The Hangar Pub & Grill

Bar, Eatery

55 University Dr
Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002-2217
United States

(413) 549-9461 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.11
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
26
pDev:
12.41%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by weissbiergirl:
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Reviewed by weissbiergirl from Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +21.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
My buddies and I have been going to the Hangar for YEARS now! We go on a monthly basis! We LOVE the Hangar!!

ATMOSPHERE: The dim lighting is what gives the Hangar that great pub atmosphere! Who the heck wants Denny's or other family style restaurant kind of lighting...? There are tall tables and short tables, you take your pick! There are a few tables in the back for a party of 10? even 20? people. The place gets so packed that they first had to take out the video games, then a year or so later finally had to remove the pool table and fill in with even more tables. And even at that there's STILL a line on most nights!

BEER: A HUGE selection of great beer! In regular 16oz glasses or 22(?)oz glass mugs, your choice. They always have a few new beers on tap. They have a good selection of local microbrews too i.e., Paper City and Opa Opa and BBC.

FOOD: 5 different levels of buffalo wing hotness!!! I get the AFTERBURNER (the hottest wings, and they ARE hot, even Phantom Gourmet said they were pretty damn hot!), if those are too hot you could get Jet Fuel, and the least hot are called Wimpy if you're daring enough to get something called "wimpy." The honey lime flavored boneless wings and honey mustard wings are among my favorite! SSOOO good!! There's about 5 different kinds of BBQ wings too, and there are others that have spices and seasonings rather than sauce as their flavor, yummy! It's quite a list, I can never remember which ones we've tried and we've been going there for so long now. They're ALL good! They do all wing flavors on two different kinds of rollup sandwiches too, and they offer any flavor boneless wings on HUGE salads. The food portions are enormous. Like that other guy was saying, the potato skins are a platter of HALF POTATOES, they're huge, I CAN finish 3 or 4 of them if I really wanted to but then I always get the 10 piece plate of wings too. You can get mexi-skins, buffalo chicken skins, or twice baked. The buffalo chicken quesadillas are good and if you get the nachos make sure you have an appetite, they're a MOUNTAIN! They have great burgers there too, there's even a selection of 4 or 5 different kinds of burgers, and there's other sandwiches on the menu too, they also have ribs there. We've had their ribs and they are sooo delicious!! You pay like only 2 or 3 bucks for a mountain of french fries too and they're GOOD! Just your standard fries, but just something about them that are really good especially dipped in their bleu cheese.

Which reminds me, their bleu cheese is REAL BLEU CHEESE. It's not that ranch dressing stuff or ranch mixed with bleu cheese to fool you or to get away with serving something cheaper. It's the REAL deal, chunky authentic BLEU CHEESE. Get the 'jumbo' bleu cheese for your dipping pleasure.

MARTINIS: AWESOME martinis at this place. There's a martini & cocktail menu, and even if a certain martini isn't on the menu, Mike will mix a mean one up for you. Mike is among the best bartenders around. There's also a selection of different margaritas! Yum!

WAITSTAFF: I don't know what that guy was saying, all the waitresses are GREAT! They are so nice, and for all you guys out there, they're ALL hot! I agree with the other guy, definitely no Hooters crap here, the wings AND waitresses are top notch, these girls have CLASS and don't have to wear any cheezy outfits. And they get your order right EVERY time. We give them an order of 4 different plates of food with different types of wings, wing flavors, what size plate of fries we want, our beer order, how much extra bleu cheese, this, that, and the other, and they don't write down a thing (unless they're new), they remember it all and get it right EVERY time!! And they're always coming to your table, you're NEVER waiting, even on the busiest of nights. They never rush you either.

VALUE and QUALITY: Top notch quality, best wings (get the afterburner, don't be scared!), and can't beat the price! I can't wait to go again! I hope it was okay that I put all 5.0 for score, I'm not trying to break any rules here but these are honest scores based on probably 100 visits! (the REASON for my 100+ visits LOL)
Jan 31, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of papposilenus
Reviewed by papposilenus from New Hampshire

4.33/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Took my 17 year-old daughter here for a meal after doing college tours around town - which was a little weird because a) she's not old enough to drink, b) it was full of creepy middle-aged men (much like myself) who'd just gotten out of work, and c) the back area where we sat somehow has the worn-out appearance, lighting and general vibe of a strip club only without any actual strippers. Anyway. I got a flight of ABC beers and a pulled pork quesadilla, she had fish and chips, we shared a bowl of clam chowder. The food was excellent but the glassware had dishwasher detergent residue which obviously detracted from enjoyment of the beer (I wasn't sure whether to mark down 'quality' or 'service' for that so I split it between them). The beer list was excellent, offering an impressive selection of tasty beverages in addition to all the Amherst brews and, under other circumstances, I would have made an enormous, dramatic production of asking for a damp towel and wiping each successive glass as I tried every beer on offer however, um, teenage daughter and I still had an hour to drive before confronting disapproving spouse. Pricing is better than reasonable.
Feb 23, 2017
Photo of Johnct
Reviewed by Johnct from New York

