Fat Squirrel Pub and Grille

I’ve always had a good experience every time I go here and I haven’t ever left feeling disappointed… Except when I was pregnant and couldn’t have a beer. Ha!
Every time I go here fried pickles are a must! They are the best fried pickles I’ve ever had. They cut them length wise instead of width, so you really get to enjoy the pickle, not just the breading. I’m not sure everyone is as passionate about fried pickles as I am, but you should be!
Other things I’ve tried and really enjoyed are the fish and chips, along with their turkey sandwich, and their nachos and other appetizers. To wash it all down they have an awesome variety of brews on draft, as well as in a bottle. The have Left Hands milk stout that is to die for. You can’t go to an Irish pub and not have a stout beer. Well you could, but you’d be missing out! And I love that they have other options besides Geniuess.
Also, they have a happy hour deal which is always great to take advantage of too. If you want to eat a laid back meal or have a few drinks with some family or friends, this is a great option. I mean, it’s not every restaurant where the owner is experimenting with a new s’more dessert recipe and offers it to you little ones for a test trial. It’s a family owned restaurant and I’d much rather support them instead of a large chain. I’d advise you to check it out for yourself!

AMAZING Schnitzel!!!
AMAZING Monte Christo sandwiches!!!
Sure, it’s the least healthy thing you can eat, but it’s SO DAMN GOOD!!!
I’d eat here every day, but my cardiologist said no :-) service is great, bar is fantastic!

This place was recomended by a friend to have the best fish and chips in the state.
THE FAT SQUIRL DELIVERED!
On my plate were two of the biggest fish fillets I have seen in New Mexico. Even better that TF fish! Yes better.
We ordered an appetizer. It came to our table in a flash. Hot! The Fried mushrooms are AMAZING! As was the zicini and onion rings.
If I were to use one word for this nights meal it would be.
WOW!
My hats off to the Chef for the Best Fish and Chips meal I have are in New Mexico in 30 years!

Fat squirrel turned into skinny squirrel! What happened? The small beer list is boring and never changes. You used to be the place to go in rio rancho, but now you are making me sad.

This use to be a great place. However, the last time, not so much. The service was pretty weak, I had to ask for water no less than four times. We ordered cocktails right as we were seated and they took about fifteen minutes to arrive. We ordered fish and chips. The fish was greasy and the chips were mushy. The wait staff was nice, which was the one good thing.

I’d been skipping this place for years because of the lukewarm reviews but decided I’d stop by and try it anyways.
I’m pleasantly surprised! Not only did my waitress have the perfect amount of social pleasantries, humor and quick stepped it for me but the food was really good too! I had the fried pickles which were awesome! The Jaegerschnitzel which honestly was better than a couple of the german restaurants in town. I also had a couple bloody mary’s which were very very good. I’ll be back!

Don’t even no where to start… don’t bother… daughter is still sick from going there! Food is horrendous…

It has been a while since I’d been to Fat Squirrel but I remember it being a little better.
Our party came in on a Thursday night and as we drove up it looked closed. There were no cars in the lot and it looked dark but they were actually open. We had to sit on a tall table which we weren’t crazy about but ok. We ordered the pickles and some food. The pickles were alright, the menu says they’re slices but they’re actually spears. The food was about half and half — half good, half eh. The service was ok but we were informed that they would be closing early so we finished up and headed out. Overall it was alright.

Good food, good service, fun atmosphere. We had not been here for anything but drinks before but decided to stop in for dinner. I had the roast beef on toast and my wife had the fish and chips. We also ordered the squirrels stash appetizer. Everything came out from the kitchen quickly and everything was quite tasty. Nothing to blow you away but the combination of good service and good food made for a great dinner. We look forward to coming back for dinner again soon!

