OT - Brion's Grille is closed.

[Jack Strop]

He has no idea how apropos

Nah... some of y'all just have weak a$$holes.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Putting a Glory Days there would be a fantastic decision. Their existing Fairfax location is all the way over by the Vienna Metro, so that's far enough away not to be oversaturated. I'd much rather have a local chain than some sterile national brand.

 

[sleeperpick]

Putting a Glory Days there would be a fantastic decision. Their existing Fairfax location is all the way over by the Vienna Metro, so that's far enough away not to be oversaturated. I'd much rather have a local chain than some sterile national brand.

the Burke one isn't exactly close either, I definitely agree and that area needs a sports bar considering Oh George's is a weird a** place to watch any sort of game with their UVA type clientele

 

[GMUSSTN]

the Burke one isn't exactly close either, I definitely agree and that area needs a sports bar considering Oh George's is a weird a** place to watch any sort of game with their UVA type clientele

I think I only went to OG once before I left town but my usual hang used to be with the seedy drunks at Fats. Brion's always used to be too crowded and I'd be lucky to get 1 beer let alone 2 before I had to walk over for the game. Then Fats had a bunch of staff turnover when their Warrenton location opened and they started to suck, so I'd stop at Hard Times on my way in from Falls Church. If the wife was with me we'd go to Coyote Grill. I hated having to drive between dinner and the game though because that limited the number of beers I could responsibly consume (used to really tie one on sometimes at Fats).

As a Burke, Va, native, Glory Days is a classic establishment and is a great fit for that spot. Not sure if Wednesday is still wing night but that would line up perfectly with a lot of our home games.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Banditos Bar & Kitchen — a concept inspired by Mexican street food — is preparing to open by the end of April at 10621 Braddock Road in Fairfax, according to a company representative.

The taco spot will be located at University Mall, a 182,366-square-foot property by George Mason University’s campus that is home to a number of retailers like Taco Bamba, Orange Theory Fitness and Teddy Bear Daycare.

The restaurant also plans to open a location in Arlington, according to ARLnow. Another location is planned in Towson, Maryland. Bandito’s brunch, lunch and dinner menu features more than 20 different tacos, burritos, street corn, mezcal and tequila.

The question has been answered.

 

[tblack33]

Banditos Bar & Kitchen — a concept inspired by Mexican street food — is preparing to open by the end of April at 10621 Braddock Road in Fairfax, according to a company representative.

The taco spot will be located at University Mall, a 182,366-square-foot property by George Mason University’s campus that is home to a number of retailers like Taco Bamba, Orange Theory Fitness and Teddy Bear Daycare.

The restaurant also plans to open a location in Arlington, according to ARLnow. Another location is planned in Towson, Maryland. Bandito’s brunch, lunch and dinner menu features more than 20 different tacos, burritos, street corn, mezcal and tequila.

The question has been answered.

Sad. So much potential.

 

[gmubrian]

Banditos Bar & Kitchen — a concept inspired by Mexican street food — is preparing to open by the end of April at 10621 Braddock Road in Fairfax, according to a company representative.

The taco spot will be located at University Mall, a 182,366-square-foot property by George Mason University’s campus that is home to a number of retailers like Taco Bamba, Orange Theory Fitness and Teddy Bear Daycare.

The restaurant also plans to open a location in Arlington, according to ARLnow. Another location is planned in Towson, Maryland. Bandito’s brunch, lunch and dinner menu features more than 20 different tacos, burritos, street corn, mezcal and tequila.

The question has been answered.

Sad. So much potential.

No offense intended towards Banditos, might be a great restaurant, but I have to agree with tblack on this. Doesn't seem like the kind of place that people will want to congregate as a Mason gathering spot like Brion's was. The fact that the website won't load doesn't help, either.

 

[psyclone]

No offense intended towards Banditos, might be a great restaurant, but I have to agree with tblack on this. Doesn't seem like the kind of place that people will want to congregate as a Mason gathering spot like Brion's was. The fact that the website won't load doesn't help, either.

Agreed. Hard to believe they would set up shop about within a few hundred feet from another taco place. Granted Taco Bomba is much smaller....maybe Banditos figures to run them out of business, but speaking personally, Brion's offered me a wider variety of choices so that there were more different occassions that I might frequent the establishment. Also the square footage seems too big for what I perceive the demand would be.

 

[mkaufman1]

No offense intended towards Banditos, might be a great restaurant, but I have to agree with tblack on this. Doesn't seem like the kind of place that people will want to congregate as a Mason gathering spot like Brion's was. The fact that the website won't load doesn't help, either.

Completely agree. That said, if they are smart, maybe they try to really embrace Mason and it does become a place where folks gather. It might not be the same as Brion’s but I could definitely see them sponsoring the Gold Room, having pregame specials etc. If they have a half decent restaurant and aren’t assholes, people will definitely go. I know I will definitely give it a whirl next time I’m in town.

