Sam Hughes Place Championship Dining

I really hate to update this review by knocking down a star, especially when I actually thought the food here was better than last time.
Unfortunately, I had a bit of an uncomfortable experience. I brought an individual here for a job interview of sorts, and this woman is a very high ranking individual in a very prominent government role here in Tucson. To say this was an important lunch meeting doesn’t even begin to cover it.
I needed a lunch spot that would not only serve good food, but also have good service and appropriate atmosphere. The food was pretty good. The atmosphere… well, let me tell you what happened.
I was greeted by a hostess, who was a very friendly young lady. I requested my table, and she walked me to our booth. However, I couldn’t help but notice how short her skirt was. I’m not 100, I wasn’t raised particularly conservatively, and I’m enough of a feminist to believe that women should be judged on what they wear.
But I’m also a business woman. And frankly, it was just plain inappropriate to wear that to work. I thought «oh honey, you don’t need to wear that to get noticed» but I was seated and honestly didn’t give it a second thought.
After my colleague joined me, we started our meeting and everything progressed smoothly. We were halfway through lunch when we noticed a different hostess sitting a table across from us. This hostess too had on an EXTREMELY short skirt. This time, it was so short that when she leaned over I could see… well, let’s just leave at London and France.
Super, super uncomfortable.
The person I dined with, an incredibly professional woman, stopped mid-​sentence, turned and looked at me. I thought «oh goodness, she’s going to think I took her to a TD’s rather than a respectable establishment! She’s going to try and sneak out before the „floor show“ begins…» It was so awkward, all I could do was apologize.
So… apparently, Champs has decided to move into a new direction? I once recommended this place as a good spot for a business lunch, but now I would never take another colleague here. Or my husband, for that matter I guess. I would worry he’d choke on whatever food he was served! Champs, I’m not sure if you’re trying to court a primarily male clientele who are too classy to go to a strip club for lunch, but it was awkward and frankly unprofessional. I hope you will consider revising your dress code for staff.
Some other notes… I didn’t want to argue the bill with the server with my companion present, but I did give him a coupon before my guest had arrived which was not reflected on the bill. I also noticed that I had gotten charged for an extra drink. Not the end of the world, but it’s those little details that reflect on a place.

Nice bar, cheap happy hour and lots of TVs. Great for catching up on your favorite sports. Menu also decent. Friendly staff.

Overpriced and underhanded! We went looking for late night eats & drinks. We were seated with full menus, which were then taken away from us, and late night happy hour menus were given to us. Awesome! But when we ordered our drinks off the late night menu, we were told that the drinks were not part of the happy hour specials, even though the menu stated clearly that they were. The food was OK, but nothing special. The drinks were fine, but I can’t help but wonder why a happy hour mixed drink costs more than a burger & pizza. Oh, and I almost forgot the service… maybe because it was underwhelming.
It’s a «douche-​y college kids spending other people’s money» kind of crowd.

I have eaten in the restaurant and I have been in the bar area numerous times. The food can be hit or miss, but they always seem to try and be creative with their menu. I mean, one of their happy hour specials for $ 7, was Mongolian Beef. You certainly don’t expect that in a place like this.
Speaking of happy hour, their format is one of the more creative ones I have seen. They call it $ 3-​$ 7 from 3 – 7 — and it’s just what it sounds like — they offer happy hour specials for $ 3 to $ 7 from 3:00 to 7:00… EVERY DAY.
On this particular visit our waitress (I nicknamed her Olive — more on this in a minute) took her time approaching us after we found the lone empty table in the bar area. We order our drinks, mine a martini and my wife had the mini martini flight, and Olive asks me if I would like olives or a twist in my martini. I answer, «Olives — lots of them». When our drinks arrive, my «martini» is in a wine glass with SIX olives in it. She really took my request to heart, so that’s why I nicknamed her Olive. This was my second strange martini experience recently, in different establishments. Maybe I need to just stick to beer.
My wife really liked the the three mini martinis ($ 6); cosmo, pomegranate and lemon drop. I felt like the martini being served in a wine glass changed the taste of it, but I am sure that’s all in my head.
We both order the burger (happy hour priced at $ 7 — $.50 for extras like cheese or bacon) which does not come with fries, so we get one order to share (I think Olive gave us a break and charged us $ 3 — the happy hour price for sweet potato fries). The burger comes with mayo on it, so if you don’t like mayo, be sure to ask them to leave it off. The burger was good, but by the time we got to the end, the bun was falling apart. The fries were hot and super crispy.
Service was kind of up and down. The whole Olive thing was just a little strange… but I probably got what I deserved for being a smartass.

The good:
–cheap happy hour prices and good happy hour options. $ 4 (or was it 3) for a pretty good turkey burger: not bad. Cheap and semi-​strong drinks
–Close to the UA
–TV in the restroom. So I don’t miss any good parts of that game I wasn’t watching in the first place. Because I hate sports: P
The bad:
–WEIRD décor. Like it’s trying to be fancy, but is falling short on the attempt.
–Lots of bros.
Meh, I’d go again.

Probably the worst bar I’ve ever gone to. They hosted a college night tonight. Service was very slow, bar tenders were unfriendly, and there was a cover. Get over your self champs, your not a hip night club.

I went in with a friend to watch Monday night football, although the service left A LOT to be desired. The server kind of got an attitude or almost seemed annoyed that we were there. the roasted chicken ciabatta was tasty and the fries weren’t bad either. However I would say if you are looking for something over a bar experience i would not go here for dinner.

