Mike’s Courtside Sports Bar and Grill

When I first moved to the area five years ago, Mike’s was a place that friends, colleagues, and I visited often. Their outdoor patio was a great place to hang out, their beer selection was good, and the pizza and menu were a reason for many return visits.
The patio is still there, and the beer selection is still fine, but for some reason we have visited less and less and last night was my first time coming back in over a year.
The menu kept changing, the pizza selection kept getting weirder (leave the gross bbq chicken pizza for the drunk-​skewing establishments), and it just stopped being as good as it used to. I don’t understand the reasons for these changes, but they have effectively convinced a good number of people to seek food and fun elsewhere.
What a shame!

I was on my way to Starland Ballroom for a show and my travel companion suggested we take the train to New Brunswick instead since there were more options for food and drink than he was finding in Amboy based on his Google search. With no other ideas of my own I agreed and it was there we ended up at Mike’s Courtside. Our mission was a simple one — food and several beers. After securing a spot at the end of the bar we were quickly attended to by the bartender Danielle. She was keeping the crowded bar in their drinks and my buddy and I found the happy hour to be very reasonable.
For eats we decided to split an order of the Quesadillas and some chicken wings. The quesadillas rocked and were probably the best ones that I have had in a while and the wings were tasty as well. There was just enough sauce and spice to them to be a solid choice if you end up there. I saw a few of their pizzas go by me but my friend didn’t want a super cheesy dish tonight so I had to be denied in this. They sure looked good. I was happy to find a WiFi signal available and the means to charge my phone since the train had depleted me. I guess I need a new battery at this point but I digress. During our visit we also met bartenders Bellie and Jessica who while not on active bar duty at the time, did engage in some pleasant casual conversation. We even talked some music with one of the regulars which was nice as this was our first visit.
All in all this was a great choice but you should know a cab ride to a place like Starland Ballroom will run almost $ 40 bucks and its only 7 miles away. I’d like to visit here again sometime but maybe I will have to make sure someone who isn’t drinking feels like stopping in for some food when they drive to this club next time. Thanks Mike’s Courtside, you are all right in my book.

Happy Hour, $ 5 cheese pizza is where it is at. «It» being my cravings complemented by alcohol beverages.
Get this, they put legitimate Parmesan cheese of their cheese pizza. You go to take a bite of what seems to be regular bar style cheese pizza, but are met with hot, just the right amount of greasy, cheesy, Parmesan, crispy crust pizza!
They have beer, drinks, bar stuff.
A lot of space which is great for big groups!

Went here around 1:30 p.m. Sat upstairs for lunch. Service was outstanding. The waiter was friendly, attentive, etc.
The food was ok. I had fish tacos. Not bad.
Prices were pretty good.

Went there for my sisters birthday. I read the mixed Unilocal reviews but my fam wanted to give it a try because they took reservations.
Its in a weird area and there were some loud kids. The restaurant is upstairs FYI. When you enter you go down the stairs and up to the right. Wasnt crowded at all. For a football game Saturday you would think it would be crowded.
Food was really good. I was impressed. My dad says they were the best wings he has had in a while. I really enjoyed the pizza.
The service was really good as well. def should give it a try despite the reviews

First stop in town for a Kansas v. Rutgers football game. Friendly bartender, Carlos, good natured locals lunching, cold beer, great kabobs. Nice welcome to town!

I popped in here with the gf a few nights back in search of a tasty snack. Usually we go to Destination Dogs, but it was time for a change up.
We got there shortly after 9 and were told that the kitchen was closing soon and we had to sit at the bar. I didn’t mind since the bar was pretty well empty. It’s surprising that the kitchen at a sports bar isn’t open until at least 10. I keep late hours, so this might explain why this was my first visit here. I end up eating dinner after 10 quite frequently.
I had the nachos, and my gf had a BBQ chicken sandwich. The nachos were tasty, but they weren’t a MASSIVE pile of nachos like I was hoping for. Everything tasted fine though. I could have used another refill on my iced tea, but whatever.
It was reasonably priced good eats. I think I really just enjoyed how empty it was. I wouldn’t have enjoyed it if were packed for a football game or something dumb like that.
A solid 4 stars.

