The Raging Bull, a large sports bar and grill, opened Monday on Power Road, between Broadway and Main (map), in east Mesa.
It takes over a building that began as Damon’s Grill more than a decade ago. It later became Fahrenheits and, most recently, was Conti’s Bar & Grill.
The nearly 7,000-square-foot restaurant, one of the largest sports bars in the East Valley, is a work in progress.
When I stopped in for lunch Tuesday, none of the 16 beer taps were hooked up. (They were working on it.) In the meantime, the bar offers beer in bottles and cans, as well as wine and cocktails.
Similarly, the kitchen is doing a condensed food menu for now – mostly apps, burgers, and sandwiches, although there’s a pretty good selection to choose from.
Look for a full menu to be unveiled in a couple weeks.
The food
I tried the basic burger, The Angus ($11 with fries, pictured). The half-pound burger, obviously never frozen, was delicious – grilled to perfection with a nice char – and served on a toasted bun.
The fries lacked crispness and were somewhat tasteless; next time I’ll try one of the other options, which include home fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, house-made chips, and jalapeno cole slaw.
(Disclaimer: If you like the fries at In-N-Out, you’d probably like these. They’re very similar in texture and taste. To each their own.)
I did like how the meal arrived informally on a paper-lined tray. Delivering two napkins, knife, and fork in a one-quart Mason jar, though, seemed overly cutesy.
The scene
The three-sided bar (shown above) divides the main dining room from a lounge area with games.
Sports fans will love the TVs covering every wall, including four large screens in the main dining area (below). I counted more than two dozen screens inside, but there were more on the large patio.
According to its website, The Raging Bull offers free sample wings – like the burgers, never frozen – to everyone seated between 5 and 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
Happy hour runs 4-9 p.m. Monday-Friday.
