Dropped by here for the Free UFC fight. The Atmosphere was as expected with the clientele to match a UFC fight. There's always a view thanks to all the screens and one large one ~80" smack in the middle. Food was really good for a sports bar. Most sports bars don't have savory tasting food. Try the Appetizer Sampler & Fish/Shrimp Tacos. The waitresses ratio was better than most sports bars. She even checked on us several times. Definitely will come back especially for watching Sports. All around experience was surprisingly better than expected. read more

Good food ! Had the big burger. Really good. My girlfriend had the tritip. It was really tender and tastey. Onion rings were good too. They have a nice blend of vegetables for a veggie side. Good iced tea, and the beer was definitely cold! Two dollar coors night and watching football on nice comfortable couches ! Can't beat that! read more

Bookies - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

My first visit. Found another great stop to hangout with the family. Something going on every day of the week. From beer pong to bingo to karaoke Friday. Bottomless mimosas and wonderful Bloody Marys. Appetizers are yummy and prices are reasonable. Atmosphere and service was comfortable and inviting. read more

Bookies - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

My husband, and I visited here for the first time last night. We had an outstanding time!! The security at the door was so friendly, and helpful. Also patient lol (he was talking to people when we walked up, I thought it was just a small group of people chatting at the door, didn't realize we had to see him before entering, didn't even realize it was security, and I went to open the other door to enter, just thought you walk in like most places lol. He was very patient, and nice when he told me I had to see him first) I felt so foolish because I didn't even realize haha. He was really nice, and made us feel welcomed. The drinks, and shots were amazing, and all at a fair price! The bartenders were all so friendly, and attentive too. Even with it being so busy, we never had an empty glass! It was crowded, and everyone we came in contact with inside, was really nice, and fun. Loved the jukebox too, good music! We sat up at the bar, and really enjoyed ourselves. This is our new spot, and we will definitely be back! All the employees, servers, bartenders, security are so amazing, and friendly! The restaurant was clean, and neat, as were the restrooms. So happy we decided to stop in last night. See you again very soon! Thank you, for your hospitality! I'll also be reviewing on Google read more

Bookies - Patron shots, a few of many lol - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

Cool little sports bar spot. Taco Tuesday special was pretty fire! Service was ok... took a while between drinks but we were there right during a shift change. Will be back. read more

Great food ..great atmosphere..great music at night ...best patty melts ..especially enjoyed music one friday night that a man named rockin ronnie jones played.. read more

Great beer and great atmosphere! Came for karaoke night and had a blast with my friends!

So Bookies what happened? I used to be a regular when this place first opened. i was also young and naive to the bar scene. but specifically on karaoke nights. It was popping, it was chill and i love the karaoke DJ she's so cool. Fast forward 3-4 years and this place has been RAN DOWN-TO-THE-GROUND IN MO TOWN. lol not trying to throw shade i will say their daily specials are probably the best thing they got going, but as far as the service... if it isn't toni then goodluck. but i don't know how many times i have been here and i've seen a new bartender who wasn't only obnoxious, but extremely inexperienced or rude or just didn't care about female patrons. most of the women that work here are only there to help their tips or maybe they really don't know what they're doing. me and my brother came a few times for bingo and it was so so. me and some friends came and it was so so. i guess you get what you pay for when you go to a bar next to a laundry mat and a liquor store. the drink the gal offered us today was disgusting. tasted like old dishwasher with a splash of vodka. and she said they serve them all the time. yet we were there today for at least an hour or two and nobody had them. everyone was drinking beer or white claws lol. so we ordered mimosas and they were spot on. but i did notice damn near done with my drink, almost ready for round 2 that there was leftover lipstick residue on my glass!!! and i don't wear lipstick but rarely and i didn't wear any this day. so that was awkward. also we ordered some food. it's typical bar food. fried food that's over saturated in grease but what do you expect? beer battered fries were bomb LASTLY: i do wanna say that i've always been a fan of bookies. but my last few visits have left me completely unsatisfied. and that's unfortunate. they have their business demographics and that's great for them & i guess it's just not for me anymore. forever will love karaoke wednesday's though! one star for toni and one star for karaoke read more

Wanted to like it until I sat and watched my friend eat his food for so long I had to ask the waitress (melody )about my order to which she replied that she didn't know I had ordered anything (even though when she took our appetizer plate I asked her to leave the ranch for my food I ordered ) Good price on Stella 3$ and jalapeño poppers where decent read more

