Sports!

I used to have a friend named Archer who loved Jox. Archer also loved well liquor and ordering shots, then sticking others with the bill, so I didn’t have high hopes for the place when I decided to get something to eat there on a Saturday night. Turns out Archer might be on to something, and I’m not talking about well liquor.

Jox is an old-school sports bar that appears to have been there forever. It’s dark and dingy inside, but doesn’t quite reach the level of full-on dive bar, bordering right on the edge. Jox has flat-screen TVs behind the bar, all playing various sporting games, and there’s a ton of sports memorabilia on the walls. The place was fairly crowded with patrons who appeared to be locals, and they all seemed to know each other, but everyone was really nice and welcoming to my friend Jared and I. People openly shared bets they had going and screamed at TVs in disgust when their teams messed up. It was all very entertaining.

We plopped ourselves at the bar and ordered a couple of Sierra Nevadas ($5.50 for 24 ounces), and watched a Giants game for a while before the bartender asked us if we wanted to see some menus. The menu had lots of burger and wing choices, with some entrée dishes, such as pasta and pizzas. A sign on the wall boasts that Jox has the “Best Wings in Nevada.”

Well, if you’re going to boast that then I’m going to call you on it. We ordered a half order of spicy/tangy wings ($5.25) and a half order of the hot barbecue garlic honey glazed wings ($5.25). I don’t know if these were the best wings I’ve ever had in all of Nevada, but they were pretty darned good. The wings were quite meaty and not overly fried, which I love since there is nothing worse than a skimpy, skinny wing. The spicy/tangy wings had lots of sauce on them with a creeping spiciness that I liked and a tang to cool it. These were the winners of the evening. The hot barbecue garlic honey glazed wings were definitely garlicky and had a good flavor, but I would have preferred them to be spicier and I didn’t get a lot of barbecue taste. The honey and the garlic complemented each other well, though.

On the recommendation of the bartender, we ordered the steak sandwich ($9.25). It came with grilled onions on a sourdough roll and was plain but tasty. The steak was tender and flavorful and not at all chewy. For a side, I ordered a house salad, and I was pleasantly surprised by the large bowl of fresh, crunchy lettuce and large slices of tomatoes that came out. Salad in a bar is always a risk, but I would order this one anytime.

Jox allows smoking in the bar, something that didn’t bother me, but I know this isn’t a favorite of everyone, and it’s illegal. There are pool tables and darts if you feel like being more active than just sitting there watching sports and drinking. Overall, if you’re looking for a laidback sports bar with good food, good sports and good company, and you don’t mind a little grime, Jox is your place.