I've been to the Springfield Grille on "nice" occasions since it's supposed to be the best of the three Springfield restaurants (others are Rachel's and Iron Bridge). It should be 4 stars for a restaurant in the Mercer area, but compared to places it pretends to compete with, it's a solid 3 stars. The food is decent, but overpriced for what it is. The seafood is clearly not coming straight from the ocean and I'm positive the vast majority of what was on my plate was frozen at one point. One thing you have to get here is the turtle soup with the shot of sherry. It's unique and their mini claim to fame. Overall though, this restaurant earns 3 stars for mediocre service, a predictable menu and its relatively unattractive value.
(3)
Bryan P.
This place and Iron Bridge are the best two restaurants in Mercer County. Food is always great. Suggest a reservation during peak hours. My friends, my wife and I eat there regularly. Highly recommend the turtle soup. Only place I know of where you can get it. I have eaten in high quality restaurants all over the US and in four foreign countries, this place is in my top 25.
(5)
Dori B.
What a disappointment!!My family, friends and I have come here at least 3-4 times a year and have been doing so since they opened. The food and service has always been fabulous. Last night a group of 6 of us went and lets just say we won't be returning anytime soon. The service was still top notch but the food.... The chicken jambalaya was more tomato jambalaya, not spicy and rather bland. The whiskeyjack prime rib with onion rings was cooked to medium rare as requested but so full of fat and gristle there was very little edible meat and that was stringy and chewy. There was no "whiskey demi-glaze" to be found (nor any salt or pepper) and the onion rings, while big and sweet had so much partially cooked breading the onions had to be removed from the breading to eat. The best thing about that dish was my baked sweet potato. The turtle soup lacked flavor, and salt. The salads were a handful of spring greens a grape tomato and two black olives. Then there was the cocktails. A more disgustingly sweet mojito I have never tasted and my husband couldn't drink it. The red sangria was watered down and the crown on the rocks had too many rocks so that barely halfway through it was crown and water. To top it off. The cost was ridiculous. I don't mind paying for good food but this wasn't at all worth the price. I could have made better at home for half the cost. The chef needs to start tasting the food.
(2)
Sonny C.
Probably the absolute best crab cakes and aged steaks from PA to NYC! I honestly had low expectations for this little cozy country looking joint. I'm use to big city fancy dining restaurants: IL Milanos, Nobu, Hyde Park (mostly 5-star stuff) I was absolutely shocked how scrumptious this food was. People who are complaining about chicken here need their head examined! Because any dumbass who comes to a steak and seafood place and orders chicken then complains about it should be slapped across the face with a wet noodle! I've ate dungeness crabs right from the San Francisco Bay and it doesn't get any fresher than that. The lump crab is super fresh here and the recipe is on point like Boston, Maine, New England, Vermont and Maryland style. It really doesn't get much better than their crab cakes they are phenomenal! I had a few too many of these cherry cocktails and got a little billigerent spoke a little too loud and had some offended ass clown come tell me to keep my voice down. I may have said, "nigga", to a friend I was speaking to on the phone. Anyways other than the excessive alcohol consumed and nearby offended mid-50's ass clown this place was solid. I ended up dropping almost $300 here for two adult meals and two kids cheese pizzas but I'd say the service is top notch, aged steaks are delicious and the crab cakes prepared perfectly! I will definitely be returning: "NIGGA"!
(4)
Jim S.
Have been coming here on Valentine's Day for over 10yrs. Proposed to my wife here. We have never missed a date yet, no matter the weather. Why you ask? The service, the ambiance, and the food! Is it perfect every time? Maybe not but it is ALWAYS good. This was special enough for our first special night and has remained that way every year since. I recommend you make it your special place too.
(4)
DrueAnne S.
This was a BIG SURPRISE!! Have the Spinach artichoke dip with crab.... Only thing that would make this better would be more crab, although there was a good amount - I wanted some for each bite! The Andouille Sausage was killer!!! Tuna and Sea Bass were good. House salad dressing is very unique and worth a try!
(4)
Richard F.
