Pink Cricket Restaurant — Restaurant in Berne Township

I heard about it this place actually, because I served the chef and his family at my restaurant the day prior to my visit. So I’ll add to this review a unique perspective of knowing going into it, two things: the Chef was a very nice, courteous, family man, who was very excited to talk about the food he and his staff produce. And the second, he told me in a passing comment that he wouldn’t be working the next day. That said, I was able to visit this place for the first time knowing I’d get to experience the food when the boss man wasn’t overseeing.

My brother and I loved the unique divey, vibe and atmosphere walking in. I’m a huge baseball fan, and the restaurant has a very cool collection of baseball Decor. I already sort of knew what I was ordering, because it was recommended to me the day prior that I should get the pizza and wings. Well, as luck would have it, Monday’s have both a great pizza, and wing special. (10” two-topping for around $10, and $.75 traditional wings)

There was some confusion about who our server was, as the Bartender and Server sort of tag teamed it, but it didnt cause any issues. Never had an empty drink, never suffered a miscommunication. We got our wings first (as requested) and they were great! Breaded, and crispy. We went for the Buffalo mild sauce, because that’s what I always do when I order wings at a place for the first time. It’s usually very telling, because if it’s Franks Red Hot, you can bet the other sauces are also going to be from a bucket. This was not. It was very buttery, and really enjoyable.

Next the pizzas came. We took advantage of the pizza special and got two 10” pies. One Pepperoni and Mushroom, the other Sausage and bacon. Both were excellent. Thin and crispy crust which is tough to achieve without over cooking the cheese and toppings. but, they nailed it. Good coverage on the pizza, unique sauce, plenty of cheese. Very tasty.

Most likely my new Monday hang. I really don’t have anything bad to say about the first visit. I’m glad I took this...

We visited the Pink Cricket because we had a BOGO entree coupon from the Entertainment Book.

Typical bar and grill decor... Probably not updated since the 80s. Ain't broke, not fixing it. The bar and dining area were clean and relatively busy.

The wait staff were having trouble keeping up... We were greeted ten minutes after sitting at a table. Decent menu variety... We ordered the Cod dinner and a meatball sub with soft drinks.

Despite the slow service, I did get a couple drink refills... However, they refill your glass instead bringing a new one and I was brought the child's root beer refill from the next table. Following a large gulp and realizing it wasn't my glass, I stared at the kid for fifteen minutes, I decided that he PROBABLY wasn't a carrier of the next world killing super virus and went ahead and finished his root beer... Since the server had disappeared and I was thirsty. I waved it off and didn't complain.

The food was pretty good and that is why I'm giving two stars. The service was slow and rather unfriendly but adequate. Totally prepared to give her the standard 15% gratuity cause I try not to be THAT guy.

The problem came when I went to pay. Since we didn't purchase two ENTREES, they would not honor the coupon. I attempted to explain that my meatball sub was actually less expensive than any entree on the menu so I was saving them money but they were apparently looking for a loophole to avoid honoring the coupon. I wasn't going to war over an $8 sandwich so I paid the bill without further complaint. Our server returned with a handful of paid checks, held them out, and asked which one was mine. I apparently took too long to answer as she became impatient and asked, "What's your name?!". We figured it out, I signed the bill. I honestly feel bad for not leaving a tip... Maybe she was just having a bad day. However, I can assuredly state that I'll never return to the...

If I could give it zero Stars, I would. Since the latest change of ownership, this formerly iconic restaurant has gone sharply downhill. Pink Cricket Pizza has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. This is our second try since the new ownership. With intrepidation, after the last very bad experience with their take out, we decided to give it one more shot. I called in an order for a large pepperoni pizza and chicken tenders. I was told it would be 30-35min. My husband arrived within 20 minutes. It was a Saturday night and almost no one else was in the place... no one at the bar and a couple of tables with people. He ordered a beer and waited at the bar. Another couple came in, ordered a pizza and appetizers, and had their food on the table while my husband was still sitting there waiting... So, closing in on an hour since I called the order in, they offered him another beer, so he asks if his order is ready yet. They said they'd go check and brought out a pizza. He paid and almost left, but realized they didn't give him the tenders. Got the tenders and headed home. When we opened the food, it was obvious someone forgot he was sitting there waiting because everything was cold and dried out. The pizza had barely any sauce, was overdone, dried out and had not at all the flavor of the original Pink Cricket Pizza. Like, you take a bite and you just chew and chew and chew and it won't go down. Horrible. I don't have anything good to do say about the dried out chicken tenders either. Won't...