Miller’s Ale House – Watertown

This place is so great.
This, like many empty spaces throughout the area, used to be Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse’s years ago. This one has been turned into a great, exciting restaurant: Miller’s Ale House. In comparison, my local Bugaboo (in Dedham) was turned into the Summer Shack (now closed), and is now possibly going to be a Hooter’s (yikes!).
Miller’s is amazing. My parties waiter, Carlo, was very friendly, attentive, helpful, and efficient throughout my entire visit to the restaurant. Drinks and food all seemed so fast, and were all so delicious. I got a cheeseburger (my favorite lunchtime option, anywhere…), and onion rings. The onion rings were so flavorful, tasty, and filling. The cheeseburger was also tasty, flavorful, made to order, and the perfect entrée for my choice. The manager also came over twice to our table, and to many others asking about how everything is going, showing management actually cares and wants every customers experience to be great. Additionally, they had a great selection of other lunch options on the menu including seafood, steaks, zingers, flatbreads, sandwiches, and desserts. This is the best lunch option in this area, and for any Arsenal Project shoppers.
Only complaints:
Parking garage is terrible! Yes, it’s never busy, but there are so many posts throughout the garage, making it incredibly difficult to turn around, and to know where to get out (as each passage is a one way!)
Seats could use cushions! My party was sat at a booth, and the seat was rock solid wood… not the most comfortable experience.
All in all, the goods weigh out the bads, and this is a truly a great restaurant. I will be returning when I visit this area soon. 5 stars.

I always wonder why I never go to Miller Ale House… until I go to Miller Ale House! Service and food is just bad! Too bad Miller Ale House; cheap drink just aren’t good enough.

Let me start by saying I never like to write a bad review however last night we had dinner at Miller’s and it was ridiculously bad. We were a party of 26. 13 kids and 13 adults… reservations were made on Wednesday for Saturday night and if that size party was not tolerable then they should not have accepted the reservation. With that said we had 1 server. Needless to say it took about 15 minutes jut to get the drink orders and another 15 – 20 for meal order. No one helped her! I got up and started to bring the drinks over from the bar because I felt bad for her. I went up to several staff members suggesting they have someone help her and I got the «oh yes of course» and no one helped her
Not even the manager. Next comes the food… it not. Out order came out sporadically… some of us ate while others watched… some food was cold and some didn’t come at all! The best part… wait for it… theanagwr was overheard by a member of party say to another staff member «what does a party of 26 think anyway… that this go are gonna go smoothly» I am appalled that that is the message being relayed from the top
Not to mention the manager never showed her face or helped or apologize or checkin. They did remove the items from our bill which were never served. Millers is a franchise and I think it needs to go to the top that this is the customer service we were given. Food wasn’t even good!

The food is 3 stars, but the service is 4. If you get Ang as your waiter you are in good hands! She handled a group of eight people (all on separate checks) like a pro. She dealt with group antics and was super patient. We left a very happy bunch.
Also the shrimp and chicken chopped salad could easily serve two people, maybe 3 if you also get a small appetizer. It’s about $ 10, so fm definitely worth it.

This establishment is a terrible restaurant, as far as service goes. But if your looking for bar food and beer this is your place, honestly nothing more then that.
Looking for value try the chicken nachos. Feeds 3, under 10 $
Overall Good place to just have a drink and eat.

A bar with standard mediocre/​standard bar food and a lot of TVs. Decent price. Service is usually ok. Zingers/​wings … Very bland and I don’t know why they’re considered good.

