Strawberry’s Sports Grill

This was one of my favorite restaurants up until the last few months of its existence. For most of its run, Strawberry’s had great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and friendly, competent staff. It was my go-​to place for dinner with family, a casual date, or just to kick back at the bar and catch a ballgame. It was a cool neighborhood joint that was always a reliable place to go if you were in the Douglaston area. I don’t know what their financial situation was, but judging by how the place was usually jumping it seemed like they had figured out a winning formula.
I don’t know what prompted the change, but by the summer of 2012 the place had gone completely to shit. I assume new management took over and tried to cut expenses by turning the whole place on its head. The menu was eviscerated, reduced from a nice variety of quirky and inventive dishes to a bare-​bones slate of burgers and ribs. The selection was cut so drastically that the physical menu itself was reduced from a standard book several pages wide to a single laminated placard, akin to the «menu» grade-​schoolers get at lunch. The quality of the food itself went from mouth-​watering to downright inedible after the advent of this new régime; everything became overcooked and dried out to the point of being tasteless.
The service took a drastic nosedive, as well. The friendly and attentive faces I was used to seeing were gradually replaced by disinterested punks who might or might not deign to come by your table on a somewhat-​regular basis to see how you were doing, depending on whether the mood struck them or not. More often than not they were more interested in loitering around the bar chatting each other up. One particularly arrogant waiter took our orders and then promptly went missing throughout the rest of our meal, reappearing only to scold us for flagging down a bus boy to ask for more drinks.
The cheap beers that were always a staple (and should be a staple at any self-​respecting sports bar) were done away with and replaced with $ 9 microbrews that nobody has ever heard of. Needless to say that went over really well with the Yankees, Mets, and football crowds who packed the place every weekend.
Four stars for the Strawberry’s I knew from its opening to about May of 2012 or so. –1 star for the abomination it degenerated into in its last days. Whoever was responsible for the transformation deserves to be shot.

So sad, the following message was posted on their FB page this morning:
«To our patrons and friends —
After 2 wonderful years, we sadly announce that Strawberry’s Sports Grill has shut its doors for the last time. Unfortunately, things have just run their course. We opened 2 years ago and never imagined that we would meet so many beautiful people, make so many great friends, and live so many great memories in this restaurant. From the Grand Opening, to Douglaston Community Day, to the 1986 Mets Reunion dinner. The great moments are just too many to list. We want to thank all the wonderful families and friends who chose Strawberry’s Sports Grill as their home away from home. We also want to thank our amazing staff who truly made Strawberry’s Grill the fun, friendly environment that it was. We will take the wonderful memories and keep them in our hearts always. This was a beautiful two years that we’ll never forget. Until we meet again, we thank you all for your patronage and support, and bid you a fond farewell.»

Its Darryl Strawberrys restaurant. Enough said… The food is great but what I love the most is the set up. A great collection of his days with the Mets and Yankees. And they have deals when the games are on.

I really love bar food and Strawberry’s has some of the best bar food ever. Came here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was not too busy. We were seated right away. Our waitress was super nice and always present. We started with the wings, which were great. The wings are really meaty, unlike ALOT of other places. They were cooked just right and very tender. I ordered the fish tacos, which were wonderful. They were also super filling. I’m not sure what kind of fish it was, but it was light and very flavorful. My guy ordered the brisket, which was some of the best brisket I have ever tried. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other menu items.

Finally, a sports bar in D-​block.
Ideally, if this were situated on Bell Blvd., this place would be packed and rocking. But next to the Douglaston LIRR station? Why not. The commuters can get toasty while waiting/​departing for/​the train.
Lots and lots of sports memorabilia. Reminded me of that scene in 40 Yr Old Virgin with him and all his toys. Except baseballs, basketballs and hockey stuff. Maybe I should’ve gone with pucks.
Huge menu, LIVELY staff, and daily games/​trivia night specials.
If you get off the wrong stop at 1AM headed east, pray it’s Douglaston. That way, at least you’ll have 2 fantastic hrs to keep yourself occupied until that 3AM train comes on by. I wish I had that luxury in the past.

