My husband and I have been going to the Horseshoe since back in the 80's when it was known as a biker bar. Back then the food was great. Over the years we frequent the Horseshoe because we love the food. Always fresh and you get a good amount. The service on the other hand is something to be desired. I feel most of the waitstaff is cocky and they are doing you a favor. My husband and I went in on Friday night, July 19. The restaurant was not busy at all. We were sat down and it took a waitress a bit of time to greet us. I overlooked that. Then she took out drink order and at the same time we ordered the crab cigars. I asked for extra sauce on the side. We waited and I believe it was at least 8-10 minutes before she finally appeared with our drinks AND out crab cigars. So clearly she waited for the crab cigars to be ready before she could be bothered to bring us our drinks. She set down the crab cigars along with a ramekin of sauce that just skimmed the bottom of the ramekin. I asked why were we getting our appetizer with our drinks and where is the extra sauce? Never got an answer about our drinks, but her response to the sauce was that the kitchen ran out of it and they were making more. Why bring anything at all? She then asked if we were ready to order dinner. Order dinner? She just crammed our drinks and appetizer down our throats and didn't even tell us the specials. When I asked what about the specials, she got even more condescending. We ordered dinner. My husband got the meatloaf and I got the ahi tuna. We waited a long time for dinner to arrive. People had come in after us and got their dinner and had eaten. The guy across from me got a pizza that was ordered after me and was now done eating. I asked our server, where is our dinner. She responded well it's what you ordered, it takes time. Really...........because Ahi tuna is pretty much raw and I believe a pizza would take longer to make than meatloaf. We finally got our dinner. The food was good. The server never checked on us until we were done. She cleared our plates and brought the check. Then we waited a while just to pay our bill as she had disappeared. Very disappointing service. Some people were just not cut out to have a job as servers. My husband and I will go back to the Horseshoe because the food is really good, However, the management really needs to focus on their servers, because if they don't the arrogant servers will put them out of business. read more

Went there with my girlfriend a month ago. We recently moved to Wilmington and were looking for a good local restaurant. We couldn't have been happier with Horseshoe Grill. We sat at the bar and were immediately greeted by Paula the bartender. I had the steak tips and my girlfriend had the scallops. The dinner was great but the kicker for us, and the reason why we will go back, is for the conversation. Paula genuinely appreciated our business. At the end of the evening Paula gave us a "welcome to the neighborhood" package that included menus, a sample of their homemade cornbread and barbeque sauce and a 5 dollar off coupon for the next time we visited. We went back the following week. you cant go wrong with this restaurant. read more

Great food, great atmosphere. Best Nachos in the World!!! Highly recommend this restaurant

I love this place! I'm only in town about every 4-6 weeks to visit from New York, but I always make sure that we go to "The Shoe" when I'm here. We typically eat our meals at the bar. You can't beat the service and friendliness of the staff. I love a good drinks menu, and their drinks are exceptional! My favorite is the Coco Loco, but their Sangria is just as delicious. Their food menu also makes me happy :). They have standard bar and grille fare, which is always delicious, but also have some creative items that make me feel right at home. I've had their burgers, pulled pork, shoe dip, roasted beet salad, flatbread pizza, glazed salmon, fish tacos, nachos, lettuce wraps, french onion soup....etc, and I'm always extremely satisfied when I leave. I would definitely recommend The Horseshoe Grille. Enjoy!! read more

I went here on a Friday afternoon after scouring a few native american stores in the area with a friend. The hostess was friendly and seated us quickly (the restaurant was empty so this could have contributed to this). The corn bread was fantastic, a little bit on the crumbly side but great all the same. I had the pork ribs which were perfectly tender and the sauce was great. The coleslaw was spectacular. I didn't particularly care for the bbq beans however. My friend had the panko crusted chicken which we shared and it was great. Their mashed potatoes were perfect and I definitely want to order this next time. Our waitress was lackluster (and never even said hello or introduced herself) and for this alone the restaurant loses a star. The experience would have been perfect if it wasn't for this little fact. The ambience is great, the wood paneling was nice but made the restaurant look a little dark, maybe it just felt this was because there wasn't much sunlight that day. I would definitely want to go back here for dinner sometime. read more

Amazing food! Service was great and everyone was very friendly. I recommend this place anytime you're in North Reading.

