Shopping Mall Restaurants?

Do you have any great restaurants in your local shopping mall? The mall just outside of Jamestown, NY doesn't have much in it besides a food court.. I guess that's pretty good, but not really for a good meal. BUT, close to the mall, there is Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesdays, Applebees, Alfie's (greatttttttttttttttt burgers and steaks!).

One place I really love is in the Millcreek Mall in Erie, PA. It's The Roadhouse. It's worth the 45 min-an hour to get there just for that. They have peanuts on the table for you, that you can crack open and throw the shells on the floor....... not to mention the huge mugs of beer and great steaks!!!

quote:

Originally posted by juliev

One place I really love is in the Millcreek Mall in Erie, PA. It's The Roadhouse. It's worth the 45 min-an hour to get there just for that. They have peanuts on the table for you, that you can crack open and throw the shells on the floor....... not to mention the huge mugs of beer and great steaks!!!

JulieV, your description of this Millcreek Mall restaurant with the peanuts matches the restaurant called Texas Roadhouse. It has an Erie location on Peach St., where I-90 meets US 19. Is this what you're thinking of? The Web site is http://www.texasroadhouse.com.

I don't think so MC. It doesn't say anything about it being in the Millcreek Mall. It's just called The Roadhouse, not unless they changed it. I haven't been there in awhile.

the best place in our mall is garfields.. it's a cool place...the servers write the specials on the table (paper table clothes) with crayons and then leave the crayons on the table for the customers to use.. and they have THE ULTIMATE BEST MARGARITAS i've ever tasted..........:)

At both Bridgewater Commons and Riverside Square malls in New Jersey, we have outlets of McCormick & Schmick's, a national seafood chain. Now, while I am not claiming that they are the finest gourmet experiences on the planet, they do feature a very large variety of ultra-fresh fish and shellfish, and the cooking is definitely good.

Years ago, if a restaurant was in a shopping center or in a strip mall, you could count on everything being pre-cooked and microwaved. However, with the continued demise of Main Street, the migration of even more people to the suburbs, and the hesitation of many of those suburbanites to go to the cities, strip malls and shopping centers now frequently have credible dining establishments.

The restaurants located in shopping centers are usually chain operations, for better or worse, but the strip malls frequently have good "Mom & Pop" Italian, Chinese, or Thai restaurants that are quite good. So, the old rules have to be reconsidered, and it behooves everyone now to think objectively about restaurants--no matter where they are located. The location is not necessarily an indicator of quality any more!

Here in the Columbus area we have one mall, Easton, that's more like an old fashioned downtown. Shops of all kinds, a Nordstrom's, an enclosed area similar to a standard mall, and many terrific restaurants, ranging from the Smith & Wollensky chain steak house to Turkish, Italian, Asian, seafood, bistro fare, and, of course, the usual Johnny Rocket's, Red Robin, McDonald's, etc.

When I eat at the mall it is because I am there, I'm hungry, and will not be passing a better place on the way home. I like Cheesecake Factory the best, and they do a good job, but I never go to a mall just to eat. If the restaurant is the destination, be it fine dining, or roadfood, it is never at the mall.

In Knoxville we have the Sakkio Japan and they have wonderful Teriayki chicken. They cook it fresh and they do the veggies the same way. I always ask for additional sauce. I have seen them at other malls and they are great.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by tmiles

When I eat at the mall it is because I am there, I'm hungry, and will not be passing a better place on the way home.

Exactly. Our "new" mall (Rivertown Crossings in Grandville, MI) has a killer food court...if you don't want anything that might actually be considered "authentic". There's southwestern, chinese, mexican, bread & soup, cajun, etc. I was going to eat at the cajun place the other day...until I read the menu. They call it cajun simply because they have rice and beans, apparently. My personal favourite is the shrimp on the sign, when they don't sell shrimp.

I will say, however, that Olga's Kitchen is my favourite place to eat if I'm at the mall. I have no idea how far the chain has spread by now, but it's midwesternized mediterranean food (their spinach pies are actually pretty good, though).