COLUMBIA CITY – Rookies Sports Bar and Grill – the Rainier Valley’s new, much-anticipated family friendly sports bar – has finally opened in the Ferdinand St. space that was once home to Kallaloo Caribbean.
“We encourage families to come and enjoy their favorite sports on one of our big screens, come after games they’ve attended and definitely games they’ve played,” said Heather Allard, who owns the restaurant with her husband Sam. “We’d like to see local teams gather to celebrate a win, bicyclists begin and end their bike runs here, and so on. And of course sports enthusiasts of all ages!”
The menu features new and traditional American fare such as burgers, steaks, sandwiches, soups, salads, field roast and more, including a kid’s menu.
The restaurant was designed using reclaimed sports materials, including a high school gym floor, bowling alley slabs and even old aluminum baseball bats.
Rookies is located at 3820 S. Ferdinand St. in Columbia City.
Rookies owners Heather and Sam Allard in the test kitchen prior to opening.
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 32 comments }
Did anyone go to the soft opening last night?
Do they have a “family section” like at the stadiums or do the kiddies just sidle up to the bar with the grown folk?
I was trying to find a menu, but no one answers the phone and their website just says opening soon.
“family friendly sports bar”….ooookaaaaay.
A sports bar is a great idea for Columbia City. Watching the world cup at that one cafe, or at Tutta Bella made me feel like I was missing something, namely burgers with draft beer and multiple TVs.
The family friendly thing may prove good or bad, but it’s clear they made that decision based on the demographics of the neighborhood. They could very well find that it doesn’t work and lose that without having to completely change the restaurant. There are family friendly sports places that seem to do ok out there… Like The Ram chain.
I’d give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Also, please keep in mind that restaurants, even those opened by seasoned professionals, don’t find their legs for a month or two. Don’t be surprised if you have a less than awesome experience if you check it out soon.
As somebody who likes to see local businesses succeed, I’d ask you to consider holding off on writing negative internet reviews until they’ve had a chance to refine their processes.
If you are curious, I don’t know anybody involved with the project and haven’t been there yet myself (I plan to though!).
@ Mark B
I think they have some the highchairs like Applebee’s or something. Let me stop….
How can you serve hard liquor with kids though?
@5 I had a look and it seems the bar and the dining area are separated.
Of course the wife and kid are out of town so my first visit will have to wait a week.
I’m going to open a family friendly strip club.
@Graham ST
I too like to see local businesses succeed, but as someone who has been waiting for a sports bar (that’s sports bar not daycare center) to open in Columbia City, I am pretty sure I will not be going there as I have seen how people in Columbia city handle their children at places like Full Tilt, another place I will not go back to. (I know you all think your kids are adorable, but when they act the ass and you don’t do sh*t about it, it does not help the business)
Since it is a “bar” they should have a seperate area for “families”. If they do and I don’t have to listen to someones crypod or argue with some jackhat because his kid heard swearing at a “bar” (heaven forbid)
I might go, but until I hear from someone who has gone, I’ll wait.
There’s a big bar on one side of the entrance, and a family-friendly restaurant on the other side; it’s really very separate areas, as you might be able to picture if you’d ever been to Kallaloo, which had a bar area on the east side of the space, too. It’s more separated than the bar and restaurant areas of El Sombrero, which share a common half-wall and serves hard alcohol (Tasha 3.0, there are tons of restaurants all over town that both allow kids & serve booze). The menu is posted on their window–lots of fried snacks, a couple salads, hot sandwiches and a burger or two.
Seems like there’s been a decent crowd (of adults) when I’ve walked past the last two nights. And there’s enough TVs that I wouldn’t think you’d be able to hear any fussing from an occasional kid.
Can the moderator step in and edit Mark B’s comment. Certainly, it’s not written in a constructive, neighborly manner.
Mark B’s crankiness is sort of a tradition around here.
@ Mark B
May I be recruited when you open the family friendly strip club? Cause I know some tricks I can do with silly string!!!
Oh and can we please lighten the **** up around here? It’s just comedy folks…..
@Marshall
Maybe not as neighborly as you would like, but I would like to think it is somewhat constructive if I can make people think about the way their children effect other people’s impression of a business or their parenting skills or lack there of.
@Tasha3.0
Girl you know I always have a spot for you, might even just let you run the joint and you could pick your own stable of “entertainers”
@graham
This is different than my normal crankiness, this is more angst as I am straight but just found out my Siamese twin is gay, and he has a date tonight.
And can the moderator please step in and delete Marshall’s comment, he’s picking on me. J/K
I hope the food is good!
Moderate Mark B? Never! Dude’s like the mayor of the RVP up in here.
@ Mark B,
“I know you think [you're] are adorable, but when [you] act the ass and [we] don’t do sh*t about it, it does not help the [neighborhood].”
Thank you, thank you very much (In my best Elvis voice)
@CBO
Tasha 3.0 has also made me think I should run for mayor of this fine town.
