- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Bad Dog American Pub
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Restaurants American (Traditional) Food Beer, Wine & Spirits Restaurants American (New) Pubs, American (Traditional), Beer, Wine & Spirits, American (New) [Edit]
8933 JM Keynes DrSte 2
Charlotte, NC 28262
Neighborhood: University City
(704) 717-7177
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 2 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night, Lunch
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
Will S. said: "This was one of the best burgers I have had in awhile. I would recommend the black and blue burger. The beer is cold and cheap enough. Great atmosphere. What else do you need to know? Stop reading this and go to JackBeagles now!" read more »
17 reviews for Bad Dog American Pub
17 reviews in English
-
Review from Trey S.
A puppy amongst DOGS....
I had a the chance to get to Bad Dog's this past Saturday for lunch. I can't exactly tell you why my gf and I decided to go to Bad Dog's, maybe just looking to try something off the beaten path, and not your average dog.
We arrived there a little after 1pm, walked down into the bar and set-up shop at the bar. The bartender was a polite dude, took our drink orders immediately, had menus ready for us and was ready and willing to take our orders whenever we were ready.
Ordered the chicken quesadillas (see pics), my gf ordered the Bad Dog burger which is basically a bacon cheeseburger (see pics). The quesadillas were good, not great; they were about what you would expect for a bar of this nature. My gf's burger was tasty, as I took a few huge bites. The maple flavored bacon added a unique flavor for sure.
The bill came to $20.17 (see pics)., which is fairly priced for the quality of burger and size of the quesadillas we received. Keep in mind however that fries do not come with the burger, which are $2.00 extra very tasty hand-cut fries. It still stinks that they don't just come with the burger, but oh well.
Hey, this isn't the greatest food you will ever eat. The actual bar itself isn't the classiest bar you will ever hang out in; not as long as you know that going in, then you should be ok. The service is great. The food is good, not great. There are plenty of drink specials from day-to-day. Bad Dog's only fault, if you can call it that, is that it doesn't do anything to distinguish itself from the many other bars in the University Area. Sorry to say, but I look at Bad Dog's as a puppy compared to the Big-Dog bars in the area such as B.walks, Picasso's, Taco Mac, Hickory Tavern and others. -
Review from Bruce K.
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went on a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. It was $1 wells night that night. That was awesome. Other than that, I think this place is a place to drink. Definitely not a place to dine.
The music was pretty good that night and the place was pretty packed. Some nights, the music is a little off for my taste so I don't go here often. The only reason was because it was close to school, $1 wells, and my friends decided to come here to drink. -
Review from Cain P.
Charlotte, NC
2/13/2012
If hanging around a bunch a douchy frat boys is your style then get here early BC you wont want to miss out on all of the fun. The place is dingy and the food really stinks. As bars go this is the kind of spot that high schoolers would go to with their fake ids and would fit right in.
-
Review from Justin B.
Raleigh, NC
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
They charged a cover, were stingy with the liquor, and the DJ sucked. Disappointing.
-
Review from Vonetta Y.
Washington, DC
6/1/2011
Six dollars for two beers nearly had R ready to move to Charlotte. I'm sure Bad Dog became his instant favorite.
We popped by for a couple of brewskies and to watch the Barcelona-Man U match. I was pleasantly surprised that they were showing it!
Plenty of TVs along the bar, and there's also one outside in case you want to get your drink on al fresco (but I do hope they upgrade the outside TV, as it's almost as old as I am). The staff was friendly, the beer was cheap. A-OK by me. -
Review from Hungry C.
Charlotte, NC
1/29/2012
The only reason i gave this place 2 stars is for the omb beer other then that it took honestly 20 min to get from the back patio to the bathroom. There is no cap size so they just kept packing them in. Other then the mass crowds of sloppy hoes and douche bags there isnt much else. Maybe just went on a bad night which was a thursday and country night. Wouldent go back
-
Review from Richard D.
Chapel Hill, NC
7/29/2011
This place makes me laugh everytime I think about it. It is so grimey and cheap. 5 dollar cover gets you 1 dollar drinks all night. Crappy drinks of course but you will get wasted and make bad decisions
-
Review from Chad E.
1/7/2010
I have to admit that I've been jonesing to visit Bad Dog for a while now. I tried to stop in a few weeks back and couldn't find the place (I didn't try all that hard). When we couldn't figure out where we were going, we went elsewhere.
