The Phoenix Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Shirley

This was probably one of the more unique restaurant experiences I’ve had in a long while and honestly it took a bit to collect my thoughts to figure out how I was going to write the review. This place definitely has a very unique vibe to it and I don’t think I resonated with it. The first thing that caught me off guard was the dog free roaming the restaurant, and don’t get me wrong I love animals and the dog was super well behaved but having a dog wandering the dining area of a restaurant can be off-putting for a lot of customers especially if they have allergies or are afraid of dogs. The second thing, would be the free popcorn- I appreciated the gesture but it was incredibly bland and borderline stale. Third thing, was the guy that I’m presuming has something to do with the management of the restaurant, I felt like I was being watched by a hawk for the entirety of my time in the restaurant especially when I was eating. The Fourth thing- the bagpipes, when we first arrived the restaurant was incredibly quiet with no music playing, which is alright but about 10 minutes before we left there was some pretty loud bagpipe music and that was a pretty odd and extreme mood shift.

The food- it was pretty ok, I enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich well enough, but my partners chicken tenders were a little rubbery and not much love was put into the batter. The dishes the food were served on were incredibly tacky and both the big plates had several large chips in the corners- sometimes simple dishware is better, and the dishwashers are less likely to break them. It would be a hard sell to get us to even order takeout from here when Shirley has several other really solid restaurant options. The drinks and beer that we had were good but there were some pretty unique mixed drinks on the menu I would be hesitant to pay money for.

In conclusion, I have no idea what this restaurant was like before it temporarily closed its doors but whatever it is now ain’t it. I even made a point to wait a few months after opening before trying this place. Maybe it needs time to refigure itself out but I’m not super interested in going back to find out...

Tonight my wife placed a order to be picked up. When she got it home one part of the order was wrong. She drove 11 miles to get the order. I called in a complaint about it and talked to a manager by the name of Amy. She had nothing but excuses on why the order was messed up. Then she offered to replace it but we would have to pick it up when I told her they should deliver it she got rude and went back to excuses on why the girl that took the order could not get it right even after being told 3 times what we wanted. I told her it wasn't my problem and she hung up. Called back and she seen the phone number picked up and hung up. She is a very poor excuse of a manager and has zero customer service skills. You have better luck with getting the right order for to go going to McDonald's. You don't put untrained personal on the phone to take orders. Extremely disappointed. For the price they charge for their food there is zero excuse for any order to be wrong. If you use the excuse of untrained personal maybe they should train them before putting them on the floor. It is the managers responsibility to make sure the staff has the right training before turning them loose. This is a Manager, who dropped the ball on her responsibility and I the customer have to watch my family eat expensive food, while I eat peanut butter and Jelly. Too hot to cook, hence why we ordered. Down right pathetic. Shouldn't have to drive there twice...

I see mixed reviews here, but here's what I think. This place is one of the only places open at night in Ayer, and if this place hadn't re-opened, my visits to Ayer would've been limited to hotel bars and pre-purchased dinners from gas stations. What a lonely nightmare Ayer would've been! Phoenix brings live music and nightlife to this small town, and if you're applying Michelin rating standards on a bar with expectations like cheap price, a full bar, and live music, clearly you're rating this place unfairly. For a bar, I think it has very appropriate menu and atmosphere, and their food is always great! I would definitely come back here, mingle with nice locals, and expect to have...