TailGators

I’m generally not a complainer, but when I go through a bad experience, I talk about it. I went to Tailgators twice on the same day. Once was Friday night leading into Saturday at 2:30 am when they closed. Not a bad experience. Food was better then I expected, the staff was friendly. The other time though, not so much. It was around 4 pm on Saturday when i arrived there with some friends to play pool and have lunch. I noticed that it was fairly busy and their was not enough staff working. The lady at the desk even said to one of the person i was with, «I’m alone right now, so I’ll have to take your ID». I saw a total of 4 workers at that time. We got the pool balls and got a good rate on the table. It was $ 5.99 until 6 pm. When the same lady that was at the reception desk, asked us what we wanted to drink or eat, I told her i wanted a Coke, and my friend ordered a beer. I noticed that she didn’t have a notepad or any way of writing the order down. As a patron, that’s discouraging to know that because it makes you feel that they’re not really concerned about the order. Also, it increases the risks of them forgetting the drink, which is what occurred. So when that happened, I went to the front desk, and another lady that wasn’t our server said «Oh yeah we forgot, here it is.» She said «We forgot to bring it over to you. She apologized, but the actual lady that was supposed to bring the beer over never apologized. As we’re wrapping up our pool games, i decided that I wanted to try the new golf simulation game they had. The lines of coomunication, just to tell her that we are done our pool game and that we would like to move on to the golf simulation, got tangled. I don’t drink, so I’m sure she said one thing, then when I asked her at 7 pm (the time we were scheduled to go over play the golfing game) she said something very different then what we agreed on. Then she proceeded to say, «Well you could go now but you would have to get off at 8 pm when the people who reserved it get here.» At that point it was 7:15 pm. I can’t speak on others, but I don’t want to play a golfing game for 45 minutes and get charged for an hour. The problem is not with the money, we spent over $ 300 already. In conclusion, not a pleasant experience at all, not going back in the foreseeable future.

Warm beer, cold chicken fingers. Came here last Saturday for a UFC event. The service was friendly but the bar was completely understaffed. We waited nearly 1 hour for a plate of under cooked fries and cold chicken fingers. I also ordered a bottle of Modelo and it was warm. Instead of waiting another 30 minutes for a new one I decided to drink it and order a few Stellas that were thankfully properly cold. Overall, a very disappointing experience.

Came here for UFC 149. To bad there was an annoying Xmas party competing with joe rogan for the mic. I suggest you pass on this place if you actually want to hear any commentary.

Came here to get some post dinner drinks and play some pool (which i’ve never played before). Place was getting full and fun by 930pm. More and more folks were pouring in as time went on. Decent beer selection. Tried the Jack with honey which was pretty amazing!
They have foosball, table tennis, pool, some shuffle board, some hoops and lots and lots of place to sit and hang! Definitely an awesome idea for a night out with friends or a fun date.

We arrived around 2:00pm as we were looking for a late lunch and to shoot a game of pool. Unfortunately from our entry to the time we paid, it was very unpleasant! There was one server for the entire place. I looked for other staff, but couldn’t see anyone that could help.
Our server was very pleasant, but was looking a bit rushed to help us. No small talk, «how are you doing» or «Welcome to Tail Gators». Drinks (pitcher of beer) were served and we got our balls from the server at the counter (bring an ID for them to hold). We ordered our food on her second lap around, then we waited! She came back as she forgot the order. 40 mins later, our knives & forks came to us. Our server then said, «I think your order is ready», I was thinking the same thing, about 20 mins before that.
Food was cold when it came, a cheese burger, swiss burger and a pizza. You should always tell your server if you are not happy, but at this point she was way too busy and the thought of having to wait again was something we did not want to do. The burgers have a pretzel bun, nothing home made, just a plain cold pretzel bun. The pizza was a long stretched dough (flat bread). No refills were offered until the end of the meal. We didn’t finish it as we now had to go 1 and a half hours later. The pool games were fun lots of tables to choose from. It is not cheap for the pool games, we were there for the afternoon special and it was $ 15.00 an hour.
Our bill was $ 75.00, not a cheep lunch. At the bottom of the receipt it says «LIKED US Unilocal US — IF YOU DIDN’T, TELL US!». I would have loved to tell someone, but there just wasn’t anybody to tell.

Love love love this spot. Great hangout to watch a fun UFC or Boxing PPV event, play pool, grab a great cocktail or beer and eat some tasty and highly addictive wings (one of the best wings in ottawa bars). The layout of tailgating is perfect for large crowds or a laid back first date… and probably second date. Seems like a good pick up bar for both young and old. Just don’t drunkenly fall down the stairs on the way out…
Just a reminder that this is a bar and pool lounge. It’s not a dance bar and not a restaurant. It’s a very large open space so I understand that it can be difficult to track down servers — service has always been average. By no means would I ever recommend this place as a sit-​down spot for lunch or dinner. Just good ol pub fare to munch on in between pool games and tequila shots :)

When you arrive at this location, the first thing you notice is how unimpressive the outside location is. It’s around the corner from the sport check, it has 3 flights of stairs you have to climb, and if you go at night time, it’s dark and gloomy around the entrance. BUT, don’t let this fool you! As soon as you step in, it’s a different world — there’s people everywhere (family’s, groups of friends, couples) and it’s a very lively atmosphere!
We tried some of the sweet potato fries there — not the best ones I’ve had I have to admit, but they were alright. We played a couple hours of pool as well (we had to wait about half an hour since there was a waiting list!) but the time went by extremely quick. The location overall was very clean and well kept and I will definitely be coming back here for a fun Friday or Saturday night out.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this location to a friend!