If it wasn't for the service, ambiance and furnishings, this place would rate at one star. The food was just awful. I had a dried out and ill prepared roasted half chicken. The description claimed a spicy preparation, but what was delivered was an unimaginative pasty mix of cayenne paprika and salt. The flesh was dry but curiously cold inside. The accompanying starch was a polenta mess that was dried out and baked in a ramekin to toxic destruction. The server brought us rolls that had been baked in a sheet and the edges of these were crusty and dried out. We did not bother to attempt to stomach dessert. We have eaten at another of the restaurants in the group that was a bit better. But the Springfield Grill was just plain gross.
(2)
Mariko M.
Had dinner here on Sunday night. We weren't sure where to eat dinner in Mercer so we asked the front desk at our hotel. Being in Mercer, options were limited. I wasn't in the mood for Chinese-American cuisine or a sandwich artist prepared SUBWAY sub. We didn't realize this, but by showing our room key, we could have free dessert. As mentioned by Yelp'er Jean M., the decor is very pretty. Fresh flowers in the front, it's quite inviting. There's a lot on site so parking is not an issue here. I ordered the grilled salmon with sweet pesto and the DC ordered the prime rib entree. We both had a house salad to start... deeeelish. To end the meal, we ordered a sundae. I was pretty impressed with the service, the food, and this establishment as a whole. The pricing was very reasonable as well. In Toronto, a similar resto would cost double the amount. I go to Grove City often for my golfing weekends so I will definitely be checking SG again. A solid 4 star.
(4)
Jean M.
Lovely decor; food ordinary at best. In late July with fresh local produce and fresh herbs available in a farm area, rolls are baked from delivered frozen stock, sauces taste canned. The cooks Springfield shoul visit Montana's near Fryburg where they bake their own rolls and pastries and freshly cook the food. My sister had a peanut butter pie that was a glop of sweetened peanut butter served with a salty oatmeal cookie. We were truly dismayed with this place.
(1)
Stephen L.
Dined here many times over the years, but sadly I must say I'm moving on. The decor, atmosphere and service are spot on; but the quality of the food is going down and the pricing going up. I've ordered the crab cakes for years and it has always been more crab than filling! But they must be cutting costs, because last nights plate was nothing but filling and the cakes were overcooked! We also ordered the fried zucchini as an appetizer and it came out flavorless, under cooked and doughy. Very disappointed overall.
(2)
Julie D.
I am a big fan of the Springfield group of restaurants. We were recently in Mercer and decided to stop by Rachel's for an early dinner. Unfortunately, they were not open due to a freak power outage that didn't affect The Iron Bridge or The Springfield Grille. The Iron Bridge was completely packed, the S.G. was practically empty. That should have given us a clue that something was amiss.... But we have dined at the Mars S.G. location frequently, so for us, we thought there was nothing to fear! We learned that appetizers were half price. Cool, because I intended to have the trio of crab cakes for my dinner. We decided to start with The Artichoke Spinach Dip. The serving size was very good. We liked it. I got a Tin Room Salad, mixed greens, black olives, bleu cheese, grape tomatoes, red onion, with white balsamic dressing. Decent salad and big enough to share with BJ. BJ got a cheeseburger for his meal. He thought it was edible, but not really all that good. I was totally astounded by my crab cake appetizer. Is was listed as: Chesapeake Crab Cakes - Trio of jumbo lump cakes, with roasted red pepper remoulade. There so NO obvious crab, jumbo, lump or otherwise. It seemed like they had pureed a titch of some sort of fish and filler and formed tiny little off white mounds of ???? and dumped them on my plate. I have never seen or tasted anything so disgusting Our server was nice and very friendly, but seemed to got lost. Very disappointed by our experience.
(2)
Bill B.
The Springfield Grille has wonderful ambiance, great service and the food is very visually appealing. It's less crowded than Rachel's just down the road and the food is just as good. They do locally source most of the food they prepare, including the snapping turtles for the very tasty soup. However, even though the food looks great, it's missing a bit in the taste department. Maybe the pervasiveness of salt is an east coast thing, I don't know, but I found everything to be too salty for my taste to the point of overpowering some of the other flavors. Nevertheless, next time we are out that way visiting family, I'm certain we'll stop in again for an enjoyable meal.
(3)
Christie L.
