Sorry, this review is one from a while back that I just hadn’t finished yet and was sitting in the “drafts” section of my dashboard. I’m still planning on doing Steak N Shake as the next review, so don’t worry. This time I’ve chosen not to post on yelp, since the restaurant is part of a Chain that’s been around since the 90s (well established) in Northern Virginia. The restaurant is new to the UMW area though, and I recently visited the new location. What i’ll do, however, is provide a general overview of my experience eating at the chain as a whole, so you all can base your decision on whether or not you’ll try it from multiple years-worth of dining experiences!

Glory Days is chain sports bar and grill from Northern Virginia that’s just recently opened up their newest location here in Fredericksburg (Route 1 South from UMW in Cosner’s Corner Shopping center-on the left). The restaurant offers a variety of grill/bar food, ranging from steak and burgers to fish, pasta, or salads, and has recently expanded its menu to include less standard items such as pizza (at least in some NoVA locations) and chicken parmesan.

Having lived near a Glory Days for about a decade, I’ve tried nearly everything on their “classic” menu, but i’ve yet to order any of the newer items like the Italian fare (sorry. I stick to what I like). Since there’s far too many “classic” dishes that i’m used to ordering, I’ll try to suggest menu options that I feel would give the best sampling of the food to any first-timers.

What i’d highly recommend starting out with is the Cheese Fries. You can decide between either a half order (half a full plate) or a full order (a heaping mound that fills the plate) of regular-cut french fries covered in Monterey and Cheddar cheese and sprinkled with little pieces of bacon and slices of onion (though I always order mine without onions). Really, the cheese fries are a favorite for a reason. They’re cheesy, greasy, good, and filling (so don’t load up if this is just your appetizer).

Another good appetizer option is the boneless wings, which come in your choice of one of the 3 sauces available (“asian”, buffalo, and “glory”). My personal favorite are the buffalo, but the sauce is meant to have a kick, and has a vinegar-like flavor to it, so I’d recommend “glory” next, which is the restaurants’ original sauce (basically a standard bbq flavor). What’s really great about Glory Days though, is that in select locations, Wednesday nights are “Wing Night” where wings are reduced price. I know this special offer is available at the Reston and Sterling locations in NoVA for sure, but it’s unfortunately not offered in Fredericksburg (I asked).

For entrees, I’d stick with one of the restaurant’s burgers, specifically either the Cheeseburger Trifecta (Swiss, Cheddar, and Provologne) or the Swiss, Mushroom, Onion Burger. Burgers are some of the cheapest selections on the menu (around $8), and I consider them to be one of the strongest menu options (offered in an interesting variety of types/specialties at an above decent quality, for a good price).

If you prefer chicken and still want some greasy, filling, bar food, the chicken tenders platter is another one of my favorites entree-wise. At most locations (for some reason, the Fredericksburg Glory Days serves much smaller portions than the others), you’ll get 5ish good-sized fried tenders with a side of choice (vegetables, fries, sweet potato fries, etc.) that are great for dipping in the Glory Days bbq sauce.

Finally, for dessert, my FAVORITE dish is the fresh cobbler. The flavor of the cobbler will depend on availability, but when they have cherry, i’ll order it (i’m not so big on apple. blueberry is decent). Really, the cobbler at Glory Days is just as good as something you’d expect your southern great-aunt or grandma to make for dessert (an estimation i’m basing on speculation, since I don’t have any firsthand experience with cobbler made by relatives whatsoever). So I guess, it’s more or less what I’d imagine someone else’s great-grandmother would make.

Anyways, overall Glory Days is the type of place i’d expect to become a local hangout and a regular dining location if you find one opening in your neighborhood, and it’s certainly worth a try if you happen to be passing one on the road.

http://www.glorydaysgrill.com/#