Avoid this place. There is very little to redeem it, and it is way overpriced. The buffalo chicken dip was horrible, and everything else (burger, fish tacos, po boy, chicken fingers) was barely better. OK, the service was friendly enough. read more

To be fair I always try a place twice. I found this restaurant on Phantom Gourmet and they usually have great ideas for places to go out to eat. The first time that my wife and I went here was about 6 weeks ago. We started with the calamari and found it be overcooked and rubbery. She had the crusted ribeye and I had the lamb shank. Her ribeye wasn't crusted and actually lacked any amount of seasoning. My lamb was good but not enough to have it again. The service on the first visit was great. On the second visit we ordered crab cigars as an appetizer and it never came out of the kitchen. Our dinners came before anything could be said to the waitress who was never around. I ordered the portobello chicken and my wife had the pick 3 meats award winning BBQ. My chicken and side dish were not seasoned at all. My wife's BBQ was overcooked and once again bland. I have eaten Willingham BBQ before at a festival and it was wonderful. If I was John Willingham I would be angry that someone is saying they have my great BBQ and are putting out that horrible kind of quality . At $25 and a known BBQ name I would expect greatness. My wife and I will never eat at this place again. It is overpriced and lacks seasoning in all dishes we tried. It feels like they just gave up. The best part of the meal is the cornbread that they serve you when you come in. I have no problem paying a lot for a great meal but to charge a lot for a sub par meal doesn't work for me. Don't waste your time. Go anywhere else. read more

My husband and I took my Mom to the Horseshoe Grille in North Reading this afternoon for an early Mother's Day lunch. We have been here twice before, and were very satisfied with the food. That is why we were SO disappointed with our experience today. My husband got the brisket sandwich with coleslaw, and he thought it was great. My mother and I both got the grilled vegetable wrap, which came with a side of Asian salad. This is where the 1-star review comes in. It was AWFUL. First, the wrap. For $11, I could have made 10 of these at home, for all that they put into it. The vegetables were all really gross. They were oddly lacking in any identifiable flavor. All the same drab brown color. There was supposedly asiago cheese in there somewhere, but I remain unconvinced. It was watery and bland. And really small. Did I mention it was flavorless and bland? So... Asian salad. What is Asian salad, exactly? If you go by what accompanied our "grilled vegetable" wraps, then Asian salad is some kind of brownish-yellowish-slightly-greenish stuff that could have been cabbage, or lettuce, or ??? Honestly, neither of us could figure out what it was. It had rancid raw red onion in it, steeped in some kind of watery, maybe vinegarish liquid. It smelled disgusting. Mom and I both ate some of the first half - it comes out cut in half. We couldn't choke down any more than that. It was stunning in it's awfulness. That Asian salad, forget about it. I made my husband smell it, even though he didn't want to, because I needed him to know how gross it was. My mother unwrapped the remaining half of her wrap, to see if we could tell what the vegetables were. Pretty sure there was Portobello mushroom. The rest, who knows. It was supposed to be roasted red pepper, zucchini, I think summer squash, all grilled with asiago cheese and wrapped in a spinach wrap. Who writes this stuff? Pure fiction. So. I give one star only because my husband said his sandwich was pretty good, and we have had good food there before. Oh, and Mom got a cup of tomato basil soup that she said was good. Otherwise, it would get zero stars, if you can do that on Yelp. Our waitress was pleasant, but we told her how terrible the wraps were, and she didn't offer to take them off the bill, either in whole or in part. Really lousy. This whole experience was not cheap either, $130 including the tip. This just happened a few hours ago... I wanted to get this review written while my stomach was still roiling in the aftermath. I am actually sick right now :-( I will call my poor Mom in a few and check on her. You all might want to give the Horseshoe a try - we've had the nachos there before and my husband said the barbecue is pretty good. It's a little expensive there, but I don't mind paying for GOOD food. What I got there today was actually horrible. This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to submit a review. It was that bad. read more