There is an ample amount of parking outside and definitely an ample amount of televisions inside.
The service was great, everyone was very attentive.
The food was delicious. When they say that they have the best chili in queens, they are not lying. Instead of ground beef, they have chunks of briskets in the chili.
The 1986 lamb burger was great — tastes like a gyro… but it wasn’t a gyro.
The crawfish hushpuppies definitely takes the cake — delicious.
The pork sliders were okay, but being as full as we were after all the food, these were the ones that we could have done without.
woe is me… almost forgot…
Happy eating, suckers.

This is exactly what a sports bar should be — tasty food, great drinks, casual atmosphere and somehow, extremely clean!
I’m not a beer drinker and don’t fit in with the normal sports crowd (as I am not even really a sports fan). But they really make you feel just as comfortable to come in and enjoy a meal. The food is so awesome — for a sports bar. The pulled pork sliders melt in your mouth. And the Mac and Cheese? Probably the best I’ve had in all of Queens. Drinks are on point — not too strong and definitely not too weak. You don’t usually find good mixed drinks at sports bars with everyone drinking beer, but the Strawberry Lemonade/​Margarita mix was pink and tasty!
Looking forward to hanging out with a group of friends here & watching… something…

Getting to Strawberry’s is not the most convenient, located all the way in a dead-​end-​like cul de sac. Parking can be a nuisance as the short street services the Douglaston LIRR stop, a bike shop and a few other storefronts. You’ll most likely have to park up the hill and make the walk down. Walking into Strawberry’s is a mix between a nice sports bar with plenty of TV’s plastered on all 4 walls, yet cozy enough for a family or group dinner. On the walls are an assortment of Daryl Strawberry memorabilia during his tenure on the Mets and Yankees.
Draft beers are decently priced, $ 5 for a pint of Coors Lite, Miller Light, or Yueng Ling. Other pints such as Blue Point, Sam Adams, Magic Hat, Spaten, Blue Moon, Guiness are $ 6, and the very strong in alcohol Duvel for $ 9.
One thing you will want to get here are the Nachos ($ 10.95) with Championship Chili (+$ 4.95). The nachos are loaded with three types of melted cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapenos and guacamole. It is not loaded to the point where the chips are covered and soggy, but ample enough for filling each fresh chip.
The ingredients were fresh and spot on, making for one delicious nachos that I’ve had in quite some time. But what really made this a stellar dish was the insanely full-​flavored and smoky chili, a blend of ground beef and slow smoked beef brisket.
For my entrée, I ordered the Hand-​Pulled BBQ Pork Platter ($ 15.95). The presentation of this dish was lackluster and almost unappetizing. The pulled pork was sitting in a brown ceramic bowl topped with their homemade BBQ sauce, while the separate partition of fries, baked beans and plastic container of cole slaw all seemed to be an afterthought. The pulled pork was tender yet somewhat bland. It sat in a pool of juices, which one would imagine to be a good thing, but the juices were mostly a watery dilution. The dollop of BBQ sauce on top was nothing worth raving about. Luckily, there was a squeeze bottle of BBQ sauce on the table that helped to give the pork more flavor, but not enough to really get anything going for my tastebuds. The cole slaw was typical of what you would get from a diner, and the baked beans sort of reminded me of something out of a can. The fries were probably the best part of the dish, with no letdown of expectations, crispy and potatoey. But overall, this dish felt way too pricey for what you got.
Table service was decent, our waiter occasionally came by to check up on us and refill our drinks. The busboy was quick to clean dishes but obtrusive in the sense that he tried cleaning up dishes that I was clearly still eating from. After his second attempt, he got the point and didn’t come back until after we paid the bill.
Strawberry’s is a fun place to hang out. The nachos are a must order dish and the burgers are pretty solid here. It’s a great place to kick back with some nachos, a burger and a beer. And if you’re lucky enough to come during a Mets or Yankees game, there are some drink specials to take advantage of.

So hubby wanted to go here for lunch on Friday afternoon so we arrived the staff were very friendly and were excited due to the Yankee game opener was about to start.
So we ordered the buffalo wings which were tasty spicy and a pretty Good size compare to other sports bar i have gone too .Then i ordered the bacon cheese burger on a English muffin yes i said English muffin i thought it was cool to be able to pick it lol .
Hubby had the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich and both meals came with yummy fries which were crunchy and not soggy at all and it was on the lunch special which were at pretty awesome prices. I enjoyed the atmosphere and hubby loved all the TVs all around and thought it was a cool place and wants to come back for game night when they have there happy hour special .
Then finally dessert came we ordered the brownie banana split sundae which is totally awesome to put both of those combos in to one combo. cant wait to come back. we drove there but next time hubby said we will take the LIRR which is right across the street so he can enjoy the game with a few beers. Everything was very good.