Great food, great staff, amazing ambiance, and loved my time there. The bartender there was amazing and relatable. Had a great conversation about football while I waited.
Plan on returning here whenever I can.

Tailgators is an awesome spot for pool, comedy, food, and to lounge back with a drink or two. The stairs to get into the place are ridiculous, and whenever I’ve been there there has been drug use at the bottom of those stairs. Nevertheless, the comedy is hilarious, the food is good, and the pool is reasonable (one hour free after watching a comedy show).

I don’t frequent this place often but it is nice to have something worthwhile to go to other than downtown.

This review is a painful one to write. I came to TailGators many (wine infused) moons ago and always enjoyed myself, so when the bf and I were looking for a way to pass a rainy Saturday afternoon and he suggested pool, I immediately vouched for TailGators.
Now I’m pissed that I did.
It was around 4 p.m. when we pulled in to the Merivale Mall parking lot, and there were quite a few cars near the TailGators end, so we thought it would be a good time. After eyeing what Danielle F called «the ominous, three-​story stairway) we opted to try the bottom entrance door since he has some walking difficulties. Happy to be greeted by an elevator, we stepped in and BAM! It was like we walk into Cheech and Chong’s basement. Holy marijuana Batman! We laughed it off and stepped inside.
We were met with tons and tons of pool tables and what I thought was a really great atmosphere — big leather couches, flat screens, a really big bar. What we weren’t greeted by? Anyone. No staff to be found. We went looking and eventually found a server who looked at us, and held up a finger to say «just a second.» Ugh. When she did make her way over, we received no greeting, no question, nothing. She just looked at us. Finally we said «we like to get a table» and she asked us for an ID and passed over the balls and our table number.
Upon further inspection, the place wasn’t as cool as I hoped. The tables really need to be recovered — they’re full of scuff marks and don’t have any lines or dots on them for your triangle. After one game, we decided we really weren’t feeling this place. No one asked us if we wanted drinks or food, and we couldn’t find a server in our area. So we pulled up stakes and returned the balls. After being there for about 45 minutes we were charged $ 15. That seemed a little crazy to me, but maybe I’m just not an avid pool player. Also — surprise! They don’t take debit. And of course, the ATMs cost $ 2 per withdrawal.
We mentioned the elevator to the «server» and got a blank stare in response.
I’m not counting this place out yet. I’m betting it’s a great spot after 9 or 10 p.m. when service picks up. But my question is this: why even be open before then if you’re going to employ disinterested staff who really could care less about the customers? I might return eventually, but right now there’s too many other spots that want our business, and treat us as (shocking!) valued customers.

Hmm I’ve been wondering about reviewing this one for a while. Why you ask? Well because I think tailgators is a bit different for each of its patrons.
For some it is the local pub where you come to drink your sorrows away. For some it is where you come to celebrate your new found joy perhaps. For this particular reviewer who happens to be from farrhaven it is simply a local hangout with a side of pool.
I frequent tailgators probably once every few months and I’ve been there on weekdays and weekends. The crowd here is always different and so far has been pleasant. I usually go with a group of friends and play pool for a few hours and leave before closing. The place is quite large so there is no problem in a finding a quiet table in the corner or be the center of the party. The service has been great every time I’ve visited and the prices are reasonable.

Don’t mind the ominous, three-​story stairways snaking up to the entrance, TailGators is a very fun spot! The place is enormous. Essentially it’s a warehouse of pool, bar, food, and sports.
The crowd is really varied in ages, sexes, and pool-​playing abilities so there is no need to be afraid. While it’s definitely designed to be a man cave, there’s room for everyone.
Just go up to the towering desk at the middle, leave a piece of ID to get some balls. Pick a table, any table and get to work! You’re billed for the time you spend, not per game or anything. I believe it is ten dollars an hour. On Thursdays, ladies play for free!
When ordering pitchers the service was very prompt. Our server put in his two cents as we were picking beer and always knew when we were running low. At the end of the day: lots of pool, a few pitchers between several ladies it was about $ 75– not too bad at all!
And imagine if we were there on Ladies Night… next time.

At first glance, TailGators is just a pool hall. Give the place a chance, however, and you will see it has a lot more to offer.
TailGators took over what was once Le Skratch. Another pool hall, it didn’t have a great reputation. TailGators is starting to change that perception.
It has plenty of pool tables and plenty of space for them. you won’t be running into other players, or having to suck in your gut to get around people. It’s a spacious place with a nice décor.
As the name suggests, TailGators is really a full service sports bar. There are plenty of TVs to watch, along with a few couches, a giant bar and tables for groups to sit at.
The menu is the biggest surprise. The food is more than common sports bar food. It’s a notch or two up from that. Consider it upscale pub food.
For a good place to watch the game or shoot some stick, this is a great option in the West End.