Halfway Cafe is spotlighted quite a bit by the Phantom Gourmet tv show and the reason is simple: it's simple & it's good while remaining affordable. Although I would never dare attempt another one of their 1 pound "safari hot dogs", there food overall there is simple and good. The only flaw I could spot is that they don't offer any deserts which is a shame. Other than that they do provide free popcorn and do have a nice beer selection. You can also watch sports games on their televisions and the waitresses are good and quick. read more

A for service. A for Thursday night trivia where all are welcome to play even just for a laugh. The food not so much. Yes their bone in and boneless wings are yummy. But the chili I ordered neglected to mention in the description that it's made with pork and topped w bacon! For someone avoiding these foods I was kind of annoyed. Instead I ordered the turkey burger which I'm pretty sure was frozen. Super nice bartender but wouldn't go back for food. read more

The food here is good. The atmosphere is nice. The service, especially from Jen & Kristin, is what keeps me coming back! They're fabulous! read more

If you're expecting to go to a bar that serves decent food in a bar-like atmosphere, then you are going to get exactly what you expect here. We love this place. The food is always consistent. The staff is always friendly and well-trained. We haven't been in a few months, and there are some new staff members, and they are fantastic. We just met the new manager, and he was really friendly and very accommodating. They are always consistent, which is a repeat, but it's important to me as a customer. They redid their menu, and some of their new items are delicious. Try a salad! Kale salad with chipotle ranch and turkey tips (sorry, I tasted the teriyaki dressing and was not impressed). Yum! read more

Good food and atmosphere, but a little funky for my liking. Go for a good bite and good waitstaff...could use some more cleaning here and there, maybe a few new tables. I do recommend trying some of their brews! read more

This is a really easy. Mostly we pick up food there, but the dining isn't bad either. The food there is mostly pub style food: hamburgers, wings, sandwiches. The food is also really cheap compared to other places, but if you're dining in watch out... a beer could cost about as much as your hamburger. read more

Awesome menu, burgers are huge, fries are handcut, turkey tips are legendary and the staff are attentive and friendly. Free popcorn is always nice, 7 for 7 specials and pizza that is also very good. Plenty of TV's to watch the various games college and pro. Great spot. read more

This place is a dieter's worst nightmare, but if you know what you are getting into, it could just be heaven. Great beer selection... Pumpkin Head was awesome and they have Leinenkugal! If you are looking to practice for the Coney Island hot dog eating contest, then look no further than the Safari Dog- a 1 lb. hot dog that measures at least 12 inches long and at least 2 inches in circumference. About 30,000 calories by my untrained estimate! There is a burger option too.. and everyone will gawk at you if you eat the whole thing, which I would definitely have to use both hands to eat and it would probably take me the better half of a day. I think you get a T-Shirt if you finish this one- its that big! Their garlic fries are already pretty greasy before they put a healthy dose of garlic infused oil on top of them. You might eat 3 before you have to stop. Order the steamers- they might be the healthiest thing on the menu- and they are good! read more

It's a good neighborhood bar where the atmosphere is light and fun. The food could use some help but it's one of our neighborhood favorites.

Great steak tips, great service, and a nice cozy feel. Seriously didn't expect to like this place as much as I do! Been a few times and will definitely continue to come! read more

Went here last night the waitress was very nice and the burger was very juicy and delicious

In my dining experience at the halfway cafe, everything had always been great. The wings were spicy, beer was cold, and staff was friendly. All of this changed on Sunday, August 25th. The wings were less tasty, the beer lost its flavor, and the service ceased to exist. Once the food was ordered our server didn't come back for 40 minutes...despite many attempts of signaling asking for condiments or drinks. Management was told about the issue, but instead of being helpful they were condescending and disrespectful. Expected much better from this place based on previous experiences. Needless to say will not be back. read more

