Back Porch Drafthouse — Restaurant in Northlake

UPDATE: HAIR IN THE FOOD. Wanted to give them another shot and since we were burned last time I checked the boxes before I left. There was a hair in one of our orders of fries, and the "extra crispy" modifications we asked for weren't followed. Manager's reaction was abysmal; didn't think the hair was a big deal and seemingly wanted to take one order of fries back to the kitchen to throw back in the fryer. Food safety is nonexistent. Left all the food and got refunded, absolutely won't come back.

I'll start off by saying the food is great. The service, at least for take out, is awful.

The first time we ordered from here they didn't give us fries for either of our burgers. I didn't check the food before I left so I had to double back. While I was waiting for them to re-fire my order, I was harassed by an intoxicated patron who was so drunk that he couldn't keep his shoes on. A member of staff moved me closer to the kitchen to wait to be away from him, and told me he had been cut off. I got my food all bagged up with a brownie sundae as an apology, and I thought I wouldn't need to double check the food before I left. I wish I had, because we paid extra for both fries to be seasoned, and they were plain. One of the fries was also supposed to be well done, but they were the same. The burgers were really great, but our apology brownie was burnt.

I wanted to give them another shot today because the burgers were so good. My order was supposed to be ready at 2:50. I finally get handed a bag at 3, and I open it up to find one of the fries wasn't well done or seasoned, and I also thought the pickles weren't well done. I asked them to fix it, and asked for a manager. She apologized and said she was the one who packed the order, and she missed the modification on the fries, but the pickles were well done. I told her I was frustrated due to the poor service in the past, and the repeated mistakes on order modifications, and that I had to show her on our receipt where I ordered seasoning. Someone else brought my food out while we were talking and I double checked it, and they STILL didn't have the seasoning on the fries. I finally got my correct food 20 minutes after my pick up time, with my only compensation being the manager's apology.

I don't think it's too much to ask that a restaurant follows modifications that they list out as options on the menu, especially when you pay extra for them. As great as the burgers are, I can't justify going back with the...

This is very non-distinct place, in every facet, beginning with the atmosphere. With the exception of a small room behind the right side of the bar - which appears to be for private reservations or emergency overflow seating - the entire place is one large open rectangle. About half is the 'bar area,' and the rest is an extended dining area, and there's no real separation between the two other than the 4-foot partitions along the booths which run down the middle. There are plenty of TV screens throughout, but the place is over-lit, and during busy times it becomes quite loud due to the layout. The U-shaped bar is a bit on the smaller side, so actual seating 'at the bar,' is limited. Though marketed as a drafthouse (with 24 taps), about 75% of the taps are devoted to a combination of standard mass-produced garbage (Bud Light, Mich Ultra, etc.) and common local crafts that you can find at any gas station (Community Mosaic, Deep Ellum Blonde, Revolver Blood & Honey, etc.). You can count on one hand the number of truly unique rotators that are available (ex: Manhattan Project Oktoberfest). If you're a 'craft draft' person, this isn't really the place for you, esp. if you're wanting to sample something new or unique. They do have additional craft selections in bottles and cans, but this only serves to defeat the purpose of a DRAFThouse. The food menu is ultra-basic pub grub with nothing unique on the menu. Quality is middling, portion size is slightly below average, and the price points are a little on the high side relative to the quality/sizes. Overall service level seemed fine, nothing exceptional, but no complaints. The entire floor staff (hostesses, servers, bartenders) were all very young women (17-22, bartenders a tad older); our particular server was a delight. All in all there isn't any one thing that I can point to which stands out positively, or makes this place a must-visit....it just sort of exists. It probably makes for a decent alternative for those who live in the immediate area, but there's not much to see here if you're coming from...

My wife and I had been to the Roanoke Back Porch last month and had had really good, hot, and tasty food. The service wasn't great, but it didn't take away from our experience. However, yesterday (Saturday, 2/15) was an ENTIRELY different story.

We stood ignored at the front door for what felt like a lifetime and then were finally seated. We sat and continued our wait until our drink orders were taken. We had been waiting for so long that we were able to order our drinks, appetizer, and entrees all at the same time. We thought this might help speed things up. We were wrong.

We finally got our drinks and then continued our wait for our order of fried pickles. After a while, we were told that they were out of hamburger patties. Really?! How does a place that thrives on selling burgers run out of patties on a Saturday evening at 6:30 pm? So, my wife and son had to change their orders. We sat and waited some more. Finally, someone from the kitchen came out and handed us our fried pickles and my order of chicken tenders. The pickles were dripping with grease. The ones that weren't soggy were good, but that was only 5 or 6 pickles. My chicken tenders were wonderful. My fries were ice cold. Time went by, and my son had to finally leave so that he wouldn't be late to a meeting. My wife's chicken wrap arrived and was pretty mediocre. Her fries were ice cold. We had them box our son's order, and yes, it was pretty mediocre, and his fries were ice cold. A little into the meal, an assistant manager showed up, and things started happening. For example, our drinks were finally refilled.

We were holding out hope that some gesture would be made as an apology for the horrible meal and experience we had, but the assistant manager just dropped off our ticket and walked away. Nothing was done, and we paid full price. As my wife and I walked toward our parked car, almost in unison, we said, "That's the last time I'm coming here."

-Steve...