Mean Mugs Pub — Restaurant in Mentor

(Saw a few four-star reviews that admitted they were teetering on five stars. Since I'm somewhere between four and five, I'll go five to even things out!)

Locals know that this place changed names and owners several times before becoming Mean Mugs. So I was pretty skeptical the first time I went and really hated the inside atmosphere inside the first time. Thankfully, that was a carryover from its brief tenure as Pacers and has since been changed over.

The owner is clearly proud of his establishment and with good reason. He's present most days and seems to genuinely care about his customers' happiness. The wait staff never (and I do mean never) misses a beat, and have the uncanny ability to remember names AND drink orders (specifically Erin and Denise!). Even better, they're good at timing food orders so everything comes out at the same time.

Some of the menu selections are, in my opinion, priced just a tad high - specifically the burgers. No matter, I usually opt for one of the daily specials or a pizza anyway. Food quality is consistent and I've never sent anything back. And either way, even with the higher price, the service makes up for it.

The house sound is usually better than whatever people normally play on an internet jukebox - it's a decent classic rock mix of deeper cuts and standbys that you're not sick of yet. I've never heard Stairway or Sweet Home Alabama in here...and I'm not complaining.

The outdoor patio along Mentor Avenue is a gem in the summer, especially on Saturday evenings when you can watch the Annabelle's...

We went there on a Sunday afternoon and sat at the bar. We had considered coming here several times, but they were always packed. Typical sports bar environment. My husband got their Italian sub sandwich, and I got their apple (?) salad with grilled chicken. Everything was as we ordered, and it came out surprisingly fast. It was busy but not "packed" as it is most times. We were both impressed with my salad. Mixed greens, granny smith apple slices, and a very generous amount of dried fruit. The chicken was grilled perfectly, and the balsamic vinegarett was good. It was so much that I wound up taking half of it home. I don't know if it was because it was a Sunday afternoon, but our bill was relatively reasonable. Don't get me wrong, the salad was $17, and well worth the cost, it's just that the total bill was less than most other local places. Our experience was that it's very busy during the week, but weekend afternoons were the best...

First time dining in at the place and we all ordered burgers but the temperature of the food was room temperature like it's been ready for awhile but nobody brought it out. Our waitress was nowhere to be seen most of the time especially when we were waiting for our check. We understand she was training but she walked passed us multiple times but didn't even acknowledge us. The trainee paid more attention to us more than the waitress. My buns looked all wet from the patty and sauce that I had to eat it with a fork. The burger wasn't cooked medium rare and my friends fries were okay but weren't the best after they got cold. Our Oreos were okay but needed more sugar. I'd rather just drink at bar next time instead of getting food. Also, the place needed some cleaning..I was about to grab napkins and I noticed...