Pulled pork is the highlight of the food here, and if Joanie is the bartender… you’re in luck. But be warned this is a true drinker’s sports bar. Joanie will pour you a glass of liquor and splash some soda on top and call it a cocktail.
She’s also super hot, friendly and attentive. I might be in love with her. Come here if you want to hang out and watch the game. You can also make this a date spot, it’s relatively quiet and never gets too packed but just make sure your date isn’t the prissy kind. As a litmus test, if they don’t know who Darryl Strawberry is, you probably shouldn’t take them here.

Strawberry’s Sports Grill hit a home run in my book of restaurants! Darryl Strawberry took a few career paths in his life, so why not add restaurateur to the mix?!
The place had a fun, sporty, vibe with walls adorned with various sports memorabilia. Looking at everything, took me back to my childhood when Darryl Strawberry played for the Mets. I remember sitting in the stands, eating ice cream out of a plastic hat branded with Strawberry’s number.
My friend and I sat bar for a little while, and we were quickly greeted by the manager, James. My friend inquired about purchasing an autographed baseball that she saw in a display case near the door. James explained that there were no baseball’s for sale at that time. He gave her a business card, and told her to check back in a few days. There was also a possibility to get Darryl actually personalize a ball too! Now that is cool.
The back «sun room» was really nice, even though it was nighttime. It’s cool because you can avoid being seated near the usual noisy bar, but still catch the game. There are plenty of big screens to catch the highlights in the back.
Along with James, another manager named Morgan, was going from table to table making sure everyone was enjoying everything and if we needed drink refills.
The great staff really added to my already pleasant experience. My friends and I were able to sample some of the restaurants best sellers. Mini BBQ Pulled Pork sliders were a hit. The highlight of my night, was the Championship Chili. I can see why it was the voted best in Queens. Mr. Strawberry, what is your secret?! Even though I didn’t try it, the mac and cheese looked like it was über cheesy and delicious.
James said that the great Darryl himself comes to the restaurant almost every other day. He also urged us to friend the restaurant on Facebook to see the full calender of events they have going on, including drink specials and a karaōke night!
I would come back to the restaurant in a heartbeat.

a sports bar which offers a lunch special that could knock even Chinese takeout lunch specials out of the park — and it is owned by none other than Darryl Strawberry!
first off, the food is tasty. my favorite of what we had was the chili — both ground beef and brisket in chili?! the menu is good ol’fashioned BBQ and pub food. looking at the menu, the prices are pretty fair. that $ 10 lunch special sounds really clutch: soup, salad, entrée, and a pint of beer. yeah, you read that right.
you’d think a sports bar would have «meh» taps — but while they do have the big guys here (Coors, Miller, etc), there’s Blue Point Toasted, Duvel, Lagunitas, Spaten, and Chimay? I want to say around 15 beers on tap/​bottle, so there’s something for everyone. bartenders are great here.
the atmosphere is sweet here. huge bar with a lot of TVs — but not so many that you’re overwhelmed. some sports bars go overboard and there’s a TV screen blaring at you every two feet! can’t…hear…myself…drink! there’s a section of tables and booths where it’s a little quieter, as well as a big back room. lots of sports memorabilia here and there’s something for every NY major league sports teams.
as I mentioned in my review of the Unilocal event, I got here early enough to talk to the managers, James and Morgan, and some of the staff. really friendly people and they were excited to host the event. they’re also ramping up with events during the week — bingo, karaōke, game show trivia — so it’s not Just Another Sports Bar. there are also more sports-​related events and specials that you should keep an eye out for.
getting here is not as bad as you think. a block away is the Douglaston LIRR, roughly 30 minutes from Penn Station. there’s metered parking outside, and they have a parking lot across the street ($ 3 for as long as needed; get the ticket stamped in the bar). if you can get to Flushing, the LIRR stop there is on the same line, if that helps your commute.
also — Darryl’s charity foundation raises money for autism awareness/​research here too, which is great to see. the mainstream media always focuses on negative stuff with celebrities and often overlooks their good deeds.
I must return.

