It seems like the new owners have done a decent, if not hurried, job of remodeling the old Fitzwilly's building. Past that, there wasn't much that would bring me back. The food was mediocre to say the best, tasting of the stock bar food provided by Sysco, Ben E Keith, or one of their big box equivalents. For the prices, I would much rather go almost anywhere else. The thrown together staff didn't seem to have completed all of their training, and the time it took to get my food and drinks reflected this. Hopefully they can pull everything together, as the back porch has a good feel to it, but in the end it's not enough for me to go here again. read more

Food is nothing to write home about. Not as fun at night as the other *premium* bars in the area. Some of the bouncers can be overly rough. Probably compensating for something who knows. Older people typically gravitate here so there's that read more

They won't let guys wear a basic tank top but they'll let girls wear pasties and walk in. Completely sexist. Screw this place.

First time here, we walked up to the entrance, ID's checked and the bouncer recommended we try the burger special. The redecorating looks nice. It's a bit more upscale than was previously. Restrooms were clean, which is a big plus considering Northgate isn't really known for sparkling restrooms. Patio has been cleaned up a lot. We were really looking forward to trying the food, as Fitzwilly burgers were some of the better burgers on Northgate, imo. However, the bartender informed us that they decided to close the kitchen an hour early because they were a little slow. Not a good sign that a place that just opened is already cutting corners and the obvious lack of communication given that the bouncer was suggesting food items and not being told they decided to close the kitchen early. Oh well, we'll try a burger another day. Beer selection was fairly standard; your usual Miller, Budlight, etc peppered with some Texas craftbrews. Liquor was on special and seeing a jar of fresh mint leaves, I ordered a mint julip, which was greeted with a blank stare. They said they knew how to make mojito's; that's close enough for me. Their "special" method of making mojitos resulted in numerous tiny bits of mint leaves floating around the glass, making every sip a mouthful of leaf bits. A mojito (or any drink using fresh leaves) is supposed to be gently muddled so as to bruise the leaves and release the flavor without shredding them. The drink tasted good, but texturally was unpleasant with all the leaf bits. Overall, I see potential but right now I think they're still rough around the edges. I will be back to try the food. The same group that owns Cafe Eccell and La Bodega owns Backyard, so maybe my expectations were too high. And since they haven't been open very long I imagine their staff is still getting used to the swing of things. Graded as just another Northgate bar, The Backyard will not disappoint. read more

Very rude service, bartender was condescending. Asked how much a drink cost and the bartender replied "it's on the menu" in a snide voice (the price was not on the menu). She made several other patronizing comments as well as unnecessarily bending my ID in half while checking it, leaving a permanent crease. All in all, my friends and I left after a single drink with a poor experience. read more

I have avoided this bar because one time I tried to go, they bent my driver license so bad that I had to order a new one. They won't take my license because it is Mississippi, I am 26 years old. I tried to take friends here to have a Sunday Funday, they still wouldn't take our Mississippi licenses. I get the point of being safe, but when it comes to people that are actually of age they are terrible at judging IDs. 10/10 would recommend a place less hostile. I bet if I was 19 with a Texas license I would have gotten in as 21. read more

Like Yelp says, it's meh. On a Friday night it's pretty packed and the actual back yard is pretty fun, and not a bad place to have a pint and a cigar, but the vibe just feels off. I know this used to be more of a cowboy bar and is now going for the sports-bar/party-bar feeling, but it misses the mark and just feels like fratboy-douchey. Good selection of games and beer, but the prices arent worth it. I mean, $8 for a tall shiner bock, when I can get the same thing at the Corner for $4 or at O'Bannon's for $5? No thank you. read more

Awful customer service!! I don't know about the food or drinks because my husband and I were never waited on or even acknowledged after sitting for 10 minutes on a Sunday afternoon when only 7 folks in the entire place! The blonde bartender just looked at us- never saying anything- even when after getting no service she just watched as we walked out. As an old Aggie I was very disappointed!! I even PMd management before going to Yelp... never heard back... sad!!!! read more