Mike’s Courtside is my one of my favorite places in New Brunswick. The bartenders and servers are extremely friendly, the service is speedy, and the pizza is delicious. The porch upstairs is the perfect spot to have drinks and a bite to eat in the summer (and when it gets colder there’s a fireplace!). I recently celebrated my birthday here and it was a huge hit. It’s also a nice respite from the overcrowded college-​like scene on Easton Avenue. Definitely make a trip to Mike’s if you’re in the area!

When we came here at around midnight on a Saturday, there was hardly anybody around but, then again, school is out for summer so the area is less busy than it normally is. I had a whiskey ginger and a Moscow mule. Both were great and pretty strong. We also had mac n’ cheese bites to share and those were excellent. Bartender was friendly and the service was quick. More people started coming in after we were there so it got a little busier but not so much that you couldn’t get service or hear the person you’re talking to. Overall, it’s a nice chill place to grab a drink, watch a game, and hang out with friends. I’ll definitely be back to try more!

The location is good, and easy to find but unless you want to pay for the parking deck plan on walking. I went here because I got a good deal on Groupon and I was very disappointed with the service and the food. When you walk in, you enter the downstairs bar and there is no one there to greet you or seat you at your table; Somehow we wondered upstairs and we just sat at a table in the empty room upstairs 20 minutes LATER ! a waitress came to our table to ask if we were being helped.
The food was horrible, the waitress got our order wrong and the service was horrible. I would never come to this place to sit down and eat again (not even on a great groupon deal)

–good location
–fine ambience
–good service
–reasonably priced
–veg pizza is good

This is a great place if you are looking to just have a drink or have a private party with friends. I just had my boyfriends birthday there and we had a great time. They have a few different private rooms you can reserve for the night. We reserved the lounge downstairs which had a fireplace, two big screen TVs, leather couches and a private bathroom. We had a group of about 15 and it was the perfect size. We had a bar tender (John) who came in the room to check on us and bring us more drinks which was great. Otherwise, the bar is just a few feet away in the other room.
The drink prices are relatively cheap for New Brunswick standards and were pretty strong. We ordered a large tray of the Mike’s sampler (mozzarella sticks, wings and fries) and everything was delicious! They also let us bring in our own cake and sliced it up for us.
Overall, we had an awesome time. Craig, Jessica, Carlos and John were awesome and super helpful from the beginning planning process to the minute we left.
I would definitely recommend Mike’s Courtside Tavern to anyone looking for a place to just have a drink and watch the game or for groups who are looking for a place to have a private party with a larger group of people. It was my first time going there and I had a great experience, I will certainly be going back there.

Mike’s Courtside is a large sports bar ambianced place without a ton of TVs. The highlight for me is warm weather seating. The upstairs «enclosed» deck opens up for an al fresco experience with a view.
Food is good. Not exceptional, but still good enough to keep me going back for casual happy hour — dinners. I must say the appetizer sampler did hit the spot for fried food on my last visit. Chicken tenders were huge white meat strips with breaking more like a cornflake texture than overground breadcrumb batter. Mozz sticks and onion rings weren’t soggy. Mac and cheese bites were cheesey and delicious, but not with very much mac. Chili, burgers, salads and the veggie sandwich are all on the «good» list.
There’s a decent beer list on tap with usually about eight choices including Bud and Coors Light, one or two Sam Adams, a few microbrews and some imports. Full bar rounds out the selection for happy hour capabilities.
Service is typically friendly albeit a bit slow and not always organized. I do appreciate that I’ve never been hurried out or asked to keep it down — we’re an «enthusiastic“crowd at times. That being said, keep this as a casual or group friendly choice and not for your romantic date night.

Great corner location and large space. Staff are nice. Music is excessively loud but great nonetheless. Décor is funny because it’s a bar on one side and a sushi lounge on the other. Upstairs is amazing and most people ignore the first floor. Definitely go to the sushi room if you want a quiet area to just hang out.

