Restaurant review: Fat Daddy’s Sports & Spirits in Mansfield

by Staff of of Kennedale News

Fat Daddy's in Mansfield

Atmosphere: 4

When you first pull up to Fat Daddy's Sports & Spirits in Mansfield, you can’t help but notice how new and nice the exterior is. There is plenty of parking available and $5 valet is offered. On the inside is a beautiful hot rod on a turning pedestal. The place is segregated into different areas that will offer various levels of privacy. We chose the center area near the band stage to get a look at the whole place. The booths are very spacious and comfortable. Inside is decorated in a light sports memorabilia motif with a few race cars and jerseys of local athletes hanging on the walls. The temperature of the restaurant was perfect and the music of the '60s and '70s was at a level that allowed for conversation. The wait-staff was dressed in horrible black T-shirts and short black shorts that really downplayed the wonderful decoration of the restaurant. In the far corner there are pool tables and shuffle board, but they are secluded enough that they shouldn’t pose any nuisance.

Fat Daddy's steak and baked potato

Food: 4

The menu is limited but seems to contain the majority of what Texans like to eat ... burgers, fries, steaks and things seasoned with jalapeno and onion. For an appetizer, we started off with the jalapeno cheese sticks, priced at $5.99 for six of them. They come with ranch dressing that was not Hidden Valley but was some generic watered down version instead. The cheese sticks were incredible. They were a bit spicy but then again they are jalapeno, so if you aren’t used to spicy food, you may want to pass on this appetizer.

They only have two steaks on the menu, so we went with the 6 oz. Mamas Favorite filet, which comes with two sides and a dinner salad. The dinner salad alone could have made a meal and the side of jalapeno mashed potatoes were unbelievably good. The steak was tender but over-priced, at $19.99 for a 6 oz. steak.

Fat Daddy's burger

Next up was the Fat Daddy’s Texas Burger, which comes with tater tots and is loaded with 1 pound of meat, smoked bacon, aged cheddar cheese, crispy onion straws, and chipotle mayonnaise. Here’s your tip of the day: Split it with someone. This thing is so big that you can not get a bite of it without resorting to a knife and fork. It’s $10.99, but I can promise you that you won't leave hungry.

Beverages include the gauntlet of domestic beers and imports ranging from Guinness Stout to Blue Moon. I did try their signature Fat Daddy’s Bloody Mary and it was most excellent. You could taste the Tabasco and the worcestershire sauce but it wasn’t too spicy.

Entertainment: 4

This is sort of a new world sports bar. There are great HD plasma screens all over with different sports on each one. There is karaoke on Wednesday night, country bands on Thursday, and alternative rock bands on Friday and Saturday.

Overall rating: On a scale of 1-5, I give Fat Daddy’s a solid 4. There’s not much to not like other than a few overpriced items on the menu but they make up for it with $4 beers and $5 glasses of wine. It’s a place where everyone can have a good time. You can bring the kids and they’ll enjoy the food and atmosphere or if you just want to have an adult night out, Fat Daddy’s can oblige. Thumbs UP from the Judge on Fat Daddy’s !