Mad G’s Grill & Tavern

This place has fallen off quickly. All the cool/​competent employees have been run off. All the specials have been revised but with no warning so you get screwed if you assume anything. Food sucks. Service sucks. Stay away. Look for a new place in the next few weeks cause this place is DONE.

I would pass…
The service was horribly slow and well just horrible. I can’t say it was completely the girl’s fault as the entire bar & restaurant was being manned by her alone. They are really missing the mark on serving their customers on this one. Get more people on shift to take care of your customers. We waited at least 10 min before someone came to our table. We were told right away that they were out of most of their beers so only had a few to choose from. After we ordered, she came back to our table and told us they were out of pizza dough because all they had was frozen so we had to re-​order something else. Our appetizer came out with our food. The food wasn’t bad but the sweet potato fries were over salted. That sea salt goes a long way and you don’t need that much. The lighting in this place is WAY too bright for a tavern bar. And the seating is very strange and awkward. The place just isn’t somewhere I would go to hang out cause it’s not comfortable.
Gave it a shot, but it just didn’t make the grade.

Very interesting place. I try to branch out every time I stay in Tempe, this was my victim tonight.
I headed towards downtown Tempe (Mill St.) and decided against it halfway there. Coming back from Broadway, I see this place on the corner. Decide to enter, I like dive bars, lived off them in San Diego for years, this is my kinda joint…
First impression… total dive, I dig it. A couple pool tables and to my count 13 flat screen TV’s provide the entertainment, but this would be closed by the Health District in Vegas for cleanliness. Points for them here!
The bartender (Becka, I think?) was way cool, greeted me immediately. Then, in a really bizarre event, everyone else at the bar greeted me too… asking my name, then introducing themselves. They were hippies, but it was kinda cool. I got the impression that I was the only one employed in this bar, aside from the bartender. I had a drink or two, quite a few locals made small talk with me, everyone was incredibly friendly. First song that pops up after the Football audio? The Smiths. Major points! The music was cool, the atmosphere trippy… I am coming back next time.
Cool, but eclectic clientele, great selection of booze, decent prices. What I am looking for. They will make a list or two!

Friendly barkeeper, but he was the only guy on board. Hire another person to wait on your customers for God’s sakes! The wait time was slow and staggered. Slightly busy Sunday morning with NFL in full swing. Lots of TV’s tuned to football, soccer, baseball, and NASCAR. very nice. Small bar breakfast menu with a few decent choices like pancakes or biscuits and gravy. Lunch options were plentiful and decent. Great chicken wings and pizza. Super over cooked burger, dry and tasteless. Crunchy delicious sweet potato fries. I would try you again, but hope you have more attentive service. Really hope.

I’d have to start by saying their beer was crisp and cold. I loved how they had a variety of beers to choose from. My score would have to be in regards to poor service/​manners. Lastly, the food was terrible! The nachos were not fresh and the cheese was not enjoyable. I even attempted to try their pizza which I found to be even too salty to eat.

Good happy hour

I really, really wanted to like this place. It’s in my neighborhood and it’s a perfect happy hour spot for us.
We got a pizza for the kids. It had entirely too much oregano. That’s all I could taste. We also got the buffalo shrimp appetizer– nothing remarkable there, either. And, being owned by the people from the Grind, I figured I should try a burger so I ordered the Texas BBQ burger. When I ordered and she didn’t ask me how I wanted the burger cooked, I started to expect the worst… and I wasn’t far off. The burger was dry. The BBQ sauce was okay– it had a good spice to it. And I’m always a fan of an onion ring and coleslaw on a sandwich, so no complaints there. But it was all put on top of that dry, tasteless burger.
Apparently the kitchen at the Grind isn’t sharing any tips with the kitchen at Mad G’s.

