Ye Olde Durty Bird
★★★★☆ 3.9 (478) • $$
"This was the second time we came to this establishment. We stopped here last year during our last trip to Toledo. Just as last year I commented on their hours of operation. They are a full-service bar/restaurant, located in downtown Toledo, very close to the Mud Hens home field (the Detroit Tigers Minor League Baseball team). Yet they close at 8 pm every business day. Last year when we came in, I recall them rushing us (it was approximately 7:00 pm) about when they closed. This year we arrived by 6:30 or earlier and still felt incredibly rushed. More on this in a minute.The menu is large, but nonmeat options were small. They offer a Vegan Mediterranean Beyond Burger, that is advertised as "cooked separately" served in a lettuce wrap with our chickpea sauce, topped with arugula, red onion, and olive tapenade then garnished with sliced cucumber, cherry tomato, and sesame seed sprinkle. It comes with Chips. The chips were right out of a bag, so I looked to substitute a different side for $3.00. I asked about the French fries and if they are fried separately from other foods, such as chicken or fish. No, they are all fried in the same oil our server told us. I quickly requested a tossed salad, no cheese. Perhaps it's just my opinion but why do you fry everything together? The oil will taste like fish or chicken then you fry potatoes in there. They also advertise fried brussels sprouts and calamari. All goes in the same fryer. So, if you don't eat meat, you have very few options here, as even the non-meat starters are tainted.Anyways it was happy hour, and they offered a dollar off the draft list. I asked about one drink if it was a certain kind of beer, and she did not know and went to check. She did not seem too knowledgeable on the draft list, so I ordered what sounded like a hazy IPA. We were enjoying our drinks when our food came out probably within 10 minutes of ordering. I was hungry so no complaints on the quickness. My burger was fine. It was served in this big, very hard to handle lettuce bun. My biggest complaint about the burger would be the olive tapenade. It tasted fine but was plopped on the burger in a dallop. And since this is wrapped in lettuce it was not like I could open it up like a bun. So, I got a big mouthful of tapenade all at once... YIKES, salty... Speaking of salty I was mid-bite, still at least half a sandwich or more, at least half a beer in front of me when the server came over to ask, "will you be having desert?" I am chewing, which was obvious when she stopped over, so I decided to answer with my mouth full. "Maybeee" in a muffled voice, I hadn't even finished my bite. One may think it was like 15 minutes until closing time, when it was 7:00pm. I finished that bite and we both agreed to get our next drink elsewhere. The review is mixed. I liked the burger though it had flaws. The location is great, atmosphere is cool sports bar like, and the staff albeit made me feel rushed an hour before they closed, were nice. But so many other things, I am not sure I'd bother coming back."
"Sitting at the bar was the best choice!! Beautiful atmosphere! Yummy & Savory! Blood Mary's were perfect & strong! Joan was cocktailing it up behind the bar!! A must stop in Cleveland!!"
"The owner is almost always behind the counter and you are greeted in a familiar, he knows you kind of vibe. They were open during the lockdown and I really respect how he cared about his employees (because that matters just as much as the food). When people are happy to work, the food is prepared with love and you can taste it. Now to food...try the Aegean...thank me later. I also pick up their Junior cheeseburger for my children and the baklava is the owners' grandma's recipe. It's the truth!"
