First: Janelle was extraordinary as a server. Second, you won't find better steak, turkey, and chicken tips on north shore. And for under $2 a side salad that is almost a meal in itself. Hidden gem in NR. read more

No glitz and glam, simple place, good food. Plenty of parking, inside and outside is a little outdated. But the food did not disappoint, the steak was cooked to my liking and flavorful. Also got a burger (not pictured) but it was HUGE and nice and juicy. Plenty of TVs, pool table, keno and scratch ticket machines! It was my first time there and everyone seemed like regulars, so customers and servers were super friendly. Very chill vibe and great place to grab a drink after work. read more

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Very unpleasant. The server Erin was rude and belittled our party during our entire experience. She was unprofessional and made us feel uncomfortable; terrible way to treat your valued customers. Overpriced and unsatisfactory food and drink. Horrendous atmosphere would not recommend. read more

Great place to spend some time to relax tho. I ordered a Tip Torpedo which it's a sub with the normal ingredients, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, jalapeños etc. I ordered it with Steak Tips and oh my goodness! Delicious! Tender and juicy with the right seasoning and believe me when I say the right seasoning, I am Hispanic and we cook with a lot of seasoning but this Steak Tips were on point!!! An A for the cooker. It looks like you can play Keno here, also some space to play billiards here, you can see two tables available for it. Sarah was my server today and she did an amazing job. Looks like she was running the show by herself but she managed and did great. Folks that visit this place seems to be very friendly and quite, not like if you're visiting a busy bar in Downtown Boston. Overall I enjoyed my visit. Good job tho! read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - Keno and billiards area! - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

This place is great, food has always been delicious, staff is great and bartenders are on point. I have sat at a table as well as the bar and both has great service. The plentiful tvs broadcasting the sports and news is nice too. Try this place out if your able, it's not a bad choice at all. read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - Thanksgiving egg rolls, great appetizer - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

As you can see the mac and cheese bites were a big hit. The Steak and cheese torpedo was delicious. The Sam Summer was on point as was the onion rings as always. Can't wait to come back and get the hot tea again as it is the top 4 I'm the north shore read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - Wicked good hot tea . Top 6 in New England guy - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

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If you are not a regular customer don't bother going. The bar tender is standoffish and will not wait on you in a timely manner. I waited 45 minutes for steak tips but the regular patrons were served before me when I ordered much earlier. I live in north reading and haven't been here for many years, but wanted to revisit. I'm sorry I did read more

The food is always superior, the service is great and the ambience is what you'd expect at a neighborhood bar. I always feel comfortable there. read more

i couldnt Agree more with "ryan c" ! i just tried the Earl Grey !! Best tea at a sports bar in the area !!!! You dont even need any whiskey or vodka with it , its good by itself ! best temperature in the game ! nice pool tables as well! but GET THE TEA !!! read more

This was called "Big Dog" before, from what I am seeing. I went to that place ONCE in the early 2000s with my parents and a few friends of the family. It was a sports bar and grille and the smell in there was disgusting, full of smoke. But that's what you should expect when you go to a sleazy place like that. Never went back and I couldn't stand that smell. It was between 2000 and 2004 when I went, so I really don't remember what the food was like, I just recall the entire place smelled so bad. read more

Went here for lunch today, and what was GREAT was there was only a handful of people at the bar and no one for lunch. Me and my two coworkers all had the tips and fries for lunch. I had mine cooked medium rare and it was cooked just right there was still some juice and the flavor from the marinade was still there. The name has changed from when I was last here, but still the sports bar atmosphere with several tv's on the wall. read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - a plate of food - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

My wife and I went for burgers and beers the other day. Granted I haven't been to "The Big Dog" in a long time, but I remembered it fondly. What a surprise I got. Firstly, the beer was poured from a tap that definitely has not had its hoses flushed in quite some time my "Irish red" tasted more along the lines of Irish rust. Now for the burgers, we both ordered medium and got charcoal. These burgers were hockey pucks and for sure had been frozen for a dogs age. Terrible ... Just terrible. It made me long for The Piccadilly Pub ( and that place stunk) read more

