Ernie’s Restaurant & Bar

Taking some of the negative reviews into consideration I understand where some of you are coming from… The great thing about it however is that they have a pretty good selection of something for everyone I had no idea there would be sea food on the menu so that was a bit of a shocker. Food was all a little over cooked and you could tell the oil needed to be changed because you could taste a little of everything they deep fried in it… My salad was pretty good I got the Cobb salad and the person I was with got fish n chips. The waiter may have been the owner or manager not sure but after reading some of the other reviews I wasn’t about to complain considering he could have lashed out at us. Anyway I give this 3 stars as it was a good menu, service was okay… Prices pretty predictable for a sit down place like this… Probably wont go back though.

My new favorite Karoake location. Emma the KDJ is awesome and the equipment is super! And the people who frequent the place seem serious about music and having a good time.
Don’t ask me about the food. I only consumed music and liquid happiness. It may have influenced my judgement and maybe I am hence not qualified to really give an opinion. But I I’m wrong about the Karaōke, what’s the worse that could happen? You could go and being your own joyful spirit and rock it out the way you like it!
But I really enjoyed the tunes!

As a Marylander, I am vouching for the crabcakes here! They are so good! Great food, good prices, atmosphere is awesome… oh…and they have a sweet karaōke set up! One of my favorite spots in the valley :)

I am shocked at the good reviews for this place. Don’t…do…it…
We went on St. Patrick’s day to watch some games, drink some beer and get a bite to eat. We were immediately seated by a friendly hostess. We ordered drinks and looked over the menu. I ordered the Nitro Milk Stout that was advertised all over the walls. Good choice. It was a great bottled beer. There are also TVs everywhere. Since it’s the middle of March Madness — this was also good. But our waitress had NO personality whatsoever. She was hesitant to answer basic questions like «What’s on Happy Hour?» Mumble mumble… no smile… Ok — we’re on our own here…
Now down to the food.
It’s a sports-​bar kind of place so I expected bar food. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries in an attempt to be safe. It was not. The hamburger was not terrible but the fries were cold, stale and dry. Thank goodness the beer was good. So I ordered several to wash down the food. This actually turned out to be a good idea because a much more friendly gal (beer promoter) ended up noticing and giving me both a free beer and a t-​shirt after chastising me for not drinking this beer the «proper» way by slamming it into a glass. Heaven forbid I continue drinking it straight out of the bottle thereby ruining the Left Hand Brewing Co’s marketing trick of putting gas in the bottle itself to give the waterfall effect that usually only draft beers can give you.
All in all, the lackadaisical service from our waitress coupled with the yucky food means I won’t be coming back. I can buy expensive (but delicious) beer somewhere else.

I had the crab dip during happy hour and it was decent. The happy hour price was pretty good, but I actually went for karaōke. There weren’t a lot of people at karaōke, so I was kind of bummed. I think they should advertise for the karaōke a little bit more to get more people going!

I think this place was pretty good. I’m an east coaster. I usually cook my own shellfish when I get a craving for it but this time I felt like getting some in public. The patio is smoking which for us smokers is a rare treat. They had poker going on that night. They basically took up the entire patio but they seemed like wonderful people (I love to play free Texas Hold Em but the wife was with me) they were polite and having fun.
The service was EXCELLENT. Two bartenders on that night. They seemed incredibly busy with the poker people but they always came and checked on us. Never once did we feel ignored. To be honest, it was the best service I’ve had in quite some time. Extra bonus points seeing they running around for the poker people.
The food was outstanding. I had crab cakes and they were AMAZING. My wife had the talipa and it was tasty.
Overall, this is my kind of place and I would come here again. If time allows it, I’d love to come back to play poker.

I took my family here for dinner on a Sunday evening to give it a try. The level of service was all right, but we did not enjoy the food. Everything seemed really bland.

This is a great location, great design, good food… BUT, karaōke on college football Saturday night and high prices… I don’t know that I can go back.
The entrée was great, crab cake sliders that are perfectly prepared, not too mushy but moist and perfectly seasoned on toasted buns.
The side salad was mediocre. Why wouldn’t they have a salad topped with a crab cake? I have to build my own and it costs $ 16.95.
The chili is really good, hubby get it every time!
Beer & wine pricey.
I guess I have to leave you with a suggestion of calling ahead to make sure you don’t run into bad singers when you want game highlights at this sports bar.

Seafood in the desert is always a challenge. Earnie’s is not the place to get it. I was excited to see the menu of seafood and try it out and did the other day. The joint is located at what once was a Jilly’s location. They haven’t changed one thing outside of the signage either. We got sat in a corner booth and I immediately noticed the dirty table. The salt shaker was completely slathered with grease from a prior patron — half filled too.
Sat down and waited for service. and waited… and waited. Christ the place is empty, why such slow service? Literally was a ghost town. No abckground music made sitting there a bit uncomfortable, a TV had sound in the background — what an ambiance killer.
Eventually the manager came over and waited on us the entire time. That said, the service was abysmal. First two appetizers I ordered they were out of — not a good sign. Asked for a wine list and I quote, «We don’t have one. We have a red and a white.» After ordering, he never took the menus away and they sat there until end of meal, never cleared app plates, failed to ask for follow up drinks, forgot to deliver 2 ordered food menu items.
The «White Wine» was horrible. We ordered the crab cake sampler and they weren’t «cakes» at all but rather three small cake balls — disappointing. Peel and eat shrimp were OK but was served with onions and the onions were so friggin’ salty it was crazy. My friend had the fried scallops which was a good portion and he said tasted good. I had soft shell crabs that were not good at all.
Bad ambiance, poor service, meh on the food — a negative trifecta.

