Meathead

Stopped for dinner with 4 co-​workers travelling to Edmonton from Calgary. We had the dive burger, pulled barn sandwich and the pulled pork… all awesome. The corn bread is a must. Great service and great atmosphere.

Food very average. Brisket dry and stringy. Salad tastes only of lemon. Staff have no interest in fixing access to the non-​existent internet.

This place is SO hit and miss. I’ve been here probably about 7 times. Sometimes the food is really good, other times it’s awful. I think that’s all part of being a new restaurant and trying to figure out what works for them. I hope they figure it out because the concept and the décor is pretty cool for Red Deer. Service is always so-​so. I’ve never had to wait for a table which is nice.

Ok, so I finally got a chance to check this place out. Last time I was there, it was called The Rock.
The décor is a lot more open-​concept than The Rock, and a bit more updated. Still playing classic rock, which is good.
From the start, sitting in the lounge, I found the bartender to lack personality, but I think it had a lot to do with it being so slow in there when I came in. He seemed to warm up as time passed.
I ordered the Mac Daddy (burger) with fries. The burger was served on a brioche bun. I like this style of bun because it’s sturdy, hearty, and doesn’t get wrecked as you eat it. While the burger wasn’t anything amazing, I would deem it to be above average for sure. Sadly, I’ve had a lot of better burgers in my time. But I’d order that one again. The fries came with a chipotle mayo. Now, the fries reminded me of how they were when it was The Rock. I loved those fries. So combine those fries with that sauce, and that’s a win.
What struck me as a bit odd was the pinball machine in the corner, and skeeball game off in another area. I wasn’t sure what demographic they were aiming for, but there was a guy playing skeeball when I came in, and played it for about half of my stay. I have to admit, that was kind of distracting, but it didn’t completely kill the experience. I do think the TV’s over the bar at the lounge side could be positioned differently though. If you want to watch a game, you have to crane your neck up and even still, they’re right in your face. Setting them back to the way they were with The Rock would make more sense to me.
Overall, the price wasn’t shocking, and my drink was kept topped up (I just had a coke — I didn’t want to «start anything» at that hour of the day. lol). I never really had to wait for anything the way I have at some other establishments. The fact they were super slow probably helped, but I’ve seen lacklustre service at some places while being the only person in the joint.
So there ya have it, Meathead. The Albertanest restaurant in Red Deer.

love love love this place! I wish meathead was in Calgary, but thankfully I visit red deer a lot! (we do have a lot of ‘meatheads’ in Calgary, but not the
same thing!) greeted with great service, served great food & drink at very good prices — this place is a home run!

Great food, awesome prices, the staff was very friendly, will definitely be coming back.

We decided to try this place out for lunch. We haven’t been here since it changed names. First off, I asked the waitress the difference between the iced tea ($ 3) and the house brewed iced tea ($ 4). I was told the iced tea was the premade one dispensed from the soda machine and the house brewed was «house brewed without sugar». I ordered the house brewed so I could control the amount of sugar I wanted as I find iced tea to be rather sweet. My husband and I both ordered the prawn tacos and decided to split an order of fries. I saw that the sides were extra and figured at $ 5 for fries it had to be a good helping. Wrong. It wasn’t even one potato’s worth of fries. Seriously you don’t get any sides, not even with a burger. Can you say rip-​off. As others have mentioned the tacos were small and not worth $ 10. When I asked for a refill on the iced tea I was told that the price didn’t include a refill. Really, for $ 4 I got a mason pint jar full of ice and then filled with ice tea and there’s no refill. I told the waitress that perhaps she should have mentioned that when I asked what the difference was between the two. No where on the menu does it state there are no refills, just «ask you server about our daily flavour». So I just asked for some water. The waitress dropped off my water and about five minutes later sheepishly dropped off another iced tea. All I can say is this was a very bad first impression and I doubt that we will go again. It’s way too overpriced for what was served.

Well I have been here a few times now and have had friendly service and was seated promptly.
Note that after 10 they have a late night menu at 50% off. Lunch special is a burger and fries with a 16oz draught for just $ 12! Heck of an old school deal!
Burgers are flavorful and home made, started on the flat top and finished off on the fire grill and as such, incorporates a nice snap and charcoal. The bacon on the dive burger was just crispy enough to add some punch! Simple and flavorful and appreciated!
Also had the brisket dip and while I’m a purist and not a big fan of lettuce on it I won’t say it detracted from the sandwich itself. Tender beef and quite tasty.
Tacos are pretty small so may want to combine it with something else but still had some compact flavor (chicken).
Onion rings were a big hit it should be noted. Fries are close to shoestring and glad the salt was cut down from previous visits.
Deep fried pickles were good this time but not so good the first. Easy to fix. $ 1 dill was big and crunchy by the way.
Desert was good. I didn’t have the cheesecake but by all accounts it was rich and tasty by the others. The really enjoyed desert was the cast iron chocolate chip cookie with ice cream. We all freaking loved it!
Beer was great on tap for Stella as it can be hit and miss. Caesars were delicious.
Service has been good with a couple learning curves still to be worked out but it is a new operation. Manager is friendly and inquisitive which will no doubt help with success. All in all as an ex restauranteur I think they have good roots planted for a fresh start. I shall be back!

Food really good. Atmosphere is great. Manager is awesome. Took nasty dip off the bill. Waitress didn’t auto replace drinks which would have been amazing. Was polite but kinda easy to confuse. Short staffed. No biggy, waitress apologized for being busy. Full stars if service would have been perfect. We will return.