Went to Horseshoe Grille for the first time with a friend tonight. We were driving by, didn't know it even existed and decided to stop in and give it a try. Waitress (who I would name, except she didn't tell us her name) was very rushed and I'm not sure why - she only had 3 tables. Had to ask for sodas and extra dressing twice before she brought it. And when she came back she brought things one at a time. Also she seemed irritated that we asked for a second drink and brought us each two glasses of what we were drinking at once...weird. She had absolutely no personality and was short and cold. Food was just ok - we ordered the nachos which were actually really good, but food came out just as we were taking our second bite so by the time we ate the main dish was cold. I got lobster mac n cheese which was ok, not great...would have been better if it was fresh and hot when I ate it. Also we noticed that all of the other tables got bread or something and we did not, even after asking for it. Probably would be good for an OK lunch, but wouldn't go back there for dinner. Over-priced and not so great. read more

This was the most amazing dining experience I have ever had. The manager and waitress were so attentive and so genuinely kind. My boyfriend and I felt so appreciated and at home there. Also the food is phenomenal. From the corn bread to meatloaf everything was perfection. We will be going back on a regular basis. read more

Pat L, here's your answer. Again was intending to go to Bancroft and favorite haunt Grille 19. Was drawn back to the Horseshoe from my prior great experience. The difference: bartender Kelly who did everything right. Knew the menu and steered me in all the right directions. The sweet potato chorizo soup? Incredible. The south fork steak with sweet potato and asparagus sides? Perfectly cooked (I ordered medium rare, and that's what I got). Bombay sapphire martinis again perfectly crafted. Creme brûlée dessert? Perfect. Bathroom was spotless. Now with a rewards program!! Big mistake Horseshoe!! You'll lose money on me, as you are now my#1 on my day off. Flawless on all counts! read more

My husband and went here for the first time for lunch yesterday. We just finished a long drive home from a weekend away. We were both pretty kranky due to poor service that we had received at a hotel we had stayed at. This place really turned our mood around. The food was EXCELLENT. There service was great and we can't wait to go back again! read more

very busy night, sat in bar. waitress was wonderful and pleasant despite the crowd. very relaxing experience. cornbread is warm, moist and flavorful. ordered chicken tender appetizer. came with three dipping sauces, all of which were delicious. ordered pulled pork sandwich which also came with choice of two sauces, mild and tangy. definitely would go back. read more

So disappointed with this place..have been here many times and liked the casual atmosphere and comfort food. Prices are now too high for what it is.met a friend who was telling me about last time she was there how the server added $5 tequila upcharge to her margarita when she didn't ask for it..bill was adjusted. When our check arrived, there was $2 upcharge for each of our $10 drinks, which we had not asked for..talked to manager (because couldn't find waitress) who adjusted bill and snapped at us when I said it had happened before and that it appeared that they were doing this to make the check higher hoping people didn't notice or were too shy to comment... absolutely disgusting in this economy! Will not return! read more

Our go-to neighborhood restaurant for friendly service, high-quality tasty food, delicious martinis, and reasonable prices. Panko crusted chicken entree, pulled pork sandwich and sirloin salad are favorites. Last Friday night was disappointed in skimpy sirloin salad and green bean substitution for standard asparagus vege. Lettuce was primarily iceberg, 3 cherry tomatoes, 3 cucumber chunks, very little blue cheese, and sirloin was sliver thin (5 slices) and topped with barbecue sauce (?). Nowhere near worth the $16 price. Healthy-tini and salad dressing didn't disappoint. Hope this was only a one-time miss as we've enjoyed coming here for years. read more

Not really a fan. The burgers are pretty basic and a little pricey. The fries are plain and don't have any taste. Ordered other sandwich meals and they were OK. Really an overpriced 99. The cornbread is good. Some of the wait staff is good some are cocky. The guy that runs trivia night it good. It's fun. Almost gave 3 stars, but the food quality verses the prices don't measure up. read more

