I came to Bootleggers (on Allen Rd), for the first time, very optimistic about the food and excited to try something new. After talking with friends, I was ready for a great new experience. I had read some of the reviews and was a little worried because many of them said things about bland food, but I wanted to be fair and give it an honest review. I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted before I even got there. SOOOO....that being said, I will start this by saying....HOLY COW, the service is absolutely astonishing!!! My server was one of the nicest people I've ever had in a restaurant! VERY professional and great service! I watched other staff members and WOW they were all doing a great job! If it was all about the service, this place would be a triple 5 star rating! The inside of the restaurant was nice, with the standard bar/pub style adornments. I came here specially wanting to try a new fish sandwich I'd seen on social media (pic below). It looked amazing in the picture, but sadly the staff didn't really seem to be aware they were selling it. It took a pretty good huddle to come up with what they thought it was supposed to be. Even after showing the below ad, that the store posted, the staff wasn't really to sure, but they were going to give it their best shot anyway, because remember the service was amazing!! Anyway, after looking over the menu further, I decided on a Cuban Sandwich as well, with sides of mac and cheese and fries for the meals. Starting with the Cuban, it was just ok, filled with pulled pork, mustard and pickles. Kinda reminded me of one of those old pastrami sandwiches you'd get at one of those dive drive-ins from the ghetto side of town....Don't get me wrong, there is a place for that kind of food, but I expected a higher standard here. It wasn't awful, but it was just as others had said, kind of bland. If not for the mustard, I'm not super sure I could tell you what I was tasting. Meat itself had minimal flavor and was very dry, warmed up on a flat top kind of presentation. The fries that came with the sandwich were actually VERY good. Some of the best fries in town. The mac and cheese was the standard, add some melted cheese to a bowl full of noodles and stir. Sadly I think Kraft Mac and Cheese has more flavor!Now to the supposed star of the show, the reason I came here in the first place....the fish sandwich in the picture below. Was it GOOD or BAD?!?! Drum roll please........Well....it fell short. Besides the fact that it looked nothing like the ad picture, which I wish I would have remembered to photograph, it just wasn't good enough to warrant a revisit to try again! The staff definitely tried to put together a sandwich version of their typical fish and chip dish, but again sadly underwhelming! I will say the fish was crispy and hot, which was the one high point, but the batter had minimal flavor. Not even the proper amount of salt was added. I will say that if you're going to offer something as good looking as that picture (below), minimally have the people making it, on board with your thought process behind the dish. I very much wanted to like it, but sadly it wasn't at all what I was given. Didn't even have the cheese melting off the sandwich like in the picture! I only ate about half before giving up and throwing it away. In today's restaurant world, where more and more of what we order comes down to the food quality, I wish it would have been better. Fish and Chips in Bako is very well represented at Mossman's and Coconut Joe's, having such a high quality taste, they've remained the standard for years with, at times, lines waiting around the corner...Ultimately I think I might have had a better product in the filet-o-fish from McDonald's. Oh well, I appreciate the effort, but sadly disappointing!The funny part for me, is that the FRIES were the best part of the meal, but not worth the $45 I paid for the rest!
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