Upon our arrival to Cheers American Sports Bar, located at Johanplatz 9, we were refused entry to the “reservation-only” tables inside. We sat at a table outside, which would have been fine had the outdoor heater worked. We ordered drinks and then soon after, food. We were advised there would be a wait for our main meal due to the restaurant being so busy, but this didn’t prepare us for the 80 minutes we waited. Too our disappointment, the tasty but sparsely garnished nachos starter arrived before the drinks, and the margarita ordered was less of a refreshing cocktail and more of a rather large shot of tequila garnished with a large lime wedge. When the food eventually arrived, we had been sitting outside almost 90 minutes, it was getting dark and cold. Consequently, after a few minutes with our meal, the uneaten food was too cold to eat comfortably, and much of it was put into a doggy bag. The “all you can eat Ribs” were a good investment and reasonably tasty but sometimes slow to be replenished. We found the service lacking in friendliness and speed. A night at Cheers with a shared starter, alcoholic drink and main meal costs approximately €45 between three, which by midweek Jena standards, is a little expensive.
Cheers offers typical American cuisine of burgers, ribs and sandwiches in a restaurant cum bar decorated with classic sport memorabilia. The bar is clean and the atmosphere is jovial and generally good. The food is basic to low quality, but if you order the right thing it could be quite tasty… If you are willing to wait a long time in the cold, that is.
Our Verdict: we don’t understand why this place is so popular.
