I moved to Matthews from Boston in August and was excited to learn of a local watering hole where I could catch a Sox game. I went in during the week just after the lunch rush to check out the food and brew.
I was by myself and sat at the bar. The bartender was friendly and attentive, but never wiped the bar in front of me where the previous customer had been. My draft was nicely chilled but had an after taste indicative of dirty draft lines. The menu was just as described in these reviews, and the calamari I ordered were surprisingly as good as some back in Boston.
As I continued to take the place in and appreciate the Sox memorabilia, it became apparent that the bar had at one time not been smoke free. The air vent in the ceiling was filthy with tobacco stained dust bunnies. Similarly, most of the top shelf liquor bottles were enveloped in dusty under usage, and the mirrors in the back bar were cloudy and dull. I began to wonder how clean the kitchen really was and if I was going to regret what I ate.
Like a previous reviewer, I agree with the "Departed" characters being at the bar. Otherwise the place is plenty spacious, and there is adequate parking nearby. In retrospect I think people go there because there is really very little choice in Matthews and it's better than nothing at all. To top it off, I had to ask to have a TV tuned to the Sox game that day.
For my money in Matthews, check out John's Place, the bar half of Mario's Restaurant in Plantation Market.