4.21/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Great bar. Usually have enough on tap for everyone to enjoy in addition to 10ish house-brewed beers. Sometimes they have rare beers available. Overall a really cool place regardless. Huge (huge) bar in a huge room, another huge room with tables, a third massive room with more tables. There's a pour-it-yourself station where you can just walk up, wipe your card, and pour your own beer. They usually have games like cornhole (inside). There's a brewery in the back. Just a cool place.
May 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by JeffK913 from Massachusetts

Apr 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.71 by tb4475 from Massachusetts

Mar 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.49 by torimattschriver from New Hampshire

Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by ajendrysik

Jul 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by pisano from Massachusetts

Jul 03, 2014
Photo of AlbertCams
Reviewed by AlbertCams from Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -22.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
Cool sports bar with nice tap selection! From Bud light to Stone IPA, they have something for everyone. The bartender has a good knowledge of the beers on tap. Basically lots of different IPA's on tap with some wheat, stouts and lagers. Wings are the best in the area.
Jun 20, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by gundys10 from Massachusetts

Jun 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Bob6518 from England

Feb 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Bilco from Pennsylvania

Jan 17, 2014
Photo of cbutova
Reviewed by cbutova from Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Another frequent Amherst stop during my days at UMASS and in Northampton.

Upon entering you get a the vibe of a total sports bar, and truthfully that is what it is, a good one though. They have all the games playing on many TVs around the ceiling. Both a big dining area and a good amount of seats around the bar.

I have never had a problem with beer or food here, it is always good or great. I wouldn't expect the best glassware but pints are always nice. Service is always quick and nice, fast pub food and most importantly WINGS. This is the original "Wings Over" franchise and probably the best. They have great sauce flavors for anyones palate. I have also had appetizers that come in hefty portions and are also tasty, don't bring the healthy eating type here. Beer selection is around 24 taps. They have the macros for that crowd as well as many good seasonals and local staples. I have seen things such as Breakfast Stout, Pumking, Berkshire brews, Sam Adams, Weihenstephaner, Ayinger, Coors, Bud etc. A well rounded selection but don't expect one-offs or rares.

Great Wings with sauces from mild to very hot. Good beer selection and a nice place to see a game, if you don't mind hoards of college kids. Good overall prices for food and beer.
Sep 07, 2011
Photo of Chico1985
Reviewed by Chico1985 from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I've been here a few times now. Small sports bar/restaurant vibe, pretty much always packed and huge TV's everywhere. About 5 minutes from U-Mass so definitely a big college crowd. This place is famous for their wings, and they are indeed excellent. As someone who loves spicy food, I can say their "Afterburner" buffalo wings are some of the hottest and tastiest things I've eaten in recent memory. Lots of different flavors and size options for wings, other food is available, I've had mozarella sticks but nothing else. Their beer selection is what surprised me - 20+ taps with some great choices, all of them American I think. Some good taps I've had or seen include Racer 5, Hop Rod Rye, Choklat, Nugget Nectar, a few local Berkshire offerings. They also have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale pints for $4, and the usual Bud/Bud Light/Guinness/Blue Moon. Service has always been friendly, prices are good, for a little over $10 I can always leave satisfied with a plate of good wings and a pint of good beer.
Mar 15, 2011
Photo of Genuine
Reviewed by Genuine from Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
went to the Hangar for the 2nd time last night.

The sports bar like atmosphere of this place is awesome. Very warm, welcoming and friendly. Their staff are wonderful, quick and nice.

I was surprised at the amount of craft beers that they had on tap. I was glad to see that they had lagunita's IPA, Harpoon IPA, Racer 5 IPA along with a few others I can't remember but the selection was pretty decent. Better than what I'm used to back in CT.

This place is the place for wings. Cannot be beat. Both their regular and boneless wings are amazing, more than enough flavors to choose from and you definitely will not go hungry there.