Stopped in for a late afternoon lunch and a pint. Place had some small groups of friends enjoying themselves here and there; it was an affable scene. The bartender was cheery and worked the bar nicely. There were three waitresses working, and they clearly made efforts to make the patrons feel comfortable, and would pause to chat as they made the rounds. The food was as good as I thought it might be. I had a burger with onion rings and bacon on it, and it was done just the way I asked and almost too tall for me to even fit into my mouth. Came with a dollop of rich, dark, and thick housemade bbq sauce. Yum. That meal filled me up for the rest of the day. It came with a side of cole slaw that was pretty soupy, but standard-​tasting. I ordered a side of green chili mac & cheese, and was a little disappointed. The chilies were very very hot, but the cheesiness factor wasn’t too high. Still, I like this place and I really enjoyed the main event, which was that fantastic burger on the grilled bun. They have a full bar and a number of beer taps, with perhaps eight or nine reserved for local craft beer. Their house beer, fat squirrel nut brown ale, is made for them by Santa Fe Brewing. It was really quaffable, and a good example of its style. Big malt-​forward taste with a little chocolateyness in the mouth, a pleasant carbonation and a long, dry finish. The waitstaff really didn’t know much about the beer they had on tap or how to describe it, but they were really great about offering tastes instead. My burger was about 11 bucks, I got the nut brown ale at happy hour prices, but I paid a full six bucks for a pint of Scottish ale. All together this is a place I would definitely go back to; the wait staff was really friendly and made me feel right at home. It was clean and friendly. Nice local pub.

Cozy atmosphere, surprisingly family friendly. One of the family favorites after church on Sunday.

The bacon jalapeño bloody mary was amazing. The best bloody mary I’ve had. We also had a sangria and it was very good with lots of fruit. The atmosphere was comfortable for happy hour and waitresses were prompt. We recommend this establishment for specialty drinks and dinner or appetizer.

Went to Fat Squirrel this weekend and was shocked to see an empty parking lot. There was one table occupied in the restaurant and a couple of people sitting at the bar. We were told to sit anywhere we like, even with the place being empty we didn’t have much to chose from. All of the seats in the booths were cracked and torn. Table tops looked as if they were bussed but never wiped down. Our server had to wipe down a high top table for us to sit at and when asked why it was empty for a Friday night, she said its because there were a lot of festivals going on right now. We ordered two beers and the pint glass they were served in seem as if they just came out of the dishwasher and were warm to the touch making the beer warm. The place is nothing like i remember it to be. We didn’t order any food and didn’t finish our beer. Never going back here again.

I’m going to preface this review by stating that my current rating is not based solely on my most rececent experience, but in the overall decline I have witnessed in the food and service that has rendered this establishment a shadow of its former self.
After I posted my last review, we went here two other times, hoping to see some improvements, but alas, the food remained mediocre at best and the service the last time we went was almost non existent; we were the only table in the restaurant, and there were only two other tables in the bar. It took our waitress almost half an hour to bring our check back, and that was after my husband had ordered another beer and she disappeared for a long time without ever bringing it. It was then that I figured we were finally going to have to give up on one of our former favorites.
That was several months ago. So why did we decide to return tonight, you ask? Well, when we first started going there and really liked it, I had liked their page on Facebook, and had never gotten around to unliking it (I think I may have been subconsciously still holding out hope that the old Fat Squirrel was going to make a come back someday), and I saw a post they made about new menu items along with information that they were now under new management (again). So, like moths to the flame, we gave it another shot, hoping for the best but expecting the worse.
Again, the restaurant was mostly empty, though a few other tables were occupied. I will say that our service was better than it was the last few times we went, but I still didn’t feel it was quite as attentive as it should have been. I also overheard some of the patrons at other tables have to ask different servers multiple times for items they ordered and were never brought, and one table who, after being told to sit anywhere, waited for a really long time before anyone noticed them and came to take their order. I’d like to stress that they weren’t busy at all. (Cue crickets chirping).
And the food? Again, it was nothing special, and not worth the price. My husband wanted to try the new fried cheese wheel appitizer, which was $ 8.00. It was just okay, but the batter had absolutely no seasoning to it. It’s like they just took a hunk of provolone and unceremoniously threw it into the deep fryer, then slapped it on a plate. For dinner, my hubby ordered the buffalo chicken wrap, and even though I hadn’t ordered it since my last review and said that I wouldn’t get it again, I defaulted and ordered the Reuben, hoping it would be improved since the last time. Admittingly, it wasn’t as greasy as before, but the bread was soggy on one side from all the dressing. The corned beef was also a little better than before, though the meat itself was a little on the dry side and there was hardly any of it on the sandwich. Overall, it was too skimpy and lackluster to justify the $ 11.00 price tag. My hubby did like his chicken wrap well enough, but not enough that he wanted to take the uneaten portion home to finish it later. We both got fries with our meals, again hoping they’d be better now with the management/​menu changes, and we both left them on our plates. They were terrible; even worse than before. I don’t think it’s fair to judge the quality of a restaurant solely on a side dish, but nothing at all stood out about our meal. Nothing. In all fairness, they seem to have a decent beer selection. I’m not a big beer drinker, but my hubby enjoys it. The beer prices seem a little steep compared to other restaurants and breweries in the area, though. He was charged $ 6.00 for a 16 oz. draft, which may have just been for the particular beer he ordered, but it seemed rather high.
I love to support local restaurants, but they have to earn my support. The only reason I’ve given this place so many chances now is because I was still holding on to what it used to be, but I don’t think it will ever be that again. I really do hope that the new managers can turn this place around and make it great again, but it needs a complete overhaul. There are too many other local restaurants in the area that offer a better experience and value.