AMAZING PLACE! All appetizer after 10pm are half price. Very good food! 100% recommended

I visited Miller’s Ale House on a Friday night last month with a party of 5 or 6. I was in the area visiting family, and we decided to check out the new restaurant since Bugaboo Creek had closed.
We were greeted by a host that I couldn’t understand. He didn’t seem to know where to put us and kept moving us around until he sat us at a large booth. The place seemed moderately busy for a Friday night. We ordered the nachos for our table, which was decent. Everyone got their own meals. I had the Alfredo shrimp pasta dish, my cousin got a burger, my cousin’s girlfriend got the Zingers wings, and my grandma got a fish fry sandwich. I cannot recall what everyone else got. The consensus was the same throughout the table: the food was mediocre at best. We we all just starving because of how long the nachos took to come out and then how long it took for the rest of the food to come out.
In addition to the mediocre food, and service was extremely bad. It seemed like our server was a new, young guy, but we rarely saw him. I don’t know if he was on break or if we had been placed outside of his section and we was in other areas. We had to ask other servers for drinks, and our food was brought out by other servers. He never came to check on us and we had to ask the host for our check.
Overall, we were there for more than 2 hours. We all took the time to chat with each other of course, but the overall experience at the restaurant was disappointing! Will not return unless my family really wants to!

They short pour your 2^nd beers in small plastic 14oz cups. If I have to go back I’ll stick to bottles. What I saw of the food looked like standard sports bar, the 1 star is for the very shady practice of short pouring drinks.

I have yet to update a review but I feel this was absolutely warranted. After my first review, manager John M. reached out to my boyfriend and I and GENUINELY apologized for the service we received last time. We stopped in for a bite to eat before a movie. We were greeted by the same young lady that seated us on our original visit. She was very sweet and kind! Next– we were offered drinks and appetizers by an AWESOME server by the name of Anthony. I asked for a margarita… he suggested the mojito. I HATE mojitos… but I took him up on his offer anyway and it ended up being the BEST I’ve ever had! It was mango and pineapple. The server was absolutely on point with his service and personality. Outstanding and everything a server should aspire to be like. Very attentive and personable.
For families coming out on a Tuesday night– there was a magician! I’m sure the kids must have loved that. Cute touch on a slower evening.
Lastly– Jeremy (manager) came to our table to see how everything went. He was definitely friendly and talkative (in a good way). He gave us a little history on the Ale House and told us about some of the beer they have on tap.
All in all– we would definitely return. And THATS saying something. It just goes to show that everyone needs a second chance! And like Jeremy said– everyone has an «off» night. And it’s true.
My score tonight was in the middle of what I wanted to give. While service and atmosphere were a 5 tonight– the food was pretty average. It wasn’t bad– just average chain food. I WILL say– the spinach dip has been amazing both times and I would go again just for that. Thank you to the staff and managers for taking the time to listen and prove that anything can be turned around with a little more effort. See you soon!

So we asked for steak and they weren’t great, but not that bad that I couldn’t eat it. The manager named John is so patient and understanding. He even offered to have another steak done, which I declined, because despite the fact it had too much fat, it was eatable. I am very pleased to say that John and the staff really try to keep you happy. That for me is number one in customer service. I will be going back on Thursday for prime rib night. Thanks John! Your a good guy!

Was it Terrible Dinner Tuesday at the Miller House?
Let me start off by saying I really enjoy the Miller House and their service. A friend took me there for some drinks and we ordered the lemons pepper wings and teriyaki wings. Now on my 1^st visit here, these wings were THE BOMB ! They were grilled to perfection and tasted phenomenal. (this is why I returned). I placed the order with my bartender to give us 20 wings –10 lemon pepper and 10 teriyaki. The bartender comes back with THE FLAVORS MIXED TOGETHER! Worst Shit ever! Why would one do that?! Slightly upset, I informed my bartender I hated them. He apologizes because this was his error.
When he returns, the order is still messed up! These wings were NOT grilled ! Imagine baked wings with sauce just thrown on and put on a panini maker I was done from this point.
To add more salt to injury, I order a mixed drink and the bartender didn’t know how to make the drink! The shit taste like disgusting in a glass. He then messes up the Sangria! How do you mess up a pre made drink?! Who knows ! So I order the one thing even a monkey cannot mess up — a corona .
The beer was great by the way. He even added a lime – lucky me. In short, this is a really good place, just not on a Tuesday

