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Category: American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Davis SquareDavis (Red)
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The pizza is really good. All the other food is VERY hit or miss. I've had some pretty good items and some very bland ones. Also, whats been good is also inconsistent in its goodness.
CHEAP BEER!! And a good selection!
After landing in Boston, I told the cab driver to take me to Davis Square. I explained to him I wanted to get some food. He suggested Dunkin Donuts. I suggested he let me out to wander. I stumbled upon Mike's as it wasn't questionable fast food sushi nor was it the depressing looking place next door.
So, at Mike's I ordered a bowl of chicken and rice soup for around $5. It was filling and came with two honkin' pieces of delicious milky French bread.
It seemed like a neighborhood sort of place. I saw guys by themselves, a mom and her kid whom the cashier recognized and asked if he wanted the same fried zucchini. It was nice.
It's the sort of place you order at the counter and then retrieve your food including drinks. They also have a full bar with martinis around $7. I got a pumpkin beer on special for $3 later. My friend Sarah G explained there really wasn't happy hour per se but you could put alcohol on special so you'll find weekly or monthly deals.
Their menu is mostly Italian. I didn't realize you could get pizza by the slice here as they don't have it displayed but it was good to keep in mind.
Yeah - mixed review place definitely. First time I went there I got some pesto ravioli. Nothing special - flavors not strong enough in the middle of the ravioli. Maybe in the freezer too long? Then - second time I went, staff tried to make me pay extra for some eggplant and sausage pasta dish because prices were different on the takeout menu versus the board. Seemed a little dishonest to me. Anyhow, ended up getting the baked stuffed peppers with pasta instead. Again, nothing special - sort of thing I'd eat if I were too lazy to cook.
Best part are the big screen TVs located throughout the locale.
Mediocrity, thy name is Mike's.
I really want to love this place, given it's location in the heart of my favorite square. But I just can't. Last week we went for dinner... I ordered the pumpkin ravioli in a cream sauce. Sounds delicious if you're into that sort of thing... $11 later I was presented with a plate of blah raviolis (yes, there was a hint of pumpkin, but I was underwhelmed) in an unappetizing white sauce and a side of mediocre garlic bread. I got a side of red sauce to mix in, which helped a little, but not much.
Their menu has way too many choices. I would rather they offered 5 superb pasta options than 100 barely tolerable varieties. On the plus side, you can get a beer.
To the little old man who manages (owns?) this place - you are adorable. Your counter staff, however, is terrible. Seriously, why are they so grumpy and incompetent? One girl asked if I was all set before taking my order and you called her on it. No wonder your counter tip jar is always empty, but at least you know what you are doing.
Thank goodness the really reasonably priced and yummy food makes up for bad counter staff even when the old guy isn't there to charm your day. Pizzas are a great deal, but I still have mouthwatering daydreams over the pumpkin ravioli - a special. You have to snag your own seat here, so be sure to sort that out as you stare at the large menu on the wall. Don't be shocked if you can't find a spot right away during busy hours or with a large group.
The last time I went the place was pretty empty, we found a table no problem, couldn't finish out HUGE and cheap pizza and gave the rest to a remarkable not smelly homeless lady who came in and sat at an empty table near us... how many places have managers cool enough to let people just come in when it is empty? That is really nice.
So do not eat here. Service is horrible.
After a long day, I stopped here for a quick sandwich. 45 minutes later, when everyone who came in after me was served, I asked the counter girl if there was a problem. SHE HAD NEVER PUT MY ORDER IN.
The counter girl then got really irrate with ME (because I asked if my sandwic was coming?) and I saw her talk to the counter guy, point at me, then he spit in my sandwich.
I left and had no dinner that night
Eat here at your own peril.
Yeah, the food sucks (get a load of that pizza sauce), but how much is a pitcher up in here? Nineteen cents or something? COUNT ME THE FUCK IN! That's what goes into the MATH here, one star for food, five for drinks...you get three stars (duh).
Seasonal special: homemade pumpkin filled ravioli in an alfredo sauce. Helped myself to an $11 bottle of wine and I was set.
Now, the tables aren't great, there isn't any table service, and you have to fight for seating. Not so great.
What's even worse is that a busboy cleared our plates while we were still sitting, and made us finish our bottle to get us out. Why did you do that to us, man? Downgrade from 4 stars to 3...bummer
I'm not sure if I showed up on a bad day, or if the lady at the cash register had just experienced some personal tragedy. But man was she grumpy.
When I arrived, the restaurant was almost empty. It was around 3:45 pm on a Monday. Clearly between meal times.