Not your standard Sports Bar… AT ALL wish they were in my hood! The Boo is a sports addict, so we enjoy a leisurely Sunday afternoon watching football and having a snicky snack. Most places are often dark, rather drab and offer mediocre food and/​or a restricted menu. Not the case here. They have a wide selection of salads, sandwiches and a ton of Bar Bites.
I had the Italian Cheese Melt which was huge and very good. Friends had other sandwiches that were equally yummy.
We only had one fail… the Bacon Lollipop. We envisioned Pork Belly… something thick cut and bursting with flavor. Conversely we got well… thick slices bacon. Yup, breakfast bacon. It was seasoned well… but a far cry from a lollipop in appearance or execution. At $ 7 it was a disappointment.
Oh the BOGO for Bloody Mary’s. Yay.

A dive bar with really good food!
You wouldn’t know it by the looks of it, or by the people it pulls in, but Courtside has an amazing team in the kitchen that put together some awesome concoctions like Sweet Potato Tater Tots and Bacon Lollipops that you just won’t find anywhere else. It’s the kind of place you come to for a good meal more so than a good drink, but they have a great passion for the food and really pride themselves on that aspect which you won’t see in the other restaurants in downtown New Brunswick.
If you have the option, get a seat not he patio deck they have that gives you some fresh air to really bring the flavors of the food and drinks out and it’s in a quiet enough area of New Brunswick that you won’t hear traffic cars honking non-​stop or people shouting obscenities like places closer to George St. The atmosphere is fairly quiet inside the bar and upstairs too. The bar area brings in a fair amount of regulars while the patio deck pulls in the local business people having an early dinner or lunch meetings that get them out of the courthouse for a bit. Their pizzas, sandwiches, and appetizers are unique to the Courtside and definitely the way you want to go when ordering here.

Mike’s is your basic sports bar with two floors. The bottom floor consists of a bar and a few tables and the top consists of just tables for dining. There’s also an outside dining section upstairs that’s especially nice during the summer months.
The food is your typical bar food (wings, pizza, sandwiches, etc…) Nothing overly special, but it does the job it’s supposed to. They also have live jazz here on some nights as part of the New Brunswick Jazz project which is always nice.
Overall, Mike’s is a decent bar to grab some drinks and a quick bite.

Decent happy hour, BUT:
Creepy crowd.
Small space.
Poor beer selection.
I also got sick after eating their buffalo shrimp quesadilla. It tasted «OK» at the time but hours later I was hurting…
Skip this abysmal place.

Another good night ! Came here last night as well as today!
Last night, Thursday night, it was empty came around 11 and there were only two other people there but it was still a good time. The bartender recommended an awesome drink which was a $ 5 three olives berry with sour mix which was great. They also had $ 3 three olive shots.
Went tonight, Friday night, it was packed. Came around ⁸³⁰⁄₉. Good LIT again so this place is consistent with drinks which is good. Another good toasted coconut. The red velvet cake drink was alright. I personally thought there was too much cherry in it but my mother loved it.
The steamed clams were chewy but the broth was just amazing and the garlic bread was perfect. The bread was so soft ! It was so yummy. The French onion soup was good. The pub steak was cooked just the way we asked and the mashed potatoes were so creamy and rich. The herb butter was delicious with the steak. The sandwich was not that good. The beef cheesesteak was pretty good just wish there was more cheese. Maybe they need a more liquid cheese rather than sticking slices on it. Fries were delicious.
Coming back defffff

While I wouldn’t call it a true sports bar I would say it’s sports friendly. We came to watch WVU football– the bartender turned on the game right away but told us that if the game was put on in HD all the TVs would freeze. Oh well, a few beers later and a crappy game (Mountaineers blew it, again), blurry football didn’t matter too much.
Food was good. $.50 wings were well done although the BBQ sauce was a bit on the heavy side (OK, I am getting picky but I love me some wings.). We had the bar pizza and enjoyed it also. To wash it all down we ordered the $ 15 miller lite buckets.
All in all a solid place we would consider returning to, just wish all the games could be watched in HD.