Critic's Review
Formerly Grumpy Gators, Lauderdale Grill is now owned by the previous owners of The Downtowner Saloon, John and Jamie Baker. It seems that they're trying to recreate the old Downtowner riverfront ambiance in a place in a parking lot. My view is that their efforts are failing miserably.
Inside, the place is very casual; and very drab. The warehouse ceilings can't save the place; its just a wonky room that fails to inspire. The bar area is small and uncomfortable. When its even semi-crowded its difficult to get a drink. Regulars get most of the attention.
While the bar area is small, the rest of the place is a big room with eclectic decorations that seem to have little coherence. The room is too big. While they have lots of TVs, they have no sports package, so most of the time there's nothing on the TVs worth watching. One Saturday afternoon, the FOX game of the week wasn't on at all. On this night, half of them had the Marlins game, the other half the news. With Yankees/Mets playing, and Strasburg pitching, its no wonder that everyone with any sports interest is packing into Duffy's. On a positive note, they do have a popcorn machine.
They have an outdoor patio, with an alleyway where they have bands on weekends. The bar on the patio is a bit crusty; plus the patio is where the smokers hang out. One selfish guy with a big cigar ruins the entire patio area with his stink. The band is pretty good. But its just not a comfortable place to hang out.
They have a grill on the patio as well, where you can buy burgers for $4 or jumbo hot dogs for $2. On weekends they have a Bloody Mary bar, where you can craft your own Bloody Mary with your choice of ingredients. There's free parking. On the surface it all sounds good, but there's something about it that doesn't quite work.
For Sunday Football, they have the package and all of the games are on. Considering the deals they have, you'd think the place would be packed, but its a sparse crowd. After 4pm they have 1/2 price drinks including domestic bottles, and 5 appetizers for $4.99 each. I tried the wings; you'd think you could get grilled wings at a place with "grill" in their name, but not here. You also don't have a choice of heat with buffalo wings. They come one way: hot, wet and fried. They're lousy, even for $4.99. There is zero sports bar ambience in the place; there's kids running around and mostly older couples. With Duffy's next door they really have no chance.
I tried their Sunday Brunch, and you can see the review here. I can't recommend it.
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