Now that I have moved from the UWS to Astoria, there’s the opportunity to use the Ford Escape that we brought from LA (out of the cobwebs of job site parking) to explore the hamlets of Queens and Long Island.
Manhasset is marvelous in their steakhouse options. And Bell Blvd. is also a quaint destination in Bayside.
But the place that caught my attention was Strawberry’s Sports Grill, in Douglaston. After reading the local newspapers here, Strawberry’s seems to be very involved in the community (a quality I admire in any business).
Research showed that they offered a buffet on Sundays, and that’s the reason we took the trek. The buffet was not that impressive for the price, but I’m glad that it brought me there.
You can order off of the menu too, and I opted to order the Memphis Ribs. This was one of the best decisions that I have made in my life! Seriously good BBQ!
The portion was HUGE! After enjoying half of it, while exclaiming over and over that «these were the my favorite ribs of any I have ever eaten», I confirmed this fact when I savored their goodness on Monday and Tuesday, as leftovers.
Kudos to the person who manages the BBQ pit. I was very impressed by the staff too.

Great place, good job Mr. Strawberry!
Any Mets fan would love it, but even if baseball isn’t your thing, come here for the great food and great service. Variety of beers on tap, lots of menu options, and a convenient location with abundant parking.
Gets really crowded at times, especially on the weekend so do yourself a favor and make reservations.

My friends and I came here for dinner after the subway series… yes the mets lost. I was all depressed after watching the game, I knew some good grub would make me feel better.
The place looks small from the outside but its actually a pretty big space. Our server was Nick he was really friendly and attentive! Unlike the last time I was here we had a horrible male server that ignored us the whole time. Wont give away his name but hes about 5’7″, black spiky hair… yeah that guy.
The food was reallllly good. We ordered the guacamole with chips as our appetizer. They cheaped out with the guacamole but it was still fresh and tasty. I ordered the pulled chicken quesadilla it was AMAZING! That bbq sauce makes this dish. The chicken was so juicy. My friend ordered the 1969 burger, he really liked it. Another friend ordered the pulled chicken bbq platter, that meal comes with two sides, she ordered the mac and cheese (BEST MAC AND CHEESE I’VE EVER HAD) and french fries.
I find the food a little over priced. They also have a nice bar, good place to chill and watch a game.
Darryl Strawberry also comes by the restaurant pretty often! He’s really friendly. He lives a block away from me so I stalk him pretty often. I’ll probably be getting a restraining order any day now!

FINALLY made my way here with my husband last Friday after hearing people always talking about it. We were impressed, from outside it looks small but once you get inside it is huge! The bar area is really nice and roomy and they have a good happy hour drink menu. The ambiance is really cool, low key but trendy at the same time. Needless to say we were excited to try this place out! We decided to be adventurous and try out cheesesteak eggrolls. They were different but REALLLLYYY delicious! Definitely something to try out if you’ve never had. For dinner I had the buffalo wings which were delicious and my husband had the Strawberry burger. This is like the mother of all burgers! This leaves no room for any more food after you devour this monstrosity. He did love every bite of it though!
Overall we had a great time and will definitely be back to try out other items on the menu! If your in the area this place should definitely be on your list to stop into!

