Critic's Review
It shouldn't surprise anyone that there's a Duffy's in Coconut Creek; there are Duffy's everywhere now here in South Florida. This location is curiously close to Bru's Room, a similar concept that pre-dates Duffy's.
If there's one thing I like about Duffy's, it's that they don't have an 'e' in Grill. But the admiration ends there.
This location is a nice big space with a nice bar and a nice patio. Sadly, all Duffy's are plagued by the hideous green paint that is their trademark, along with the helmets that are bolted to every ledge in the restaurant, eliminating all places to put down a beer when you're standing.
Another trademark of Duffy's is that they don't hire real bartenders, and they're always understaffed. Even on NFL Sundays, they don't have bar backs. They have a 40% off special from 2pm to 4pm on your entire bill, but they have 1 bartender who not only has to handle the bar, she also seemed to have a few tables. The result was ridiculously shoddy service. When I sat down I got a menu and asked for an iced tea; the tea was dropped in front of me as she turned and sped away, with no sweeteners offered. I had to get a yellow packet from the table behind me; they have private labeled yellow here and not Splenda, and it doesn't taste as benign as Splenda.
Duffy's cuts corners in every way possible; the razor thin slice of lemon is yet another indication of their miserliness.
After 15 minutes it was clear that this server was simply overmatched, as she still hadn't returned to take my food order. Just as I was about to drop $3 on the bar and walk out, she noticed my displeasure and asked if I'd decided yet. Yeah Babe, I decided 20 minutes ago. I ordered the Spinach Dip, mainly because I didn't want wings and nothing else sounded good to me.
Another 15 minutes went by; 40 minutes to get an appetizer with 5 people at the bar. By the time it came out my tea was about empty, but the "bartender" was too busy bopping around to notice.
This is one of the only spinach dips that's made with yellow cheese; it claims to have artichokes but I didn't find any in the dip. Frankly I can do without the artichokes, which is a food that simply doesn't taste very good and I don't understand why it's become a requirement. The chips, unfortunately, were downright awful, as if they just cut up some cheap tortillas and baked them without brushing them with oil or salting them. The dip wasn't very tasty either; another bad recipe from Duffy's. I'm sure they use the cheapest cheese that they can get their hands on.
I ate about 1/3 of the dip and then asked for my check. "Would you like a refill on your tea?". 15 minutes too late, Babe.
The first time I went to a Duffy's up in Plantation I got a big plate of wings with 2 big tubs of blue cheese; back when they were establishing their brand. Sadly the bean counters have taken control of the place, and everything here is second rate now. Once the TVs are purchased, the spending stops, and every possible corner is cut.
This is a place for poor people; people who are willing to sacrifice quality to save some coin.
They do have perpetual happy hours and lots of TVs, so come to drink and watch sports; of course if it's crowded you'll have trouble getting a beer. If you want to eat, go to Bru's Room down the road.