We passed the Halfway Cafe several times a week going between our apartment and where my fiancée's daughter and her husband live and we kept saying we should try it sometime. We weren't expecting much from what looked like a typical neighborhood watering hole but we were pleasantly surprised. Our experienced started off good with a wonderful waitress (I'm ashamed that I forget her name) who treated us like we had known each other for years. The menu had just the right amount of items to choose from - enough to give you various tastes but not so overwhelming that you cannot make up your mind. Our waitress told us about each item we asked about like she had tasted everything on the menu. The amount of food was more than sufficient. I had the ribs and they were truly falling off the bone. I picked up the first rib and came away with only the bone. When I got the first piece of meat that not only fell off the bone but it also melted in my mouth. These were some of the best ribs I have ever had. My fiancée had a chicken breast sandwich that only a few people could fit in their mouth because it was so big. She kept saying how juicy the chicken was despite being deep fried. And when our waitress tempted me with desert I could not resist the warm brownie sundae. Like the entrees the desert was more than ample and a delight to taste. I cannot remember ever not finishing a desert but I met my match here. We put off trying Halfway Cafe but we will certainly be going back. read more

I like the Halfway for a quick, not fancy dinner or lunch. I always get a burger and I am HOPING that one day, they will actually cook it the way I order it. I think that may be my only gripe with this place, rare means rare, you know a red cool center...not a light pink almost cooked-to-death center. Otherwise, the prices are great, love they have the 7 for $7, popcorn and some good lunch deals. read more

The best boneless buffalo wings by far! Cool crowd, fun to catch games at the bar. Most of the pub food is excellent.

Let me start this out by saying I've been going here for years and the food is pretty much as good as it gets for local bar fare (pizza and wings are highlights). My issue is with the service. It used to be great but since Jose left as manager it has really gone down hill. Some servers are better than others but sometimes it's frustrating. It's not that big of a place, it shouldn't be that hard to consistently get a drink! read more

Awesome cheap eats. Full menu includes pub fare, pizza, full dinners, and awesome sandwiches. Some of the best french fries around. My favorite cheesesteak in boston. Long list of even cheaper specials. One of the few dining establishments that I have been to that I am always 100% happy with the food yet leave with a shockingly low bill, drinks included. Almost always have to wait 10-20 mins to sit, completely packed if there are any sports on. My only wish is that they had more space for more seating, and continued to add more locations! read more

Spending a day in this area meant we needed to find a good place to grab a beer and some lunch. After looking on yelp I found this place called "Fit-Z's". We walked there only to find that they were closed on Labor Day. Halfway Cafe was sort of across the street so we thought we'd give it a try. They were very nice when we came in, had a decent beer selection, and the menu was rather extensive and creative. I got the Burrito Bowl with carnitas and it was quite tasty. If we come back to the area I will come back to this restaurant/bar. read more

I was once in love with this place..What is going on?! Twice I made a wrong decision with the burger specials.. This time I went with the Fish and chips...OMG!! MORE batter than fish, simple Cole slaw..Wrong! Some new fangled thing...awful...and does one screw up tartar sauce... Yup! THEY DID.. Sorry... your time has past. read more

My first time at the Halfway - casual Friday night dinner. I had baked haddock, which was good. The broccoli side also good. The onion strings - yummy- fried food splurge. That being said, I have to complain about the drinks. I know, a Cosmo is considered a girly drink, but I want a drink that tastes like a drink. I am way past "girly". My cocktail tasted watered. Oh well, switched to wine with dinner. Also too sweet, not my style. So lesson learned-a good neighborhood bar with decent food. But next time I'll stick with something on the rocks or beer. read more

Staff is friendly and nice - reasonable prices - popcorn is great. Food is definitely meza mez - not a culinary adventure that's not what it's supposed to be. A good neighborhood bar. read more

I love Halfway! I recommend: Bud Light Drafts Boneless Cafe Wings Chilli Steak Salad Turkey Club Chicken Wrap with Honey Mustard (need to ask for the wrap) Sweet Potato Fries read more

The Halfway Cafe is awesome! Its basically a localized Ground Round except not ghetto and crappy. Food is standard American fare but done solidly. This location recently revamped the bar area and the whole place feels much larger and open now. Trivia on Tuesdays is great too! Wonderful place for a simple date night, a family of 4, or a single person eating at the bar. read more