Good beer, great food, awesome atmosphere. Can't wait to go again.
Jan 09, 2011
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
Small sports bar. It's pretty much packed around the clock. Can be raucous at times, but a good sports bar should be. Plenty of televisions on which to watch the game. It was recently renovated to include a few new plush booths. A very welcome addition. Service is pretty good, as is quality. The wings are outstanding, perhaps the best I've had. If you are one of those wackos that likes face-melting hot sauce, this may not be the place for you. I am not into hot stuff, and even I can stomach their hottest varieties of wings. There are about 20 or so different sauces to choose from, however, and almost all of them are delicious. Honey bbq and honey mustard are the best. I highly recommend the plump, juicy boneless wings. Other options for food include nachos, ribs, fries, burgers, wraps, etc. Now for the beer. They have very recently re-vamped their beer selection, and I must say, it is fairly impressive for a wings joint. Founders Centennial IPA on tap, plus some imported favorites like Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Macros and Guinness also abound. In truth, I come to this place for the wings, not the beer. The addition of more craft beer only adds to the awesomeness. Perfect place to watch a game with the guys (or girls). If you are in Amherst, you must eat here and at Antonio's at some point. Best cheap fare around.

EDIT: I just recently made another trip up to the Hangar, and the tap menu is continuing to evolve. Founders Breakfast Stout and Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen on tap (and served in the proper glassware)? Hell yeah! I'm bumping up my selection score a little bit. My original rating of the Hangar was a B. This has moved it up to an A-.
Sep 20, 2010
Photo of Barsies
Reviewed by Barsies from Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -20.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4.5
The Hangar has built its reputation on having the best wings in the Pioneer Valley. Few would argue this is not the case. Their wings are exceptional.

The Hangar is not far from UMass and specifically the Southwest Residential Area - it is a college bar with a college atmospher and college pricing.

What crafted beers they have on hand are good. On tap I've had both the Left Hand Milk Stout as well as the Allagash White. I believe I've also had the Anderson Valley ESB.

With regards to crafted beers, excluding PBR, Bud, etc, the tap selection is good but limited and I do not believe the tap selection is rotated all that often.

Unless you're travelling into Northampton or visiting the local brew pub in downtown Amherst, the Hangar is the place to go.
Aug 31, 2010
Photo of deanhead
Reviewed by deanhead from Vermont

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I have been going to the hangar for many years, and have finally brought myself to review the place. It is a sports bar in the college town of Amherst, Ma that serves up chicken wings and beer.

The wings are tasty and come in many different flavors as well as different degrees of "hot". They are served from mild to Afterburner. The Hangar also offers around ten to twelve different sauces as well from Bbq, Jerk, and Honey mustard to Teriyaki. They are all pretty tasty. We usually end up ordering mostly hot wings, and then a few of the other flavors.

Aside from Wings the Hangar also offers burgers which all come medium. Waffle fries, seasoned fries, and onion rings. Did I mention the nachos? These are a heaping serving of nachos with just about everything on them. If you plan on wings, I'd forgo the nachos...unless you have a big appetite.

On to the beer. They serve around 20-25 beers on tap. The beer selection is decent. Not the best, not the worst, not overwhelming, but decent. Prices are also reasonable. 2.00 if you want a pint of bud, 4.00 if you want a pint of Guinness. You get what you pay for here.

While around 20% of the beer selection is macro, the craft and micro selections range from Stone to Sierra Nevada, to some local beers by the Paper city, BBC and the People's pint.

Don't count on any Belgians on tap...it's just not that kind of place, besides I can think of ten other beers besides a Belgian dubble or Tripel that go better with wings. If you want some the Belgian experience, head to the Moan and Dove,r the Dirty Truth, or the Sierra Grille to satiate that thirst.

Remember this is a sports bar in a college town. Take it for what it's worth and enjoy a nice pint of hand crafted beer and some chicken wings..
Sep 28, 2009
Photo of CudOfCow
Reviewed by CudOfCow from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
If you are new to Amherst, you might as well get used to the wonderful flavor of Wings wings. They are the best wings in the area.

After years of enjoying them, i must admit after i eat a giant batch of wings from the Hangar, i feel like i just chowed down a belly full of chickenfat. They get old after a few years and a few thousand wings.

But dont get me wrong, they have good food.

Your waitress will usually be a buxom brunette.

It is not uncommon to see a few tables full of big dudes screaming at the TV's, but thankfully not all the time.

The on-tap selection is pretty good compared to many. Nothing too exotic, but they have a lot more than just regular american domestics.

This is a place to bring a group of friends to eat food and drink but not stick around for too long afterwards.

I miss the pretzel covered mozzerella sticks.
Aug 20, 2008
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Reviewed by tjbartjr from Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I've been a Hangar customer since my days as a freshmen at UMass in 1999, and quite simply, this place has the best boneless wings you will ever eat. While the Hangar has a good selection of 24 beers on tap, plus bottles, it is more renowned for their wings. Big plump, meaty hunks of chicken covered in whatever sauce you could want (my fav: buffalo bbq). Portions are huge, especially for the price you pay. $10-15 per person and you can walk out that place stuffed.

It's your typical college town sports pub, so if you're looking for Morton's or the Hano Hano room, keep looking. Lots of TVs tuned into the New England sports teams. But it's rumored that Steelers fans are welcome too...It can get pretty crowded during peak times, so be forewarned. Place those Super Bowl orders early!