Food is decent. Turkey sandwich and quesadillas are very good. The fried little smokies are a drunken crowd pleaser. The drink selection is great, they really have a ton of options many of which are a breath of fresh air to what used to be stale old college station. That being said, they make the weakest drinks I've ever had anywhere in this town - anywhere. When you go here, which you should, watch them make your drink. Not only do they fill the glass to the top with ice to cut back on the pour, but they overfill it, pack it in, and then cheap out on the pour. It's not at all what you'd expect for the price of their cocktails. If they'd not be so cheap on this and have a little bit better consistency in service they'd be top notch. read more

They just downsized their kitchen and changed their menu. There about 8 items on their menu. They got rid of the Green Chile and Queso Waffle Fries, and the Quesadillas; aka the two things we went there for. Guess we are done going there. read more

Food was well above typical bar food. I had the shrimp sandwich. Prices are not bad at all. As far as service you order your food and then pick it up once the pager goes off. Friendly staff, fun place to hang out. read more

Fun place. Typical college style bar/restaurant. The entertainment factor is there but food quality is poor at best. Everything was over done and uneventful. Would not recommend for dinner just after Texas A&M games. read more

One of the more fun and casual bars in North Gate. This is a fun place to bring out the inner big kid in you. Grab a drink at the bar and choose from one of SEVERAL games to play, including but not limited to: darts, pool, cornhole, put-put, pacman, a LARGE connect four game, shuttle board, horse shoes, and much much more. This is a great break from the rest of the crazy bars on NG. Be sure to come out and give it a try today. read more

Great place to hang out with friends, pretty good food and beer but their mixed drinks are awful. Some of the bartenders have no clue about what specific drinks are supposed to taste like much less look like. Hopefully they're just new hires? read more

Just watched our food sit in the kitchen window for 20 minutes before they finally pushed the button for our buzzer- not that busy. Food is cold- surprise!! Ask for hot green chile queso fries, get crazy look. Manager sees bf waiting by window and asks what he needs. When he tells manager what happens all he can say is "ok". Are you kidding me? Last time we eat here. Oh, and good luck finding a freaking napkin or them having the beer they advertise (3rd time they haven't had two of their menu beers available). We miss you Fitzwilly's! read more

Terrible customer service and mediocre food. Spend your money else where, it's just not worth the hassle.

Great food. Went in for a late lunch. Enjoyed the Texacan Ranch Burger.

By far the best bar on Northgate, good drink specials and plenty of activities such as cornhole, washers, giant beer pong and lots of others. Very clean bar, with a swing on the upstairs porch overlooking campus. read more

Me and my husband love this place because it is very chill and homey in here. But I ordered an AMF in the bar outside and i did not like the taste. But all in all, it is a good bar if you want to relax. read more

Worst customer service in College Station. The employees there act as if they were the customers. They take a long time to serve you and the food isn't good; I also noticed that they don't even try to make it up for their mistakes. Drinks are very expensive (around $9). I tried to give it a second chance but my experience there was still worst than the first one. There are many places better in CS, do not go to the Backyard. read more

Love this place. Staff is very accommodating to students. The quesadillas are TO DIE FOR. Dogs are allowed. They have corn hole, washers, and huge beer pong (with giant red trashcans and volley balls). I come every weekend, and sometimes during the week if I'm good with my budget. read more

If you are looking for a place to drink and have fun with friends. This the place to go. They have a lot of awesome games that you can play while drinking and socializing. It's fun to go with a large group of friends and fooling around. Playing a human size beer-pong is really fun. The second floor also has a pool table. Perhaps not a good place to order food, but it's a social place. Great for happy hours. read more