If you're holding a Halfway Cafe gift card and planning to use it at the Watertown location, I urge to take a few minutes to read this. I've been a regular at the Halfway for the nearly 10 years I've lived in Watertown. It's been a familiar, reliable destination for myself, my wife, and my friends in good times and bad -- a refuge during snowstorms, a place to watch a game, a spot for an easy dinner or a cold beer. I've been friendly with many of the servers and bartenders over the years, and it's always been a joy to catch up with them whenever I visit. My loyalty has allowed me to overlook the restaurant's rising prices, shrinking menu, and declining standards of service. But after my experience this past Saturday, I am taking my business elsewhere. After finishing dinner at the bar on a quiet Saturday, I handed over the $25 Halfway Cafe gift card that was given to me as a Christmas gift. The bartender immediately looked confused, fumbled around for a bit, and then said I couldn't use it. The reason? "We don't have anything to scan it [the QR code] with," and "there's no manager here tonight" to figure it out. Seriously? The gift card, which was purchased online, had clear instructions explaining how the server should enter the info. I pointed this out to the bartender, who didn't seem interested. He tried to tell me it was only good at certain locations, which of course is BS. (Just to be sure, the first thing I did when I got home was go online and run through the ordering process, and at no point was I given any indication that a gift card had such limitations.) So I paid out of pocket on a night when I wasn't expecting to pay anything, which is the point of having a gift card. A big deal? No. But for me, it's the last straw. I tried to resolve this privately but have gotten nowhere. My hope is that management will respond to this post and offer to resolve the issue, but in scrolling through other reviews on Yelp, I haven't seen any engagement on the part of the Halfway. What I HAVE noticed is an uptick in negative reviews, several of which coincide with the Watertown location's apparent new management. I've read through several well-articulated complaints and found that I've had similar experiences. If this is going to be the new management's approach to customer service, then the business will continue to struggle (and if you don't think the place is already struggling, check out how frequently they reboot their menu -- and I'm not referring to seasonal updates). This is no way to reward loyalty. It's hard for me to be critical of what was one of my favorite spots, but I suspect I won't be the last customer to say goodbye. read more

THE BEST BONELESS BUFFALLO WINGS AROUND-good spirits & cheer:)

Love that they bring popcorn to the table. They always have rotating $7 specials. Sounds stupid, but they serve the "real city" cola out of the fountain, and I love it. Don't go expecting gourmet food, as it's mainly bar/comfort food, but you'll get a good meal. However, it's relatively small, so it's best to call ahead and get put on the wait list before heading down. read more

What happened, Halfway??? I'm usually intrigued by a new menu, but this one seems to have gone in the wrong direction. How many things can you put apples on/in?? The portions seem to have gotten smaller and the quality seems to be suffering. Please don't send out a salad with disgusting greens and burned chicken. Burgers dry. To quote my dinner companion, "This burger is terrible." The burgers used to be huge and juicy!! I ordered the 'chicken panini' it's not a panini. It was just weird...and really, really messy. Miss the old chicken sandwich..it was gooooooood!!! On a positive note, the staff is always very accommodating and really friendly. The Fish and chips are probably the best dish still standing and the kids love the popcorn. Hopefully, things will get better with time!! It really seems to be touch and go.... read more

I love this place, even if they do keep changing their menu and deals. This one recently renovated their bar area, and it's much nicer inside, I think. The staff is always friendly, though our favorite waitress who knew us as regulars has since left. There's a decent beer selection, and prices are good. There's a lot of comfort food on their menu, and their Cape Cod Reuben is my favorite--I'm actually getting hungry just thinking about it. read more

What can I say? Everyone knows Halfway Cafe. Everyone has been here at least once. I go to the one in Watertown and I love it. Pub food at its best. Burgers are great. They have daily specials at fair prices. The service is always good. How can you not like this place? They have pub grub down pat. read more

This place is great! The grilled chicken sandwich is fantastic and the selection of beer is never disappointing. The service is amazing as well, especially Jen the bartender =) read more

My wife and I went there tonight for dinner and we haven't been there for some time since we moved to NH. To our surprise the place look fantastic totally redone looked amazing. The service was great and they all worked as a team. The manager Jose was up and beyond. My wife ordered the Watertown burger which comes with hand cut fries and a homemade pickle. I had the clam chowder and chicken quesadillas and we could only finish half of our meals so our waitress took our meals for to go boxes. A minute later the manager and the waitress came to the table and informed us that she dropped the burger and the chef was making us anew on with fries and a pickle. If your near Watertown check it out. great place read more