This place is a hidden gem! The new name is awkward enough that we still just call it "The Dog" but about the only other thing it has in common with the old place is plethora of TVs! That and the great steak tips! Gone is the dark smoky barroom and sticky floors which one had to endure to enjoy the grilled meat. The remodeled restaurant is cleaner and brighter than the old place. There are still two main rooms - a rear dining area with cozy booths (each with a personal TV), a pool table, and a roomier feel, and the front lounge and bar area which tends to have a larger crowd. We prefer the front for superior people watching. All manner of sports are displayed on what seems like a hundred or more TVs. This is great for keeping the kids interested in sitting at the table or if the big game is on. It does mean there can be a larger crowd during the playoffs or similar events but the fan atmosphere only enhances the experience. The food is nothing fancy. Nachos and skins on the appetizer list, standard pub fare with excellent burgers and sandwiches. The outstanding entrees are the various forms of tips. The marinades are just right - not too salty or sweet. I'm a devotee of the sirloin tips with rice pilaf and the veggie of the day. Served with piquant cherry peppers, the plate is ample and delicious. My wife likes to order tips over a salad - either garden or Caesar - another great choice. The boys opt for the burgers or chicken tenders and love the fries. Of course, there's a full bar with plenty of beers on tap, and a dessert selection if you manage to save room. We usually get out of this place for around $20-$25 per person and consider it a bargain. read more

this place is the worst. not only did they overcharge me but when i called the lady at the other end couldnt figure out basic math. all she kept saying is everythings expensive instead of giving me a coherent arguement in why they charged me 48 dollars for two steak sub sandwiches which were way undercooked. never come here again read more

We all still call the place "Big Dog" because it just sounds better than Sports, Spirits and Steaks. This is my default location to meet high school friends for drinks everytime I go back to Reading. I am here at least once every trip to MA. They've added more TV's since the last time I was here so it makes for a great place to see any of the Boston teams. Good selection for draft beers..I always get the 22 oz since friends always drive. I've only eaten here once but my friends always chowdown on the wings, pizza and potato skins. I assume its great based on how quickly they all gorge themselves. read more

I was looking forward to trying out their steak tips as I bought a groupon. But when I went their with my wife there was a sign saying that they weren't accepting any groupons! Truly bad - stay with your commitments especially when it comes to your future potential customers. read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - a note taped to a window - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

You have to know what this place has to offer and use it for the appropriate occassions. It's great for a casual night out with a little play in mind. They have a billiard table and Buck Hunter. My husband and I go there to get their torpedos which are huge, and to challenge each other in some games. They have keno and a separate bar area with an ATM. The main dining room has large screen TVs all around and even table side tv monitors read more

Sports, Spirits & Steaks - The Celtic torpedo - Sports Bars Near Me - North Reading, Massachusetts

Came in for lunch. Sat at the bar. Nice atmosphere. Lots of TVs. The buffalo chicken skins were awesome. We got a half order and it came with 4 huge skins. We got torpedo subs which were big and tasty but I could only eat a couple of bites cause I was so full from eating one skin. We will come back. read more

I came here a few months ago, in the middle of a monsoon, to meet up with a bunch of friends to celebrate a family member's life. We showed up in small groups, but ended up with about 8-10 people in total. The place was not that busy, but because of the monsoon, or just our bad luck, the whole register system was down, so the bartenders who usually just punched buttons had to make up tabs on slips, which took a LONG time. Some of the people at the bar were not so understanding about this added level of difficulty. This is a fairly large space. The bar wraps around like it would if it was a 99, or Uno's... There are two pool tables on the total opposite side of the space, some video games sit on each side of the back entrance. The bathrooms were fairly clean, considering. But it wasn't busy, I would see how a two stall ladies room if the bar were bumping. At the end of the night we kind of found a common ground with the somewhat testy bartender, and she ended up making us a round of shots which were her own concoction - something like a creamsicle (Spell that?). Very good. read more

