Merry Time Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Astoria

I’ve been going to the Merrytime for almost 30 years. We were with a friend who hadn’t been to the Merrytime in awhile & requested it. A friend told us, “oh no don’t go there. It’s gotten SO sticky.” We should have heeded her warning, but we’re pretty easy going. A sticky floor wasn’t a deal breaker. We ordered two chili bowls, no onions, & two sides of sour cream. We also ordered a burger w/waffle fries. I asked if they still had garlic bread was told no. She recommended a cheese bread appetizer. We agreed. Yes the floor was sticky. The table was sticky, too. The server brought out one chili bowl w/onions, a pico de gallo w/ onions also in it, as well as a burger w/somewhat burnt waffle fries. They were dark brown, overcooked, tasted like dirty grease. I asked about the rest of our food. She seemed confused. I also let her know that the chili bowl was loaded w/ onions, that we can’t eat onions, they hurt our stomachs. At this point, we’re still not bothered. This is just the way it goes sometimes. We were having a good time still. We never complain, we always give grace, we smile, use a polite tone when dealing w/ issues. They happen. My guess is the server was already frustrated, because she took offense to me asking for no onions & the rest of our food. Her response was: “If you have a food allergy you should have told me in the first place. There’s onion in the pico de gallo so you should have ordered it w/out the pico. Pam says jokingly “I’ll just have gas all night. No biggee.” At this point we’re afraid to ask for anything because the server is being rude, exasperated. Telling us it was our fault because we didn’t tell her we had an allergy (we don’t! it’s a preference)? C’mon. Be kind and helpful. You’re getting paid. Not like we’re asking a stranger for a favor, but that’s how she acted. Pam said “you forgot the sour cream.” She ignored us. I wasn’t going to ask for it now. The server says “so do you want the pico on the side?” I said “Please just figure it out.” At that point, I was getting frustrated, because it wasn’t that she was new, it was that she was incapable of communicating sufficiently for us to get what we ordered. She was creating issues & tension where there shouldn’t have been any. Whether the kitchen made a mistake or she did, is it an unreasonable expectation to eventually get the food we ordered, are going to pay for? When another server brought out the other chili bowl & cheese bread we had been there about an hour. It wasn’t that busy. There were many open tables. The cheese bread was two 3”x3” pieces of very burnt bread w/ a big blob of cheese on top. The chili bowls would have otherwise been good had we gotten what we ordered. I really would have just never came back & not left this review, but we all had subsequent stomach aches, assuming from the dirty oil used. As we were closing our tab, the server asked how was everything. I was honest, said not that great. This server says “well you were rude.” I said “Wow” at this point I’m unhappy. Would have otherwise just left & chalked it up to a place not to return to. My friend Pam said “This is a bummer. We never complain, tip really well. The server was the one being rude.” I asked for an itemized bill. It said cheese bread x 2 at $4 each. I said “we only ordered one appetizer of cheese bread” and she said “each piece is $4” I said “each piece, smaller than a piece of loaf bread is $4?” She says yep. I said ok well they were terribly burnt. We couldn’t eat them. Can you take them off the bill?” I feel this was reasonable. She didn’t say anything but was visibly angry hitting the POS animatedly for about a minute. We had no idea what was going on & stood there awkwardly. She cut our bill almost in half, which was nice. I would have happily paid double for a server w/ a kind attitude. A combative/emotionally immature staff ruined our experience, so yeah...

Its hard to review this one. The service is always very good, they have the best (and cutest) bartenders in town, who easily earn two stars. With that said, don't come here for heavy pours, and the alcohol overall is priced just a bit high for the area. They get away with it because they they're basically the only gig in town. The food is hit-or-miss. It's strongly depending on who's running the kitchen it appears. I've had as many bad meals here as I've had decent ones. Minus one star for lack of consistency and one for too many bad meals. Further, they have no ventilation system so you come out smelling like a deep fryer. The way your clothes smell the next day is so bad that it costs them one star. They have three pool tables, which is good, but they are oddly placed and shoved into the video poker machines making it difficult to play either pool or the machines, plus the waiters are constantly walking through the playing field with food. If they were to switch the pool areas and the dining areas, it would work much better for both the drinkers/ pool and lotto players and the staff (who wouldn't have to walk all the food from the kitchen through the pool area to the tables) . I won't ding them for their bad placement of the pool tables and lotto games, since they actually have some, but it is definitely an area that could be improved. Apparently, this place has just changed owners, so I'm hoping the new owners will improve the place. I will happily add more stars if the conditions improve. Until then, they're basically the only sports bar in town, and operate...

My review of a local bar menu item

“A Monster of a Burger!”

4.9 / 5 stars ⭐️

For dinner I was craving a burger and had heard rumors of a colossal one on the menu of the Merry Time Bar & Grill. Let me tell you that the rumors were true!!

This massive legendary sandwich is known as “The Merry Monster”. It featured two 1/3 lb beef patties, crispy thick bacon, melted Swiss/Provolone cheeses, sautéed mushrooms, candied Jalapeños, mayo, tomato and onion piled high on a toasted bun.

The burger patties were juicy, well seasoned and perfectly cooked. The bacon added a nice smokiness, while the cheese tied everything together. The bun never once wavered to the amount of toppings it was responsible for holding. It came with a side of sweet potato waffle fries that were deliciously crispy. The server was friendly, attentive and quickly took our order. I really enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere that was lively and fun.

I would surely invite all my hungry foodies to stop by and order one for themselves.

Highlights: -Amazing staff -Big portions -Great selections of condiments -Variety of drinks available (alcoholic/non-alcoholic) -Board games and a pool table! -Lots of indoor and outdoor seating available

Recommendations: -Any burger on the menu -Sweet potato fries

The price was moderate at $18.50

Will I be back? Everytime I have a burger craving!

Located at the corner of Marine Drive and 10th street, across from the Astoria...