The pizza slices were $2 something each. Since I didn't see any fresh pizzas lying around, I figured they'd have to heat up my request.
So I asked, "How big is a slice of pizza?"
Simple question, really. I just wanted to know whether I should order one slice or two.
Dismissive response: "It's a slice of pizza."
"But how big?" I make a hand gesture.
Said with a snarl and a look of disdain: "Whats the matter? You never seen a slice of pizza before?"
This was going nowhere fast. "I don't need the attitude."
The lady throws her hands in the air as I walk away. She mutters something to the older man also working the counter.
Weird. I just wanted a slice of pizza. Maybe two.
The Location-Right in the middle of Davis Sq.-- Awesome
The Beer- Great selection and super cheap prices
The Cocktails- Strong and relatively inexpensive
The Food- Average food which is fairly priced; the wraps are good; pizza is pretty good; A great place for a greasy fix
The Ambiance- No frills just big open space with large windows make it a great place for people watching.
The Service- Efficient; not to friendly or fast (at the bar); Otherwise you order at the counter which moves along pretty quickly.
Bottom Line= Great place for a quick drink and people watching. Perfect place to grab a greasy bite to help with the hang over.
The food ranges from decent to sub-par (if you like bar-quality food, you're set), but they have BIG BEERS, which is good. Some of the cashiers certainly aren't the nicest people in the world, so don't be surprised if they treat you like a homeless person.
Note: "Specials" at any bar are never good, and Mike's isn't any different. Stick with something on their regular (enormous) menu.
I don't know why this place gets such a bad rap. Is it a gourmet's dream? No. Is it the perfect place to get a sloppily delicious meatball sub that'll keep you full the whole day? Hell yes. Their pastas are large and delicious, especially their ziti/chicken/broccoli which has a surprisingly large amount of white meat breaded chicken. The beer is cheap and they even have wines and cocktails. If you go in expecting greatness you may be disappointed, but if you go in expecting a quick meal that's relatively cheap and tasty, this is a great place.
The service is unhelpful at best but just like the curmudgeonly women at diners, it's a little bit of nostalgia.
I went here last Saturday afternoon for lunch. It was definitely interesting. I liked the tables by the large open windows, although I think I saw more unusual things pass by in that single span of time than ever before in my life. This includes: a man on a bike with a I-POD strapped to his helmet blaring music, a man in a kilt, a man blowing a whistle leading another group, and someone riding the tallest bicycle I had ever seen.
Anyways, back to the food. Mike's has a huge menu for basically whatever you are craving PLUS alcohol. There was only one woman working when we were there and there was a line. She had to take the orders, go to the other side to get an any alcohol drinks, and call your name to pick up your food. Besides the initial process of ordering, everything else was pretty quick. It's your standard decent "pub" type food with an Italian flare. I liked the waffle fries a lot. My husband's calzone was better than my pesto raviolis which were a bit tasteless. My husband actually laughed at the XL beer, it's rather large. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I also had a glass of the homemade sangria, which wasn't bad at all, but not fantastic by any means.
This place is good when you have a number of people who can't decide on what they feel like eating because there is sure to be something for everyone.
Beer of the month for $2.75??? Wait, I meant BEERS of the month each for $2.75!!! You can't really beat that. Especially in a town with no happy hours!! (yes, I just moved here from California ha)
And their food is actually pretty good too, big portions, good prices, definitely will work with my grad student budget! They even have pre selected bottles of wine for slightly cheaper prices too!!
I got their special pumpkin ravioli alfredo, and yes I probably took in more calories than would fit in an actual pumpkin, it was pretty tasty!!! My mom and my brother both got their chicken saltimboca which my mom was really excited about, but my brother didn't seem too impressed. It was a TON of food. Their chicken came with pasta on the side, and the pasta size was two meals on its own! And garlic bread too! But I actually thought the chicken saltimboca could have been a little better....it just didn't have the flavor that i'm used to tasting when I eat that dish, so I stuck with my pumpkin raviloi heh
I'm going to come out and say it, I'm a fan of Mike's and I don't care what you think. Is this a good date spot? No, not at all. It's cheap, loud, and packed. Do they make the best prosciutto and mozzarella in the area now that il Panino is closed? Hell yes. their menu reads more like an Italian cookbook than a real menu--every type of pasta, parmigiana, and pizza you could imagine with every type of meat, sauce, or topping. Now keep in mind this is not your high end Italian place so it's by no means a substitute for the North End, but when you are looking for some Italian classics in a hurry and for cheap, you could definitely do a whole lot worse (we call it Bertucci's). That's probably the best way to look at this place, a mom and pop version of Bertucci's with better food. Also, where else will you find a bottle of wine for $12. And yes, you heard me correctly, a whole bottle for $12--red, white, screw it buy one of each and mix them together to make a pink, who cares. Also it's located right outside the T stop so in the winter it is the place to go in Davis.
