Busy bar, average food at Buffalo Wild Wings
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out

The spot: Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill, 970 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert

Happy hour: 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday.

The vibe: G-town's Buffalo Wild Wings is jam-packed at 6:30 p.m. Friday when we arrive. This is surprising since the restaurant and bar was fairly empty on a lunch visit earlier in the week. With a waiting list for inside, we opt to sit on the hot patio, which becomes a mistake when a big storm hits right as our food arrives. Thankfully, our server whisks us inside to a table. It's hard to hear in the noisy bar, where Justin Timberlake's “Rock Your Body” is playing. A few TVs display a Diamondbacks game and poker. The bar also has a handful of video games and a foosball table.

The food deals: Happy hour discounts include $2.99 mozzarella sticks, roasted garlic mushrooms, onion rings and mini corn dogs, $3.99 potato wedges, $4.59 chicken buffalo tenders and $4.99 nachos.

The drink deals: $2.50 domestics and $3.50 premiums.

The review: Considering everything we go through — sweating on the patio and surviving the storm — the food is a little disappointing. Everything we taste is average. The potato wedges are a poor man's version of the Jack In the Box treat, which is a must-have snack for sobering up when the bars close. They're fried, cheesy and a little too greasy for our liking. Plus, they're much better with sour cream, which they don't come with. The roasted garlic mushrooms are juicy and we can barely taste the garlic, which is a good thing. The fried onion rings, which come with a zesty dipping sauce, are our favorite appetizer even though nothing truly stands out. The bar was still hoppin' when we left at 8:30 p.m. so curiosity will bring us back to see what it's like on a late weekend night.

The inside scoop: Buffalo Wild Wings opened a second Gilbert location at 1475 W. Elliot Road on Aug. 16.

Info: and www.buffalo wildwings.com