This time, we were on a mission, and armed with the address - always helpful - and knowing what we were after, we headed straight for the kill. Yet we still had a bit of a time finding our way because signage doesn't really exist. You have to go around the other buildings, to the edge of the lake, across the boardwalk from Boardwalk Billy's and there they are.
Once we found it, we were absolutely underwhelmed. On a Friday night, with football (minor bowl games) on the sets, there were about three other people inside. There were more staff than there were customers. I would imagine from the reviews that Bad Dog sees better days, but it just wasn't happening here.
We ordered a burger (the "over easy", with an egg and bacon) and a cheese steak. The burger wasn't bad, but the bun was way too big. Smaller bun would have done much more justice to the burger. The cheese steak also wasn't bad, but it's tough to mess up a cheese steak. Oh, except for the moldy roll that we didn't notice until halfway through the sandwich.
That pretty much did it in, but not as much as the "oh, we'll take that off your order" comment did. Not a "let us take care of your whole order" or a "how about a free meal next time" or even a "here is a free dessert". Even a simple apology would have been nice. To top it all off, the manager - who allegedly took care of the sandwich for us (but didn't) - simply waved and told us to have a good night. No wonder the place is empty.
On the plus side, the sweet potato fries weren't bad. There was no sign of the "tableside guacamole" or crab anything (mentioned elsewhere) that we could find. I don't think we'll be back anytime soon. -
Review from Eric K.
10/29/2008 3 photos
For burgers, hot dogs, and other good ol' "American" food, Bad Dog is perfect. We've gone for lunch a couple of times, really enjoyed the meals, and went back today. As I left, I wondered, "Why don't we come here more often?"
To start, we tried the crab quesadillas. Wow. Real crab...and very spicy. The flavor and hotness surprised me. I loved it!
I had the cajun sausage wrap as my entree. It was delicious although nowhere near as spicy as the quesadillas. The only other thing that would have made it better is if the sausage had been whole instead of cut up into chunks. My partner had the Southern Hot Dog. They don't tell you it's a foot-long 'til they drop the big wiener in front of you.
And, yes, we can definitely attest to the fresh-cut fries like in everyone else's reviews. They ARE delicious. So simple, yet so tasty. Skinny like McDonald's fries, yet 100x better with the skins left on. I give top marks to Bad Dog. -
Review from Andonus P.
Charlotte, NC
9/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I took an out of town friend here last weekend on a Saturday and I must say that it was an experience. When we first entered we were asked to pay a $10 cover (each). I can never figure out why bars, not night clubs have a cover charge. We paid our 20 bucks and proceeded in. After getting in the long line for the men's bathroom, I soon discovered why we had just paid $20 for the privilege of running up a $100 tab. It was college night!!! There were at least 10 people in line rubbing the X's off their hands and trying to get to the sink to wash them off.
The drinks were pretty good and fairly priced. I haven't eaten here in a while, so I can't give any feedback regarding the food.
As for atmosphere, I'd have to say that this isn't a place for anyone over the age of 27. The majority of the patrons there on Saturday night were between 18-22. The floor throughout the entire bar was also very sticky, it felt like walking in caramel and if you stood in one spot too long, you'd actually become stuck to the floor. The music was also extremely loud and the crowd becomes questionable towards the end of the night. I recall a group of guys that walked in, smelling like they'd been digging ditches all day.
I gave this place an extra star because of the bachelorette party that was going on. There's nothing like watching a 21 year old bride to be and her 18-20 year old friends go all out on the dance floor :) -
Review from Victor W.
Charlotte, NC
4/1/2008
I've got a problem with restaurants that tell me that their particular fare is the "Worlds Best!". NO restaurant has yet to prove these words true. Bad Dogs is almost no exception.
I was driving down Tryon the other day and to my surprise there was a large hot dog waving at traffic frantically next to sign proclaiming Bad Dogs to have the "Worlds Best" Burgers, hot dogs, and fries. I was intrigued! So happens I had recently gotten a coupon (coupons ROCK!) for a free dog with the purchase of a fountain drink. I went.
The interior is fairly divey, with the smell of last evening beer and cigarette smoke still lingering in the air. It was clean enough and the waitress at the bar was quick with a "howdy".
