Steiny’s Family Sports Bar & Grill has two locations: 119 N 600 W Ogden and 1104 Country Hills Drive, Ogden.

I had been to the north location, which a decent experience, nothing spectacular. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about, and the beer selection was subpar, at least compared to restaurants in Salt Lake City where I’m used to eating.

But the biggest turnoff about the northern location is the smell. It smelled like the restaurant was in a mechanics shop; the gasoline and rubber smells were so pungent that my nose never desensitized to it. It made for an interesting experience while eating my burger.

Our server, while not the most knowledgeable about beer, was very friendly and helpful. His mistakes and memory lapses while serving us were forgivable due to his pleasant demeanor.

He recommended that I try the Stein Stein burger, a double cheeseburger with lettuce, red onion, pickle chips and Steiny sauce. I went with his advice because the Steiny sauce intrigued me, but it wasn’t anything original or spectacular.  

I didn’t want to make my judgement of Steiny’s based on this one experience, so I decided to try the South Ogden location. This was a much better experience for my nose at least.

There were no foul smells that made my meal less appetizing. The staff there were just as friendly and helpful, and the bartender at the South Ogden location seemed to know a lot more about beer, although the selection was still limited.

I was able to try a beer I hadn’t had before made by Laughing Dog Brewing Co. that was Huckleberry flavored. I typically don’t go for fruity beers, but this summer, I’ve been a little more adventurous, and in this case, it paid off. This beer was light and crisp with a sweet flavor that wasn’t too overpowering. I would liken it to a cream soda, just not as thick.

As for the food, I ordered the wings that I had heard so much about. The bartender recommended that I try the hot and sweet wings because they are a little sweet but have a kick. It took nearly a half hour for my order to come up because the chicken is raw and they have to cook the wings, but with a beer in hand and no place to go, the wait was worth it. Those wings were really good.

I also wanted to try a different burger than I had eaten at the north location, so I went for the pastrami burger. If you don’t like pastrami, I feel sorry for you, because you’re missing out on this incredible concoction. Even though it was more meat than I’m used to eating, the addition of the pastrami was perfection.

A downside to this place, besides the wait for food, is its low visibility. If I didn’t already know where it was, I wouldn’t even notice it. It’s right across from Smiths where an old hair salon used to be. The other downside is the parking. You can either park in the street or in the parking garage. The parking garage will give you the first two hours free, but if you plan on watching a game there, you may be out of luck unless you snag one of the street parking spots.