Just returned from dinner here. We've been to Rachel's and Iron Bridge, so we figured we'd try this place out too. We're casual people, so we knew as soon as we walked in that we were undressed. We headed right to the bar to grab a seat - not a prob at 730ish on Saturday. We liked the atmosphere at the bar here, better than at the tables at the other sister restaurants. The bartender was really friendly and attentive. We ordered the thai calamari and ahi tuna as apps. The calamari was average but good - the sauce was just Franks Chili sauce mixed with a little something. The ahi tuna...well the tuna itself was good, but whoever chose the seasoning for it has no idea what they're doing - the seasoning did NOT go with tuna. My bf got the turtle soup which he liked and I got a side salad (it comes with feta on it FYI). The French dressing was awesome. So creamy and different than the norm. I got a sirloin/crab cake dinner. The steak was just decent, but cooked properly. The crab cake and remoulade were GREAT. Best I've had in recent memory. My bf got a NY strip and fries - the steak was good, the fries just ok. We got turtle cheesecake and pb pie to go - both were good. The kitchen seemed to be really on top of things with an expediter ensuring all food was correct. The good def outweighed any bad and we will be back.
So, we *discovered* this place while staying in Cranberry and attempted to dine at that location. It was packed to the gills, so we moved on, but I was disappointed as the menu looked fantastic. We're staying in Grove City this week and when I discovered there was a location here, I was thrilled! I was surprised to read the lackluster reviews for this location, but chalked it up to clientele in this area preferring the menu/ambience at Iron Bridge or Rachel's (the reviews for the Mars location are out of this world, pun intended). Sadly, the reviews were spot on. The first indicator should have been the almost empty parking lot. We were seated almost immediately ((the maitre de was handling a phone reservation as we arrived). Our server was excellent and, once again, you could tell they've been trained to make customers happy. They nail service. The beer list was a bit better here, as they carry both Stone IPA and Levitation, as well as Bell's Two Hearted. We ordered the Crab Martini appetizer and while it was quite what I was expecting presentation wise (I'd been picturing crab claws hanging on a martini glass quite like a shrimp cocktail), it tasted great. It's bits and pieces of crab atop crushed ice in a stainless steel martini glass served w/drawn butter and cocktail sauce. This was the highlight of our meal... I started w/the Turtle Soup and I did not care for it. The soup was fine and I appreciated it for what it was, it simply wasn't my cup o' soup. My husband's ceasar salad was also fine, standard w/the cheese crisp on the side. It was nicely chopped, though I was surprised it did not come w/anchovies. I was torn on the entrees and asked if I went w/a special (Surf & Turf: filet & lobster claws) if the filet could be done in the Blue Fire style. Our server said absolutely. Awesome. My husband went w/the Black and Blue Strip. Our meals arrive and my filet was not in the style I'd ordered (when we received the bill, I learned it was not the server's fault, but the kitchen's). I didn't bother to send if back because I was hungry, but I have no doubt they would have made it right; they truly nail service. My filet was uninspired, yet cooked to a perfect medium rare. The whipped potatoes were nothing special and actually tasted a bit like the boxed version from the cafe in college. The real underachiever on my plate, though, was the lobster claws. They were as dry as dry could be, making me wonder if they were actually freezer burnt. They were bad. My husband's meal was fine, but he agreed it was nothing compared to our meal at the Iron Bridge the previous evening. This is the first Springfield Group restaurant I don't foresee us eating at again. If you're in the area and looking for a place to eat, check out their sister location, the Iron Bridge Inn, for sure! (BTW-if I were reviewing straight stars, I'd have awarded 3. However, 3 is translated to "A-OK" here and 2 to "Meh, I've experienced better" which was definately a better fit.)
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Rachel L.
I've been to the Springfield Grille on "nice" occasions since it's supposed to be the best of the three Springfield restaurants (others are Rachel's and Iron Bridge). It should be 4 stars for a restaurant in the Mercer area, but compared to places it pretends to compete with, it's a solid 3 stars. The food is decent, but overpriced for what it is. The seafood is clearly not coming straight from the ocean and I'm positive the vast majority of what was on my plate was frozen at one point. One thing you have to get here is the turtle soup with the shot of sherry. It's unique and their mini claim to fame. Overall though, this restaurant earns 3 stars for mediocre service, a predictable menu and its relatively unattractive value.
