Varsity Ice House is officially one of our new go-to spots in Grand Forks!…read more We stopped in on a whim and were seriously impressed. The Bacon Cheeseburger was solid--thick-cut bacon, juicy patty, exactly what you want when you're craving a classic. The sweet potato fries were on point, and the queso fries were dangerously good. One of our favorites of the night was the Firecracker Shrimp--mildly spicy, super flavorful, and honestly way better than we expected from bar food. The whole place has a chill, fun atmosphere, the kind of bar you settle into without even trying. The table next to us ordered wings and they looked incredible... so yes, we're already planning our return trip just for those. Shoutout to Jacob, who closed us out and made sure everything was exactly to our liking. Great service on top of great food = winning combo. Can't wait to go back!

Went to watch UFC, the bartenders always made sure a drink was there and made sure I was token care…read moreof the whole night

The new Summer menu looked amazing. I chose the avocado, turkey, bacon on ciabatta, and the side…read morewas a French onion soup. The drink was an amazing peach mango and it has those little bursting beads. Those are good.

5 stars for the service every time we've been here! However, the food…read more.... The First time I came to this restaurant after just moving here, it was amazing. Ordered walleye with potatoes au gratin and both were cooked well and tasted great! However, the problem with this place is that it hasn't been consistent. I've ordered the same thing and it was awful. Our most recent visit, we ordered shrimp scampi, potatoes au gratin, and Mac and cheese. The shrimp were sitting in a dish of butter with minced garlic on top of the shrimp.... not cooked in the butter, just laying on the shrimp. The shrimp couldn't be cut with a fork they were so tough. They tasted microwaved. The potatoes I asked to be well done, burnt even. They came out with the cheese not browned and potatoes underneath were cold... not even hot. I politely told our waitress and explained i didn't want to complain. She was amazing and really tried to make it right. She brought us cheesecake that was the best thing I've had there. I really want to give this place another shot, but it's been so inconsistent which is incredibly disappointing.

Came here on a Friday when it was packed because of the UND game. It is definitely a dive bar, so…read morekeep that in mind with your expectations. The crowd was mostly younger, but it felt like everyone was comfortable and just there to have a good time. We ordered a pizza and jalapeño poppers. The poppers were a miss, there were not many, and the flavor just was not great. The pizza though was solid, and their Friday deal for an extra large at 14 dollars was a nice surprise. They also have a good selection of beers and mixed drinks. Service was rough at first. Our server forgot our ranch and drinks a couple of times, but once another server jumped in to help, things got better. If you are looking for a laid back dive bar with decent food and cheap pizza deals, Joe Blacks is not bad especially if you are already in the area for a game.

Ordered a bacon cheese burger for pick up. Burnt black bacon, top bun placed at bottom which soaked…read moreup all the condensation and made it unpleasant, and the patty was dry. Disappointed.

I'm from out of town, but when I'm in Grand forks I'm sure to go here. Love their Brat and polish…read moresausage combo. I can't swear to anything else since that's all I ever get... but the people I go with always love what they get. Go here.

This is an all time dive bar. Rolled in here for a sandwhich and beers. Tons of regulars and a…read moregreat bar, would come back for sure

I always love coming to the Loft especially before Sioux hockey games since they offer a free bus…read moreride to the game. Plus their drinks are good prices for what you get. It's a good amount of space with games from arcade games, darts, pool, etc. plus there's lot of seating and I heard the food is decent! Overall love coming here when I visit Grand Forks!

amazing friendly service, cool atmosphere! Recommend for anyone looking for a chill night with…read morefriends

I tried their veggie burger and it was so much better than similar burgers I've had from other…read moreplaces. The staff is really friendly and are very attentive. I will definitely be going back frequently.

The food from JL Beers never disappoints. From the burgers to the fries - even when we order out…read moreand bring it home! The service is always amazing and the inside of the restaurant is welcoming! No kiddos allowed so if you're looking for a kid free night - JL Beers is your spot! But if you do have kids - just place a pick up order and grab it!

Good food! Love the jambalaya! Totally a dive bar in a good way. Get the wings too!read more

Parrots cay is always a great spot to hangout! Best wings in town! Can't go wrong with shark 7sread more

Always busy. I like this place. They have some cool menu items. There is a wait for a table but you…read morecan self seat in the bar area. Really good servers. Nice polite and hard working. Cool bar type atmosphere with tons of beers on tap. I got the Walley deep fried which was outstanding. We also had the speedway chips were good and the steak and shrimp which did not disappoint. Steak was good and sidewinders. Shrimp were big also. They had a ton of menu options and variety.

I really enjoyed the fish and chips. The service was really good. We never felt like we had to…read morestruggle to get anything we needed. The only problem we ran into was unknowingly showing up on the first day of basketball season which made the restaurant extremely loud and difficult to talk to each other.

Absolutely do not go here if you like good service. Both "waitresses" are incredibly rude,…read moredisrespectful and will ignore the entire table for most of the visit. I had a coffee that was empty and at edge of table since before the meal arrived and was never offered a refill and when I asked, it never came. We had sat on the bar side as someone in the group had wanted a Ceaser but we couldn't order this from the other side and I sure wish we could have been maybe the servers are better on the restaurant side. After having the drink made horribly twice, I'm not someone that drinks them but it smelled like a marinating steak it had some much Worcestershire sauce and can't imagine that's what it's supposed to be smell like, I really wished we had sat on other side as she then just had water but yet we were still expected to pay for these drinks. When asked if they could be taken off, we were told that since they remade it and made 2 drinks, they would need to charge us for it. So because they messed up twice, we had to pay for it. The worst part of the experience was then the other waitress decided it was appropriate to chime in from across the bar in front of everyone asking why we ordered so many not expecting to pay for them, while there was only 15-20 people in the restaurant, this is wildly unprofessional and made for a very terrible end to already unpleasant experience. I would have been happy to pay for the drink had it not taste like pure steak marinate. You would think as an obvious career waitress who will never be qualified to do much more would have some customer service skill but apparently she's not really qualified for this either

I simply wanted a drink, a hot meal and to relax. I got a drink…read more... My meal was delivered with no silverware or condiments. I went to fetch my own. I found the condiments and a knife but could not find a fork. By the time I got silverware my meal was cold. Mind you I was sitting right at the bar, not off in a corner. I asked if I could receive a hot meal. Jen was not happy and on her way to the kitchen kicked the aluminum swinging doors. As I was talking to the customer next to me and telling them of the situation, she yells across the bar,"you have silverware NOW!" Not a relaxing atmosphere. The steak was way overcooked. I ordered it medium and it was delivered with zero pink in the middle. Very disappointing visit.

I was in town visiting family and we scheduled 2 hours to pay indoor golf. It was pretty fun…read moreplaying even as a non-golfer. There are a few adult beverage options while you play. It also looks like you can order delivery as well. I would def go again next time I'm in town. If you bring kids there are a few arcade games to play while you wait your turn if you show up early. Suggestions- Call ahead for a reservation. Also, not sure if they rent clubs but that would a good idea for people like me that don't own any. Since I was with family we shared the ones they had. I also think a nice addition would either be on the floor against the walls is a calibrated feet converted so you knew how hard to putt the ball. Especially for newbies. Moose Out

This is a great place to practice your golf swing when the weather outside doesn't permit. The…read moreowner is a really friendly guy and an amazing golfer who offered me some helpful tips. It's no longer a restaurant so the other reviews don't apply. Just a great place to hang with friends and have a beer of which they have a huge selection.