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Elbow Room
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
27 reviews for Elbow Room
The boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary dinner since Chef's Table is closed on Mondays (lame). We ordered a bottle of Merlot, but our waitress came back to tell us they ran out. So we chose another bottle, but instead of her coming back to tell us the sad news a second time, the bartender actually approached us and informed us that since they were out, he recommends a more expensive, tastier wine, but at a discount. It was very nice of him to do and we were very statisfied with his selection. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, always there to refill our water and pour our wine promptly, without us having to hunt her down. We started off with the Fritto Misto appetizer (fried calamari, fried shrimp, and fried green beans.) The calamari was good, shrimp was overcooked, and I didn't care for the fried green beans. The jalapeno aiolo sauce had potential to be very delicious, but it was bland. It was lacking a spice or two. The seafood cioppino was such a disappointment! I mean, I wasn't looking for San Francisco quality (this is Fresno after all), but I wasn't expecting it to taste like minestrone soup! Our cioppino was basically minestrone soup with fish and tiny bits of calamari. I was already dreading our entrees........
But boy was it good! My boyfriend had the special, New York steak stuffed with bleu cheese and proscuitto, topped with mushrooms. I had a delicious sirloin with shrimp. Our meats were very tender and cooked perfectly (medium rare). The cooks need a lesson on cooking shrimp because they are overcooked and not tender at all. We each had a side of veggies that were buttered and seasoned perfectly and a side of mashed potatoes that were so creamy. Yummy.
This restaurant is very casual and laid back. It has a few flat screen tvs which was cool since my boyfriend and I didn't miss the Chargers/Broncos game (we're saving the romantic dinner for Chef's Table.) I've been here once before, but it was only for drinks.
I'm giving this a 3.5 because I was very disappointed with the soup and the shrimp. Aside from the superb service, I would come back here again for dinner and try a different appetizer and get a salad instead.
In town with a colleague for a couple of days, and wanting a decent dinner in a relaxing atmosphere. Hotel recommended the two "fine food" restaurants at the Fig Garden shopping complex. The Elbow Room was the first one we saw as we drove in, and it looks very appealing from the outside, so we chose it.
Oh, well.
The large room is a weird combination of sports bar in a back area, traditional like tuck'n'roll upholstered booths, and very traditional wraparound bar with the usual accumulation of after-work office types.
The service was prompt at all times. My colleague ordered the chicken quesadillas and he said he enjoyed them. It certainly was a sizeable portion. The server, Vivian, did a nice job of taking his customized order.
I had decided upon the cedar planked salmon, until Vivian mentioned that the seafood special was swordfish. Fresh swordfish. My favorite. She said the market price was $13.99. Many of the other entrees were $10 or more OVER that, so I should have been suspicious. Instead of the usual size of swordfish steak, this was a stead that had been sliced once or twice, producing a steak about as thick as a slice of bread. Wonder Bread, not your favorite handcrafted multi-grain! I have never in my life seen such a thin slice of swordfish served. My colleague and I almost laughed at the trick that had been played on me.
The swordfish was okay; there was a little light sauce on it that was fine. It was not dry; it was just not that juicy texture that one expects with a regular swordfish steak. The accompanying vegetables, primarily a squash medley, were tough. Only the grilled onions in the grilled veggie mix were tender.
I also ordered the iceberg wedge salad, and it was fine. My colleague ate some of the complementary bread and he liked it.
My decaf coffee was just right, not weak and not unbearably strong. I would have appreciated the offer of a refill.
Final assessment: since I am here on business every month or every other month, I have many restaurants in the area to try before needing to return to the Elbow Room. It probably serves an important purpose for the after-work professionals, and Fig Garden shoppers, with the bar.
my boyfriend took me here for our anniversary, and it was really nice. i got the linguini sausage pasta i think. it was delicious! the dinning room is nice and its very laid back. i guess its the place to go for drinks or to hang out with friends cause everyone started to show up.
the old couple at the bar with their tongues down their throat was awkward
but all in all the food is delicious!
This place has potential to be the best spot in the No. Large, well stocked, dim lit bar check! Cougars on the prowl asking for champange, and it's not their birthday check! And above all, the young dummies mostly hangout in the patio area. I shall return!
