Most of the time I shy away from the “chain” restaurants and sports bars, but on occasion I’ve been known to pull up a bar stool at a TGI Friday’s or similar joint to enjoy a burger and beer.
Recently I was introduced to Miller’s Ale House where most of their locations are in Florida including Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and several in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
I’ve been to both the Miller’s Ale House in east Boca Raton as well as their Boynton Beach location. Both are quite busy and it’s often hard to find a spot at their outdoor bar, so at times I ended up at either their inside bar or at a table in the dining room. The food is consistent among both on the several times I’ve visited these two locations.
The menu is pretty much pretty standard American fare. Burgers, flatbreads, salads, steaks, fried food, wings, just what you would expect from a bar and grill type establishment.
When it comes to beverages, Miller’s Ale House has a good selection of beer on tap and in bottles. Don’t expect to see a huge list of micro and craft brews tho, mainly just the popular ones make the cut. A full bar and a select dozen or so wines round out the beverage choices.
Onto the food.
Miller’s has a calendar of daily specials that for the most part doesn’t change. Ribs on Monday, pork ossobuco on Tuesday, sirloin on Wednesday… you get the picture. Check out their website for the full list.
The first time I was at Miller’s, I found two things that have been my go-to’s since. The first is an appetizer – “World Famous Zingers” ($8.99). These are their version of boneless wings. Basically hand-breaded chicken tenders tossed in any one of their wings sauces – and there are over a dozen to choose from.
The Zingers have a very flavorful, crispy breading that isn’t laid on there thick like some places do it – I’m not a fan of overly breaded tenders. Think something along the line of the type of breading on a Chik-Fil-A tender, but crispy. The menu says these are “fresh, never frozen” and they way they taste and how moist they are when you cut into them make me think that statement is truthful.
Honestly, they are probably the best chicken tender I’ve had. You can also get them grilled if you want to avoid the fried guilt that comes along with them. The portion is huge and is enough for sharing, should you feel in the mood to do so. Frankly, couple them with a salad or an order of fries and you have a meal.
Now if you’re a traditionalist and want your sauced chicken with bones, they have wings, and they aren’t bad. Now let’s be honest… they ain’t Zingers! The wings are billed as “Fresh Jumbo” but were pretty much the size you get everywhere else. Same choices of sauce and they come in 10 ($9.99) and 20 ($17.99) piece orders.
What ever happened to “I’ll have a dozen wings?”
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On the one occasion I tried the wings, I would have liked them to be cooked a little crispier. But overall, they were not bad!
Now what about that second item that quickly became my favorite? Well, there’s a story behind that. On my first visit to Miller’s Ale House I did the old, “what do you recommend?” Our server immediately said, “definitely the ossobuco, my father comes here every week for it.”
With a recommendation from dad, how could I pass that up?
The pork shank is billed as “slow cooked until fabulously tender.” It was tender, although I somewhat feel they finish them off in the deep frier, as it has a nice crisp on the outside. It was indeed tender as the pork fell right off the bone and was tender, juicy and oh so good!
The Pork Ossobuco ($14.99) comes with mashed potatoes and veg, but I’ve been successful in getting those sides changed. Knock three-bucks off the price if you come and enjoy it on Tuesday, as it’s part of the daily special calendar.
Speaking of the daily specials, Monday is rib night where you can score a full rack of baby back ribs for $11.99. Quite a deal since their regular menu price is $17.99. Promoted on the menu as “fall off the bone,” Miller’s says they slow cook then smother them with Southern BBQ sauce.
We went on a Monday and instead of my standby ossobuco, I decided to give the ribs a try. Hate to say it, but they didn’t pass muster with me. Maybe I’m spoiled by the delicious ribs at Park Ave BBQ, but these were dry, tough and while I’m being honest, there just wasn’t a lot of meat on the bones. The sauce was your standard BBQ sauce – think Sweet Baby Ray’s – nothing spectacular.
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The unremarkable ribs, despite the price, solidified by thinking that when going to Miller’s Ale House, I should stick with the ossobuco!
My dining companion has his favorite as well and it’s what he gets on each visit – 35 Fried Shrimp ($10.95). I’ve managed to sneak a few of the shrimp when he wasn’t looking and found them to be a bit on the small size, not popcorn shrimp size, but definitely small. Probably the reason you get 35! They are not overly breaded, but for the size of the shrimp I feel there is just a tad too much.
If you like fried shrimp, the price is right for a meal that comes with cole slaw and a side. For an extra $2.29 you can add a salad. You’re going to pay more for such a meal if you go to say, Red Lobster, so for what you’re paying, it’s not bad.
Overall, Miller’s Ale House isn’t a bad choice for a quick meal, or a few beers after work. Food is reasonably priced and the drinks are too. Like I said earlier, there are several locations throughout South Florida, so visit their website to find one year you.
One thing to note, driving around I’ve seen other “Ale House” restaurants. The ones I’m talking about here are “Miller’s Ale House” restaurants, not to be confused with others such as Carolina Ale House.
Have you eaten at Miller’s, share your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to follow my South Florida Food Finds Instagram at @soflafoodfinds.