Mudpuppies Sports Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Fletcher

Have been awaiting their opening for some time now as it's roughly in my neighborhood and there are few places like this that aren't a stale corporate chain in this general area, so when we heard they'd soft opened we made lunch plans on their second day open. Initial thoughts walking in- very nicely put together, bright and inviting space with nicely varied seating opportunities (large bar area, sushi bar, and standard seats/booths). There are screens everywhere and while it can feel like an assualt on the senses for a date night type dinner it's perfect for a sports bar vibe, which is as promised- seems like not a bad seat in the house if your aim is to catch the game du jour. Server was warm and welcoming, although they seemed a bit overstaffed for a soft launch. Considering the logistics of opening a new spot like this I'd much prefer overstaffed to understaffed though. Speaking of logistics, they hadn't yet received their liquor license and were instantly upfront about it- not a problem, there's little they can do and while a beer would have been nice (and their taplist looks fantastic) I realize the regulatory hoops can be tricky to navigate. Food: we had a large party, and tried a little bit of everything. I had the tuna tacos, which were crispy and fresh tasting, although I contend (and it's a matter of preference) that they could have used a tad more spice. Also shared some standard rolls (spicy tuna, eel, and one with tempura shrimp), all of which were well executed and tasty- will certainly try some specialty rolls next time as there are some interesting options. Others in our party had a chicken tender sandwich (which they reported as being very good- and it was pretty massive to boot) and a sesame chicken salad, which was also reportedly quite good. We did attempt to order some fried tofu but were informed they didn't have it in stock, so hopefully can give that a crack on our next visit. Pricing here seems pretty fair and consistent with the current market, although there were a small handful of items that seem to be a little higher than I'd expect. One thing I think I might add to the menu are a few more lower-end appetizer baskets (the kind of fried goodies that folks can munch on at the bar during a game)- I felt like most of the selections were a little to sophisticated for your average sports-bar goer. Other recommendation I'd make on the food side- offer a veggie burger substitute option- I noticed there weren't a ton of offerings for vegetarians but this area is known to have more than its fair share of plant eaters, and while there might have been a veggie burger option I didn't see it listed. It's an easy thing to keep in the freezer the opens up a ton of substitution options for folks that don't do meat. Service was friendly, fast, and informative- our waitress was attentive throughout and the GM visited our table to check in and inform us of future plans- great way to make a first impression. Overall- we'll definitely be back- as mentioned it's in our neighborhood and there are few places like this in the immediate area. In a sea of Applebee's and Chili's it's nice to have somewhere local to patronize and even better that they show so much promise...

This place has been on our radar for a WHILE. We have called Fletcher our home for the last 7 years and being avid sports fans..there was always a gigantic sports hole in our area…..enter Mudpuppies…did the product match our hype?……….

Heck yes! Upon entering the first thing you’ll notice is the cleanliness of the restaurant…let’s be honest…if you walk into a place serving raw food and it’s dirty…probably need to run. The greeters we’re extremely friendly and we informed them we would like to sit in the bar area. There are two bars, a general bar and the sushi bar. Both areas are extremely spacious and can hold plenty of patrons without feeling compacted.

As we sit down we were once again greeted by Joe the bartender. This guy was hilarious! Seriously, you can tell this guy loves his job! My wife and I were rolling at his jokes. Being our first time we asked Joe for an appetizer recommendation, he said the fried Ramen Mac-n-Cheese bites were the ticket…he was absolutely correct. These bites were a perfect size and filled with flavor. They paired well with our IPA beers…oh and while I’m talking beer…WELL DONE guys! While they do have the usual suspects on tap, they clearly know their geographic area. They had a huge selection of our local microbrews on tap. It’s clear they are extending a warm welcome to our local crafters!

As we chatted with Joe, another guy came up and started a conversation with us, it turned out to be Louis, the general manager. He clearly is the heartbeat and leader of this restaurant. He’s not your typical GM, this guy will clearly wait tables, greet guest, pour a drink, whatever it takes to make sure the guest is properly taken care of!

It came time to order food, I chose the Surf and Turf smash burger with fries, my wife chose the Mudpuppy and spicy tuna rolls. We honestly thought nothing could beat the service, well….enter the food! My burger was cooked to PERFECTION, my wife’s sushi rolls were also amazing! The fish was beautiful, fresh and beautifully plated.

As we sat eating a young lady came up to us to ask how our food was, this turned out to be Amenda, the kitchen manager. It’s absolutely easy to understand why she is in this position, she knows the menu well and clearly takes pride in everything that comes out of the kitchen! She chatted with us for a while and we paid our tab.

In closing, I can see this place becoming an absolute staple in our area for not only amazing food but amazing service as well. As stated previously, we were absolutely hungry for a good sports themed bar to watch a game..add in the twist of sushi along with a full menu of bar food staples…this place is going to dominate! Joe, Louis, Amenda, if you get a chance to read this review, I truly want to thank you all for a great...

I came here because I was excited to see a place that has variety. You can't beat the fact that there's 1000 screens in this place...like the most I've ever seen in one establishment. So if you want to watch a sporting event this is the place to be. However my dining experience was piss poor! I arrived around 8:30pm and stood at the host stand for nearly 7 minutes before anyone knew I was there so that was lame. I finally was greeted after awkwardly standing there. Sat at one of the hi-top tables basically right next to the front door where I walked in (there were plenty of other tables available). No worries I just rolled w/ it. Started by ordering a margarita from the bar. I mean who doesn't know how to make a margarita? It was watered down and had very little tequila in it. I watched it sit at the bar waiting to be picked up for nearly 10 minutes. So far not a good experience. Okay let's try the food. The sushi was okay, nothing to rave about. Plate presentation was sloppy! Once more not a good experience. Okay, let's try the other food options then. From where I was seated (facing the swinging kitchen doors) I saw a lot of questionable behavior going on between staff members. People eating food off the server counter where they expo the food and what looked to be kitchen employees messing around w/ server staff. I'm like well who is making my food? Hopefully not the guy grabbing the waitresses cause that's just inappropriate. I felt like I was watching an episode of MTV Real World but in real life. I ordered the Philly cheese steak sandwich w/ tater tots. Came out fairly quickly which was a surprise to me given all the staff members messing around. It was okay, kinda bland and NO CHEESE SAUCE! What!? A Philly ain't a Philly unless it has the sauce. It had just simple American cheese which is my least favorite cheese. Also the Philly was cut in half! Um, thanks I'm not 5 years old or elderly! The tray it came out on was visibly greasy and it looked like the sandwich had been basically slapped onto it. Way... Way... Way... too many tater tots, I mean what looked to be like 3 lbs worth! Management should be worried about food costs if your cooks are sending that much of a side item out for one entree'. I barley made a dent in the tots and only ate less than half the sandwich cause at this point I was just over it. I will not be back. Owner should be weary cause this type of stuff can make or break a new business. Not to mention that I'm a native to this area and know a lot of people. So needless to say I won't ever be recommending it to my family and friends! Very disappointed cause the place has potential but it all depends on your staff and management that knows how to...