Horseshoe Grille

Love, love this place. Love Pat, but what happened to the ribs and brisket combo. Chili is awesome.

Pat L, here’s your answer. Again was intending to go to Bancroft and favorite haunt Grille 19. Was drawn back to the Horseshoe from my prior great experience. The difference: bartender Kelly who did everything right. Knew the menu and steered me in all the right directions. The sweet potato chorizo soup? Incredible. The south fork steak with sweet potato and asparagus sides? Perfectly cooked (I ordered medium rare, and that’s what I got). Bombay sapphire martinis again perfectly crafted. Crème brûlée dessert? Perfect. Bathroom was spotless. Now with a rewards program! Big mistake Horseshoe! You’ll lose money on me, as you are now my#1 on my day off. Flawless on all counts!

I eat here almost every Tuesday night. I’ve had a number of items on the menu and all have been very good. I especially enjoy the hamburger, followed by something from the dessert menu. The service staff here is always friendly. Tuesday night is trivia night, run by a personable guy named Dave, who makes up the questions himself. A better time couldn’t be had!

I love it here! I’ve never eaten in the dining room, but the pub is perfect. The bartenders are fast and friendly, and the apps are quality. Upon hearing we had just moved to the area, the manager came over and gave us a sample of their corn bread on the house. So generous! Really made us feel a part of the community

Absolutely love «The Shoe», fantastic bartenders who are very personable and not shy at all. The restaurant is family owned, and family oriented but also offers a great atmosphere if you want to just stop in and grab a beer and a bite. Would absolutely recommend this place to friends!

We went to this place for the first time last night. Place was packed but we had reservations so that wasn’t too bad. Service was ok. The food was pricey and mediocre. It’s very similiar to a slightly more upscale 99. I had the steak tips and they came out well done even though
I asked for medium and they were completely slathered with BBQ sauce, which was overwhelming. The rice pilaf was dry. The amount of steak tips was the same for my adult meal vs. the kids meal, but double the price! My husband got the smaller portion meatloaf and there was only one slice of it! He thought it was ok but not great! I’m glad we got a chance to try a new restaurant, but could honestly say there is no need to ever return.

The Horseshoe is my favorite BBQ. I have been eating here for years and always leave feeling that I had great food at a great price with awesome service (Donna is a legend). Besides the awesome food, they always have at least one style if Harpoon available. Will he returning soon! Keep up the great work.
Please don’t ever change the nachos.

Best nachos!!! Hard to say anything about anything else because I’m too full from the nachos to eat much else. Huge portions, yummy chips, great toppings!
Ain’t nothing better than nachos and beer!

I used to go here with my coworkers for drinks and dinners. Loved it then would have given it 5 stars. A couple of years later decided to go with the family. What a difference. Went last night for an early dinner. We were able to get right in and get a table with no waiting. So far so good. However tables are tiny, with four people and 4 giant menus not much room. Waitress came right over and took drink orders. I just ordered water and when it came out it tasted like they went to the local YMCA and took the water from the pool. My wife tasted her water and agreed. Told waitress and she told us they used to hear this all the time. She brought us soda instead. Now for the food. The kids wanted nachos, saw another table with them and they looked good. Looked at the menu and the basic order is $ 13, it comes with salsa, cheese, chili and sour cream. Price seemed a little steep but they looked good. Waitress asked if we wanted pulled pork or chicken on them, a $ 4 up charge. That’s right $ 17 for an app. Said no for the meat. When they came out, tons of chips hardly any cheese, salsa and chili. Most of tgettinge chips were plain. Then she brought out the cornbread. Delicious but the butter was straight out of the fridge. Hard butter and cornbread do not mix. She took our food order. Kids got the Prime Burger (looked okay but can get a better burger at Fuddruckers for the same price) and the kids ribs (son liked them). I got the ribs, these were excellent, not the best I’ve ever had but a lot better than others I’ve had. Wife got the short ribs. Meat was cooked great nice and juicy but had a strange marinade. They weren’t bad but just different. However the $ 28 price was a little step for how much you get (2 ribs, some mashed potatoes and 4 asparagus spears). Overall food was okay, nothing to write home about our go out of my way to tell people you have to go there. I just think $ 100 for dinner for 4 (1 kids meal) is steep for a family restaurant in Reading, MA. Closer to Boston I can see those prices but not here. And fix the water filter.

Just ok. Was hoping for some solid pulled pork and ribs (and maybe even some brisket) given the hype around this place but was disappointed. The pulled pork was bland, the ribs weren’t
«fall off the bone» like you really want, and the cole slaw was dry. Service left a bit to be desired as well… attentive but not overly friendly. Maybe she was just having a rough day.

