Sneaker's Bar & Grill

Hello again friends! A Lowell-based food blog wouldn't be complete without talking about one of the oldest restaurants in town: Sneaker's Bar & Grill! One of our favorite places to eat in downtown, we were more than happy to have a chance to review them. Let's dig in!

QUICK LOOK

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Category: Dive bar/sports bar

Overall Satisfaction: 8.2 out of 10

Price Rating: 9 out of 10

Service Type: Dine-in and takeout

Food Selection: Standard American burger joint/bar fare

Alcoholic Selection: Full bar

Non-alcoholic Selection: Buckler N/A Beer, bottled root beer, fountain drinks

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Sneaker's is a long-standing town favorite in Lowell, and for good reason. This sports-themed dive bar has something for just about everyone: a cozy and family-friendly atmosphere, personable staff, good food, plenty of drinks, and affordable prices. Sports articles and memorabilia from decades past cover the walls, and the menu items are almost all references to various sports. The servers know their regulars well enough to give them their preferred drinks when they walk in, and wait times are usually short, even with a packed dining room.

We visited on a Friday night in the summer, and the place wasn't terribly busy. As is normal with the older restaurants in town, you're expected to seat yourself. Taking a booth near the bar, the bartender called across and asked what drinks we wanted almost immediately, and our server approached shortly after. We were told to place our menus pointing out over the edge of the table when we were ready to order, and it didn't take long to get our food after ordering.

Caitlin's Meal:

Casey and I started off with the Spicy Cheese Curds. These are not real cheese curds, but rather cubed cheese that has been breaded and deep fried. Yet, these are surprisingly spicy for a largely Caucasian establishment (Lol). Both Casey and I love spicy food so these are almost always a must when they are on the special's menu. Sometimes the spice can build so much from these little guys that you have to take breaks while eating them, but they are always worth it!

Sneaker's has a decent non-alcoholic selection for a smaller bar. They have Buckler's non-alcoholic beer, as well as Henry Weinhard's root beer in a bottle. They also have the usual selection such as fountain soda and other common bar mixers. I, however, could not turn down my favorite: the Cranberry Long Drink. This gin-based canned cocktail is the right mixture of tasty and refreshing, making it the perfect hot summer evening beverage.

For my entrée, I had the aptly named Grand Slam sandwich. This is a sub-style sandwich piled high with ham and salami, with lettuce, swiss cheese, and a house made Special Sauce. The sauce is mayo based and has a vaguely Thousand Island Dressing vibe to it, which provides the perfect sweet and tangy taste to balance the savory swiss and meats. This is a permanent fixture on the Sneaker's menu and it is delicious! I tried to pick an item that seemed the most quintessential Sneaker's and this fit the bill. Normally it comes with chips, but I upgraded to fries. Sneaker's fries are not the most exceptional fries in the world, but neither are they the worst. They are light and fluffy on the inside, and range from chewy to crisp on the outside. These fries do the trick and pair well with any of Sneaker's fabulous burgers and sammies.

At one point during out meal, I spotted a small, used Bandaid laying on the table. While it was a shockingly gross discovery, once alerted, the bartender cleaned it up immediately. She also commented on how disgusting people can be and generally made us feel better about it. What could have been meal ruining, turned into something that easily blew over.

All said and done, I enjoyed my time here, like I do every time. The food was delicious, even if it wasn't the best quality, the drinks kept flowing, and the service was fast. I would highly recommend Sneaker's to anyone in the area looking for a welcoming bar with decent food.

Casey's Meal:

Anytime I walk into Sneaker's, the first thing I do is look at the Daily Specials board. They usually post this to their FB page around lunchtime each day. This time, I made it 3 items down before I found what I wanted: the Pizza Burger special! Sneaker's is well-known for their burgers, as they source their meat from the butcher shop next door: Gary's Meats. I knew this would be good, and it didn't disappoint.

The burger itself was made with Italian sausage in the beef, as well as some pizza seasonings like oregano. Topped with cheese, pizza sauce, ham, and pepperoni, I was happy enough with it...and that was before I noticed they even toasted the burger buns! Sneaker's may not be known for the highest-quality food in town (notice the probably GFS chips on the side), but they sure put in the effort to make their customers happy. This special was just under $10, and was well worth the price.

My first drink was Blackrocks Brewing's "51K IPA," which was on their rotating craft beer handle. I usually try to get whatever is on that handle, as it rarely disappoints. 51K is a great, drinkable IPA brewed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and it went great with our spicy cheese curds appetizer (my favorite appetizer here, although it's a special and isn't always available). The draft selection isn't large here, but it always includes one or two popular seasonal offerings, one specialty craft beer, and sometimes hard ciders. They also have a Canned Drink board near the Daily Specials board with other unique offerings.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also talk about my second drink: the Long Drink Zero Sugar. I first discovered Long Drink here at Sneaker's in the winter, and I can't stop myself from getting one anytime I'm here. It's a perfectly refreshing and light citrus seltzer, and Sneakers offers ice for it when you get them to go for the town's Social District just outside its doors. The Long Drink is currently exploding in popularity, and Sneaker's got on this train really early on, while some other popular restaurants in town still have yet to bring it in their doors.

After a long day without much food at work, I was still a little bit hungry, even post-burger. Another item on the Specials board caught my eye, and so I went for it. Two chili dogs with fries! Not the most glamorous addition to the end of my meal, but these really hit the spot. They were definitely beef dogs, and our server brought a couple containers of diced onions and mustard for them as well.

Price Debate:

Overall, there's little to debate about Sneaker's pricing. It's great. You're at a dive bar, so the food isn't fancy, but you get a lot of value out of it. An appetizer, three entrees, and 5 drinks between the two of us came to $60 before tip, which is fantastic. The chili dog special itself was under $8: totally reasonable for what it was.

Final Thoughts:

It's easy to fall in love with Sneaker's. It's a great combination of burger joint and bar, with a very hometown feel. Local regulars frequent it all throughout the day, and newcomers get welcomed in easily. We fully recommend stopping in if you've never been here, and hope to see you there soon!

Where should the Butlers eat next? Drop us a comment on our social media, and we'll have a new post next month!