(3)Bryan P.
This place and Iron Bridge are the best two restaurants in Mercer County. Food is always great. Suggest a reservation during peak hours. My friends, my wife and I eat there regularly. Highly recommend the turtle soup. Only place I know of where you can get it. I have eaten in high quality restaurants all over the US and in four foreign countries, this place is in my top 25.
(5)Dori B.
What a disappointment!!My family, friends and I have come here at least 3-4 times a year and have been doing so since they opened. The food and service has always been fabulous. Last night a group of 6 of us went and lets just say we won't be returning anytime soon. The service was still top notch but the food.... The chicken jambalaya was more tomato jambalaya, not spicy and rather bland. The whiskeyjack prime rib with onion rings was cooked to medium rare as requested but so full of fat and gristle there was very little edible meat and that was stringy and chewy. There was no "whiskey demi-glaze" to be found (nor any salt or pepper) and the onion rings, while big and sweet had so much partially cooked breading the onions had to be removed from the breading to eat. The best thing about that dish was my baked sweet potato. The turtle soup lacked flavor, and salt. The salads were a handful of spring greens a grape tomato and two black olives. Then there was the cocktails. A more disgustingly sweet mojito I have never tasted and my husband couldn't drink it. The red sangria was watered down and the crown on the rocks had too many rocks so that barely halfway through it was crown and water. To top it off. The cost was ridiculous. I don't mind paying for good food but this wasn't at all worth the price. I could have made better at home for half the cost. The chef needs to start tasting the food.
(2)Sonny C.
Probably the absolute best crab cakes and aged steaks from PA to NYC! I honestly had low expectations for this little cozy country looking joint. I'm use to big city fancy dining restaurants: IL Milanos, Nobu, Hyde Park (mostly 5-star stuff) I was absolutely shocked how scrumptious this food was. People who are complaining about chicken here need their head examined! Because any dumbass who comes to a steak and seafood place and orders chicken then complains about it should be slapped across the face with a wet noodle! I've ate dungeness crabs right from the San Francisco Bay and it doesn't get any fresher than that. The lump crab is super fresh here and the recipe is on point like Boston, Maine, New England, Vermont and Maryland style. It really doesn't get much better than their crab cakes they are phenomenal! I had a few too many of these cherry cocktails and got a little billigerent spoke a little too loud and had some offended ass clown come tell me to keep my voice down. I may have said, "nigga", to a friend I was speaking to on the phone. Anyways other than the excessive alcohol consumed and nearby offended mid-50's ass clown this place was solid. I ended up dropping almost $300 here for two adult meals and two kids cheese pizzas but I'd say the service is top notch, aged steaks are delicious and the crab cakes prepared perfectly! I will definitely be returning: "NIGGA"!
(4)Jim S.
Have been coming here on Valentine's Day for over 10yrs. Proposed to my wife here. We have never missed a date yet, no matter the weather. Why you ask? The service, the ambiance, and the food! Is it perfect every time? Maybe not but it is ALWAYS good. This was special enough for our first special night and has remained that way every year since. I recommend you make it your special place too.
(4)DrueAnne S.
This was a BIG SURPRISE!! Have the Spinach artichoke dip with crab.... Only thing that would make this better would be more crab, although there was a good amount - I wanted some for each bite! The Andouille Sausage was killer!!! Tuna and Sea Bass were good. House salad dressing is very unique and worth a try!
(4)Richard F.
If it wasn't for the service, ambiance and furnishings, this place would rate at one star. The food was just awful. I had a dried out and ill prepared roasted half chicken. The description claimed a spicy preparation, but what was delivered was an unimaginative pasty mix of cayenne paprika and salt. The flesh was dry but curiously cold inside. The accompanying starch was a polenta mess that was dried out and baked in a ramekin to toxic destruction. The server brought us rolls that had been baked in a sheet and the edges of these were crusty and dried out. We did not bother to attempt to stomach dessert. We have eaten at another of the restaurants in the group that was a bit better. But the Springfield Grill was just plain gross.
(2)Mariko M.