Bottom Line: Take the T since you wont be driving home.
Who needs reality TV when you have Mike's?
Strategically located in the dead center of Davis Square, Mike's is the premier eatery/bar/observation deck for the hilarity of Somerville. With their open windows and outdoor seating, you can soak up the splendor of the city, and have a solid bite/drink to boot. While tossing back a beer the size of my head (ask for the Large. You'll see), I recently watched two hobos exchange hugs and make plans to barter their change and nip stashes while walking away arm-n-arm. Only in the 'Ville!
Granted, "people watching" as some call it might be "creepy" but the other amenities of Mike's are fantastic as well! The food is a bit above average for your run of the mill pizza/sub shop, and at $2.75 for a Blue Moon, its one of the cheapest places to drink in town. Combine that with the atmosphere, entertainment value, and overall space/comfort, and you have a great place to kick any evening off.
I've never had a good thing to eat here, and I've tried a number of things. Just... not good. Also, the staff is pretty obnoxious.
They get 2 stars because you can get lots of beer at a decent price. But why not just pick up some liquor and drink at someone's house if that's the only goal?
This joint is where the real Somervillians go. I love this place not for the food, which is regular pizza and grinders stuff, but because of the ambiance. I like the local hustle and bustle of the place: I like the big open windows in the summer. I like the drone of 20 people talking at once with TV background noise that makes your immediate conversation with the person across from you "private" because no one outside of a 3 ft radius of you can hear your, and furthermore, no one cares. I like how you order "stick and move" style at the cashier. I like how the cashier calls your name over a loud speaker and throws the food at you when you go up to the front. And finally, I LOVE their cheap beer selection. Where else can you get a Corona with extra lime for $2.50, or a Blue Moon with a lemon wedge for the same price? We're talking bottles here, people, not draft.
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
Mike's offers up a mean slice of pizza, and quite possibly the largest cups of beer I've found around boston.
Straying from the pizza/calzone/parm/beer path is not advised, but those items more than make up for everything else. I find myself hitting this place up for a relaxing (and filling) bite to eat.
Wandering around Davis Square for the first time, on a Saturday morning without having had breakfast. Over the growling of my stomach, I noticed this large, boisterous restaurant and my interest was piqued. Right on a corner, lots of open-air seating.
Giant menu. It seriously took me 10 minutes just to read it all, and I'm a speed-reader. Finally settled on the grilled chicken pesto club and a coke. I wish I had looked to my right a bit more, as they had a very good selection of beers (including Negra Modelo, *swoon*) for $2.75 each! Would have done that.
The club sandwich was huge and messy. They literally slit an entire french loaf in half and put food in it. The chicken was flavored excellently. I needed a fork to eat it all! For satisfying my giant hunger for less than $10, I can certainly say that I'm a fan.
Great Food! I get the small steak and cheese calzone with onions, and it totally satisfies my need for greasy, glorious, cheesy food. I still can't really tell the difference between the large and the small (both are huge), I say go with the small -- save the extra money.
I've also had the Chicken fettucini alfredo, tastey, but the alfredo sauce is a bit watery for my taste.
As far as the atmosphere goes, who wouldn't love sitting outside sipping on a gigantic beer and eating food. It's great to people watch too.
This place is great. Enjoy!
This is the perfect kind of restaurant to anchor Davis Square. It's rowdy, it's open to all, it's easygoing and it's ever-so-slightly trashy. You order your food from the counter and can choose any seat in the house. It's always humming with loads of people ranging from families grabbing a bite to just a load of drunks. The drinks & food are cheap and generously portioned, and the food itself is usually yummy, always filling. People are coming and going all over the place and every TV is blaring.
Basically, it's exactly like when we used to go have Sunday dinner at my Nonna's house.
Great cheap eats and great cheap beers that you can even get in XL size.
This place is a "no frills" environment. No need to complain about the staff. When you arrive you've just got to stand in line like everyone else, place your order and realize that these people behind the counter have been doing just that for hours: standing and taking orders, answering the phone and pouring beers that they are under tipped for. I'd be pissy too!
Enjoy your inexpensive, amazingly tasteful food and the awesomely huge open windows in the summer!!
Call me a masochist but I LOVE the rude staff at Mike's.