For sports fans, you can’t beat the number of televisions to watch the game. No matter where you’re seated you’ll be within eye sight of several for different viewing angles. The food is ok, deserts I found to be a little better and are worth saving room for the end.
Where the restaurant really breaks down, as other reviewers have mentioned is service. This has been consistent with several visits. Upon entering, you are «greeted» by several stone faced/​dazed hosts and hostesses. I have yet to encounter one that responds to your hello. There are also a lot of waitstaff but none of them ever seem to be doing much of anything except running around or talking with each other. Often times at least one or two of the female waitresses can be found with earbuds in dancing and twirling around in the corner. Literally dancing around.
Finally there is very little communication. On my last visit, a problem with their receipt printer caused us to wait for 20 minutes to get our check. That doesn’t bother me, malfunctions happen all of the time, and no one can be blamed for it. What I do blame them for is running around yelling at each other for the 20 minutes instead of calmly informing the tables, «Hey, we’re experiencing some trouble, we’ll get you the check as soon as we can.» Instead they just got angry and yelled at each other, and it was not a pleasant sight.

Nothing spectacular. I did enoying the Fried Calamari and the Buried Treasure (ice cream cake). Nad spinach dip and chips, onion rings, ribs, steak and cheese subs, and a few other tings. All were pretty forgetable. Had a great waitress (Nina) who was on top of things and very friendly. It was Thursday Night Football so seem like it was fully staffed. Even the manager was walking around the floor greeting people. Good friendly spot for hanging out.

Food here is really so so… But I have to say the beer special is what keeps us coming here. They have $ 6 pitchers and $ 10 sangria during the summer time. Watermelon margarita is one of the specials as well. That being said, the alcohol content of the special pitchers are not high… At all. It’s good for a chill night out.
My favorite food item is the spinach dip. I’ve also had the buffalo wings and garlic Parmesan zingers. Chicken not tender at all but the sauce is decent. I’ve had the chicken pasta which wasn’t bad. But overall it wouldn’t be a place where I enjoy my dinner.

I went here with my boyfriend late on a weekend afternoon. We’d been shopping at Home Depot, and he was so worn out that we just went with the closest option. I’d come here years before, when it was a Bugaboo Creek, and he was amused enough my my stories of singing moose and attractive bolo-​tied waiters to give the new incarnation a shot. Mistake? You decide.
The Good:
At first, we were astounded at the prices– $ 5 cocktails and $ 10 entrees? The most expensive item I could find on the menu was the 8oz filet mignon at $ 19.99. It was thrilling and we vowed to come back. We’d bring friends! It’d be our place! And there was parking!
The Bad:
The thrill soon began to wear off, though, when our waiter greeted us, but then was nowhere to be found. He finally came back, and we placed our drink order, which took a pretty long time to come, and I was sucking ice cubes well before he came back to take our food order. This would have been more understandable if the place hadn’t been mostly empty. The wait for the food was also a little longer than seemed necessary, which leads me to…
The Ugly:
Our food finally arrived, and by this point, we were so hungry that silence reigned for at least ten minutes. Our hunger, and the admittedly generous portion sizes, blinded us to the fact that the food was, in fact, not good. I had a chicken quesadilla, and while the tortilla itself seemed tasty, the cheese and chicken inside were meagre and bland. The beans and rice were meh, and even the sour cream and lettuce seemed a bit lackluster– perhaps the sour cream was low-​fat, who knows. I also had a side of mashed potatoes, which I suspect came from a box.
My boyfriend got a burger, which in the photos, looked like it was well-​done. He described as «uncooked» and «gross». As much as I love my medium rare/​rare meat, even I had to own that it in no way appeared appetizing. He left about a third of it, and it looked wet and wan, like some sad wannabe steak Tartare that wasn’t sure how to be real food. He didn’t much like his accompanying fries, but I had to give them credit as the only halfway decent part of the meal.
We’d initially looked at the dessert menu, but by the time we were halfway through our food, that option was well off the table, and all we wanted was to go home and lie down until the terrible, sick, heavy feeling subsided. We walked out feeling not unlike bags of wet cement, and when I woke up a few hours later, I didn’t feel much better. I skipped dinner last night, as I still felt poorly, and didn’t feel right again until after breakfast this morning. Thankfully we didn’t actually get sick– no vomiting or anything– but that’s all I can say to recommend this place.
The Non-​Food-​Related:
I can see how sporting fans would like this place; at one point, I counted 16 or 17 televisions in my line of vision from left to right shoulder (easy movement, no craning or torso movement), and my boyfriend counted 20. I found myself inadvertently checking out the Sox game when my eyes glazed over from hunger, but they also provided my main source of entertainment by way of estimating how much they could have all cost and what their insurance payments must be like.
Summary:
Overall; if you’re coming to watch a game and drink cheap beer (and you don’t mind waiting for it), this is your place. If you want to eat food of any quality and with any alacrity, eat at Chipotle, at Target (they have personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut, sandwiches, hot dogs, et cetera), the Greek or Armenian places across the street, or even a bowl of cereal at home first. Please.

