THAT BAR AT THE ARENA — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Last weekend, my friends and I had the pleasure of visiting "That Bar at the Arena" while we were in town for an event. As out-of-staters, we were looking for a place that offered not just good food and drinks, but also a welcoming atmosphere, and we found just that.

What We Loved: The Staff: The highlight of our experience was undoubtedly the bar staff, particularly Caitlyn. Her friendly and professional demeanor made us feel right at home. She was engaging and interactive, which was a big plus for us as visitors unfamiliar with the area. Drinks: We kept our drink orders simple, opting for local beers. The selection was decent and each beer we tried was a refreshing companion to our conversations. Ambience: The overall vibe of the place was lively yet comfortable, making it a great spot for groups like ours to hang out and unwind.

Food Experience: Hits and Misses: While I personally found the food to be just okay, some of my friends really enjoyed their choices. The wings and sausage sub were particular favorites among my group. I had chicken tenders and fries – the tenders were a bit of a letdown as they reminded me of microwavable ones you might find at a store. However, the fries were a different story – crunchy, well-seasoned, and definitely the highlight of my meal. Consistency: It seems like the food quality can vary depending on what you order, so there might be room for improvement in ensuring all menu items are up to the mark.

Conclusion: Overall, our experience at That Bar at the Arena was very positive. It's a great spot for groups, especially if you're visiting from out of town and looking for a place that's both fun and welcoming. The staff, especially Caitlyn, goes above and beyond to ensure guests have a great time. While the food might be hit or miss depending on what you order, the drinks and the atmosphere more than make up for it. Definitely a place I'd recommend and visit again the next time I'm in...

It’s unfortunate that there aren’t other options around the stadium and arena. This is the only one close by, so we took a chance after a long six hour drive before the show. The floors are so sticky from spilled beer. Our shoes remained sticky everywhere we went due to being in that “restaurant” for 35 minutes. Their system for ordering is very inefficient. People are standing in a narrow doorway to order and that’s also the only way to get out after getting self-served drinks and condiments. Random foul smells would waft through. The bathrooms were more disgusting than the food. This may be a great bar for people half out of their minds who don’t care what they’re eating or the cleanliness of a food preparation place, but it’s not recommended. Drive the distance to find edible food. The fryer oil was so old it was all you could taste and the burgers were definitely the worst we’ve ever had.

Follow up from owner’s response: The fact is we were NOT there for a sporting event. There were NO sporting events happening that day. To assume this and further justify the uncleanliness of a food service establishment speaks volumes about the management/ownership. We went to see a show at the arena and the bar was busy, but definitely not at full capacity. If you’re looking for food DEFINITELY go elsewhere or go hungry. If you want just booze—go here!...

This has got to be the worst managed bar in the city. We stopped in after the Jags/Steelers game hoping to avoid the traffic and catch the end of the NASCAR championship race. The outside bar had only 1 working television which was showing football so we went inside where there were 3 televisions above the bar. 1 was on ESPN and the other 2 were showing the 2018 video gaming awards show which 0 people were watching. We asked if they could put the race on and we were told yes so we stayed and ordered food and drinks for all 3 of us. After 10 minutes it became apparent they were not going to change the channel so we went back to the rudest bartender in the world, wearing a David Garrard jersey, and asked again. He said if we wanted to watch NASCAR we should go home, he then proceeded to go around the bar and ask what everyone wanted to watch and then put the same football game on both working televisions. The food was all basic fried food and nachos with salsa, nothing special, but edible. The beer was cold and the drinks were a decent pour. The bathroom was disgustingly filthy with water and garbage all over the floor. Needless to say we will never step foot in this place again, much better idea to go down the street one block to Intuition Ale Works or Manifest Distillery, which is...