Unearth The Voyage
Walk into The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar in Grand Rapids, and the first thing you notice isn’t just the TVs or the music – it’s the smell of slow-smoked meat drifting through the air. Step outside onto the sandy patio, and suddenly it feels less like a sports bar and more like a lakeside summer hangout.
Plates come out loaded, no fuss and no tiny portions in sight. If you’re craving classic comfort food served in generous heaps, this Northland Drive favorite delivers exactly what you hope it will.
A Pulled Pork Plate That Doesn’t Hold Back
The tray lands with a solid thud – and you know immediately you won’t leave hungry.
A mound of tender pulled pork spills over a soft bun, smoky and sauced just enough to shine without drowning. Thick-cut fries crowd one side of the tray, golden and crisp at the edges.
There’s a scoop of creamy coleslaw for crunch, bright green steamed broccoli for balance, and even a toasted, buttery side that feels like a bonus. It’s the kind of plate built for appetite, not aesthetics.
Every bite leans into comfort – smoky, salty, warm, and filling. This isn’t a trendy small-plate situation.
It’s honest bar food done right.
Ordering Like You Mean It
Step to the bar and scan the garnish rail like a menu. Celery ribs stand tall, bacon curls like ribbon, cheese cubes glisten, and skewers of pickles sit in brine.
Say Bloody Mary and watch the bartender’s shoulders square like a shortstop.
They ask heat level, vodka call, and whether you want the full build. Nod.
You are here for the meal-on-top story, not restraint. Pro tip: add a smoked wing and the slider combo, then ask for extra pickle brine in the mix if you favor tang over straight spice.
Timing matters on game days. Order before the first pitch or kickoff to avoid the rush that hits like a wave.
If you are unsure, ask the bartender to pace the garnishes so you can photograph the stack before gravity claims it.
First Sip, Then Sand
Carry the glass outside and your shoes sink into warm sand. Palm fronds lift and settle with a soft scrape, and the stage hums while a band tunes.
It is Grand Rapids, but the sightlines say shoreline vacation.
Find a perch near the boat seating if it is open, or stake a low table where the sun pools. The Bloody Mary’s red looks electric out here, brighter against the beige sand and the blue plastic buckets holding silverware.
When the bass line starts, the skewers vibrate like tiny metronomes.
Between sips, you watch a volleyball pop up against a sky that goes from sherbet to navy. Laughter from a birthday group spills over as a server angles a tray through the crowd.
If you time it near sunset, the glass throws a ruby flare across the table, and you suddenly understand the locals’ summer devotion.
Inside, It Plays Like A Sports Cathedral
Inside, the room breathes game energy. Tap handles stand like a chrome forest, and bartenders move with that fast, efficient glide that only happens when they know their lanes.
TVs run in a perimeter relay, sports stacked on sports.
Some screens are brighter than others, a local debate you might hear at the corner of the bar. Order the Bloody Mary and a beer chaser, then angle toward a crisp screen if you care about ice looking truly white.
The projector throws a big but softer image, better for conversation and less for stats.
The soundtrack drifts between whistles, crowd roars, and the clink of shaker tins. When a tray of over-the-top Marys leaves the pass, heads turn the way they would for a long ball.
The mix of spectacle and routine makes the drink feel right at home here.
Building The Stack: A Playbook
Rim the glass with lemon, drag through celery salt, then ice to the meniscus. Pour a house mix built on tomato, horseradish, cracked pepper, Worcestershire, and a hit of pickle brine.
Vodka rides in last, stirred not shaken, keeping the body thick.
Skewer time: bottom weight with cheese and olive, then fried pickle for crunch. Slide the slider on a separate stick so it does not drown.
Hook in a smoked wing and a bacon ribbon for aroma. Celery and a dill spear stand tall like goalposts.
Finish with a micro drizzle of hot sauce over the top garnish, then stage a light beer chaser to reset between bites. The build looks theatrical, but it is balanced.
Every salty, fatty, spicy note meets the tomato backbone, and nothing sinks the glass.
What It Actually Tastes Like
First impact is savory, like chilled tomato soup cut with pepper and citrus. Horseradish clears the sinuses for a blink, then settles into warmth.
The vodka is a passenger, not a driver, smoothing edges without shouting.
Garnishes act like course changes. Bite the slider and you get melty cheddar and seared beef rolling into the tomato’s acidity.
A wing adds smoke and sticky heat that recharges the drink’s spice. Bacon perfumes the glass every time you lift it, turning each sip into a breakfast-adjacent moment.
Pickles and olives keep pulling you back from overload. Cheese resets texture so the next swallow feels clean.
By the time you reach the bottom, the ice has gently diluted the mix into something you could actually finish, and you realize the stack was not a stunt. It was pacing.
Pairing Power Moves
Order brisket fries if you want the Mary to sing. The salty smoke and sweet barbecue sauce scoop perfectly between sips of peppery tomato.
Wings, especially sweet chili, echo the heat without numbing your palate.
If you are pacing a long afternoon, split the elote dip for corn sweetness and lime pop. The beer chaser earns its keep here, especially with higher heat levels.
Avoid overly sweet cocktails beside the Mary unless you want flavor traffic.
For a lighter lane, the summer berry salad cleanses beautifully. Mahi mahi works if you squeeze extra citrus to keep it bright.
Fries versus chips is a texture call, but steak fries hold up better when you are juggling skewers. Editing your table this way turns a spectacle into a session.
When To Go And Where To Sit
For speed, hit late lunch on weekdays. The bar crew has room to build big stacks without a crush, and you can snag a high-top near brighter screens.
On weekends, arrive early, order quick, then migrate outside as the band warms up.
Shade matters on hot days. Ask for a table near the deck rail or the boat seating to dodge full sun.
Families often cluster near the enclosed play area, which keeps energy lively but manageable.
Parking fills fast. Overflow behind Family Fare is the move, and signs make it clear.
If you are here for volleyball league nights, expect bursts of traffic between matches. The Bloody Mary travels well in the sand, but claim a stable surface before you pull the slider.
Service, Vibes, And The Little Things
Staff here carry the room’s tempo. You will notice how quickly a table wipe happens when someone clocks a missed crumb, or how a bartender nudges a chaser your way with a wink when the stack looks ambitious.
Names get remembered, and regulars swap sports takes like currency.
There is pride in the summer setup. Palm trees, rope lights, and a stage that throws a clean mix make the back feel like a destination.
Even when a TV is dim, the conversation is not. The Mary becomes an icebreaker, an excuse to talk toppings with the next table.
Details land right: red barstools feel sturdy, tap lists read long, and trays with three Marys glide like aircraft carriers. You feel taken care of without the choreography getting showy.
It is the kind of attention that makes a complicated drink look effortless.
A Note On Context And Why It Works Here
Grand Rapids drinks culture has range, from craft beer density to cocktail programs that travel well on Instagram. The Score threads a different needle: a sports bar that leans resort once you step onto the sand.
According to Pure Michigan, outdoor dining interest spiked post-2020, and venues with flexible seating saw stronger summer traffic.
That context matters for a mega Mary. Spectacle needs a stage, and the back patio gives it room to be more than a meme.
Live music adds rhythm so the drink becomes part of an evening arc instead of a dare you finish at noon.
In short, the environment sells the excess. You watch volleyball, wipe salt from your lip, and finish the wing skewer during a guitar solo.
If a Bloody Mary is going to carry a meal on top, it deserves a place that carries the moment beneath it. This one does.