I went here on a Groupon with 3 others. After looking around the building for the 'front' door, we entered. We picked the wrong door. It was the side door, so we were not surprised no one greeted us. But it didn't appear anyone would have if we used the other door either. The bartender told us to seat ourselves. Plenty of seating, it was empty. The seats were comfy, but very wobbly, one of the seat cushions was ripped. There were TVs everywhere! If sports on TV is what you want, this can't be beat. On tap beer selection was crazy huge as well. A very pleasant waitress came over in quick time to give us menus and what not. My friend was excited to try the frozen banana pineapple drink and ordered it once the server came back. We were told that they don't actually have frozen drinks and they have not had a blender in over 3 years. What??! She said the menus are old and they just never took them off. Weird, the website must be equally old because they are listed there too. I wondered what else was incorrect on the menu. We ordered onion rings and mozzarella sticks for apps. Onion rings were outstanding, highly recommended. I can't say the same thing for the sticks, they weren't bad but had sort of a frozen flavor and cool centers. The marinara was served in a small closed take out cup kind of thing. Strange for seated guests. There were four of us, so lots of food. After getting my fork replaced, it was so bent it looked like it may have caused the end of the blender from over 3 years ago, I had the chili, very good, served with tortilla chips and a closed take out cup of sour cream. The menu said it was served in a crock, but it was in a large bowl. More menu maintenance needed there. Also had the ribs, dry, but tasted good and not overly messy to eat. One had a steak tip sub. The tips were great, a must have. If I ever come back here it will be for the tips! It came with crinkle fries, straight out of the grocery freezer. Nothing special. Overall, we were waited on quickly, ambiance was a mix of old pub and sports bar. Food was both great and mediocre, fries, veggies, and sticks were more frozen than the drinks. Even with the flaws, we ended up having a very good time and really, isn't that what its all about? read more

Place is more like a frat house then a restaraunt Waitresses screaming and swearing Had a burger and bun was hard as a rock . A lot of draft lines but selection was just ok. Def can find a better place read more

Dirty and slow service. I think they only have brown food. Its a dive in every sense of the word. The only reason I gave it two stars, is because I had a groupon and only had to endure a lessor cost. read more

Worst service I have ever experienced.The waitresses couldn't decide what tables they were supposed to be serving in fact your better off going to the bar to order a drink but only if you stand in front of the lottery machine.Extremely hot in there and even asking to turn the fan on was too much for them to do.It smelled like sweat and body odor,nasty.Don't bother playing pool since the tables are $1.50 and don't work properly.I will never be back and it doesn't even deserve the 1 star it deserves minus 5 stars.If they keep doing business this way they will be closed. read more

Both the management and the regular customer base are matched in how obnoxious they are. Service is horrible and the food isn't much better.

Went there on a Groupon, was seated and then left to die, Kinda a bar room type set up, As far as the food goes I'm not sure, Walked out and never returning!! read more

if your looking for a dump to hang out with the guys, get drunk, watch football, and regret your over all life choices this is your place. First off this has by far the worst name in the history of restaurants. sports, spirits, and steaks. incase you have no idea what is inside a crappy local dive bar, well there it is right there in the name for ya. either way I sat there with two friends enjoying the atmosphere that reminded us of a vermont woodland aa meeting. we sat and drank our faces off for super cheap and enjoyed some rousing people watching for a while. I mean if you like watching 6 small tvs instead of one large HD tv then your good. probably a place where the bartender says stuff like "man if these walls could talk eh..." just over all underwhelming BUT thats just what me and my red neck friends was looking for! read more

I bought a Groupon and drove 12 miles with my girlfriend to go here. First thing I noticed was that the only type of vehicle in the lot was a truck. We walked in and my girlfriend was immediately uncomfortable.It wasn't very clean and the bar was full of only dudes who looked like they just got off their shift and hadn't gone home to shower yet. The clientele and vibe is very redneck and dudes only. Not for me and certainly not for my girlfriend who couldn't run out of there fast enough. read more