A-OK is a perfect description for banal Bookies. Maybe it's just not my scene, but IMO Camp 4 Wine, Ten East, Diamond Billiards, or Rivets offer a more varied bar food and craft beer & drink selection. Came here with friends during bingo night, we were sometimes forgotten about in our little corner table; wings were ok but hated the bleu cheese. I did like that you get a Bingo card every time you buy a beer; our table was covered but I wished they went faster and played longer! Bingo announcer was kind of loopy and an oversharer. read more

I have been going here for awhile, lately on Fridays to eat and drink on the patio and smoke a cigar to relax and watch the SF Giants play. Many people go out to smoke and go back in. Tonight I was told we can't smoke out on the patio till after 10pm I was like WHAT!!! I was told they had a meeting two days ago and now you can't smoke out there anymore till after 10pm.Well I guess I will have to fine some where else to go. Thanks Bookies for ruining a good thing. Thx X Customer read more

I'm sorry but the bartender was so shitty and slow! It took her TEN minutes to even acknowledge us sitting at the bar. She walked past us so many times and was just conversating and laughing with these guys that were also sitting at the bar. I asked her for 2 different drinks and she had no clue how to make them. The third one I just gave her the recipe, didn't even bother asking. It took her forever to make it and then hella long to get to us each time we wanted another. Mind you, it was not busy. This was on a Sunday. I can't, one of my biggest pet peeves is inattentive service. read more

What a great experience! I've been coming to town for years since my family lives here yet never really ventured out.... what a great surprise this place was! The bartender was amazing... so friendly, food recommendations... told us all about the activities here, specials of the week... The regulars are very comfortable here (you can tell) & also friendly. This will be a go-to spot when in town! read more

This is definitely the go to spot! No drama bull shit like white elephant, white hawk, or O'Brians. Place gets packed during weekends and big sports events (UFC, playoffs, etc). Always a good time! Toni is by far the best bartender ever! Daily specials and pretty good food. Outside patio for drinking and smoking. read more

Bookies - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

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I always enjoy coming here. One of my favorite bars in Modesto. Everyday they have a special on beer. It's either $2 or $3 depends on what day it is. I haven't tried anything that I haven't enjoyed on the food menu. One of my favorites is the Tri-Tip salad. Deffiently recommended coming here to eat, drink and watch a game. You won't be disappointed. read more

Bookies - Tri-Tip salad. Deffiently recommended! Tri-Tip is awesome and served with fresh blue cheese. Awesome! - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

I will never return to this place! I was regular until I was playing the juke box and noticed the Spanish songs were being skipped. I asked the owner Toni what's up with the juke box and why my music I paid for was not playing . I was told with that shitty ass grin she has oh we don't play Mexican music here and laughed. I asked for a refund and she refused. I understand that's their establishment, they can choose the music, but don't make a customer pay for it knowing you don't allow that music! read more

Great food, and Chelsea is an excellent server. She was busy for lunch today, but I still felt like I got attention and everything I needed. I had the knockout burger, no bun with Garlic Fries. I have had garlic fries at several restaurants. These were the best by far. The reason ? Well they use actual fresh cut garlic!! Not from the jar like most places. I appreciate that a lot. My burger was fresh and fries were hot. This was my second visit this week, I have been equally happy both times! Great TVs for watching sports and a large variety of drinks will have me back for sure !! Thank you !! read more

Bookies - Knockout burger! No Bun with Garlic Fries :) - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

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I wouldn't even give this place 1 star, but unfortunately I have to in order to write my review. First things first, very RUDE Bartender! Toni is the name of the bartender. We don like racist, and if you didn't want customers playing Mexican music through your establishments jukebox, then maybe you guys shouldn't have it programmed in it. You should be ashamed of yourself for telling a customer that you would never play Mexican music there and then refuse to pay them back for the selections they paid for on the jukebox. Real POS read more

I hate this place with the passion, me and a friend of mine went here, we noticed nobody was wearing a mask, that's not cool. Me and my friend got kicked out the bar for no reason. Some small dwarf Mexican dude who's clearly an x con came up to us and told us we had to leave. Me and my friend were shocked, we looked at eachother like wth. When we asked what we did wrong he said I don't know, but you have to get the hell out of here. So we got our stuff and left. Til this day not sure what we did or said. We never used inappropriate language, we weren't giving anybody problems, we were just enjoying ourselves. We weren't being loud or causing a scene. We were polite with bar tender. So we just don't know. This place isn't what it use to be. I will never go here again, and I'll make sure all my friends and family don't as well. Let's go anywhere else but here. Also the food just isn't that good. read more

