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Grinning Mule Saloon and Kitchen

4.3 (100 reviews)

Grinning Mule Saloon and Kitchen Photos

GRINNING MULE SALOON AND KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

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Moderate noise
Live music
Casual
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Recommended Reviews - Grinning Mule Saloon and Kitchen

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John H.

Wow....this was a great experience! We came early on a Fri night and were fortunate to get a seat after a short wait. We could tell upon entering this was a popular place. The drink menu point towards a variety of "Mules" (go figure) and other mixed drinks. I'm more of a beer guy and they had a decent list of options. My bride ordered the Bulgogi Bowl ($15) and it was fantastic (it was spicy....so take note). I went with the Tuna Poke Tacos ($9) and Bulgogi Tacos ($9) and they were both outstanding! We loved the flavors of our selections. Service was super friendly and prompt. We can't wait to return!

Kale salad
Eric M.

Great vibe, excellent service, and food is always great. I love the rotating menu! I also enjoy the fact that the cocktail menu changes as well.

Chocolate lava cake
Zhana E.

This place is such a gem. I went on a Thursday evening, be sure to have a ressie - they got packed! I loved the hipster/artsy atmosphere, our waitress was so laidback but also knowledgable. We ordered two rounds of food and one of the best lava cakes I've ever had. My faves were the charred ceasar salad and the miso salmon (added to the menu that week!). Our cocktails were so cute. I can't wait to go back to try the rest of the menu!

S'mores lava cake
Julie S.

This spot is a hidden gem, but should not be hidden. First of all, proceeds benefit multiple nonprofits. So take all my money. Second of all, the food and drinks are delicious. Third of all, (and not the least of which) the owners are super sweet. Highly recommend the tequila mule. The Paloma is also great. For food, the potatoes are YUM! And the chicken dip screams EAT ME with the toasted bread crisps... And the s'mores lava cake. Get your own, do not share it and thank me later. For those that like vegetables, the salad and the small plate of Brussels are also good!!

Grits bowl with oxtail
Ashley F.

Not gonna lie a friend and I came here after a night of....let's call it fun, and I was pretty...."tired" LOL. But my goodness our server Matt/Matthew was so fantastic, he had enough energy for all of us and he made our brunch perfect! Grinning Mule is super cute inside and wasn't too busy so we sat indoors. I ordered the "MULE FUEL" GRITS BOWL and added oxtail. It was pretty good and flavorful. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had more energy so I absolutely have to go back and try some more items! Good times though.

Brady B.

Very cool nonprofit restaurant, with all proceeds going back to community outreach. Restaurant was small-ish and very clean, nice outdoor seating area. Menu had enough options, although not incredible variety for vegetarians. I really enjoyed the grilled Caesar salad and was surprised by its presentation (full lettuce chunk). Dish portions were a bit small, may be better to order a few for sharing. Cocktails were very average.

Ig: @yelpelitechick / Bulgogi tacos
Shionda F.

I feel this place is extremely slept on . Although they are getting more word of mouth these days . The food and drinks here are great . The location is pretty easy to find via navigation . They have a gravel parking lot and an outside back patio which is pretty cool . The women's bathroom has a sign before entering saying the powder room, you know it's the small things for me . The food here is tapas style. So I'm not going to lie every time I come I get the same freaking thing ,which are the to die for Bulgogi tacos . They are packed with extreme flavor . Can't seem to ever get passed placing multiple orders of just those . My friends always love the food they order here as well when we come. They have a fairly new drink here called The Netflix n chill if you like hot n spicy you would like this little number . This last time I tried some brownie dessert that was pretty simply amazing . Give The Grinning Mule a try if you're up to trying something new.

Rebekah W.

First thing first...horrible parking lot. Walk, drive small, or bike...or get there when the best spots at the end or on side, are open. The space is very cute, nice mix of music, nice sized outdoor area (I didn't get a pic). A mix of booths, standard tables and hi tops. The bar is part of the dining area and you can see through a window to the kitchen area. We were eating here before a show at Bojangles Coliseum, so, because of that, we didn't try a bunch of stuff. We do plan to visit again to get into all of those tapas! My guest ordered the sliders and said that they were well seasoned, perfectly cooked, and she'd definitely get them again. I ordered the house salad with the Greek goddess dressing. The steak was well cooked and seasoned well. The dressing was very good, I'm not sure if they typically serve the dressing on the salad, I ordered on the side. The vegetables in the salad were fresh-carrots, cucumbers and sweet grape tomatoes. I wanted to add red onion; however, they don't have it...next time I'll just ask for regular onion. The salad mix was a mess. In their defense, I didn't ask them to fix it for me. I did; however, ask for a plate so that I could discard the slimy pieces, which was brought to me. Not sure I'd order Salad again based on this experience, wonder if I can just get the cut up veggies and steak? Hmm We finished with the Keep Poundin Cake. Oh mah goodness, Oh mah goodness! Comes out warm with cinnamon and brown sugar butter on top, served with ice cream. Perfect crust on that pound cake IYKYK. Moist cake, not too sweet, really good pound cake. This dessert is delicious. Just get it! I'm having hot flashes at this point in my life, and I had to break out my fan a couple of times. A gentleman offered to open the window for me, which was so nice. The overall customer service was really great. It's hidden, but once you find it, EAT THE CAKE! (And the sliders, steak and cut veggies) Can't wait to try the oxtail and bulgogi fried rices.