Had dinner here on Sunday night. We weren't sure where to eat dinner in Mercer so we asked the front desk at our hotel. Being in Mercer, options were limited. I wasn't in the mood for Chinese-American cuisine or a sandwich artist prepared SUBWAY sub. We didn't realize this, but by showing our room key, we could have free dessert. As mentioned by Yelp'er Jean M., the decor is very pretty. Fresh flowers in the front, it's quite inviting. There's a lot on site so parking is not an issue here. I ordered the grilled salmon with sweet pesto and the DC ordered the prime rib entree. We both had a house salad to start... deeeelish. To end the meal, we ordered a sundae. I was pretty impressed with the service, the food, and this establishment as a whole. The pricing was very reasonable as well. In Toronto, a similar resto would cost double the amount. I go to Grove City often for my golfing weekends so I will definitely be checking SG again. A solid 4 star.
(4)Jean M.
Lovely decor; food ordinary at best. In late July with fresh local produce and fresh herbs available in a farm area, rolls are baked from delivered frozen stock, sauces taste canned. The cooks Springfield shoul visit Montana's near Fryburg where they bake their own rolls and pastries and freshly cook the food. My sister had a peanut butter pie that was a glop of sweetened peanut butter served with a salty oatmeal cookie. We were truly dismayed with this place.
(1)Stephen L.
Dined here many times over the years, but sadly I must say I'm moving on. The decor, atmosphere and service are spot on; but the quality of the food is going down and the pricing going up. I've ordered the crab cakes for years and it has always been more crab than filling! But they must be cutting costs, because last nights plate was nothing but filling and the cakes were overcooked! We also ordered the fried zucchini as an appetizer and it came out flavorless, under cooked and doughy. Very disappointed overall.
(2)Julie D.
I am a big fan of the Springfield group of restaurants. We were recently in Mercer and decided to stop by Rachel's for an early dinner. Unfortunately, they were not open due to a freak power outage that didn't affect The Iron Bridge or The Springfield Grille. The Iron Bridge was completely packed, the S.G. was practically empty. That should have given us a clue that something was amiss.... But we have dined at the Mars S.G. location frequently, so for us, we thought there was nothing to fear! We learned that appetizers were half price. Cool, because I intended to have the trio of crab cakes for my dinner. We decided to start with The Artichoke Spinach Dip. The serving size was very good. We liked it. I got a Tin Room Salad, mixed greens, black olives, bleu cheese, grape tomatoes, red onion, with white balsamic dressing. Decent salad and big enough to share with BJ. BJ got a cheeseburger for his meal. He thought it was edible, but not really all that good. I was totally astounded by my crab cake appetizer. Is was listed as: Chesapeake Crab Cakes - Trio of jumbo lump cakes, with roasted red pepper remoulade. There so NO obvious crab, jumbo, lump or otherwise. It seemed like they had pureed a titch of some sort of fish and filler and formed tiny little off white mounds of ???? and dumped them on my plate. I have never seen or tasted anything so disgusting Our server was nice and very friendly, but seemed to got lost. Very disappointed by our experience.
(2)Bill B.
The Springfield Grille has wonderful ambiance, great service and the food is very visually appealing. It's less crowded than Rachel's just down the road and the food is just as good. They do locally source most of the food they prepare, including the snapping turtles for the very tasty soup. However, even though the food looks great, it's missing a bit in the taste department. Maybe the pervasiveness of salt is an east coast thing, I don't know, but I found everything to be too salty for my taste to the point of overpowering some of the other flavors. Nevertheless, next time we are out that way visiting family, I'm certain we'll stop in again for an enjoyable meal.
(3)Christie L.