Food was ok, a little over priced. They allowed this guy to be super loud, rude, sexist and belligerent though and that ruined my experience. I get that this is a bar, but it was 6:00 on a Tuesday and we stopped in for a quick dinner. Somebody should have spoken up for the waitresses he was leering at and the rest of the customers who were trying to watch the Giants and enjoy their meal. They didn't. We won't be back. read more

First of all, the place was cold as a freezer. I couldn't watch the game and enjoy it, because I was too focus to stay warm. I even had a sweater on. 2. The food was ok. For $13, the burger was ok. Had the bookie big burger. For $13, i wanted something delicious. however, i could have easily gone to habit burger or in & out for half the price. The French fries were hot and were pretty good. However, it was just as much as a hand full. That was it! If I am going to pay $13 for a burger and fries, it should at least come with a good amount of fries. 3. All the guys wanted the waitresses' attention. I just wanted to watch the game. was very hard to just enjoy the game. Rating Food: 3 Service: 3 Price: 1 Overall: 2 Not going back to this place. People probably rate it high because of the waitresses. me, i rate it based on those rating topics on top. not bais. this place was not worth it. read more

Best Bar in Modesto in my opinion. Owners are the best. Servers and bartenders are very nice and organized. The food here is fresh. And very friendly customers. read more

First time coming here waitress is please take and food is good ( Fish in chips with garlic fries) read more

Bookies - Sports Bars Near Me - Modesto, California

*Read the flitered reviews to get a better idea of this place. Why all the negative reviews are filtered is beyond me* Pros: Great food, good customer service, great happy hour specials Cons: This place has a major identity crisis and has no idea what it wants to be. I want a good Sports Bar in Modesto to succeed but this isnt the place. I have talked a few friends into coming here, and the response has always been the same, and the word everyone describes it as is "weird". First location is a major issue and you dont have Modesto's Finest walking into this place. The layout of this place makes Zero sense. The big 80 inch in middle of bar is great, but how about having larger tv's throughout the place? One big tv is tucked away in "VIP" corner, and the other large tv is in a small narrow hallway that leads to the kitchen. So half the people here can see it on a large tv, while the other half are watching it on the computer monitors throughout the bar. The windows to this place are all sealed up, and they like to dim the lights, so it is very dark in here. Sports Bar should be well lit and have a energetic vibe. Yet this place is cold and dark and you feel like you are walking into the White E. Again, just a major identity crisis. read more

Was there last night for a quick bite and ordered the wings and tacos. The food was great and the service was even better.

Great food, great drinks, its all ages. Entertainment kinda dies out but it's a pretty cool place

Pros: The food is pretty good. I tried the wings, the burger and the fish and chips, all were pretty tasty and seemed fresh. CONS: The layout is weird. For a "sports bar", having three 25 inch tvs at the bar is pretty poor. The viewing angles suck and if you have the NFL Sunday ticket but are only showing 2 games, that's a problem for me. You have 2 large over 60 inch tvs but in awkward areas. The left side if the bar is pretty much useless, as it has one tv at the end but no others. We were here for over 3 hours and no one ever sat there. They crammed in anywhere else that had somewhere they could watch the game. The service sucked. We literally waited an hour in between beers, even though the waitress served a group of "regulars" next to us. Having 1 bartender and only 1 server on a Sunday might be the issue. Up your staff and make sure they are taking care of everyone not just "regulars". Having the audio from the games on in the bathrooms was cool, until I almost went deaf because it was so loud. Overall if it's lunch time with nothing to watch, I'd go here for food, otherwise as for watching a game I'd rather stay home. read more

The service was horrible. I got charge for items I never got very disappointed with with bar It should be a negative star