My platform will be to let baristas / bartenders wear silly string, and charge the city council $60.00 for their car tabs (merely symbolic)
Then just so things don’t change too much, I will spend $10 million on a study to find the best consultant to find out how best to save $8 million.
aw hell, if you started moderating MarkB’s comments, i might have to cry and then take over for him. someone’s gotta be a wise ass around here, and he does such an awesome job!
his #7 comment made me fall in love with him (again) and i don’t even like boys that way! HAHA!
@Raul Duke
“I know you think [you're] are adorable, but when [you] act the ass and [we] don’t do sh*t about it, it does not help the [neighborhood].”
Who are you “quoting”?
Wouldn’t it be more appropriate without the quotation marks since you added to it?
I imagine you are one of the parents I am speaking of, if not I am sorry.
If so…………….
And thanks for playing.
@Raul Duke: I’m LMFAO over here cuz if you met Mark B once you’d know that of all the things he may think about himself, adorable ain’t one of em.
He also does a lot more to help this hood than most. Basic shit, like making sure kids have Christmas. Just sayin. Don’t judge a book and all that.
I thought the stripclub comment was funny. But, then again, I have a fantastic sense of humor.
Totally appreciate Mark B’s comments. I have two of those adorable kids and I do my best to not let them spoil the experience for others. When I go to a sports bar – I want to cheer loudly, slap the table in disgust and generally enjoy the fun of the day. I do not want to hear whining or crying, so if the tvs are loud and the mood is upbeat, it should be fine. In the end, quality of the tv (clear, large) and food quality are the best determiners of a great experience when watching my favorite teams. Love these comments.
I think Columbia City may finally be catching up to Park Slope’s great “babies in bars” debate/outrage! I definitely support adults-only imbibing, because I fear for any child who gets in between me and a Makers Manhattan.
MarkB for president
Hopefully it doesn’t get as popular as Mioposto. Here’s a clip from a funny review in the Seattle Weekly. Full article at http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/2010/04/mio_posto.php
There is nothing so scary as the march of gentrification…
“It’s family friendly, maybe excessively so, which in this case means “let your kids run amok all over the gdmned place.” In fact, you aren’t allowed inside Mioposto if your stroller didn’t cost at LEAST $800. That’s why I had to sneak in.
I’m not going to launch into some sort of anti-child tirade, because we’ve got to continue the species SOMEHOW, but JC could someone rein the rugrats in just a little? We slipped, repeatedly, on cheerios and crayons rolling around on the floor. Who knew that Cheerios were so slick? I didn’t, until I almost broke my neck when I stepped on one. The floors are REALLY F… DIRTY. Seriously, the ground inside Mioposto was littered with napkins, crumbs, crayons, discarded pizza crusts, and all other manner of crap. I bet “Mioposto” is Italian for “I wish I had an abortion.”
@Tom T: OMG, that is f’ing hilarious. And so true. My side hurts from laughing.
also @TomT-jesus god, i think my head just asploded upon reading the translation of Mioposto!!!
@musicanimal
“i think my head just asploded”
Is that from Bernie Kosar on the Letterman show years ago when they had the meatball sandwich on top of the Christmas tree and threw footballs at it, then when Letterman hit it Kosar said “you made the meatball asploded”
Classic!
I went in last night and I have to say…..
I was very impressed. Very laid back and cool. Wait staff was very attentive and it was clear they were ready to make an excellent name for themselves. Oh and one minor thing….
THERE WAS A HAPPY HOUR!!!
The rest of you CC places need to step your happy hour game up cause Rookies is making you look bad on that front. Two dollars off on happy hour on drinks and food. The prices were very reasonable to begin with.
Now I know I was making funnies about the whole kid friendly thing, but I really like the layout. The way It’s set up you can bring your side piece and creep in the bar side on the weekend and have family time on the other side during the week. Everybody wins!!!
Sweet, might have to check it out tonight for happy hour.
Went there by accident (we didn’t know it was there) Saturday for bfast/lunch. Loved our food, loved the service, loved the layout – especially the old basketball court wood floor, and loved the great $5 bloody Marys. I’m not a sports bar type, but I would have bfast or lunch there again any time.
We headed in for brunch on Saturday. Love the decor, the staff and service were great and there were lots of TVs to watch your favorite team on. The Bloody Mary’s and coffee were awesome, the brunch food not so much. The English muffin for my Eggs Bennie wasn’t toasted, the menu described “thick cut ham” wasn’t so thick, and the hollandaise was oddly sweet and lacking acid even though it was supposedly homemade. My husband’s breakfast burrito was overwhelmed with sausage. But as it was their first brunch ever and they just opened we will definitely give brunch another try a few weeks or so down the road. We also plan to try out the lunch and dinner menu. Those items looked quite tasty. Definitely want to see this place succeed.
Oh, and there were kids there and fans and there was no problem whatsoever. It all worked quite well.
@MarkB re: “asploded”…is that where that’s from? as usual, i thought i had an original thought. damn it.
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