Yard House — Restaurant in Tucson

It was my first time here, and I'll definitely be returning! The food was delicious, the beer cold and fresh, and the service (by a number of folks) was really friendly and top notch. If there were more stars to give, I would! This may be a TL;DR review for some of you, so you can go with this first paragraph and my five star rating of you prefer, ha!

The friend I went to meet there (for some post-election frustration drinking) has been before a few times and loves it; now I know why. Super friendly welcome from the two women at the front, which started my great experience. Not all greeters are so genuinely happy to say hello, with some faking actual interest in you and the appearance of liking their jobs. Not these two! They had great smiles and demeanors that were genuinely welcoming.

Our server, who had been taking care of my friend already, was ending her shift and switching over to another one, so I met both servers as this took place. The new guy was just as friendly as she was. Others came to refill water and drop off extra silverware, and all were so nice. Not one person had an attitude or acted like they just wanted to go home, which was so refreshing given how many places have that kind of service.

The food was great. My friend had already eaten, and loved her meal, so I went with two apps that we could share if she wanted to: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, and Four Cheese Artichoke Dip and Chips.

Both were delicious, though the crispy part of the Brussels was lost because of the sauce that they were covered in, which, while definitely tasty, with a bit of heat (Gojucharu, maybe?), had made them decidedly not crispy. I'd order them again, though, and ask for them to have the sauce on the side, if possible, so that I'd get those crispy bits that I love.

The dip and chips were great. Pretty sure they were house-made chips, and nicely salted, but I don't know for certain. I do know that they were firm and crunchy, with enough salt to notice, but not be overwhelming. The dip was gooey, cheesy, melty and very hot when it arrived. Really good blend of cheese and artichokes. Very delicious.

The atmosphere: a big, cavernous, high-ceilinged space with a lot of dark wood and black everywhere. The lighting is a bit dim (I did need my phone to read the menu, but I didn't mind at all). It's loud, but hey, it's a brew house pub with very happy people laughing and carrying on, so it's a fun loud! I liked hearing and feeling all of that joy!

The list of beers is extensive and impressive. There are more draft handles behind the enormous bar than Duggar children, haha! Seriously though, soooooo many to choose from. I tried two that I've never heard of, and enjoyed both. They were cold, just the way we like 'em in this country, and filled full. My friend said her Old Fashioneds were excellent, so their alcohol game is as good as their food game.

I'm looking forward to going back soon, and with more friends! They have a really nice patio with umbrellas, and I'm very ready to enjoy that fresh air now that it's reasonable temperatures and no longer the inferno in which we live with until November!

Go. There's enough on the menu that you'll find things you'll want, and if the rest of their food and drinks are as good as what we had, you will be very happy! P.S. Happy Hour is 3-6 and offers...

Have had great service every single time I’ve gone here. I’ve been here at least 5-10 times now and I can confidently say they have good food, for the most part, to go along with that great service. There seems to be a small issue with dishes coming out cool (not hot/warm like you’d expect basil tomato soup to be, not the only example I have) and sometimes tasting like the dish has been sitting for a bit too long. Another issue encountered recently was when my friend’s fish dish (can’t remember what fish) was very pink in the middle and looked undercooked. I only mention it because it came back literally black/charred on the entire surface, making it taste like charcoal, not to mention it became very tough and dry. It was how they handled a dish coming back to the kitchen that needs work I believe. Like how many people had to look at that literally black fish and say, ‘looks good,’ for it to make it back to us? It felt kind of like the chef was trying to get a point across or something by burning it but I won’t speculate, I’ll just summarize that theres a need for stepped up quality control at this location. Every time this has happened I’ll admit it’s been pretty busy too. Considering the manager did end up giving us a gift card/comping the fish dish after it was undercooked then burned and the food (most of the time) tastes great, and the service was exceptional each and every time we’ve gone there, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and give them four stars despite having to send back food a few times because they tried to make it right too. By the way, the Malibu peach martini is great for someone who loves a strong drink that’s sweet and smooth as well. It tasted amazing and now I want to make one at home lol. Good restaurant overall. I’ll continue to go there because they have a strong, wide selection of food and manage to get it right most of the time. The classic sliders are amazing and the truffle fries are amazing as well … as long as they come out hot and freshly fried. Unfortunately it’s not a forgiving dish to leave out too long. Anyway, I’d recommend it shamelessly as a place to go and have a nice drink/meal for a ‘reasonable’ price (and in a convenient location for...

The overall ambiance of the place appeared nice and modern, with a decent sports bar atmosphere and plenty of TVs for watching games. However, due to the busy crowd, the service fell short of expectations. My party decided to sit at the bar since the wait for tables was quite long, and we weren't particularly fussy about seating. Initially, this arrangement seemed fine, but things took a turn when our food arrived. They started seating additional patrons next to us at the bar, resulting in an elbow-to-elbow situation. In fact, the guy next to me was so close that his elbows were literally touching my food.

Now, let's dive into the specifics of the dining experience:

Vampire Tacos: Unfortunately, the Vampire Tacos were a letdown. The meat turned out to be some kind of fried mystery meat, accompanied by cilantro, onion, guacamole, and other toppings—all served on a deep-fried tortilla. However, the tortilla had the texture of cardboard and lacked the expected crunch. It seemed stale, and to make matters worse, the bottom of the tortilla had debris stuck to it from previous orders. Clearly, the fryer oil was in dire need of a change.

Beans and Rice: Despite the taco mishap, the beans and rice might have been salvageable—except that the patron next to me accidentally stuck their elbow in it. Not exactly the dining experience I had in mind!

Honey Blonde Ale: I ordered a honey blonde ale, but unfortunately, it didn't taste like ale at all. Instead, it had an unpleasantly bitter flavor. It was evident that the taps hadn't been cleaned in quite some time. The quality was on par with what you'd expect from a draft beer at a dive bar with cobwebs hanging around.

In summary, this establishment reminded me of the places featured on "Bar Rescue"—the kind that would likely get shut down due to its subpar quality, which could even be considered unsafe for...