Midtown Tavern — Restaurant in Tucson

First time customer tonight. Both bartenders were amazing! Ordered rum and coke, short. Basic and both bartenders pour a little heavy which is great. There are at least 14 TV's in this place and I am sure I didn't count them all. I walked in on a Friday night about 10:30 pm. There was a well attended poker game going, a couple playing pool at 1 of 3 tables, Maddie the bartender was playing dominos with a customer at the bar and there were enough people at this neighborhood strip mall pub that you didn't feel like a sore thumb walking in. There really is a "smoking lounge" with metal mesh instead of glass in the windows so it's got the enclosed and protected open air feel. Being in Tucson, daylight hours in the summer and the smoking lounge is going to be hot but 1030 pm it was comfortable. They have a pool table in that smoking lounge so even those of us that are still trying to quit can enjoy ourselves. About half an hour after I walked in the door I sat down at the bar to see about food. Maddie came through with a wonderful suggestion for the combo appetizer plate. Couple potato skins, could mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms and fried zucchini. Recommended the combo over just mozzarella sticks because the price is the same on both. Maddie said the "drinks are cheap but the food makes up the difference". If the food is worth the price I'll gladly pay it. I was not disappointed one bit. Skins were perfection and the sour cream topped them beautifully. Mozzarella sticks were good. Better with the marinara sauce than without and just a bit more "well done" than I prefer but still good enough to eat and enjoy. The fried mushrooms and zucchini? Holy blessed fried yummy. Seriously though, if shrooms and zuccs are your go to pub grub? You've got to make Midtown a must try stop. Worth it! The regular customers were happy to chat and answer questions and engage with a newbie which was so very refreshing!! Got recommendations for a couple other food spots in the area that I need to check out. Mariana works back of house and was happy to talk while taking a break. Frank the owner came out from the back about 1130-1145 and shook hands and spent time with a handful of regulars. Something you don't see much anymore because owners are too busy with paper work or micromanaging. With Frank, I got the impression that he's well liked and he listens. The owner of Midtown works for a living but it was easy to see that he trusts the people he's hired and lets them do their jobs. Did it sparkle like an upscale fancy hip place? No. It's a neighborhood pub in a strip mall/shopping plaza in a poorer section of town. It was clean though. I was not expecting sparkles because you will never get them here. However, I was surprised to find a comfortable, laid back, happy surprise with the quality of the food neighborhood pub. You get the feeling that if you become a regular yourself, you will be greeted by name when you stop in on your way home. The tables for dine in are not crammed together and nothing felt too smushed or pinched. I can absolutely see a family with young kids having dinner and a small child with some extra energy being comfortable enough to get up and do a little tiny human, energy power up happy dance here. The people who work here and the regulars who warm the bar stools would more than likely offer a round of applause. The ages of customers ranged well from early 20s to early 70s. The jukebox was playing current pop, country, Elvis, classic rock and rap while I was there tonight. The barstools were comfy for us wider in the hip and butt women and the feel of the place was relaxing and comfy. You've got a boys night out party? You can do that here. A dress up date night with your sweetie? You can do that here. Want to be alone but need that background energy, noise, vibe? You can do that here too. Midtown is a sports watching haven with 14+ TV's all over the place you don't have to worry about which seat gives you a clear view of the game. Thanks for the wonderful evening Midtown. See...

I am new to the area and looking for a neighborhood bar, either to just hang out or to go watch sporting events out. Anything that is less than a $10 Uber ride is what I was looking for. As soon as I got to the bar I was immediately greeted and made me feel like I had been there a dozen times. The wait staff was extremely attentive, specifically the young lady (I wish I remembered her name). It was last Thursday night during football and she was working the bar area). As far as the food goes the mushrooms and fries were on point. It really tasted like they use a homemade batter for the fried mushrooms. The fries were made from fresh potatoes and tasted like they cut the potatoes in the back, fried them, and then put them on my plate - SO GOOD. Last but not least, the wings weren't my favorite. It tasted like they double fried them with the sauce on them. they weren't terrible but just not my favorite. To put this all into perspective, I went there during happy hour and all my food (appetizers) was on happy hour, I think I spent $10 on 15 wings, fries, and mushrooms. In terms of the neighborhood bar, I will definitely be back, I want that neighborhood feel, and Throwbacks definitely has...

Really not sure why this place has so many good reviews, it has gone downhill! I hadn't been in since before COVID, and was not expecting the disaster that it has become. First, the fact that the bathrooms are locked are appalling- and there was no staff anywhere to ask for the code (without being explicit, there was almost an accident at their bathroom door). I had to actually step in front of the only staff member I saw to ask for the code. The bathroom was in disarray- soap was in a ketchup bottle dispenser and there were no paper towels anywhere. We were ignored when we sat at a table, so when two seats opened at the bar, we moved. We waited almost 10 minutes (we were watching a football game, so I'm not exaggerating the time) and still did not have a bartender come over to greet us or ask for our order. We walked out and will never return. There are plenty of other great bars with friendly staff that acknowledge you and do not charge 15 bucks...