Used a Phantom gourmet gift card we got for a Christmas. We sat at the bar which is pretty small but comfortable. The bartender Penny was excellent. Very efficient and friendly. The food was good. My husband had the grilled salmon and I had the prime burger. The only negative was when we asked the person who brought our food if she could bring salt and pepper. she said she would and then she disappeared. The bartender was off getting ice. No problem. We just took it from one of the tables. Nice touch that the manager brought over some corn bread to go and a $5 coupon to use for next time. We may not go back because it was a little ride for us but do recommend it if you're in the area. read more

Went in tonight for the steak tip salad. Unbeknownst to me that dish has changed. The tips are bland and quite frankly gross. There is no taste to the salad. Spoke to the manager said they changed it a few months ago. I can make that salad at home for a lot less than $18. When they put the old steak tip salad with the thin tips and tasty salad (not to mention you only get one garlic stick now) then I'll come back. What a shame read more

Great food, great service, and great atmosphere. The only negative is the size of the parking lot. On a busy night, it can be hard to find a parking spot. The staff always seems very happy, chatty (in a good way), and knowledgeable. The menu is a good variety of foods. read more

Went there last night for the first time, when the manager Jason found out he gave us some cornbread, butter and barbecue sauce to bring home and a coupon for our next visit. When they found out it was my bday they brought over a huge slice of cake free of charge. Got 2 of the specials sharing with my daughter and they were delicious. I'll be going back. read more

This has to be our favorite place in the area so far. We went here on a Sat night at about 9 and were seated right away. Dining room was pretty empty, but the bar was getting full. We really liked the atmosphere of both the bar and dining room. I ordered a pineapple bomb martini and loved it (5 stars)! It's probably the best martini I've had around here, not too strong, not too weak. For dinner, I ordered the seafood casserole with haddock, scallops, shrimip, and lobster. I thought it was a little bland (3 stars), but the scallops were really good. On the side I had the asian salad which was just ok and the mashed potatoes which I loved and brought the whole rating of my meal up. I also loved the cornbread! The bf got the BBQ choose three combo with brisket, chicken, and ribs and sides of baked beans and fries. He absolutely loved it and was raving 5 stars immediately. I tried all three and all three were very good and I loved the BBQ sauce. He even liked the baked beans which he never likes. The service wasn't the best, our server didn't seem to be around much and when she served us, she pretty much slammed down the plates, said 'here,' and left...no question of if we needed anything else (like ketchup for fries) and she didn't come back for awhile. We both agreed we'd definitely go back and try more on the menu. Good food and good portion sizes for the price. read more

One of the owners was so gracious as to contact me through Yelp to offer a gift card so I could come back and try the food again. It is much appreciated and it looks like they are making a sincere effort to improve and get it right. I won't take him up on the offer of the free gift card, but I will visit soon to prove I caught them on a bad night and had an atypical experience. I hope to become a regular customer again. P.S. Pat - as far as I can remember, I was there later in the evening - probably 7:30 or 8:00. read more

Ordered the combo plate with ribs and pulled pork. The meat does NOT fall off the bone here! Ribs and pork both over cooked and very dry. We had a calamari app that was good. We sat in the outdoor area which is nice, but we were bothered by bees much of the meal. Others have rated the BBQ platter as excellent, so maybe we caught an off night. read more

Great place. Went to dinner Saturday night around 7 with my girlfriend, they were pretty busy but we got a table in the bar area quick, Panko chicken was really good as was the steak tips. Cannot remember our servers name but she was an older lady, very nice and prompt, recommended the HealthTini (not positive in the spelling) which I will now pass on that recommendation to you... it's worth it. read more

Good overall experience. Went with 11 coworkers for lunch and the service was good. Chicken and pulled pork nachos were PHENOMENAL. Everything else was just okay except the GF tenderloin appetizer was OUT OF THIS WORLD. (it's only on the GF menu). I was definitely wowed. I'm going back only for the nachos and tenderloin. Amazing. read more

Great food, love the chicken basil panini sandwich! The atmosphere and drinks are great! Love the corn bread too

