Daddy Jones Bar

Reviews 4

JE

Jeremy Krantz

After much anticipation, a lot of hype, and what seemed like a very long delay, Daddy Jones has finally opened its doors to the public a few weeks ago in what previously was Little Vinnys, a family-owned and operated Italian joint. They had a long period of soft opening where Medford-native Maria Menounos named it one of her choice hangouts - something that apparently was supposed to set high expectations for everyone. Upon walking in, one thing that people will notice is how different this place is. Its a very unique space and a very unique bar. The decor is minimal and yet it looks like it was carefully picked to create an inviting setting - Theres two televions near the front, which are slightly dimmed and play sports while the lonely TV in the back is playing the Cosby Show. Apparently that show still had a following - I had no idea. Overall the simplicity of it makes it awesome. Theres a few quirky touches to it as well, like a few metallic lockers behind the bar that serve as shelves for the various glassware they use and theres also a coocoo clock against the wall. Its not all that spacious in there and yet it never feels cramped, even on its busiest of times. Ive been able to snag a spot at the bar and also in the back, on a high top and I can say that my experience at the bar was much more enjoyable and featured much better service. The concept of the bar is quite original and far from generic as theyve strived to re-create some of the classic cocktails like the Grey Hound and the Blue Hawaiian, but often times have been able to do so with a unique twist. Their cocktail list features eight distinctive cocktails and they also are able to create others based on taste and whats in demand. Ive had their Grey Hound and found it to be quite tasty and the fiancee enjoyed her drinks as well. One my latest trip there, I had a dirty vodka martini which wasnt nearly as good... however... one thing that they seem to excel at is bar bites. Its a Greek-themed food menu (the owner is Greek) and they have things like stuffed phylo, roasted baby eggplant, olives and even lamb skewers. Ive been able to get two items from their finger food section, the fries ($4) and the fried zucchini ($5) and both were actually really tasty, especially the later which blew us away. The value was terrific and the flavors were great as well. Im sure that the rest of the menu, while a bit limited, is great as well. They also have a minimal but pretty good beer list (although not nearly as good as Old Magouns Saloon across the street) but then again, they are more of a cocktail bar than a beer bar so.... Service the first time was very friendly and knowledgable but the second time around our waiter wasnt very attentive, slow and not all that friendly. Guess theyre still working the kinks out... All in all, I was pretty impressed and look forward to returning for a real meal there and for some more drinks. While Ill always be a bit sad at the fact that Little Vinnys is gone, I couldnt think of a better establishment to replace it with. Welcome to the neighborhood!

MI

Michael Collins

Stopped by Daddy Jones, this was my 3rd visit. I really liked this place, its great menu with creative cocktails. Rarely do I downgrade an establishment or bother to update a review because of one poor service experience alone, but this was simply the worst and most hostile experience I have ever had at a restaurant. It was so bad my friend and I stewed for the next 30 minutes about it... Scratch that, our service was so bad it consumed our conversations for the rest of our night. We sat at 2 open seats at the center of the bar and were quickly were asked to move to the end/corner of the bar because the arrangement made more sense for therm, yeah no sweat... We ordered our first drinks, no problem. We both finish our first drinks, they sit there empty for about 10 minutes after finishing and Im forced to break a cardinal bar rule, I get out of my seat and walk down to the other side of the bar to tell the bartender my order while telling her I hate being that guy. Our next round comes as well as the sweet potato fries covered on cheese and honey. We had the nerve to request forks and napkins and also got an eye roll, then when she came back with them I asked for ketchup, she had to make 2 trips, you would have thought I asked for her first born. The fries were delicious so we were willing to cast all of this off... Then my friend made the sorry mistake of trying to get in one more drink. Ordered a rum and coke, arguably the quickest and easiest to to push out... And waited a good 10 minutes after placing the order when the 2nd bartender walks by. Bartender #2 walks by the end of the bar and my friend, in the most polite tone, excuses himself and inquires about his drink. Bartender #2 raises her hands and her voice and tells us that she is busy and to wait our turn. Mind you, the restaurant was not at full capacity. I had to interject, I tell her we have had bad service all night, our drink were ordered 10 minutes ago, that there was no need for the tone, and that we now just wanted our check. She doesnt get our check, tells bartender #1 and makes us wait another 5 minutes before bartender #1 just drops off our check, no eye contact, no apology, no mention of the forgotten rum and coke. Bill was $39, we lay down $40... I cant remember the last time I could justify not leaving a tip. Bartender #2 comes back, asking if we want change to leave a tip, I tell her the poor service combined with the lack of any apology for it is good reason for not leaving one. She then starts basically yelling at us. Bartender #2 continued to tell us out of the bar...

JO

joanna shannon

Daddy Jones is the perfect place for a first date, rainy day with friends, or to attend a local event. I most recently came for #GinFest which was very nicely organized. There were creative cocktails, many gin inspired and infused foods and the main event was a Gin & Tonic off against 5 local distilleries. My friends and I had a great time. They also have a great local beer list. The 80s sitcoms playing in the background gives a unique theme with an excellent playlist to match. The bar itself is very comfortable. On that rainy day with friends we stayed close to 7 hours just hanging out. The servers were attentive but very gracious and allowed us to hang out without feeling pressured. The Steak Frites with a Greek twist is a must try.

KA

Karen Li

Very interesting restaurant with a very cool vibe. Me and the boyf shared a sweet potato fries with honey and feta appetizer. At first it sounded gross but reviews recommended and it was great! The honey definitely works well with the feta. We also shared the meat platter and the lamb was so bomb, I thought it was beef! I usually prefer not to eat lamb because of the gaminess but it was grilled perfection. The pork was awesome too. The chicken I could do without, it was kinda dry, but not too bad. I also got the fig vodka with stuff olives and it was nice and strong. I usually take my martinis extra extra dry with just regular ol olives but this was a nice new drink. Would definitely come again even just for the grilled lamb.