Unfortunately this used to be one of my favorites places to visit while in town visiting family. WHAT HAPPENED??? Today is Sunday, the place was empty. Three tables occupied two waiters. It was seat yourself, it took at least ten minutes to get someone to acknowledge our even being there, we got menus ordered our drinks, the drinks came, we ordered an appetizer, after waiting 25 minutes to try to get the waiters attention and not getting our appetizer we went to the bartender to ask how much our drinks were, we left the money on the table and walked out. IF YOU ARE AN OWNER OF THIS BUSINESS PAY ATTENTION TO THESE REVIEWS!!! Make changes now, otherwise I predict this place will be closed in a year.

Overpriced, bland, and greasy. Womp womp. The server was a sweetheart, and there’s a decent beer selection as well as a full bar. Husband had the sirloin — came with green beans and he ordered cole slaw. The steak was full of gristle and was overcooked, the coleslaw was completely bland with zero flavor whatsoever. The green beans were delicious although a little bit oversalted. I had the slider trio. The burgers were nothing to write home about, the green chile was clearly not fresh or of good quality (possibly canned). We also had the squirrel stash appetizer — fried cheese, fried zucchini, and onion rings. Fried cheese was amazing. For a meal that came out to $ 50, it was extremely lackluster. Don’t think we will be back anytime soon, unfortunately.

I’ve been here a few times now.
There’s something wonderful about the food. On the surface seems like typical pub food. Once you dig in you will notice the attention to detail.
The barbecue sauce is home made and delicious. Salad dressings are tasty.
Quality ingredients all around. The staff was friendly and service was prompt.
There’s something on the menu for the whole family.

This place has changed a lot. We were in on Saturday night and few people were here. We picked it cuz Turtle Mountain had an hour wait. The bathrooms here need TLC. The food is just ok. It’s just not the place it used to be.

I hate this. I hate that I have to write this. But it would be a travesty and a disservice to anyone if you read my previous review, went to Fat Squirrel and got what I said to get and then thought, «wow this Unilocal elite girl sure doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about» And if I didn’t update this, you would have every right to do that.
So, as a public service, I’m telling you to (yes, I’m saying this) go back up Southern and hit up Turtle Mountain.
Fat Squirrel has surely gone downhill. Since Nico sold the restaurant the service has become poor, with waitstaff not knowing about their menu and food as much as I knew about it! And the food just looking like it was dropped on the plate. There is some serious problems here. It could be turned around, but there will have to be serious changes, or else Gordon Ramsey will be here on Kitchen Nightmares soon.
The burgers lacked the flavor that once pizzazed the plate, the fish is soggy – I’m literally shedding tears as I can confess to you that I was craving this place once a week and now I can’t even drive by because my emotions get the best of me.
The food is just sad. The service poor. And you can feel it. Most nights the Squirrel was packed, now it’s just crickets.
It’s not just raining on my face. It’s tears. sob.

Was here a couple of weeks ago for a quick dinner. Ate fish & chips and wow… What a total disappointment!
It was beyond soggy, as were the «chips» and the coleslaw was pretty gross, took 2 bites and was quickly pushed aside.
Not sure what has happened to their food quality in the past year or so. The place has definitely gone downhill. The service is always a hit or miss. Used to come more often when under the previous management, food was way better!
I’m being a little generous giving 2 stars. At least some appetizers are still okay and can’t mess up draft beer lol!