They are everything that I love about my neighborhood. Gruff, brash, and totally upfront. I don't care that they never get my name right or yell at me when I ask for a doggy bag. Why should it hurt my feelings that they are totally miserable? The staff's constant bickering provides the perfect hilarious soundtrack for a long night of cheap beer and the best people watching in Davis Square.
And if the unimaginable happens and there is no one interesting walking around outside, you can always fall back on old-school Mike with his cigar and throwback entourage of total characters.
The food is what it is. Food that you order at a counter and get screamed at to pick up when it's ready. I've never been grossed out by the food but I can't think of anything that really stands out. The drinks are what it's about. $5 margaritas that taste like lime jello, limoncello on the rocks on a hot day, massive beers, and $2.75 beer of the month's that are actually decent.
Mike's gets a resounding five stars from me because of the quality people watching inside and out, prime location, cheap drinks and unpretentious attitude.
I love you Mike.
Not a bad place for a quick, cheap, filling meal. Stick with the Italian food basics. My roommate and I split a large pizza with pepperoni and meatballs -- very good -- and downed a pitcher of Bud Light. Grand total of $11 apiece. Don't stray too far from the pizza / chicken parm / meatball sub route. This ain't the North End. They have some good beer specials, nice outdoor seating in the summer, and some giant plasmas to watch the games.
However, the place gets knocked down a few notches for the rather bizarre service. No waitresses. You just walk up to the counter and order, and they call you when it's ready. Normally, that's okay, but when you want some more water in your straight-from-the-college-cafeteria glass, and the line's backed up to the Somerville Theater...well, that's when it sucks. For Chrissakes, just get a few waitresses to walk around and take orders. The place would go right up to four stars.
I ordered gnocchi, my girlfriend got spaghetti and meatballs. They were abysmal. It's hard to describe, it's not that they were spiced in a way we didn't like, or over-/under- cooked, they just had no flavor. Reading some of the reviews, it sounds like we came here for the wrong reason, we were expecting home-style dining, sounds like it's better place to get a cheep beer.
The only really fantastic thing about this place is that they have 32 ounce beers.
Unfortunately their meatball sub is not so fantastic. If you plan on coming here, get something simple to eat and plan to drink a lot.
ONLY reasons to go: Cheap Beer, Open Windows and ridiculously rude counter staff. And yes, I wrote the correctly, after going there enough times it just becomes a comical adventure as to how rude you will be treated when you go to the counter. Except, the one lovely doll that isn't part of the family who is very nice!
Go for the pizza or beer but everything else is extremely bland. The service is crappy but if it takes you until after you order to figure that out thats your own fault. The ambiance is a weird mix and other reviewers are right that its a nice place to people watch, especially in the summer. But if you're going there for decent italian food try somewhere else. If you're there for a beer and some pizza, Mikes is the place for you.
I didn't really like the place the first time I went there, I didn't find it special at all. After a while, it grows on you. food is actually pretty good: pizza, I also tried some dish with lobster sauce.
Mike's according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
Self-Actualization: You will find no deep realization of morality, creativity, or problem-solving ability here.
Esteem: After a few of their gigantic beers (I mean really, it's like Slurpee size people) you will indeed have a sense of achievement, confidence, and self-esteem.
Love/Belonging: Not the best place for finding sexual intimacy, however late night bar food and drinks with friends and family will make you feel like you belong.
Safety: If you are here it is probably late, you've probably had too much to drink...whatever you do don't drive, bike, or talk too much.
Physiological: This is really where Mike's hits the spot. Simple food, simple beer, simple place with offerings that suite the basic needs in life like breathing, food, homeostasis, and beer. Drink too much and you'll end up with excretion and sleep.
Love you.
I have never eaten anything from Mikes that I didn't f-in love. The pumpkin ravioli is rather nomtastic as is everything else. Even their plain cheese pizza is phenomenal. They have gigantic beers that are really cheap and they have some sweet flat screen TVs so you know you will always be able to watch the local sports team. Sometimes the people that work there are a little crank pants but I can handle it and so can you. I highly recommend stopping by after a night of slugging back PBRs and playing cards with your buddies at Sligo.
One love.
It might be possible that they are the best place to get dinner and a beer after 10 on a weeknight by default.
I ended up at Mike's after going through the realization, that neither Johnny D's, the Burren, Sligo's (does not have a kitchen), or Joshua Tree serve dinner after this time on weekdays. In Joshua Tree's defense, they do have a late night menu.
They get very hyped in the community. I would classify them as good if you have had a lot to drink and it is late at night. With that said, they do offer quick service and large portions, even if the food is not gourmet, it definitely works.
