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| - In short:
Beer 5 stars,
Service 0 stars,
Ambiance 3 stars (it's what you would expect)
Final 2.67 stars (rounded up to 3 stars)
For beer selection, it doesn't get much better than any Winking Lizard. The food, however, is just average, even for bar food.
I visited on a Saturday afternoon around 3:30/4:00. It was empty, but that didn't last long. By 6:00 the place was packed, and I mean PACKED. People were lining up waiting for a table; to EAT?! It was a bit mind-blowing really, because at the end of the day, I just don't see the draw if you're going there for a bite to eat.
On the flip side, and as I mentioned, you really can't beat the beer selection. Plenty of different brews on tap, and a plethora of bottle choices. If you're a beer snob, or even if you just like to pretend that you're a beer snob, the Winking Lizard should be on your list of routine stops.
That said, the service was near deplorability. The first bartender was a nice young girl, but she was only there for the first half-hour or so. She left, and her relief was just a flat-out angry person. I mean, I'm a "judge not lest you be judged" type of person; routinely giving people the benefit of the doubt, and can fully respect that she may have just been experiencing a bad day, but she didn't even appear to TRY to be friendly. This wasn't just toward me, but towards everyone at the bar.
I only comment on the service because I have read similar experiences in this regard. I certainly don't have any axe to grind, and it really didn't bother me on a personal level, but it was certainly noticeable.
Finally, the ambiance is typical "sports-bar," with plenty of televisions to view "the game" on. The music selection, was also "typical" for Cleveland (i.e. an endless loop of AC / DC, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and any other outdated "classic rock" artists you can think of), but I can't necessarily fault the establishment for that, that's just Cleveland being Cleveland.
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