Great service tonight for a large party. Server Jackie was great, food was great, and bartender/​Dave was great. Definately will be back!

Today was my first visit to Horseshoe Grille but I am now a big fan! I got the Brisket sandwich and my Mom got a burger. Both of our meals were excellent and the service was great (Jackie was her name, I think). After our late lunch the manager, Mike, came over to ask us about our lunch and gave us some cornbread (to go) and a $ 5 gift certificate for a return visit! The entire experience was excellent and I am looking forward to my next visit!

One of our local favorites. Try the meatloaf!
Relaxed atmosphere, good place to catch the game, friendly staff and the manager is super nice.

I think my impression of Horseshoe Grill is closer to their overall rating, though I have no problem erring on the side of generous. They do a lot of things right. If I had to sum up my experience in 3 words, it would be «Comfort BBQ Plus.» The atmosphere is enjoyable and relaxing, and you can tell it’s a popular destination by the number of people meeting here for drinks after dinner or girls’ night out. I bet its even more enjoyable in the dining room in the winter when the fire is going.
I was quite satisfied with the drink selection and the prompt service. The cornbread which came out with our drinks was dense and relatively moist. The maple butter that came with it would have benefited from having been at room temperature a few more minutes before coming to the table. This satisfaction continued with the sides accompanying our dinners. I know they have more, but I’d be content with the beans and cole slaw every time, especially the slaw. It was fresh and had horseradish without being too creamy.
Where I will get picky is with the BBQ portions of our meals. I felt the half bbq chicken and the St. Louis Ribs suffered the same ailments. They could have been a little less dry, and they could have had an even stronger flavor. They were still satisfying.
This is one of those places where, despite the bbq not living completely up to expectations, I would want to come back and sample much more of the menu.

Nothing fancy but good food & friendly faces taking your orders. We felt very well taken care of! I ordered a chicken roasted beat salad, yum. Highly recommended if you’re feeling something on the lighter side!

I don’t know what it is, but this place is ALWAYS empty. Like we’re one of 4 parties in there empty. The place is HUGE. The food is actually really good and the service is usually spot on. The one downfall is there are ALWAYS dirty tables everywhere. Watching the guys/​gals and take a trip with one glass and a fork at a time is painful. I don’t like eating around dirty tables… even if all of the rest of them are empty.
The lack of people in here does make me wonder though. We’re somewhat new to the area and it makes me think that people know something we don’t, which is unfortunate.

This used to be one of my favorite places to eat. The food has been better, but i think my main concern is the lunch staff. I mostly meet my family for lunch from time to time, because I both work and live in the area.
Over the past summer, the service hasn’t just ‘gotten a little worse’, it has been absolutely abysmal.
In one recent occasion, our waitress was so non-​existent another waitress actually began helping our table. It wasn’t busy. There were four tables seated. She did apologize that «things got so crazy», but that mystified me even further.
There wasn’t a sudden influx of business, so I assume that there was some personal/​family/​other issue that interrupted her day. That’s fine. I get it. We all have that happen, but as an employee, it is her responsibility to convey that to a manager so that they can ensure the customers are taken care of.
Today really took the cake. I met my family again. I was actually very concerned, because I had an extremely tight schedule, and the service has not been good enough to warrant that kind of risk.
We waited almost 20 minutes for any approach from a waitress once we were seated. Two additional sets of patrons were seated and approached by a waitress in that time. We walked out.
I can’t say I’ll be back. Given the lack of business they seem to do during lunch, I think it is safe to say I’m not the first person who’s noticed.
UPDATE: Response to Owner. I appreciate that customer service is of the utmost importance. I haven’t spoken to a manager. Coincidentally, the first occasion I recall seeing a manager was the day I walked out. We told the hostess on the way out.
I was angry, so there really wasn’t anything to gain by discussing it with a manager at the time. I had already wasted half of my lunch waiting for service. I was focused on plan B: get something quick and head back to work.