Great pub food. The burgers are excellent as well as the turkey tips. Good place to grab a drink and some apps, as they have a decent beer selection. Never had a bad experience with the staff, usually very friendly. read more

There are a lot of things I enjoy about the Halfway - nice people for the most part, lots of TVs to watch sports (and the staff is generally good at finding whatever game you're looking for). But I always feel like I'm being nickel and dimed. They recently changed their menu, which seems to happen often. I feel like each menu "change" is a way of charging more money. For example. the buffalo chicken salad always has been pretty good, though a bit expensive ($14?!) But for the last year, it's seemed an okay value as they were putting about 6-8 oz. of chicken and bacon on the salad. Since the "new" menu came out, the portion of chicken is reduced to about 2-3 oz. and bacon is now $1 extra. The new menu also dropped all of the good daily specials and lunch deals. Those were around $5, I believe, making it a decent deal. Now, I don't know if there are many items on the menu for less than $10. Drinks are also very expensive. House liquor (which is always a no-name brand) is $7/drink. When I started going here a couple of years back, the same drinks were $3.50. They also have eliminated their frequent diner program which didn't get you too much but was good for $5 food every now and again. So I guess my main complaint is this restaurant continues to marginalize guests. Too bad because it really was a great bar/restaurant. read more

I love this place, and I've been coming here since I moved to Watertown two years ago so I've had awhile to form this opinion. The menu is a solid pub-food menu with tasty burgers and other sandwiches, interesting specials on their 7-for-$7 monthly special list, cheap drinks, and good service. I haven't liked everything I've tried on the menu (pub pizza), but there are some really tasty things on there too (boneless wings, burgers, steak-and-cheese, buzz chicken sandwich, to name a few). And the Chicken Fingers are the best I've had, anywhere. Their hand-cut fries are usually awesome (they have some bad nights; french fries are a cruel mistress), their drinks are cheap and generous, and their frequent-diners card gives you 5% back. The staff is friendly and recognized me after a few visits, and now, while I wouldn't consider myself a /regular/, they make me feel that way... I understand why some give it 4 stars, but I don't understand reviews much lower than that. My 5-star rating is obviously in context; It's not a "5-star restaurant", but IMO it's definitely a "5-star pub"... read more

Went tonight with my wife and a friend. We were interested in trying the new fall menu. As far as "going out for a quick bite during the week" goes, Halfway doesn't disappoint. We split the nachos for starters. Well cooked, plenty of toppings and cheese, no complaints. My wife and friend both had the cheeseburger club, they were very happy. New to the fall menu was the buffalo chicken mac and cheese. This is what I had. Very hot, very cheesy, lots of chicken. Needless to say I was satisfied. All in all you can't go wrong with Halfway. We'll return soon. read more

Great neighborhood spot! My fiancé and I go here often and always leave satisfied. The popcorn they give you when you sit down at the table is a big hit with us, but you also can't go wrong with the food. My fiancé usually rotates between the chicken kabob salad and the turkey tips...I've yet to hear a complaint. I tend to go with either a burger or one of the sandwiches. My typical go to is the double h chicken sandwich (there version of buffalo chicken). I would definitely recommend. read more

I'm not from the area but when I moved here I felt this bar/restaurant was super welcoming. Sunday's have half price wings I ALWAYS go for the buzz. Very friendly staff, always accommodating. read more

Consistently really good bar fare and very reasonable prices. A solid spot to watch a game or get caught up a friend. Burgers are real good and staff very friendly. Definitely recommend. read more

I used to be in love with this place. Unfortunately the quality and portion sizes has gone down. The Maynard location is much better.

So I call to order take-out and they've changed their menu apparently - it's not changed online and they don't have menus printed - you can order the old stuff but now all the pizza toppings are going to be charged separately etc. etc. This is BS of the highest order. The first thing that should change is the menu online and the printed menu instead of while you order your told everything has changed and then need to go item by item. And they charge you more since it's not officially on the menu but if nothing is printed or online that's not official either. Not professional, not okay. I'm in the hospitality industry and I vote no on idiocy. read more