I am a Mets fan who came of age in the 1980s. If you didn’t love Darryl Strawberry, you were certainly incapable of feeling. I came here in October for a surprise birthday party for a friend and was immediately impressed. The location was awesome — a half hour train ride from midtown and you can literally see the restaurant from the station! It was baseball playoff time, so it was PACKED. We could barely belly up to the bar to order a drink. We knew we’d have to come back.
For dinner, there’s something for everyone. I have a friend who is super health conscious and she was able to order a lamb burger (I think it’s the 1986 burger?), and she thought it was amazing. You can get sweet potato, regular fries or tots. OK! I’m all about tots. The 1969 burger is really yummy. For apps, chicken tenders are just little pieces of chicken fried heaven. Their specialty drink menu — meh. I’ve had better. Too much reliance on mixers and sweet-​and-​sour mix. Stick to beer or just plain old well drinks.
My favorite part is brunch though. Brunch is typical southern hospitality buffet affair. I swear they used to have a menu, but they switched it up to just brunch buffet entirely. All good — tack on extra $ 12 for unlimited brunch cocktails (mimosas, mary’s, you name it). Although you’d have to drink more than 4 to get the full benefit (not sure I like that lol). Anyway the buffet is pretty righteous. Chicken tenders, grits, waffles, sausage, bacon, biscuits, eggs and an omelet bar. Even offer sausage gravy for biscuits. Any place that does that has a special place in my heart. **
**Edited to add: they’ve recently switched their brunch up. They used to have a brunch menu, then changed it to a buffet. I was ok with the buffet but the quality keeps going lower and lower each time I am there. It’s just easier for me to go for lunch or dinner. That doesn’t disappoint, but the brunch has in recent times.
This bar is run by Straw’s brother, Mike, an overall good guy. Always recognizes us (though we are there maybe once every two months). You never know what sports star you may run into. We once saw Robbie Alomar having lunch there… Keith Hernandez signed autographs once there. And then there’s the always fun Darryl sightings! He’s so good and grateful for his fans.
All in all, if I suggest going to Strawberry’s, no one ever says no. It’s a place we can all agree on.

Pretty awesome sports bar. Pitchers here are only $ 10 if there is a Met’s or Yankees game on. The food and service here is great. All of Daryl Strawberry’s personal baseball gear, pictures, jerseys, locker, and all that really makes this place feel like a genuine sports bar.
Food: Nachos w/​pulled pork here are bangin! The Buffalo Shrimp here is whack. Don’t bother ordering that. The shrimps were small and just a waste of money. Could of gotten something else for the same price and better. I think we ordered a BBQ pork sandwich that was ridiculously big. Came with a massive amount of sweet potato fries. It was pretty awesome.
For dessert, we ordered fried twinkies and pecan pie. The fried twinkies were pretty delicious. The pecan pie was okay, it was a little too sweet for my taste.
Service: Our waitress was very friendly and quick with our beers so cheers to her!
Ambiance: 16 TV’s all around the restaurant. A very nice bar set up, along with a bunch of baseball memorabilia décor.
Parking: Street parking or at the LIRR lot. Get your ticket stamped from Strawberry’s and it’s $ 2.
Verdict: Definitely coming back here for the Playoffs!

My softball teammates came here to celebrate a Queens tournament victory and to watch the Jets vs. Patriots game.
Guess who walks in and starts shaking everyone’s hand?
NO WAY! Darryl Freakin Strawberry.
Oh and the food and beer selection is decent.

Welcome back to Queens, Darryl!
Being a lifelong Mets fan (for better or worse) b/​c of him and Doc, I couldn’t resist the urge to check this place out on opening night.
In order to get the best spread possible between 2 people, we opted to go for a couple of apps, (buffalo wings, pulled pork sliders), a side order of mac & cheese and the bbq chicken dinner salad.
Oddly enough, I find that most sports bars have a difficult time with getting buffalo wings right. Sad to report, Strawberry’s is no different. They were dry and lacking the full tangy flavor that I would’ve liked. The pulled pork sliders were tiny, they were sliders after all, but «good». I made liberal use of the bbq sauce, sitting on my table for both items.
The mac & cheese, I’m glad to report was great! The cheeses were gooey and had a nice kick to it and I’d totally recommend you get the entrée size with the bacon, of course. I’m assuming that this recipe came from the Southern Hospitality kitchen?
Along those lines, the bbq chicken in the salad was moist and delicious. The salad itself was just a simple cesar, drenched in dressing. Perhaps a mix of peppercorns thrown into the mill and ground over the dish wouldn’t hurt?
I guess the running theme was that the food was a bit bland and could’ve used an extra «something». Normally, I wouldn’t expect much in the way of food from a sports bar in queens, but for the prices they’re charges, I’m disappointed. Speaking of which, I hope they start with some happy hour specials soon. At $ 5 for a bottle of domestic and $ 15 for a pitcher (which fills your glass exactly 3 times, so there’s no bulk bargain here) I don’t know how often I’d be willing to venture there for an after work drink. I will say that they have a nice selection of beers on tap (9 or so, by my count).
Nothing personal, Darryl. You’re still a childhood hero of mine!