I’ve been frequenting this place lately, and I will have to say it is definitely one of the best sports bars around town. Bartenders are friendly, knowledgeable, and quick. On weekends, they tend to be very full, so expect to wait for drinks. Happy hour offers great drinks and food items at a very reasonable price. Managers are always on hand if you need to talk to them. The one negative thing is the lack of parking, as the bar shares parking with other businesses on the corner.
The bar/​restaurant draws crowds from all ages. Bring friends along and have a good time!

When you have to call the manager from your cell phone bc the hostess was gossiping and chit chatting on the phone at the hostess stand… this is a clear sign that they just dont get it… I have had a varitety of interesting encounters at this restaurant, bad service, tasteless entrees but My boyfriend and I went in bc we had a buy one entrée and get the 2^nd one free little did we know that if you use a coupon that it is house policy to include a mandatory gratuity which in our case was 30%. For a party of two? Conclusion… Never going back there again.,

food is gross!
service sucked!
parking is terrible!

Stopped in with elderly Mom on a Saturday (in July — school’s out) for an early lunch — we had a
coupon. Glad to find another local place that we can go — they have a diverse menu with plenty of things that she likes.
We had lunch, but apparently there is a $ 5 breakfast buffet on Sat and Sun — I’d like to come back to try that. I did take advantage of the $ 5 Stoli Bloody Mary bar — yum.
The food was what you’d expect for sportsbar fare. Mom’s pulled pork sandwich was good, the fries were AWESOME. My salad was good. The service was friendly and the to-​go container was a cardboard box instead of styrofoam — BRAVO!
I think this is a good place for me & Mom to go to. I would not expect fine dining (it is a sports bar) and I would not go in the evening (especially when school is in) — I am sure its character changes in a way I might not like. It’s a solid 3.5 stars, but the to-​go container bumped it up for me!

It is noisy, the food is not that hot and, the service is even worse! I will never set foot inside their door again.

Note that on game nights, Champs does not offer happy hour. At $ 6 a pop, a cocktail is hardly a mid-​week buy here. The sea of red does descend approximately an hour before kick-​off or tip-​off, but these Cats are graying at the temples. With these prices, the Zona Zoo crew has taken their show elsewhere (Bob Dobb’s is not nearly so stingy). Our crowd stepped onto the patio and asked for an ash tray, and our gum-​popping waitress brought us a ceramic ramekin. Would’ve hated to be the next customer ordering a side of tartar sauce, regardless of water velocity in their dishwasher. Bob Dobb’s, Dirtbag’s, Trident, etc. do it better, longer, faster, stronger…

Lame. Food sucks. Crowded with bros. Nothing great.

Champs as it’s referred to by everyone.
A hot spot for all the UofA students.
Night life is centered in the crowded patio and bar area; walk over to where the tables are and it’s deserted. DJs on the weekends. Radio pop/rap/R&B is the tunes that are played. Service is somewhat friendly but then again i don’t blame them for being snobby at times since dealing with drunk college kids can get annoying and fast. Another bad thing about this place… they will have lines out front a mile long yet once inside it isn’t even that crowded. Or go around the front to the «VIP» which basically means pay the doorman off to let you in.
Great for a more upscale bar to watch a sports game at. Okay for «nightlife».
Food? Typical bar style. Drinks? the Trashcan drink is a staple, however they have a full bar and drinks are decently made.

Don’t eat here unless you are drunk and don’t mind crappy bar food. Seriously. There are much better places to eat food in Tucson… There are better reasons to go here besides food. First, there are many TVs and almost every seat in the establishment offers an opportunity to watch the game. Second, you must try a «Trash Can». These things are great! Just order one… Yeah, so, go here to drink and watch sporting events. The crowd is fun, the drinks are cold, and there are TVs. Yesssss!

Ehhh… I’ve had better. The food isn’t too bad, I actually don’t mind coming here for happy hour and appetizers, however I DO NOT like the nightlife here. It’s a college bar… a little more upscale-​ish where you’d find frat guys and sorority chicks.
The thing that grinds my gears the most is that they make you wait in a line outside, even if it’s not packed inside! Not sure what this is about… maybe to build up the excitement? To make it seem more VIP? Doesn’t make sense to me. I guess I’m more of a low key bar scene kind of gal.

This place opened the spring/​summer I turned 21, and it was my favorite bar in Tucson. You could find me sitting at the bar every Tuesday night, and occasionally Friday and Saturday. Most of the university’s beautiful faces could be found here, and their happy hours were great. They had some really tasty sliders, and nachos, and the drinks were cheap!
One thing that this place is awful at is customer service, and loyalty. I actually strolled in here for a steak, and glass of wine some time last month. I walked in on my own, made eye contact and recognized the bartender, and sat at the bar. I sat there for 10 minutes while he chatted with a patron. It looked like he was trying to get away the first couple of minutes, then I guess he just forgot about me. No one acknowledged me, so I ended up walking out with my $ 25+ I would’ve spent on steak, wine, and tip.
It would take a lot for me to ever go back here.

Another popular place to meet up with friends from college since it’s so close to the U of A. Atmosphere, crowd and hours are horrible though. Lines can be long for no reason.
Drinks are huge which is a plus. The place closes at midnight-​ish though, which is just lame. Parking can be a pain. The place is usually just packed with frat boys which gets old really quick.
Good place to gather and grab a drink early on in the night but do not plan on staying here.

No no no no no no no… NO.
I’m not impressed by any means.
The place is overrun with «‘Bro-ster’s» and makes having an enjoyable night very hard when trying to order a drink and having to weave through popped collars, bad hair styles and greasy skin.
As far as the women clientele? Can you answer a question without looking like a moron?
I swear, if the girls here weren’t pretty, they would be homeless.