Horseshoe is declining.
For 16 years Horseshoe has been our «go-​to» place for dinner on the fly as it’s only a 5-​minute drive from our home. We liked the barbecue offerings better when it was still Horseshoe Café, but when they closed down, rebuilt from the ground up and reopened as Horseshoe Grille we were enthused and, for several years, impressed. Of course with the new place the menu became much more upscale, as did the interior, and consequently the pricing. We’re happy to pay more if it’s worth it, and it used to be, but we’re not so sure anymore.
In the interest of full disclosure, our visit today was our first in about six months as we have been away. We arrived around 6:15 on a Friday night and the parking lot wasn’t entirely full but getting close. (They should repaint the lines in the parking lot so people might park more evenly.) We walked in to find FOUR young ladies at the hostess station, but not one of them said anything to us. They all smiled, but there was no «good evening» or «welcome» or anything, so after a minute we announced there were two of us for dinner. If we’d wanted to sit in the bar we could’ve just walked in there without stopping at the hostess station, so not sure why they need four people to not greet us. Anyway, we were escorted to a table in the dining room.
Our waitress came by for drink orders. The drink delivery was quick which was expected since we didn’t order any booze. She asked if we’d decided on dinner yet. We hadn’t been advised of any specials, which there always are, so we asked and were told a couple things. In the past we’ve always been told the specials without having to ask. Later in the evening we heard another waitress telling diners at a neighboring table about the specials, and she recited 2 more than we’d heard.
We often look for seating in the bar first (although we did not today) but it’s usually standing room only which doesn’t work for a meal. There were a lot of families seated in the dining room, not surprising given the early hour. One guy was standing in the middle of a group of nearby tables, talking loudly into his cell phone for about 3 minutes while ordering his kid to sit down. We were seated in a booth. On the opposite side of the booth from hubby was a family with 2 kids, probably 5 and 7 or so. The boy spent nearly the entire time standing on his bench, stuffing fries in his mouth and staring at me. Later in the meal his sister wandered out of their booth and stood at ours, scratching her crotch. I kid you not! I know it’s not a 5-​star restaurant but we’d like to enjoy our meal in peace. While this is not the restaurant’s fault, frankly we don’t want to pay $ 25 per entrée to feel like we’re in Chuck E. Cheese.
We both had a cup of chowder to start. It was a hot and generous portion, but it truly tasted like it was just plopped out of a can. For dinner I had the sirloin salad, which I order frequently because it’s filling and reliable. The salad itself was fine; the homemade Italian dressing was much thinner than usual but the flavor was OK. However the steak tips, which were ordered medium rare, were closer to medium well and not remotely warm. They weren’t exactly cold, but usually you can tell they’ve just come off a hot grill. These tasted like they were grilled an hour ago and left to sit, which might explain the overdoneness. The hubby ordered a BBQ platter. We used to love their smoked sausage but they took it off the menu years ago and then further reduced the mix & match BBQ offerings. Now the options are just St. Louis ribs, pulled pork and chicken. He ordered the ribs and pork, beans and slaw on the side. As soon as the plate came he asked for extra BBQ sauce and when it arrived, which took quite some time, it was literally about 2 teaspoons in a tiny cup and barely made a difference for the pulled pork, which looked more like shredded kindling. He left about half of the meal on his plate which is very unusual for him, and he didn’t bring home the leftovers. His assessment was «dry and not impressive.»
Once the food was delivered we didn’t see our waitress in the dining room at all until she finally stopped by after about 15 minutes, so hubby finally got to request a drink refill although he was basically done eating by then. Meanwhile, another waitress was chatting with folks at a neighboring table so we got to hear about a C-​section and somebody’s graduation for 10 minutes. The service used to be a lot more professional and reliable. We used to see the owner making rounds at tables but haven’t seen him in ages — maybe it’s changed hands or something. The tables are worn and the menus, which are currently in a state of transition, are pretty grimy; they used to be in nice binders but are now just laminated sheets of paper that are sort of sticky in your hands.
Not sure we’ll be going back to Horseshoe Grille. We’re missing the old days of Horseshoe Café.

I think this place is great. If you’re in the mood for experimental, ethnic cutting edge or creative food — this is probably not the place. But if you want some basic American fare made extremely well — this is the place to go. Favorites are: Reuben sandwich, nachos, steak tips and their amazing grilled BBQ meatloaf!!! They have a nice space too with really great drink selections! And they have outdoor seating! Lastly, the management at Horseshoe have always impressed me. First time we went, we mentioned it was our first visit. The manager came out and introduced himself to me and my fiancée and gave us a coupon for next time — he didn’t have to do this at all considering we were already having a lovely time. AND ONE MORE THING HOLY COW the corn bread they give you when you first sit down is soooo delicious!

My boss got the rueben and since he gets a rueben at every restaurant I am with him I asked him to rate it. He said it was great and he would order it again.
I order the corn beef club special. I thought she said chicken club. It was good regardless. The coleslaw was on point as well.
Give this place a try