Got the 12 ounce ribeye. Was thin, about ½″ if it was lucky. Tasted OK. Not like ribeyes anywhere else though. Kind of tasted like the gravy they served on my mashed potatoes. Ordered it medium but got it well done. It’s hard to cook a steak that thin any other way.
Would have given it a 3 star rating if 40% of the 12 ounces wasn’t still on the plate as fat and gristle.
To be fair I’ll mention that my friend really enjoyed his seafood Mac ‘n cheese.
Only other thing I didn’t enjoy was having the four huge windows in the bar area open to the street at a congested 5-​way intersection and breathing car exhaust during my meal at rush hour. This place isn’t for me.

I love coming here for inexpensive beers and zingers. They are under new management and so far it appears to be doing well.
They have two bars and many family friendly areas as well. All with televisions visible. They even have a chart that shows what televisions are showing what games so you can choose your seat wisely.
Decent food but be wary of the nachos. They are very hit or miss! Everything else is pretty much typical American bar food.

Usually, I’m not hugely fond of chain restaurants but can tolerate them. They tend to offer pretty good service at affordable prices and are pretty reliable. They’re also consistent. However on my first and only visit here, I left completely baffled.
Miller Ale House is and should be similar to a Yard House. Or so you’d think. They brand themselves as a sports bar and rightfully so. They have a ton of televisions broadcasting all kinds of games. They also have a ton of beer. Being a fan of both things, I was actually looking forward to my visit here.
Parking was a breeze, there’s plenty of it and it’s covered. We sat at a table near the windows, near the Buck Hunter arcade machine. We ordered a few things to nosh on including some nachos and inquired about the beer. Our server knew absolutely nothing about beer. And when I mean nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. He couldn’t even tell the difference between a pilsner and a stout. Considering that they proudly advertise their beer menu, this was surprising. We asked about a few of their higher priced craft beers and he was incapable of telling us if they have them in the back. We shrugged. Not only that but we also noticed that their beer menu advertised Fat Tire which isn’t even available in Massachusetts. This leads me to conclude that their menus aren’t custom printed at all and that they use a one-​size-​fits-​all approach. Terrible.
All in all my visit here was more than underwhelming. The food sucked, the beers were hard to get since the staff was mostly clueless about the inventory. I’d be very hard pressed to return here.

This has worse reviews than I expected, it’s really not that bad.
It’s not stellar food, but the service is great, there’s plenty of space for large groups and the prices are good.
I had the half rack of ribs with a huge Caesar salad for all of about $ 13.
The daily specials are great and super reasonably priced.