Still not convinced.
Went to check out this newly opened grub spot expecting more. We took some people out of town talking this place up, since we are huge fans of The Grind. We stuck with don’t judge a book by its cover and went ahead got a table despite the outside appearance. I can tell they put some time into improving this spot but the inside still has a dive bar feel which I was not expecting. The beer selection was good and overall we all enjoyed the drinks. We ordered the chips, salsa, and guac. and were not impressed, so we finished up our drinks and headed out to eat dinner else where. The girls in our group really enjoyed their Moscow Mule in the metal glasses, so definitely got that right.
I think if I came in with a different mind set, and was in a dive bar mood I would enjoy this spot. Once I do this I may come and up the star count.
(I enjoyed the Mad G House Brew; however I am not sure it is fair to call it a house brew if isn’t brewed in house)

The two most important words to remember when going here are: Moscow mule.
Forget everything else; that’s what you want. The jukebox has issues, as others have noted. The beer selection is decent, but there is far better in near proximity. The food is decent, but nothing to keep me coming back. What will keep me coming back, however, is the moscow mules. The first few I had there were made with cucumber vodka, and hot damn were they tasty! On another visit, I had a couple made with a vodka infused with mint and I can’t even remember what else which one of the bartenders made herself.
Oh yes, speaking of the bartenders, they are awesome. Be nice to them, treat them well, and they will be awesome to you in return.
So in summary: Food, decent; Beer, decent; Moscow mules, delicious; Bartenders, awesome.

This place has gone downhill, quickly. Avoid. Search other places in walking distance instead.
Problems: The clientele. The décor. The lights are left on at night. The drinks aren’t made well. Shotty service.
Pros: They have TV’s.

If Mad G’s plays their cards right they could really make in here in Tempe. Good location and a roomy inside with plenty of tables with a wrap around bar. I like it as an option for pool, darts, and a juke box and the fact that it’s walking distance makes it even better.
Happy hour on Sundays is nice (half off appetizers), and I can’t wait to go back for karaōke night. This would also be a great spot to watch a game – they have over 10 huge tv’s spread through out the bar.

Mad G’s has all of the right ingredients to become a go-​to spot to bring friends or even for a date night. Since it’s so new I’d imagine it’s still building up its clientele.
A couple of pool tables, darts, a nice selection of beers on tap, and fun mixed drink options. I didn’t get a chance to try the food, but I did spill my second glass of wine and the bartender refilled me with no questions asked. Mucho appreciado!

Mad G’s is a wonderful little neighborhood bar. My boyfriend and I live within walking distance. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it’s work a stop inside! Their happy hour on Sunday is probably the best in Tempe. Plus, they carry a ton of local and craft beers, most on draft. The menu is really diverse and we enjoyed everything we ordered.
I hope this place does well! It is a much welcome addition to Tempe.

This is one of the few places in Tempe that knows how to make cocktails. I ordered the moscow mule (vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice) the other night and it was delicious! The cocktails are comparable to anywhere in Arcadia and are cheaper in price. They also have a wide variety of beers on tap.
I went last night to check it out with a couple of friends and we had to go back this afternoon to watch the Euro Final. Great Happy Hour on Sunday! $ 1 dollar PBRs, $ 4 domestic/​local pitchers, half off of appetizers.
The people that work there are super friendly and down to earth. Mad Gs is definitely my new place to go grab a drink.

I went here last night with friends to try something new, and we were happy with the decision to venture out! The décor and atmosphere is nice with out feeling too stuffy. Lots of TV’s to watch games on, and a beautiful chandelier above the bar area. The staff was good as well as their drinks!
As for food, I had the turkey club sandwich with sweet potato fries. I enjoyed the rosemary mayo they used & the turkey on it was yum, but it was over priced (hence 4 stars), it was like an $ 8 sandwich, not $ 12. The bread choice for the sandwich kind of put a damper on it too (standard white sandwich bread). If they used a croissant or a good sourdough then maybe worth the $ 12. The portion for the fries with the sandwich was a bit stingy too. One of my pet peeves is charging extra for healthy side options, and they had a $ 2 add on for a side salad instead of fries.
My friend got the mozzarella «nuggets», she said they were okay but she probably wouldn’t order them again. I also got a Moscow mule with bourbon instead of vodka, it was delicious & priced appropriately! If I go again it’d be just for drinks and not food, unless they bring down their prices. Also their kitchen closed around 10, which is understandable since there was not a lot of people there, but may want to consider staying open later as patrons roll in.

«Soft» opening last night — it was fun. Good crowd, the new pool tables were broken in and Thomas, Brook, Chef Bevin all do a great job — still working some kinks out but great selection of beer, diverse menu, lots of TVs to watch your favorite sporting event. Swing by, grab a cold one and they will take good care of you…