I haven't set foot in this place since 2004 because of a terrible experience I had. Prior to my visit, a buddy of mine who worked in the area talked how great it is for a Football Sunday as they subscribed to NFL Sunday ticket and had great pub food for the games. Sure enough, the day started fine as I went with my brother and 2 friends. enjoyed a nice rib eye steak for lunch and had a few beers. We sat at a table for lunch, then moved to the bar. Since I was driving, I was a responsible driver and cut myself off after 2 beers. When the bartender (female) asked me what I wanted to drink, I asked for water and my friends/brother ordered more drinks. I was told by the bartender that "I wasn't allowed to sit at the bar if I wasn't ordering food or drinks as I was taking up a seat." I pushed back and told her about the $30 I just spent on a steak dinner and 2 beers, but that was only good for sitting at the table. Because I wasn't spending more $$ and drinking/being irresponsible, I couldn't sit at their bar. 3 hours later when no one sat at the bar in my chair, the bartender offered me free food and soft drinks which I refused and I told her i'd never return. And since then I never have. I know this is from 11 years ago, but all it takes is one bad experience to never return to a place. read more

The place smells! The food is just OK. They do have the only two pool tables in the area which is a plus.

After going to Walmart, we decided to have dinner here. We liked it last time, so why not? It was a Monday night and we went at about 5:30. We were the only table in there then entire time. We seated ourselves and the bartender acted as our waitress and brought our drinks immediately while we looked at the menu. We waited for 15 minutes before another employee came through the back door and saw us. About 5 to 10 minutes later, that other employee finally came back and asked if we'd been forgotten. I don't know why we waited - we just watched tv and drank - I kinda wanted to see how long it would take. My bf got a big hot dog and the chicken wings while I ordered the chicken quesadilla roll ups. I almost asked if this was truly a quesadilla, just rolled like a burrito, but for some reason I didn't...Normally I'd fault myself for not getting details, but the description used words like tender chicken and FRESH peppers. Imagine my suprise when out came a basket of taquitos. As in, the kind from the freezer section of the grocery store. I can buy in bulk from BJs and get a box for $10 (they're in my freezer now), but apparently I paid $7.95 to have them heated up for me. And to tell you the truth, these weren't even as good as the ones from BJs - these ones didn't even have whole pieces of chicken in them, but instead a mushy ground up filling. Ugh. Knowing how bad they are for you (granted I know quesadillas aren't good for me either, but I've seen the side of a taquito box and trust me they aren't healthy!), I only ate two of them. My bf's hot dog was enormous, but was just meh. This came with fries and coleslaw which were decent and ended up being the majority of my meal there. His wings weren't fully cooked - many of them were still bloody!! By this point, I wasn't in the mood to complain and, really, I'm not the type to complain or send something back. We were just ready to get out of there. So after more waiting, we got our check and left. I've never gone back and downgraded a place before, but something about this whole experience really annoyed me and, I'm sorry to say, I felt like I had to! On the way out, we noticed there was a (wrapped) tampon laying on the table next to us. Nice. The server who finally got around to serving us was nice enough, but that was the only good thing about the visit. IF we ever go back or if I were to ever give a recommendation, I'd stick with the burgers or steak tips....because of the server and our prior experience I'll be generous with two stars. read more

Food is OK. Steak tips are good. Atmosphere is....very casual. Don't take a date there. Service is lousy. Don't bother ordering anything for take-out, the waitress will treat you like pond scum. I have never been treated so poorly by a restaurant. I gave it 2 stars because the steak tips were pretty decent even if the experience was terrible. I ordered from the lunch menu and was charged for the dinner menu. So take-out lunch for 4 ended up $55.00 instead of $35. The service was so bad it wasn't even worth arguing. I'll never go back. read more

There's a REASON they no longer accept Groupons! Just read the reviews of the Groupon Groupies. They expect the Ritz freaking Carlton. This is a neighborhood bar. Get over yourselves. read more

We went here on a whim. Just trying to find a new place for some good ol' pub grub. The atmosphere seemed pretty cool. We walked in and it was confusing what we should do to, so we just sat at the bar in the last 2 seats. We didn't order any booze/beer. They seemed to have a pretty good selection though! We ordered Orings (good), Chili (Ok- more tomato sauce based than crushed tomato- and nice and spicy, but I like mine better.), and Hub ordered a chicken finger sub that he liked. The bread on it was yummy. The food came out fast and the waitress was friendly. As it got busier, it took longer for service and checkout process. Kinda a long wait at times. Overall it was a good choice. We got out of there sodas, tip, food, and all for about 25 buckaroos. The bathroom smelled like methane, but was clean- just needed some air freshener I think. There were tons of little kids playing pool (which I am never a fan of- That shouldn't be allowed in my opinion.) I would go here again I think. read more