I wanted to like this place, because I like the ambiance and the good reviews. How me and some friends ended up here on a Tuesday night. Inside scoop, we were all beast-moding it at the gym. One of the guys suggested we grab some tacos and Pacificos at Bookies. So we did! Hungry as bears we met up at Bookies. The ambiance was different, dark, cold, man cave kinda feel, which I liked. Our waitress was cool, but slightly attentive, as to we ordered a round of beers and that took about 10 minutes to come out, as she passed our table twice attended a group of regulars. It was my first time there, and cant go wrong with fresh tacos after the gym right?! WRONG. In the picture on instagram, the pictures shows there mouth watering steak, chicken, and shrimp tacos topped with guacamole. It was .50 of guac more per taco. Steak, Chicken and Bean tacos are 2.00 and Shrimp and Fish are 2.50. Reasonable for what the picture advertised on Bookies's Instagram official page. The wait was ridiculous! 30 minutes our waitress comes back telling us they are out of FISH. and Asked if we wanted another round of beers. I had water, and my 3 friends had a 2nd round of beers. In mind, we sat right near the bar, it took another 15 minutes for the beers to be dropped off at our table and still no tacos. So within the 1 and a half hour wait our tacos came out. 4 tacos per person, that's 16 tacos total. Let me tell you: CONS: 1. The steak were basically crumbs from some other order, I bet. They were tiny like hamster pellets. The shrimp was little to non-existent. Literally 1 and a half shrimps cut into 3. You can't fool a hungry man. The chicken was the only taco I can't complain about. 2. She forgot my guacamole and bought me about 3 slices. Basically paid 1.5 for three tiny slices of guac. PROS: 1. The tacos were tasty hands down. THE MISSION: The mission was to get in. Eat tacos. Drink Beer. Good times. The AFTERMATH: Maybe if we were regulars we'd get good service. I mean the food taste is pretty damn good, maybe we were all starving and everything tasted like heaven, but the wait killed it for us. If you're wondering what I paid for 4 little tacos and with their finest steak crumbs, I paid $16 including tip. read more

Place was clean. Chicken wings were more like chick wings (tiny). Server was super nice but maybe not the best server. Had a pre dinner beer ordered one to enjoy with wings. All the wings were gone so i canceled the beer. Wife had a bug in her food, kind of ruined it for us, obviously no charge for the bug, lol. read more

Love their wings! You can tell the staff really has a lot of fun which is nice to see. Waitress' are very attentive-refilled my water before I even realized that it was low. The atmosphere at night is great for adults, but you can tell that its a good place for families earlier in the day. We came in around 7 when the crowd seemed to be switching over and there were a couple families eating dinner with their children and they seemed right at home. Will definitely be going again and have already recommended this place to my friends. read more

I drive by this place all the time but never stopped. Well, today was the day and boy am I glad I did. I was encouraged by a local sitting at the bar that told me that he has not eaten anything other than their fish and chips. Well, he ordered fish and chips and told the gal, I'm in too, dang it! I was concerned that they might be greasy or soggy (past experiences in pubs). Not to be! The fish was crisp and battered just right. I wish I had snapped a picture but you can we you go there. read more

I was looking for a cool Sports Bar and I was lucky enough to come across this place. Their food is delicious and they have really good daily specials and events (karaoke, beer pong, bands, etc) HELLA TVs for football and $3 beer specials. I found my new spot when I'm in the area read more

Pros: Great food, the owner Phil is always there, and the service is perfect. Cons: It is in a strip mall. Get over it, you're in Modesto and strip malls are as good as it gets. Phil grew up with an Italian mom cooking everything from scratch, and his food shows his commitment to following in her footsteps. The bar is pretty cool, with lots of TV's, a great beer selection on tap, and a good selection of quality bourbon. But the food is the star of this show, Phil won't allow anything to be served unless he (and his Mom) would approve. I can't wait to go back! read more

Atmosphere was great. The beer on tap was great tasting! The food was nothing like I expected from a bar. No crappy frozen appetizers, but free-range chicken salads, AMAZING burgers, great fresh appetizers, vegetarian choices, and so much more. I am really excited to have found this place. It's definitely a must try, you won't regret it. Prices are reasonable. Am so excited to go back on a Tuesday! read more

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Fun night. Drinks were good. Service may have been faster if there were more than 1 bartender

Went there for dinner and food was very good. Tried a number of different dishes (bites from friends) and no complaints. I read other reviews and can agree with the identity issue. Food is good but layout is difficult for a sports bar. It appears that maybe adjusting seating or adding TV's on swivel brackets might push this more into the sports bar category. That being said, I recommend the place (I am a foodie) because I can get a beer anywhere! lol read more

I saw a great band playing there Friday night about 3 weeks ago...The Shakers Band from Modesto I see they are playing there again this Friday April 21 I can't wait to see them again... Love to sit and eat wings and hear the band read more

Good drinks & a fun vibe! The appetizer sampler was delicious and the hot dogs are good in portion. read more

Last night, 2nd visit to Bookies. Ambiance, people, live music pleasantly consistent. Wish I could say that for the food & service. Going to let it go to an off night, short staffed due to illness....but, standards please. If a business is going to have customers wait for drinks & food, keep the standard up. Weak drinks & under apportioned/ under cooked meals suck not to mention negatively memorable. read more