me. But like the hostess, burger and the peppers (and the website), it indicates a lack of attention to details that if they were observed and corrected would bring this restaurant up to four stars. It is the little things that annoy people and if everyone seated (we had four) each experiences a «what the hell? moment, it creates some doubt. Honestly, this place is far from the disaster that Barrington Brewery is, but for some it doesn’t take much. Also, please bring in more Valley beers on tap. We like Valley beers.

Food was great, wings are a favorite. Need better servers. Very clean love the way it looks and feels inside.

Very nice atmosphere. My boyfriend loved his haddock sandwich, although the portion of fries was small. For appetizer we ordered mozzarella sticks, delicious, but pricey for the size. I had the baja shrimp wrap but it was a disappointment. Shrimps were cut into small pieces and the lettuce was wilted. Taste was good but the overall presentation was so so. Waiter was very friendly and attentive. I will definitely come back but I will not order the shrimp wrap!

Good food with a great draft beer list. Had the Wormtown draft that was very yummy. They call it an IPA, but I found it closer to Pale Ale. I had the Kansas City salad with chicken, good but chicken was kind of mushy. Wouldn’t get it again. Ordered some wings to share, they were pretty tasty but need to kick their heat up a bit. Server told us the Thai Chili were really hot, and they were very tasty but with no heat. The Kickin Buffalo had a little zest, but not enough to call them Kickin. Would go back, but likely bring my own bottle of Franks Hot Sauce for the wings!

Terrible service. Waited 20 minutes after soup for meal. Food was average. Wings were good and the sauce was good as well. Fish tacos were pretty good. Pulled pork sandwich was average. Waited 20 minutes for check after meal. And… no wet naps readily available. This is a barbecue place. Went to this one after sub par experience in Enfield. Probably won’t be back.

So, based on several visits, my summary is: Go for the Monday half-​price app special, and get the pigs can fly and/​or wings.
Things I’ve tried:
Pigs can fly is a definite to get. Either dry rub or BBQ. Buffalo isn’t bad either. Avoid the asian or thai options, they’re just sugar and not much else. I have not tried the other flavors. And despite not being mentioned on the menu, they come with bleu cheese, which is great, because I’d have to ask for some otherwise. I’m sure they’re pre-​made and just re-​heated, as you’d expect, but they’re really quite satisfying.
Wings … basically, see above, except I’m fairly sure they do these from scratch. They’re very good wings… very meaty, well cooked, nice and crispy. These guys do wings very well. (certainly better than a certain nearby neighbor with owls.)
Calamari: Was actually pretty darned good… especially the balsamic version with cherry peppers, but then it disappeared from the menu. That’s a shame, it should come back.
Breaded butterfly shrimp: Pretty definitely pulled from a freezer pre-​made and fried. Many were not cooked all the way through the first time around, and still cold in the center. I’d skip them.
Shrimp tempura: not (that I could tell) pre-​made… and actually pretty tasty. They could use some other sauce beside the sugar-​syrups they come with though.
Sliders: Tried the mini philly… and… I honestly don’t remember which other ones I selected. They were not impressive. Greasy without much flavor.
Clam Chowder: I wanted to try, since it’s listed as their «signature recipe» on the menu, but I asked if they used any fish stock because I’m allergic to fish. She checked. She wasn’t sure because they checked the label, but the container the chowder comes in didn’t say. I’ll pass on store-​bought chowder anyway.
Overall, as I stated at the beginning, it’s worth going for the pigs can fly and/​or the wings. After my initial attempts at expanding beyond those… I decided I’ll stick with those. I have not tried an entrée/​etc, but if I do, I’ll update this review.

Service was very slow which was strange because they were not busy. Food was good if you are in the mood for something greasey. We split the sampler app which comes with golden fried pickles, cream cheese jalapeño poppers and chicken poppers stuffed with cheddar cheese and jalapeños. I ordered the mushroom swiss burger and my boyfriend ordered the backyard belly buster. Yum! Our waitress was so friendly and out going. Will probably be back, hopefully with shorter wait times in between food or drink orders.

Got treated to dinner and a movie as an early birthday present by my pops last week and decided to visit «the place in the haunted building» on a whim.
First off, the building, which I’ve never had the opportunity to visit in any of its previous incarnations, is absolutely e-​effing-​normous!
I mean seriously, you could probably fit three restaurants in the space currently occupied by Backyard.
And while that space is extremely well appointed throughout, with a few eclectic little touches to add character, it’s also extremely comfortable.
Speaking of characters, our server, who was attentive, friendly and went out of his way to make sure everything was just «so», had a TON of it.
The menu isn’t huge, and I was in an «I need beef and cheese in my mouth» kind of mood so I ordered up «The Gordo», a burger with a Southwestern theme that was thankfully not the standard «BBQ sauce and onion straws» that most places serve up.
When my burger arrived I was more than happy with what was on my plate, particularly the nice sized portion of crispy golden fries.
And when I got to bite into «The Gordo» I was very pleased by how distinct the flavors of the ingredients were.
A lot of Bar & Grille style restaurants serve up burgers that are just kind of a pile of stuff that tastes like whatever.
But here I could taste the flavors (including the fresh avocado which wasn’t just flavorless green mush) and was particularly pleased with the chipotle sauce which added a zing but wasn’t overpowering.
I also ordered the Peanut Butter Pie for desert, which was rich and gooey and really just me being a pig on the old man’s dime.
For a completely random last minute choice (we could have just as easily ended up at Chili’s or Longhorn if their lines weren’t so long) I was pleasantly surprised with the ambiance, the service, and the food.
I certainly wouldn’t turn down an invitation to party in this back yard again some time.