Some coworkers and I went to have lunch here at their Chandler location and they forgot to hand us lunch menus. Then our waitress had a family emergency phone call in the middle of our service and we were passed onto someone else. Our food came out and most of it was cold. Also, they completely forgot to bring out one of my coworker’s order. Our original waitress eventually returned but we went great lengths of time between refills and waiting for our bill.
So basically, the food was average to below average and the service was definitely below average. It was enough to turn me off from the place for good.

Where I live there is only two places that specialize in seafood close by. I’ve grown tired of Red Lobster so I was looking for someplace else. Ernies had opened up right under my nose so I had to try it. The wife and I went on a Friday evening getting there around 5:15 and got a table right away. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. We both tried the clam chower and it is really good. A cup of the chowder was a filling appetizer. I had the the sampler platter which was large. My wife tried the steamed shrimp and cod platter. Neither of us could eat more than half of our meal. Ernie’s is a very good value for the money. We ordered dessert to go and tried the in house freshly made apple struedel. It was very good. Not too sweet and very flavorfull. We plan on returning to try more of Ernie’s fare.

Went out on a date last night and he picked the place, I like it when the man picks and plans things. He picked Ernie’s, now if on my own I would have never have found this place and am happy to have gone. Once you walk in, if you look to the back you will see 2 pool tables, dart board and a shuffle board, the place itself is big and roomy, opened and inviting; I liked the brick look of the walls. There was flat screen TVs up on the walls and sporting events were playing and in the background jazz music was playing. I liked the vibe of this place. Our server was Dan, he was fast & friendly, felt sorry for him because I took forever to figure out what I wanted to ordered. I wound up ordering the Smothered Chicken sandwich with French fries, the bread was soft the chicken tender, the peppers, onions and mushrooms so fresh and delish! Only down fall was the sandwich was little on the dry side, but I ordered a side of bbq sauce and fixed that. Man I want to try their Crab dip & Maryland Crab Cakes… but I was limiting myself on this trip, wanted to be lady like, but I don’t think that worked, he ordered a salad LOL so we, I mean me, got finished with our/​my dinner and Dan asked if we wanted desert, now I never order desert, but Dan listed off the items for desert and said they have PINEAPPLE UPSIDEDOWN CAKE! HOLD UP! Pineapple upside-​down cake? Oh heck yea I want that! So I ordered the cake, and man it was moist the pineapple and brown sugar topping was so mouthwatering good, can’t believe it ate it all. Ok so much for being lady like, man I ate! From reading other reviews here on Unilocal I have learned that Ernie’s also has karaōke. I’m going to have to check that out. The date was great; the place was a great find for me! I will most def be back!

I’ve been going to Ernies about once a week for the past month and a half. I mainly go for the Karaōke, food and atmosphere. The sound system here for karaōke is the best in the Valley and the DJ is great. There are multiple tv’s displaying the lyrics as you sing. There are also some regulars in here that sing amazingly like professionals. I’m just a novice and do it for fun but everyone is supportive.
I LOVE the food here, it’s fresh, doesn’t taste like it came out of a box or frozen. Ernies always have food specials for around $ 10 — $ 13 written on the chalkboard as you walk in the front door.
I’ve had the seafood sampler twice, and it’s delicious, it includes, shrimp, clams, and mussels in a yummy seasoned broth with onions and it comes with toasted baguette to soak up the juices.
Another option is the ½ lb. or 1 lb. steamed shrimp. It’s ALOT of shrimp, but you will not regret it, it’s seasoned to perfection, a lil spicy and so good.
I’ve also tried the shrimp stuffed crab which came with fries and cocktail sauce. That was delicious but unfortunately the last time I went there the waiter didn’t know what I was talking about when I asked for it. My date was very dissapointed about that as he’d tried it before with me and fell in love with that particular meal.
I also went there on St. Patricks Day and ate the corned beef and cabbage, which was to. DIE. for., the owner brought me out some horseraddish and told me to try that with it and I almost creamed my pants it was sooo good.
Regular Happy hour is from 2pm — 7pm includes discount on food and drinks.
Reverse Happy hour is from 10pm — Midnight and includes $ 1 off all drinks.
I like that you don’t have to wait for your drinks, the bartenders are friendly and very prompt. No waiting for 5 — 10 minutes like has happened at some other bars I’ve gone to in the Valley (i.e. george and dragon). I usually order a tequila sunrise and the bartender remembers my drink when i arrive, but on st. patricks day they got me addicted to something called a «Nutty Irishman». My friend usually orders the KiltLifter on tap.
There is an outdoor bar and patio as well for those who want a smoke. It includes a big screen tv.
The crowd there is touch and go. There are a few regulars, and sometimes kids aroundage 21 come in and then sometimes it’s an older crowd. I haven’t gotten a handle on what is the night that everyone loves the most. Sometimes it’s a big crowd but the last time I went on a saturday, the place was practically empty. Which is a shame cause Ernies in Chandler is a gem.