Very nice inside. Pleasant waitstaff. Started off with lobster rangoon. Pretty good, wish there were more than four on the plate. Little hard to share if multiple people. I got the Reuben sandwich. Delicious. My husband got the ribs. I got to sample ;) Came with two choices of BBQ sauce. Both were very flavorful. The ribs were definitely finger-licking good. Prices were fair. Would certainly go back. read more

Horseshoe Grille is a decent choice if you need to stay local. The food is decent and the drinks are pretty good. The prices are high for the quality and location. No real problems, but nothing extraordinary either. All else equal I would probably hit up British Beer Company or Joe's in Woburn. read more

I went to horseshoe grill today for lunch. The hostess and wait staff was great. The food not so much. Steak tips overlooked ribs over cooked as well. For the price it was very sad would not recommend or return! read more

Great food, great atmosphere, most of all great service. The people that work at this place are some great people, they are nice, courteous, and overall very friendly. I will be a return customer for sure. I would say the presentation of the food is Immaculate and the food is delicious. This place is a must dine! read more

Have been to this restaurant many times and have recommended it to friends, family, coworkers, etc. Went for dinner tonight. I wanted to sit on the patio but it was full so we opted for the bar which was pretty empty. Big mistake. Our "server" was awful, she didn't tell us her name, didn't tell us there were specials, didn't give us silverware and napkins (I took them from another table). She took our drink order and didn't return for10 minutes, and we could see the drinks sitting on the bar. She finally brought us our drinks and took our order. Our food was delivered by someone else, and we didn't see what's her name until we flagged her down to bring the check. I know she had tables outside, and she was very attentive to those customers as I could see through the window. Our food was really good, but the service was so subpar, I don't need to go back for a while. I know everyone has bad days, but I saw her interact with other customers just fine. read more

Large place but cozy feel due to the two fireplaces in the main room (we were in a side room tho). Waitress seemed very nice. Very good pulled pork appetizer. My friend really liked her burger. I got the ribs and they seemed a bit boring and dry. Side of coleslaw and beans were fine but nothing special. Good dessert tho. I would definitely go back but would get a different entree. read more

Today was my first visit to Horseshoe Grille but I am now a big fan! I got the Brisket sandwich and my Mom got a burger. Both of our meals were excellent and the service was great (Jackie was her name, I think). After our late lunch the manager, Mike, came over to ask us about our lunch and gave us some cornbread (to go) and a $5 gift certificate for a return visit! The entire experience was excellent and I am looking forward to my next visit! read more

The Horseshoe is always a great gathering place for after work connecting. The food is great. Service is too. Eli is entertaining and made our gathering more fun! read more

First time here. Ordered the bbq meatloaf it was so good! Service was fantastic. Would definitely return.

As a North Reading native, I was hesitant to try it out after it had been remodeled, but my family insisted that it was a completely different place. They were right, every time I visit home I always end up there for lunch at some point during my trip. Good quality food, generous portions and friendly service. My personal favs on the menu are: chopped salad (one of the best salads I have ever had), grilled chicken sandwich (great flavor with the pesto and mozzarella) and panko crusted chicken (enough for dinner and take home lunch for the next day). Finally, North Reading has a good, quality lunch and dinner place that is warm and cozy. read more

used to be a sumwat seedy bar, now a fancy delicious restuarant with great food. best restuarant in north reading. amazing everything!!! especially tuna appetizer, to die for! read more

I live in North Reading and eat at the "Shoe" at least twice a month. They have excellent food and their barbeque offerings (ribs and pulled pork) have been the staple here for many years. I have had many people come up from Texas and other areas and have agreed the barbeque is worth the price. I also like to eat seafood and the Salmon, Tuna and Swordfish are fresh and delicious. You also get free cornbread at dinner which I save for dessert its that good! Call ahead seating is accepted. The bar section has plenty of TV's if your game is on.. read more

Just returned from the "Shoe" and that was exactly what my brisket was like! Tough and overlooked. Pulled pork was ok a little dry, and the mashed potatoes were returned for the fries.. Disapointing for the price.. read more