I got the chicken Parmesan, which was solid and came with some decent garlic bread and an average salad. Bonus points for having Magic Hat #9 on tap.
3 stars for the food. Mike's is our fall back when we need simple, fast take-out and can't agree on one type of food. There's a lot of variety on the menu. Never dined in here, but the bar looks impressive. Other reviews about the cranky people behind the counter are spot on. It's clear they don't like their jobs.
If you're terribly indecisive, you may find yourself struggling to select one of Mike's ten trillion menu options. Located right near the Davis Square T Stop, Mike's provides what so many other restaurants lack... Truly affordable and delicious pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and beer; while at the same time satiating one's need for spacious seating and a genuine smile. The large beers are very reasonably priced, a small bar allows for a touch of a watering-hole swimming in the corner of a family dining pool. It's a metaphor.
In case you are the aforementioned i-don't-know-what-to-pick-so-help-me-please type, here are my suggestions:
Pumpkin Ravioli
Seafood Salad Sub
Meatball Sub
Chicken Parm
Those are all awesome... and yeah... you should get them pronto.
People want to hate on Mike's, maybe because the place is so damn OBVIOUS. It's like, Davis Square central, and therefore easily pass-by-able en route towards a latte or a lesbian or some naan. And yes, the women behind the counter look like they're always on verge of stabbing your eye out with a pen if you waste another freaking second of their time deciding what pizza toppings to get. But screw the food. GO FOR THE BOOZE.
Ah, the booze. Five dollar martinis and margaritas, cheap-ass bottles of beer, and even cheaper quality selections on tap. Plus, you know, it's kinda like your college dorm cafeteria. It's brightly-lit (sometimes it's nice to SEE the person you're on a date with, THE BURREN), highly turn-overable (I've never not gotten a table), and, I dunno, just so damn unpretentious...I'd really rather go here than any other bar in Davis. Except Underbones, but only then because I'm a gutless poseur and, really, Mike's totally wins.
The Calzones are awesome here, and the subs are pretty good as well. I have been here many times for a decent meal and a beer or two.
Two stars removed for the nasty attitude you get from everyone that works here, it must be a rule. There is a sign on the menu that says something like "Calzone's take 20 minutes", yet every single time I order one I get a nasty look and some grumbling that sounds like "you know it will take 20 minutes right?". Every. Single. Time. I say yes as nice as possible.
One day the wife and I stood waiting to order for about 10 minutes while two ladies were arguing with a customer (the customer was ironically wearing a highlighter yellow MBTA Customer Service jacket), one of the ladies walked away and pulled out her cell phone to chat...right in front of us. We went elsewhere.
The food is good, they sometimes have some decent priced deals on subs and pizza (buy one, get one for like $3) and it is usually worth being talked to like you are an idiot.
The first time I came here I was 19 and new to the city. The food was alright but it was cold and I couldn't get into the show I went to Davis to see so I sucked it up and dealt with it. That said, I've been back a few times and it's like I keep forgetting they suck. They're just not that good. I had linguine with meatballs. The meatballs were a softer consistency than cat food. Not that I orally know but I imagine because I often smush my cat's wet food with a fork when I give it to him cause... actually, i don't know why.
in short: there are a thousand other better places than this. I'm sorry. They get an extra star for having cheap beer.
I want to like Mike's, I really do. They have a great location, right in the center of Davis Square and they have a laid-back, casual ambiance without being sketchy or fratty. They have a full bar and cheap Italian food with lots of options. The only problem? The food is awful.
I'm not picky when it comes to Italian: hell, I'll eat a Chicken Parm sub or a plate of greasy mozzerella sticks if that's the type of place I'm dining. But honestly, if you're eating a cheese-filled, high calorie meal it should be delicious and worth it!
I've had a variety: a chicken sub, mozzerella sticks, and tortelinni and all were sub-par. All were bland and sloppily presented, even for an inexpensive place.
With TV's showing games and a full bar this would be a really fun place to grab a cheap bite, if the food weren't so terrible.
Ahhh Mikes. You're a good friend. You're always there when I need cheese pizza, a big plate of pasta, or a hot sub.
I judge pizza two different ways- how it is with toppings and how it is as just a plain cheese pizza. Mike's you've proven to be a consistently tasty cheese pizza, though your pizzas with toppings tend to be a little too greasy for my liking.
You pasta plates are ginormous, I'm always full, and always have left overs.
Your subs are just average but I know I can always count on them to be there when I need them. And I appreciate that.
Oh Mikes. Some days you are my hero; my rock. You may not be much to write home about but you never disappoint me.
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Newton Center, MA
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Sandwiches
Somerville, MA
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Italian
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