Joe Senser's Grill-Sports Bar

07/23/09

Great food, Big Tv's & Fair Prices

by maggiemay1225

The turkey bacon parmesan is the best sandwich on the menu, It has been a long time since I have received great food in such a timely manner. They go beyond friendly service and seem like they want you to return.

• Pros: Plenty of TV's, Friendly staff, timely service, portions.

01/22/09

Food and customer service needs improving

by SaraB722

I had never been here before, but figuring it's a sports bar, I thought they would have decent food. Also, it's very close to my house, so I thought if I like it, it may become a regular place for me to eat. I ordered the garlic butter shrimp skewers. I chose a salad for one of my sides. The salad came before the meal, I ate it; it was fine. The shrimp came and was not good at all - had a very weird and not right taste to it. How can anyone screw up shrimp? So I sent it back. It took so long for our server to come back to our table that my friend was done eating before I even got to order something else. Then I ordered the walleye sandwich - it was awful! Very fishy tasting and had a terrible texture, gritty and mushy. I ate about 2 bites and some of the fries. At this point, since we had been waiting for so long, I decided not to send it back to get something different. Here's the kicker: when our bill came, they had taken off the shrimp and added the walleye, but they charged me $2 for the side salad! I couldn't believe it! If it had been served with my meal, I wouldn't have eaten it, knowing I was sending the shrimp back. But it came before - how was I supposed to know that my meal was going to be gross! I was appalled that they would even think to charge me for that. I will never go back to this restaurant, not only because the food is bad, but because they don't treat their customers right.

• Pros: TVs to watch sports, good drink specials
• Cons: bad service, bad food

11/04/07

Very Disappointing

by beezerep

We used to go here a lot as a family... for the big game, etc. Liked the food and the atmosphere. We moved away a few years ago and I came back to MSP this weekend for a visit. Bad news: It has gone downhill badly! Food was overcooked - almost inedible (coconut shrimp). Service was beyond poor - it was literally non-existant. They put me on the "10-15 minute" wait list and sold me a $3 glass of Coke. 45 minutes later when I asked for a status check I found that they had thrown out the list - with me on it - without ever calling me! They sat me in the drafty doorway area surrounded by dozens of waiting customers. Not well-handled at all. I wonder if they make more money on groups than individuals? Do couples drop better tips than singles? Has success gotten the best of this place? I will probably never return to find out...

• Pros: lots of screens and lots of people
• Cons: no service

10/17/07

Be Cautious

by kandisd

Be very careful before you decide to dine here. The food is O.K. but the service is awful at best. I have been to this establishment more than a few times. It is in my neighbor and convenient to get to, but I will never go back. The last occasion I was there, my food came before my drinks, I saw my waitress a total of three times. I had to chase her down to get my bill. There never seems to be enough staff. The management seems incapable of properly staffing this establishment. If you have lots of time and like really bad service then this is the place for you.

• Cons: Service/Management

09/14/07

Don't get the Shrimp Carbonara

by scottr1

I love the atmosphere at Senser's, but I've never seen a pasta dish so small. For $14.95 you get about 10 to 15 tortellini shells, 4 pieces of shrimp and a lousy dinner roll. It was good, but hardly a meal. Don't go there for the pasta, I considered it a rip off.

Go down the road aways to Champp's and order the Tortellini Sylvina, you'll see a pasta dish that is worth the money.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: pasta's Rip off and prices are high

08/24/07

Great place for dinner and drinks with friends and family

by kdemarais

I visited Joe's on a Tuesday late afternoon during happy hour with a couple friends and my sister and it was a very busy place. The host and server were very friendly and attentive. The Senser fries with the dip and the wings were by far the best I have ever had. We ordered burgers and steaks and everything was great! A manager stopped by to ask us how everything was and to thank us for coming in. It was a nice touch for a first visit. We will definitely go back, especially to watch the Vikes this season on their huge tv's.

• Pros: Service, Food
• Cons: Parking lot was a little full

01/22/07

Will Never Eat There Again.

by briananderin

Six of us ended up at Senser's Saturday 1/20/07 for dinner. We arrived around 6.30. We expected to wait a bit and that was fine however when we were seated...they sat us in a way back corner on a folding table and folding metal chairs. We ordered drinks and asked the waitress to come back since we wanted to order an appetizer. Well she did not come back for a 1/2 hour or more. When we finally ordered them we ordered our meals at that time. It took 45min. to get wings! Then we ordered water to have with the wings and we had to remind the waitress to get that for us. One of us got up two times to talk to a manager about our service. Then finally our food arrives. Yep its cold! By the time we got it we were so hungry and irritated we just ate it. While eating our dinners one of us found hair in the food. So as you can see we had a VERY bad experiance at Joe Senser's. The management really needs to learn what the word customer service means. They did give me my meal for free and took 5 dollars off the bill for the food being cold however we feel there should have been more done. We will not be going back there ever again and we hope that no one else will have to have that horrible of service.

• Pros:  Good Bloody Mary
• Cons: Everything Else

10/28/06

Senser's and TV's

by poidog

I write this review is response to TV's being on Trivia instead of the game. I went to the location in Bloomington after work on St. Patrick's Day. I was by myself and sat at the bar. I wanted to play trivia while I had a couple beers and some wings (very good wings here). I was told they would not change the channel because of the NCAA tournament. The games did not start for at least 45 minutes, a Big 10 team wasn't playing, and people were at the bar celebrating St. Pat's and did not seem aware that they even had TV's.

I had my wings immediately package "To-Go". I would say management is not very customer oriented or they lack the ability to make rational decisions.

Recommend only because of the wings.

• Pros: wings
• Cons: management

Like its former Viking owner, this sports bar is a solid player, offering good food in a jock-friendly atmosphere.

by Contributor

In Short
Three sports bars owned by 1981 Pro Bowl tight end Joe Senser draw in people who live, breathe and eat sports. The ambience is definitely sporty, with walls of neon beer signs, autographed jerseys and photos. Most dishes are named after Minnesota sports luminaries: There are Sandy Stevens' Hot Pastrami Sandwich; and Tom Reid's Special (firm walleye, broiled or pan-fried). The crispy, lightly breaded onion rings are a Senser's specialty. Salads and sandwiches round out the menu.

06/18/05

Poor and slow service

by sjkaiser

This was my third time at Joe Sensor's and it seemed as though each visit slowly became worse. I went out with my husband and his sister--who is under age by the way--and they have a policy that you cannot have an alcoholic beverage with someone underage at the table. I was the only one drinking, and had no intentions of serving to someone under age. Then it took forever for the waitress to take our order, and when we were finished we waited 15 minutes to get our bill. We had to get up and start getting our things together before our waitress even bothered to check back with us. The atmosphere was great and the food was OK. I would recommend this place to someone looking to go out for a drink with friends and watch sports and grab an appetizer.

• Pros: Nice atmosphere, Great for Sports fans
• Cons: Slow service