Mugshots Grill and Bar - Florence, AL — Restaurant in Florence

My sis-in-law had such major Mugshots cravings she convinced us to ride over to Florence just to grab some. It wound up being a fun road trip.

Mugshots seem to pop up a lot in college towns. I have fond memories of visiting the location in Starkville when I was in undergrad. Their specialty is burgers but their menu has expanded since I was going regularly; you can find a lot of other bar favorites like wings, chicken sandwiches, and lots of appetizers on the menu.

This location is in downtown Florence and is quite spacious. We had no trouble getting a seat for a late lunch last Saturday. It looks as you'd expect inside (college restaurant/bar vibes, lots of sports memorabilia) though it was a little dim and the floors were a little sticky.

I'd already had my own lunch so I didn't order much. I asked our waitress for a sweet tea to drink; she brought me out a Diet Coke and breezed off before I could realize it. I figured it was a sign from the beyond that I didn't need the sweet tea calories and just kept mum.

SIL, BIL, and husband got a split order (both mozzarella and pepperjack) of fried cheese wedges to start. I did nab one of them -- there's not an immediately obvious way to tell which is which (we later figured out it depended on shape) so I wound up with a mozz wedge though I was hoping for a pepperjack. It was decent, very hot and gooey, but veryyy oily, leaving streaks on my fingers and a sort of slippery feeling on my lips.

I don't remember what SIL got for her entree but she was happy to drown everything in their comeback sauce -- that's what she was craving. BIL got some type of chicken sandwich to which he made several modifications; he was happy with it and they got his order right.

My husband got a grilled cheese burger. His eyes were bigger than his stomach though it was even bigger than he anticipated. Two grilled cheese sandwiches as buns around a burger covered in a scoop of macaroni and cheese. It was a monstrosity. He said he'd wished he'd gotten a simpler burger. He said it wasn't bad, just okay, but had too much going on.

I did sneak a few French fries because I can't resist. Much like the cheese wedges, these were too oily and greasy. They tasted okay but wow a few went a really long way; you could squeeze them and some oil would come out.

I can't say this Mugshots was as good as my memories, but it is a different location than my first Mugshots, and my tastes have certainly changed since college. We had a nice enough time. I bet this place is a hit with...

Good burger. However they will make a lot of people wait 45 mins with a bunch of empty booths open on a Saturday night. If you go to almost any other restaurant if they have an open seat they will sit you. There was a crazy amount of people waiting in front of the restaurant with 6 empty booths that I could see from the front. The excuse I got was there was a large party being seated. I asked if I can sit down and drink a beer while we wait 45 minutes? No sir you have to be seated. I told the two hostesses your large party isn't using the empty booths now are they, so explain to me and my wife why we can't sit down? They both look at me dead eyed just unable to comprehend what I just said... A waitress overheard me and says there's no wait at the bar, you can sit there. I look at the hostesses and say oh that's an option! Nah I think I'll go elsewhere. I walked down to pie factory they are packed, but they have one table open I'm immediately seated nothing had to be said. Food was great at the pie factory btw if the same thing happens to you just walk down the street. I will say whoever that waitress was that chimed in that was the perfect thing to say, thank you for the logical response. If that was presented as an option in the first place I would have done that. This was I think around 7 pm last Saturday.

Next day I try again Sunday in the middle of the day. No wait I'm seated we got a great waitress the food was really good. The waitress was fantastic and didn't hover, kept drinks filled, and came back to confirm something about my order before she put it in. I wish I remembered her name I'll ask my wife.

Overall it is worth...

Not gluten friendly even though they offer a gluten free bun and specify to the kitchen you have an allergy. I've had 3 instances where the allergy has been ignored. One was partially my fault as I forgot to specify to leave croutons off my salad. I apologized and asked for a new salad and they brought the original back with the croutons picked off. The other two have been the wrong bun (even though I was charged for the substitute). The first time I bit into it before I realized it was the wrong bun (the very first visit) and the second I thought the bun was different so I specifically asked if it was gluten free. I was assured by the server it was so I thought maybe they changed brands. Well, it was not gluten free and I have paid the price. (And again, the upcharge). My other complaint is they serve gluten coated fries so I have to get the side salad (tried the slaw and it tasted horrible). They charge the full price of a side salad instead of just an upgrade price. So my meal, that they save the fries on to their financial benefit get left off and I pay for a full priced side. I think this is a rip-off. I gave the 3 stars because the service is always good and the food I've tried is always good (minus the slaw). I just wish they took allergies more seriously. Thankfully I'm not celiac and to those who are I would say to steer clear as this business could send you to the e.r. Oh, and to mugshots directly, the udis gluten free bun is probably the worst pick of what's available. I'd love to see a...