I'd give it more of a 3.5 if i could. I had a Groupon to this place and went with my husband to watch a Bruins game and get some good bar food. I felt very young at this place, as most of it was older men and couples stopping in for a mid-day drink. It was a little bit shabby inside but the number of TV's and the memorabilia on the walls added some positives. The food was good - we had the buffalo wings for an app, i had a monster of a hot dog and my husband had the steak tips - everything was very tasty - great flavor and plenty in regards to portion. Lots of drink options and the bartender was very friendly. Definitely a local dive bar but i'd go back to watch another game and have some wings and beer. read more

The service in this place is awful the food is good but the waitresses are slow and lazy they take better care of you if you sit at the bar among all the regulars and the bartender knows you but she's there more to socialize rather than work! read more

A groupon deal brought me here. It's been 20 years since I came here. The food was fantastic. I got the steak tips and the portion was not only delicious but huge. Wait staff was wonderful. The only complaint is that I was freezing cold and we had to wear heavy winter jackets in order to eat. The waitress said the heater was broken. It was 20 degree's outside and about 30 degrees inside. My hands were freezing cold for hours afterwards. You fix that heater problem and we will be back. read more

I generally abstain from mingling in the chaos of the bar scene, and alcoholic beverages by and large, although off the top of my head, I can think of at least five more desirable environments to have a drink. As a townie trying to shed myself of the "townie" label itself, heading out to this dumpster is literally the last thing on my mind. I've been here a handful of times, and can only recommend this restaurant setting based on the John Waters caliber of people who frequent the sports bar. From a distance, it is pretty amusing to watch these half-way house escapees make fools of themselves. One other redeeming trait of their services is the grilled cheese they dish out, but I can't budge this rating any farther up than the one star it deserves. If you enjoy loud, crabby winos, both young and old making a histrionic ruckus of their surroundings, and if these folks are your type of people, expect to feel right at home. This is North Reading's scaled down brand of McGreevy's (a Boston Sports Bar.) I suppose you'd be too intoxicated to make note of the permeating smell of defecation in and around the restroom area, let alone the fact that a decent portion of their menu can be found in the frozen food aisle of Market Basket. To many locals, this watering hole is their pride and joy, and is, rather affectionately, known as "The Dog" (prior to the Sports, Spirits, and Steaks tag it now bears, the many shifts in management have given rise to a succession of unnecessary name changes.) I'll dodge any of the shadiness that seeps in and out of this DUI appointing zone at all costs. If you live to lap up local gossip, enjoy drowning your sorrows on a nightly basis, and attempt to lay any creepy pick-up lines on a nearly blacked out college girl, then welcome to the jungle... read more

Went here for drinks and to hang out after a Boston Derby Dames event. The place wasn't marked outside as Big Dog Sports Grille so it was a bit more difficult to find. The back entrance did have a Big Dog sign so I'm not sure what their deal is (under new mgmt or a new biz?). Anyways, the service was decent if not with some Boston attitude. There's a ton of tv's around no matter where you sit. There's plenty of different rooms in case other patrons are being assholes, which is probably gonna be common here. The pizza served is by the pizzeria next door. We ordered one only to be let down 20 minutes later when the waitress said the pizzeria closed for the night. So we got some sweet potato fries ($7) and a couple of tall microbrew beers ($5.50). Although I had a decent time, I'd only go here to watch a sports event. read more

Early evening (6ish) - plenty of room. Great burgers & fries. Plenty of TV's going, but not offensive. The waitress was very friendly and patient. Great selection of tap beers. We'll be back. read more

Simply the easiest place to review... 1. Tvs everywhere!! (Good place to watch your favorite sports with all your friends) 2. Food is bar food, greasy yummy appetizers, great steak tips (according to my bf) and delicious pizza made from the pizza shop attached to it. (I suggest a white pizza, yum!!) 3. FULL BAR (duhhh it's a bar) 4. Nicest staff ever!!!! A place where myself, my bf and our friends frequent! read more