Just returned from dinner here. We've been to Rachel's and Iron Bridge, so we figured we'd try this place out too. We're casual people, so we knew as soon as we walked in that we were undressed. We headed right to the bar to grab a seat - not a prob at 730ish on Saturday. We liked the atmosphere at the bar here, better than at the tables at the other sister restaurants. The bartender was really friendly and attentive. We ordered the thai calamari and ahi tuna as apps. The calamari was average but good - the sauce was just Franks Chili sauce mixed with a little something. The ahi tuna...well the tuna itself was good, but whoever chose the seasoning for it has no idea what they're doing - the seasoning did NOT go with tuna. My bf got the turtle soup which he liked and I got a side salad (it comes with feta on it FYI). The French dressing was awesome. So creamy and different than the norm. I got a sirloin/crab cake dinner. The steak was just decent, but cooked properly. The crab cake and remoulade were GREAT. Best I've had in recent memory. My bf got a NY strip and fries - the steak was good, the fries just ok. We got turtle cheesecake and pb pie to go - both were good. The kitchen seemed to be really on top of things with an expediter ensuring all food was correct. The good def outweighed any bad and we will be back.
(4)Michael D.
On October 27, 2011, my wife and I revisited the Springfield Grill. We were on a car trip to the Washington, D.C., area and planned our route to ensure that we would dine at his restaurant which is one of our favorites. We each had a cocktail before dinner; both were well made and amply poured. We started our dinner with the Chesapeake crab cakes. They were chock-full of crab meat and absolutely sensational! For our entrées we both had steak filets with one topped with the cayenne blue sauce. The meat, which was cooked perfectly, was juicy, tender, and delicious; however, there was a little too much sauce on the one steak. This restaurant exudes a very warm atmosphere and the staff is ultra-friendly and accommodating. On this occasion the head chef Nate Barker visited our table and engaged us in conversation for a considerable amount of time. He related his background as well as the future ideas for this restaurant enterprise that includes a few other establishments. He was extremely personable and our meeting greatly enhanced our dining experience. The food in the Springfield Grill is top-notch and the highly competent staff always makes you feel very comfortable. We will definitely continue to make this a destination point when traveling in the region.
(5)Summer K.
So, we *discovered* this place while staying in Cranberry and attempted to dine at that location. It was packed to the gills, so we moved on, but I was disappointed as the menu looked fantastic. We're staying in Grove City this week and when I discovered there was a location here, I was thrilled! I was surprised to read the lackluster reviews for this location, but chalked it up to clientele in this area preferring the menu/ambience at Iron Bridge or Rachel's (the reviews for the Mars location are out of this world, pun intended). Sadly, the reviews were spot on. The first indicator should have been the almost empty parking lot. We were seated almost immediately ((the maitre de was handling a phone reservation as we arrived). Our server was excellent and, once again, you could tell they've been trained to make customers happy. They nail service. The beer list was a bit better here, as they carry both Stone IPA and Levitation, as well as Bell's Two Hearted. We ordered the Crab Martini appetizer and while it was quite what I was expecting presentation wise (I'd been picturing crab claws hanging on a martini glass quite like a shrimp cocktail), it tasted great. It's bits and pieces of crab atop crushed ice in a stainless steel martini glass served w/drawn butter and cocktail sauce. This was the highlight of our meal... I started w/the Turtle Soup and I did not care for it. The soup was fine and I appreciated it for what it was, it simply wasn't my cup o' soup. My husband's ceasar salad was also fine, standard w/the cheese crisp on the side. It was nicely chopped, though I was surprised it did not come w/anchovies. I was torn on the entrees and asked if I went w/a special (Surf & Turf: filet & lobster claws) if the filet could be done in the Blue Fire style. Our server said absolutely. Awesome. My husband went w/the Black and Blue Strip. Our meals arrive and my filet was not in the style I'd ordered (when we received the bill, I learned it was not the server's fault, but the kitchen's). I didn't bother to send if back because I was hungry, but I have no doubt they would have made it right; they truly nail service. My filet was uninspired, yet cooked to a perfect medium rare. The whipped potatoes were nothing special and actually tasted a bit like the boxed version from the cafe in college. The real underachiever on my plate, though, was the lobster claws. They were as dry as dry could be, making me wonder if they were actually freezer burnt. They were bad. My husband's meal was fine, but he agreed it was nothing compared to our meal at the Iron Bridge the previous evening. This is the first Springfield Group restaurant I don't foresee us eating at again. If you're in the area and looking for a place to eat, check out their sister location, the Iron Bridge Inn, for sure! (BTW-if I were reviewing straight stars, I'd have awarded 3. However, 3 is translated to "A-OK" here and 2 to "Meh, I've experienced better" which was definately a better fit.)
(2)