Not willing to do the 2 hour wait for Cabo Wabo, we went to the Elbow Room for dinner on a Friday night before 7 pm...BIG MISTAKE. We couldn't get a table out in the patio area and was stuck in the dining area. The median crowd age was 50 years + and I felt really crammed in our corner booth. The menu is limited and for some reason the drinks just did not taste the same as it does on the patio.
The extra star goes to our really nice waitress and hostess who actually remembered my name.
My 2 cents:
1. Come here after 9 pm.
2. Get patio seating. It's the only way to enjoy the Elbow Room.
There is a large business/financial complex right behind the Elbow Room, so hence the ummm....eagle-eyed, middle-age vultures with $60K+ sport cars.
I can't comment on the average age of the patrons since it was fairly empty last Tuesday night, but I will comment on the food.
We had the wings for an appetizer. Good and meaty. Not great, but good
I had the sausage sandwich with a side of veggies. It was pretty small and had maybe one whole sausage in it. Covered in tomato sauce and a little cheese. Not very good, would not order again.
My associate had the fish and chips. They were a little over breaded but the portion was good and the flavor was nice. Not the best I have had, but not the worst.
Despite the place being fairly empty, the service was slow. I would not go back.
We went there on a Saturday night around 11pm and I guess all the cool kids are out coz all I see are beautiful people. I've read the previous reviews so I was a little skeptical when my Fresno-ians (Fresno-ers?) friends planned to take us there. The reviews said that it's an oldies bar but I guess since it's late they all went home home to sleep early *snicker* ---- me bad.
WE haven't tried the food but the drinks are more than decent. My friend and I tried their amaretto sour... yum though a little weaker than I'm used to. On our 2nd round our attendant made a mistake and got us Midori Sour instead, she apologized and told us to try it nevertheless. If we didn't like it she'd get us our right order. It was yummmier! Highly recommended! Definitely a blessing in disguise.
My hubby and his friends got Blue Moon beer and they said it was good too.
The crowd is great (at that time) and the attendants are nice. All in all we had a great time here.
BUT minus one star because when they were closing, they literally kick people out. The bouncers would flash their flashlights on your faces and shout that it's time to go. UGH!!!! Hello rudeness alert! Another star off coz 'twas only one-freakin'-thirty on a Saturday!
Overpriced drinks with an awesome large patio overlooking the parking lot and cougars and old men looking to score with the young folk. This place feels and looks old because it is. P.S. Don't eat here.
I detect a strong anti-cougar bias in these reviews--while perhaps not the greatest bar in the history of man, Elbow Room is definitely a good time. My business colleagues and I had to spend some time in Fresno, and we weren't looking for a "scene," just good food and drinks, and Elbow Room delivered big time, especially in the drink department (fantastic margaritas). That being said, we were there on a Thursday night, and the crowd was definitely younger and having a good time--it did not seem like a geezer collective at all.
How can such a nice restaurant as the Chef's Table be connected to such a Freak Nast y place as the Elbow Room? The crowd was straight out of a David Lynch movie with a few young kinds thrown in for contrast. It scared my friend so much so that he didn't even let get my drink on and dragged me out into the parking lot.
Hmmm. I just read the review that said fugly over-50s hang here. Shee-it. I guess that would be me.
Sis and I stopped by last weekend for a cocktail to soothe our souls while on a family visit to Fresno. I loved the patio with the fans on high and the mist flying. Not exactly a place for quiet contemplation, but a good place for a snort and shootin the shit with my sis. We will be back. Look out, peeps.
We didn't eat, so can't speak to that. I liked the fireplace/waterfall combo. They don't have anything sharp like that here in the San Jose hinterlands.
Good wine. Lots of cougars. Overpriced food. But hey...maybe you could just go on a liquid diet and take a Trans-Am home.
Get one of the specials. They never put a bad bottle on discount!
The bar can be fun if you are tacky-rich, 50 and fugly, then you may get laid. They had decent chefs in the past (old location) but it's a "drench it in crisco" kind of place. Overpriced and underwhelming. "Slimy and gross" is a good description of the food and people... but some people like this. Not my thing. Staff is nice and bartenders know what they are doing at times. I'd rather eat at a Greenwich Villaige Taco Bell/KFC.
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Bottom line on the Elbow Room....it is a bar, usually a good number of people in here...most of which are Silver Foxes. The crowd was a bit old for me. Fun place but bring an extra oxygen bottle and some adult diapers in case one of the patrons has an accident.