 

[TweederGMU]

Best Tacos | Banditos Tacos & Tequila

Banditos Tacos and Tequila is a TACO temple inspired by the mouthwatering flavors of Mexican street food. Our handcrafted cocktails feature only the freshest ingredients highlighting our extensive collection of tequilas and mezcals. So, come early and stay late.

banditostnt.com

Would of liked a nice sports bar there but this should be an interesting offering. These owners have balls going besides a Taco Bamba. TB's is usually packed, especially the one here in Arlington. They do have good tacos but can get pricey - $20 for 3-4 tacos and a drink. So maybe they think they can pull in people with their full bar and sit down concept rather than fast casual. Will be interesting to see what drinks and tequilas they have - I'll give them a try.

Now if they really want to pull in people they need some GMU Bball/Athletics merchandise on their walls to let fans know they are welcome there. Hopefully they will do some specials for games as well and get involved with the AD.

Get me their manager! Better yet... send in the Jollay!

 

[Five Two]

I'm not lucky enough to go into the Gold Room. What restaurants have the had the best food there over the years?

 

[TweederGMU]

I'm not lucky enough to go into the Gold Room. What restaurants have the had the best food there over the years?

This was probably the worst year for food in the Gold Room in a long time. No Chuy's this year which pissed off a ton of people. This year some catering company did the GR like 3 times and every time their food was awful - not just from me but heard this from others - their sandwiches and wraps were lackluster and dry, bread was like cement. One time they just had meatballs and finger foods... the meatballs were terrible.... like Costco/Bulk order style.

Dolce Vita, Paisano's and OhGeorge were others this year. Can't even remember the others. Dolce was average - basic ziti pastas and Caesar salad.

They do need to step up the food game/offerings in the Gold Room next year. This year was pretty bad. In past years its actually been decent - Chuy's I think is the fan favorite.

They need to reach out to LOCAL restaurants more and get away from these chains or catering companies. Host tastings at the Patriot Center for restaurants to show off what they have. These are large orders and huge chances for LOCAL companies to make some money and gather exposure. However, it seems the PC team just doesn't want to put in the work and/or give them a chance. Seems they go for the easy offerings or cheapest offerings. They should put emphasis on quality rather than quantity or go for the easy chain offering.

See what Velocity Wings, Fats, Patriot's Pub, Anita's, La Tolteca, Hopsfrog Tavern, Kilroy's, PJ Skidoos, Capital Ale House, Red Hot and Blue all have to offer! All of these local restaurants should be at top of mind!

 

[Patriotsince81]

The fact that the website won't load doesn't help, either.

Best Tacos | Banditos Tacos & Tequila

Banditos Tacos and Tequila is a TACO temple inspired by the mouthwatering flavors of Mexican street food. Our handcrafted cocktails feature only the freshest ingredients highlighting our extensive collection of tequilas and mezcals. So, come early and stay late.

banditostnt.com

 

[Patriotsince81]

I just need to know if they serve my beverage of choice, if they have cheap shots to pawn off on "friends", and if I can have a name plate above my corner seat. Not too much to ask for, right?

If ANY of the 3 conditions stipulated above are not in the works then I will have no choice but to continue my 2021-22 routine. It worked, but was far from ideal.

 

[Patriotsince81]

When Brion's Grill closed Coyote Grill in Fairfax became my new home away from home before Mason games. I learned today that Coyote is now under new ownership effective immediately. Guests should expect to see improvements both inside and outside on the patio soon. One of the conditions of the sale was that management and staff would remain in place. The general manager, bartenders, and servers are all top notch. Good news in my eyes.

No word on Bandito's at University Mall. They claimed that they would be open by the end of April yet the doors remain closed. Hmm....

 

[tblack33]

When Brion's Grill closed Coyote Grill in Fairfax became my new home away from home before Mason games. I learned today that Coyote is now under new ownership effective immediately. Guests should expect to see improvements both inside and outside on the patio soon. One of the conditions of the sale was that management and staff would remain in place. The general manager, bartenders, and servers are all top notch. Good news in my eyes.

No word on Bandito's at University Mall. They claimed that they would be open by the end of April yet the doors remain closed. Hmm....

I REALLY hope that Bandito's does not work out there. That location is the absolute perfect spot for a Glory Days or some other sort or sports bar.

 

[Patriotsince81]

I REALLY hope that Bandito's does not work out there. That location is the absolute perfect spot for a Glory Days or some other sort or sports bar.

Agreed. I love walking over to EBA prior to a game but when the restaurant in question (Bandito's) does not serve my beverage of choice it's a bit disappointing. I mean, if I'm not there who am I going to buy really cheap shots for?

 

[gmubrian]

No word on Bandito's at University Mall. They claimed that they would be open by the end of April yet the doors remain closed. Hmm....

I am not surprised, IF, this is related to construction delays. I have a construction project on my property that is just finishing up (just final touches/punch list now). It started in May of 2021 and was supposed to take 3 months. Fast forward and it wasn't substantially complete until about a month ago, 13 months later... Supply shortages, labor shortages, approval/inspector delays, etc. Everything took 4 times as long as norms would have said when the project first started.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Yeah, I have multiple friends who have had major home renovations delayed for weeks or months recently.

 

[mkaufman1]

I just hope its resolved in the next month or so, so that its ready for basketball season but also open for the community who starts going to events at EBA starting in September/October.