Crab cakes
Carolyn L.

Stopped by on a Friday night around 6:30pm for a surprised birthday party.. First time here and honestly this area alone was completely new to me. They change that area. And didn't even know when this place open. But glad they did. They have 6 tables inside. Maybe? Trying to enforce social distancing. But Here we come, with our group of 10 ladies. Believe me when I say they were beyond overwhelmed with us. Months of quarantined. Finally get to see other. We were overly chatting and bouncing off the wall. Going around to say hi to one another. It was hard to contain us to our corner. They tried their best and we "try" our best to tone it down. Food: 5/5 I ordered some kind of red grapes with bbq flat bread. Which I like. Different but refreshing Mini, pop in your mouth crab cakes. Slight crunch on the outside but soft in the inside. I didn't even try the sauce. Good by itself The beef tacos were a hit for me. I couldn't bring myself to share those with others. Hey I'm greedy. Soo many others dishes that we ordered but it didn't make it to me. But I'm glad the first time hanging with the girls after months of quarantined is at Grinning Mule.. Great food. Excellent customer services and nice atmosphere. Only set back is the parking lot can be a pain.

The Hiibbidy Bibbidy.
Michelle B.

Grinning Mule opened Tuesday, 6/2/2020. I visited on their first Saturday night. Business was good with tables spaced out both indoors and outdoors. The restaurant popped up on my IG feed so we gave it a try, after confirming they were open before heading out. Everyone was friendly and greeted us at every opportunity. We sat in the beautiful yard. Each table was covered by an umbrella. There was great music coming from the speaker that set a comfortable yet festive mood. The yard/outdoor seating area was beautiful and the temperature was cooler out there. For our cocktails, I had The Grinning Mule (Titos, honey blueberry syrup, lime, ginger ale, and kombucha). It was tasty as I began to taste the syrup and kombucha but then the ice watered it down quite a bit. I suggested The Hibbidy Dibbidy (Titos, hibiscus syrup, lime, and soda) for my friend who is not much of a drinker. It's a beautiful drink and she enjoyed it. Our food: - Chicken Won Ton Tacos - 5/5 - Crab Cakes - 4/5 (more like crab balls) - Lettuce Wraps - 5/5 - Sausage and cheese small plate - 5/5 My favorite was definitely the Chicken Won Ton Tacos! Yummy!

Mules
Lauren G.

Very cute inside with chandeliers and red booths as well as tables and have an outdoor seating area. They have quite a few tapas options which is how we chose to order however they do have entrees if you don't want to share. We tried the Nashville hot chicken dip which was my favorite of the night- seemed like pimento and cream cheese warm dip with spicy chicken on top. The black truffle burrata was delicious and a unique twist with roasted garlic and tomatoes on the side to build your bite. Very tasty! We also had the Brussels sprouts that had a sweet balsamic sauce we all enjoyed and the ahi tuna tacos were fresh and served in a wonton shell. Drink wise they have multiple mule options to choose from and they use a ginger kombucha as the base which made for an absolutely delicious mule! We tried the spicy Paloma and the berry one and both were great. To top it all off friendly service. We will be back

Papas bravas.
Theresa J.

An overall really cool spot that I would definitely return to for drinks and light snacks! I came here with my husband on a Wednesday night and we were seated right away. While my visit wasn't a home run, I still had a great time and liked the vibe. My first drink, the Grinning Mule, was insanely delicious and it will be the first thing I order when I go back. I loved the spring salad and the garlic bread. Service was a little spotty, but I understand restaurants are short-staffed these days. Still, it felt like a lot of employees stopped by our table to check in on us all at once - and the it was a bit more challenging to flag someone down when we did need them. Food-wise I thought it was a fun mix! My husband and I did a variety of tapas in lieu of a main, and they were pretty good - it was just a pretty wild mix of flavors that next time I'll be more careful to curate my choices. All this to say I think this is an amazing spot for evening drinks and a shared snack or two. I love that it's tucked away and look forward to returning!

Tuna Poke
Katie O.

Came here without expecting much and I already can't wait to go back! Food was amazing and service was great even with being slammed! Highly recommend!

New Outside Patio with games

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Went here with a couple of girlfriends and it did not disappoint! We ordered about 5 plates to share and each one was delicious.

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Ask the Community - Grinning Mule Saloon and Kitchen

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