I pulled up to the bar, got a menu and ordered a Sprite. The dog menu was average. Coney dog, Chicago dog, cheddar and bacon dog, Kitchen sink (chili, slaw, onion and cheese (not a very big sink)) and a couple more. I ordered the Coney dog and the chicago style (sans relish, not my condiment at all). I also decided to take the $2.50 fries, what the hell, right?!
The dogs arrived with a gargantuan pile of the best looking fries I have ever seen. There was no way I was getting through that. The coney dog looked right, veggieless/beanless chili sauce with grated cheddar underneath in a slightly oversized steamed bun. Taste was fairly good and slightly better than fair when a smidge of salt was added. Although I tend toward grilled buns, it worked well. The Hebrew National Hot dog was nicely browned, moist on the inside and overall very nice. I enjoyed it!
The chicago dog was a HUGE disappointment. The bun was NOT steamed, in fact it was a bit hard. The pepperoncini were dried looking and tastless. Even the pickles were unfairly bland. The dog seems to have been cooked earlier and left to set while the other was on the flattop which is odd considering I was one of the first three customers in the joint (It was about 11:15 AM). It lacked flare, moistness, heat, joy, attention, love, and everything else that the chicago style dog is known for.
Now to the fries! Holy Cow!!!! Them were some good fries!!!!! I am guessing they use the blanch first, fry second method, cause they were everything a fry should be. Crisp, deep brown, mushy in the middle, everything. I didn't even consider using a condiment, it would have been french fry sacrilidge. I ate them ALL!!!!!!
So, they tell us worlds best hot dog, and, again, we are left short of the goal. The first dog was good but forgettable. The second, a disaster, pure and simple.
But the fries! There may be better fries in the world, somewhere, but these would pit up one hell of a fight for the title.
Would I go back? Yes. But not for the dogs. I would go back on a tuesday when the bottled beer is cold and half price and drink a few while stuffing my maw full of those Idaho dandies!
EAT WELL! V-DUB -
Review from Michael M.
Lawrenceville, GA
Went here for a second time had the chicken sandwich want bad but I wish they wash the counters
-
Review from Charlotte V.
Charlotte, NC
6/17/2011
Ok burgers. Occasionally good food specials through out the week.
-
Review from Brett M.
Cornelius, NC
9/13/2008
For someone who likes burgers, fries and beer as much as I do, this place is awesome!
Like the reviewer says below, the hand-cut french fries are great, but by far my favorite item is the Carolina burger.
Wendy's offers a Carolina burger also, which is good in a pinch, but the one here is so much more substantial...chili, coleslaw, mustard, ketchup and cheese! Soo good!
I would offer my opinion on other items, but I haven't yet made it past the Carolina Burger. I need to try the hot dogs next. A friend has told me they are really good too. -
Review from Levi T.
Charlotte, NC
Beer and Drink prices were very low bathrooms were the worst ever hands down. Sat night tho the place to be Party Party Party
-
Review from Blayr N.
Charlotte, NC
5/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went here for lunch and had decent food. The view of the man made lake in the shopping center is pretty cool on a day when the weather is nice. I went back again at night and they had a great DJ with an artist performing ( Truth of the QC), the place was pretty packed, and the drink specials were awesome. I think I like this place as a night venue better. I will be back, but not in a hurry because the University area is a hike from south Charlotte. I had a fun time nonetheless.
-
Review from Jason M.
Charlotte, NC
2/26/2011
I've been there twice before and loved it. They've got good beer at good prices. Decided to go for dinner last night and was disappointed. They have changed their menu. Fries or tater tots no longer come with the burger; you have to order them as a side and they are expensive for the amount you get. For $3.50 I expect more than a handful of Sweet Potato Tater Tots thrown in a basket. They are good, but not THAT good.
My wife ordered their Gourmet Burger, and about 15 minutes later the bartender told us they were out of Goat Cheese, which was the main reason she ordered it. This should have been brought to our attention before this. She then ordered the Shroomin' Swiss Burger, which was delivered without any Horseradish mayo, Tomato, or Lettuce. We had to ask for these items, even though the menu says the burger comes with it. The burger was over-cooked and chewy, and the bun was too big for the burger and stale. My Chicago Dog was decent.
It seems this place can't decide what it wants to be. Does it want to be a "Gourmet Burger" place or a college bar? It should probably figure this out before it's too late. I will not be back.