Maryland style seafood. While I’m very well versed with seafood I’m not an expert on east coast seafood (I generally don’t care for it) so I can’t speak to how authentic it is. That being said, I have enjoyed the dishes I’ve had here (the crab cakes, and shrimp). This site was previously a Jilly’s (sport bar & grill) and they’ve kept all the TV sets and bar area so its a good place to come and watch sports, or anything really since the booths have individual speakers.
*serves coke products

Maryland Crab Cake.
Oh, and the fried zucchini is pretty good, although I prefer sticks, it’s cut in disks and the breading is quite tasty. French fries are nice and crispy, too. Ambience isn’t quite like the other location — this one has more trendy décor. But who cares because the food is the same and they have the same fantastic MARYLAND. CRAB. CAKES.
~drool~

PATHETIC… you would be better off going to CHICK FILLET for lunch. Four of us all ordered separate things and we ended up passing them around hoping one would be better than the other… unfortunately, they were all sub-​par. There is NO LOVE going on in this kitchen! I felt like warning the poor server to UPDATE HER RESUME and start looking for a new job :(

Just tried this restaurant for the first time. The name gives no indication of the food or atmosphere and the theme is inconsistent. Is it a seafood place, a bar and grill, a sports bar?
I was surprised it was so empty on a football Sunday. Made sense after I saw the television set up – not great. Loads of tvs but they are small and arranged to each table eliminating any group or crowd interaction.
The hostesses… abrupt in attitude and clueless regarding guests wanting to be able to watch the game.
The service… slow, inattentive and impersonal.
The food… took forever for basic items, not a lot of food for the cost, tasted acceptable.
I won’t go back.

While the food is priced slightly higher than other restaurants in the area, Ernie’s proves that you truly do get what you pay for. Their menu varies from hamburgers and other «all-​American food» to seafood, which is definitely their forte. As of this writing I’ve tried roughy ¹⁄₃ of their menu, and haven’t found a single item that I wouldn’t give a glowing review to.
The owners and staff are not only very professional, they are also very friendly. The second time I went to Ernie’s, I was greeted by no less than 3 employees who remembered me from the week before. My waitress remembered that I drank lemonade, and asked me if I wanted the crab dip again for an appetizer (I did, it’s amazing). They really did make me feel at home.
Ernie’s is also a great place to drink your nights away. The bartenders are hilarious and offer good drink recommendations, and the crowd that Ernie’s attracts (while small for now) are mostly quality, social people. The drink prices are reasonable without having to resort to «reverse happy hour» gimmicks or anything silly like that.
All in all, a great place.

I recently seen an add about Ernie’s being a Maryland style seafood house, and being from Maryland I had to test it out. I ordered the Crab Cake Platter, which included 1 large crab cake, about 7 or 8 steamed shrimp (seasoned with Old Bay!) and a cup of MD style crab soup. Man, did I feel like home. The Maryland style crab soup was very tastey and had shreaded crab meat throughout, very thick and full of flavor. I’d give it a 8 out of ten, more backfin meat and it would have been a 10. The crab cake was large and no filler was in sight. It was seasoned just right and was one of the best I’ve had outside Baltimore. It was crispy on the outside and hunks of backfin on the inside. They do a very good job. The shrimp were a little over cooked and covered with a weird sauted Old Bay onion mix. At first I was not sure about the combination but it worked.
Overall, I was very impressed with the Maryland style food. The only thing that need to be fixed is the strange paintings on the walls. The room has a sports /​crabhouse feel but the animal paintings on the walls just doesn’t go.

2.5 for the experience, .5 for the free wi-​fi.
The owners of Ernie’s in Scottsdale have opened up a second location. I went online to check out the reviews for the other place, and strangely there were none.
We were here on a Saturday afternoon. The place was pretty slow, maybe only one or two other tables. The service was there, but nothing great. Happy hour on a Saturday afternoon is usually a good thing, but I wasn’t really impressed by this one. $ 1 off everything except wine and a few appetizers at a special price. Five-​ish beers on tap.
As for the food, the Maryland style wings were good (Maryland style = wings with Old Bay Seasoning). We also ordered the Crab Cake Sampler, but I’m not sure where the «sampler» part came in. There were three golf ball size crab cakes and it came with cocktail and tartar sauce. The crab cakes were great, pretty much all crab meat, no filler. However, for $ 13.95, they better be! The other fried appetizers looked good. The Chicken Sandwich and fries didn’t look exciting.
Let’s just say I’m not in a huge hurry to get back to Ernie’s. Then again, I don’t think this location has been open very long. Maybe I’ll give them some time to settle in and then try again.