The Elbow Room is Fresno's most traditional restaurant and bar. Come here to wine, dine, and enjoy the company of others whether it's a high school reunion or a simple friday / saturday night gathering. Be prepared to wait in a long line and over-pay for average drinks. I've been here several times during the holidays and my reviews are always mix. I do enjoy their food and outdoor heated patio. The service is not up to par and also their drinks.
The lunch crowd is mix of trophy wives and business folks from the nearby financial centers. Happy hour and evenings draw mostly middle aged folks looking to score. It has a real meat-markety feel to it, which is fine if that's your thing. If you go there on a Friday/Saturday night, expect to wait eons for service, especially if you're seated on the patio.
There's a mix of the "older" crowd and the younger crowd here. If you're out with friends it can be fun. If you're looking to dance, don't go here. Yeah there will be older slimy guys hitting on you, but what bar doesn't?! Good for drinks, and a low profile hangout.
Honestly...you can't come to Fresno and not go to the Elbow. Take it for what it is...I always enjoy it.
My cousin had her graduation party here- complete with 4 infants and 20 other rowdy family members and the service was great. Food was fine, and the dessert was better than the entree, but the staff made the afternoon.
Have only been here once but it was pretty cool. As bars go, this one is par for the course. We sat in the outdoor seating, which I would recommend. The ambiance is cool. Fireplaces keep you warm, TVs keep you entertained. Good place to chill after dinner or to start off the night.
Relaxed quiet atmosphere...I give it five stars for sitting in the bar and having a glass of wine and an appetizer. I give it three stars for sitting down and having a meal. The food is nothing special (but on the bright side, not at all offensive) but it's a little overpriced for being "nothing special"... So go for a nice glass of wine and maybe some lettuce wraps!
This place always has good food, but gets negative points for being just generally slimy and gross. There are always a ton of geezers in there either smoking cigars on the patio or siddling up to college girls at the bar. It's just gross! Too dark, too weird, the patio is the only saving grace since the renovation. It's too bad, the food's okay. It's always one of the few places to still go for a drink in Fig Garden and becomes the "homecoming reunion" hang for locals during the holidays. Mixed reviews - avoid if possible!
Over the past few years, either I've outgrown the "Bow" or the "Bow" ain't what it used to be. There's the bar scene with an unusual mix of the L.A. wannabes and much older, scantly dressed patrons. Still, I like the heated (or misted depending on the season) outdoor patio. It's covered and it's temperature controlled, but you can enjoy a cigarette or cigar with your drinks and there is almost always room to grab a seat and always a server around. Drink prices have increased, though haven't approached SF prices yet (whew!). Food/dinner scene used to be a fairly good choice. A nice bar-style menu and the mains came with salad, bread, etc. Now, almost everything is ala carte and other than the basic burger, seems to try and out-do the chef's capacity. Chicken piccata? Bland... mushy pasta. Sea Bass? Over-cooked. It's become like a coffee shop, attracting a coffee shop crowd.
Considering the amount of hype (relatively speaking) you hear about this place around Fresno, I was expecting far more than what was realized. Upon walking in, despite it being a Friday evening, the first words that came to mind were "boring" and "dead." The service was frumpy but friendly, however both food and drink were as dull as the atmosphere (and therefore overpriced). Both my date and I agreed that there was no demonstrable reason to ever return.
Good food, nice atmosphere, above average price, but the food quality justifies it. It also seems to be the only place, except for the Fresno International Airport, where you can get a cab in Fresno. Seriously, I have never seen any cabs waiting anywhere else. The patio is nice, but inside might be better for couples. The patio is adjacent to a bar and they have a TV to watch ball games. The wine selection is also top notch. I am not a wine drinker myself, but if a VP from Beverages and More! says that the list is good then I trust that statement :).
cheap lunch. perfect place to people watch as a visitor to my home town. steak sandwich was perfect for a post-thanksgiving hangover. their house salad is the best (walnuts, raisins, crumbled bleu cheese). the service was amazing.
only 3 stars because its more of a steak house.
I have only been there for the food and have spent lots of money on food that I should have made at home. I think the place is better known as a hunting ground for older locals, smoking environment and alcohol. Beware!? I could be wrong.