This place used to be awesome. Awesome burgers (chile relleno?!), awesome fries (green chile & queso, rueben fries), good tacos, and the Friday happy hour deal on Crooked Palmers made me look forward to Friday afternoon meetings. And then they got rid of all the good stuff. You can get cold chips with toppings perhaps similar to the ones they had on the fries, but since the chips are cold the toppings get cold quickly, too. The pizza is hit and miss. The cheese tasted like Chuck-E-Cheese pizza, but I've heard good things about the others. The crooked palmers are no longer on the happy hour special, and the regular prices on booze are higher than other places nearby. I understand that they wanted to avoid the long food waits on gamedays by making everything easy to cook, but I went there for the food, and now all the good food is gone. read more

Love this place! My family dropped in the Backyard after an Aggie baseball game. We had some snacks and played washers - we like the self serve nacho station! The staff & bartenders are extremely friendly. Stupidly, I ended up leaving my phone at the table... after several hours I realized and went back for it, and it was safely tucked away with the manager waiting for me :) I love College Station & The Backyard is a perfect location to hang out on Northgate!! read more

Always a great experience here. The music is really good and there are always drink specials. The food options are tasty as well! A lot of indoor and outdoor space to have a good time with your friends. It can get crowded on the weekends. read more

I love The Backyard. I go there all the time to eat their AMAZING food or just to hang out with my friends. It's just a fun environment to be in and I am completely addicted to eating there. The outside portion is awesome, definitely a place that you can actually have a conversation at while having a drink. read more

I had the worst experience here. We got bean bags for corn hole and some drunk guy (who wasn't with us) grabbed one and threw it on the roof. We tried to do the right thing and get him to come to the manager with us to explain the situation so we wouldn't have to pay for it. The bouncer ended up kicking my husband out of the bar, and when I tried to explain the situation to him, he said to me 'I don't give a sh*t what you say happened'. They tried to kick me out as well, even though I was completely sober and just need to get my ID back from the bartender for renting the bean bags. I talked to the manager and informed him of the situation and he stuck up for the bouncer saying he was just busy at the time. I'm not sure how busy you can be to cuss at a female customer, but no one deserves to be treated the way we were for wanting to play corn hole and do the right thing, but I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Very nice concept, but the bartender is terrible. I recently visited the inside bar at Backyard and the guy who works on the very left was a terrible bartender. I waited 20 minutes plus just to walk away unhappy. When I finally got a drink things turned out better but after waiting 10-15 minutes to get in nobody wants to wait that long for a drink. Just a fair warning so you do not have to wait as long as I did, I will never get back that wasted time. Bring your A game next time bub. read more

This place is great! Friendly staff, games outside, and sitting by the fires they have lit outside. I always stop here when I go to NG.

What I can't figure out is how it takes 45 minutes to get some hamburgers when the place isn't even crowded on a football weekend. Two different times we have ordered burgers and it has taken 45 minutes to get our food. When the place was Fitzwilly's you barely got back to your table from ordering and your food was ready. The good thing is, it isn't crowded anymore like Fitzwilly's was on game day. The management needs to start firing some people in the kitchen, maybe that will light a fire under the rest of employees. I know the group of us that go to the games won't be back in there again. read more

I can completely agree with everyone else and what they've said about the arrangement of the seating. Staff is nice, but the beer selection is lacking and liquor in my mixed drink was a bit light. Food was okay, but nothing spectacular and the price for adding cheese and bacon is kinda ridiculous. read more

We were meeting some family and friends at The Backyard. My son and I were in line at the gate and 3 workers for the Backyard were carding and talking to people. A man bumped into my son and then tripped him pushing him down to the ground as we walked through the gate. The workers were friends of this man. While we were standing in line, we saw the same guy was joking with the 3 employees. My son got up. My husband was trying to help my son. They(the 3 workers/employees) yelled at the guy to run and get out of here before the cops show up! We started to ask for the name of the manager and/or employees - so that we could get a statement from them. They would not tell us their names and they would tell us the managers name. Then when the police showed up they would not cooperate with the police. They were very rude and so disrespectful! My husband and I could not believe it. This place is managed so poorly. They should not be trusted. It was a terrible event and I hope that people think twice before going to The Backyard. Beware! read more