JP Looney’s Sports Bar & Grille

Fact File

336-852-1331

Type: Sports Bar

Location: 3021 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro, N.C.

Price Range: Entrees under $15, sandwiches under $10

Hours: Open 7 days a week

Payment accepted: Cash, credit card.

Overview: Located at the corner of Spring Garden and Holden, JP Looney’s offers appetizers, wings, burgers sandwiches and entrees. Amenities include a full bar with daily drink specials, over a dozen televisions, karaoke and games. Catering is available and there are additional locations in High Point and Oak Ridge.

Review by Zac Goldstein

Sometimes, there’s something to be said for the comfort of familiarity. JP Looney’s embodies just about every sports bar cliché imaginable, but in the end, it still manages to satisfy. The menu, for instance, is steeped in sports jargon. Appetizers are “The Starting Lineup,” salads are “Spring Training,” and so on. And if that doesn’t fulfill your quota for corniness, look no further than Looney’s chicken wing motto: “We pluck ‘em, you suck ‘em.”

In spite of the questionable marketing, the wings rate among the best in the Triad. They come in more than a dozen different flavors, bone-in or boneless. Try the latter in sweet teriyaki and you won’t regret it – those succulent suckers go by quick. BBQ-style, in either medium or hot, rate a distant second.

The rest of the menu varies in quality. Burgers, mozzarella sticks and ribs are done right, but a chicken sandwich was tough and bone-dry. Despite all the sports verbiage, nothing here is actually a steal: burgers and sandwiches run in the $6 to $9 range (choice of side included), while 10 boneless wings go for $9 an order (bone-in are only 30 cents less).

Finding seating at Looney’s is a gamble. Show up when there’s a popular game going on and you’re looking at a wait for a decent table. If you are able to get in, you may find yourself in the middle of “Dick Cheney’s hidden bunker,” as one friend put it – a room covered wall-to-wall with television screens. As with any sports bar, you can bet on sporadic earfuls of cheering and hollering. Servers are friendly and will gladly change TV channels for you, but don’t count on promptness if there’s a sizeable crowd.

As a dining experience, Looney’s leaves a bit to be desired, particularly if you aren’t in the mood for wings. But if all you’re looking for is a spot to get some food and watch a game, this is as good as it gets, bar none.

7/10