I've never had bad service here, and it's been a long time when the service has been merely fair or average. Waitresses are friendly, quick, and nice on the eyes.

As for the beer, as I've said, they have 24 beers on tap: your major brands, a wide selection of Paper City brews, and various other picks that they rotate through. The beer is pretty reasonably priced; a 23oz Bud draught will only set you back $2.25, as I recall.

Great food, cheap beer, good service... a definite stop on your tour through the 5 College area.
Jul 30, 2008
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Finally made it to this Amherst wing and beer depot. Its easy to find, just a block or two from the U. Mass football stadium, off of the main drag into town, Route 9. Small and modern looking place. We visited for dinner, during winter break, so I know it will be more crowded when school is in session, act accordingly. Go for the very tasty wings, very friendly service, sports beer atmosphere, extensive pub grub menu of reasonably priced food. Beer wise, its nothing amazing, but they do offer several local micros on draft. Fun, relaxed and unpretentious spot for hearty/tasty grub and fresh local beer.
Dec 30, 2007
Photo of fitzy84
Reviewed by fitzy84 from Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
The Hangar is definitely a college bar. Home of the mighty "Wings Over..." franchise, the food is excellent, some of the best chicken wings found in general college areas and one of Amherst's most ordered take-out food. The bar was always called the Hangar, even after Wings bought the place. The bar itself is fun and social: many tables for large groups of college students and whoever to sit and there is also a medium sized stool area at the bar. They have usually good deals on beers on tap with many New England beers. However, it is not their strong point. With about 2 dozen beers on tap, you got some New England brews, micro-brews across the country and the typical staples. Food though is where it is at: some of the best wings ever served fast with incredibly friendly service are located here. College students from Greenfield to Springfield go there, but mainly greater Amherst Five College students (Umass, Amherst, Hampshire, Smith and Mount Holyoke) are frequent denizens of the place.

If one does not like a rowdy college bar, maybe you should avoid the Hangar. But if you want a fun time with incredible food and decent beer selections, the Hangar is the place to be.
Nov 28, 2007
Photo of guinness72384
Reviewed by guinness72384 from Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +14.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
The "Cadillac" of the beer and wing scene in Amherst. The atmosphere is great, dim lighting and in the spring time there is always a Sox game on. Extensive selection of wing flavors, including 5 varieties of heat and about 15 alternate flavors. They have over 20 beers on tap and the service is always fast. Menu isn't very diverse, mostly the common bar food but more focused on the wings. Did I mention that they have the best wings I've ever had??? The cost is very reasonable standard beer prices and fairly cheap hot wings. If anyone is in Amherst that needs a beer and hot wing fix, this is the place to be. But watch out for the Afterburners, not for the faint of heart.
Apr 05, 2007
Photo of aquatonex
Reviewed by aquatonex from New York

3.6/5  rDev -12.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Well, I've been here often enough to actually rate the place. The Hangar is a pretty good hangout/restaurant/sports bar that's located right next to Rafter's, another good hangout/restaurant/sports bar (I tried to get it submitted to beerfly but they didn't like my submission!). It's a rather dingy hole of a place, they keep the lighting too low and all the seating is rather uncomfortable. There's an ambiance of an aircraft hangar, with pictures of old planes and models hanging from the ceiling, but actually I've seen better and more realistic feel in the Applebee's in Farmingdale (near Republic airport). It could be done better and more accurately.

It's geared towards large groups of big hungry guys who crave fat, grease, salt, and beer while watching a game. Every table comes with its own paper towel roll to clean up the mess. Their specialty is wings, any wings, any flavors, really quite good. Ridiculous amount of variety in their wings. Also, all the other food is rather inexpensive for a huge amount. I'd recommend the potato skins (bombs), they are more like HUGE potatoes sliced in half the long way served on your plate. I'd dare you to try and eat more than 2 in one sitting. The wait staff is a bunch of girls with no personality and who don't really care about the customer, I think they were chosen to take sh*t rather than to care. The beer selection is surprisingly good for such a place, there are around 20 beers on tap and several in the bottle, a lot of local fare (especially Paper City and BBC) which is one of the things I look for in a good place.

DEFINITELY go here for cheap, good, greasy food and good beer selections. If you want to take your gf out to someplace special for dinner, though, try Pasta e Basta.
Jan 08, 2005
Photo of UncleJimbo
Reviewed by UncleJimbo from Massachusetts

3.44/5  rDev -16.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
I stopped in this place on a Friday evening around 7:30 PM, and it was packed with people standing near the door waiting for a table. This place is mainly a restaurant, with a small bar (seats about 10) with no standing room. The decor is minimal, somewhat reminiscent of a New England sub shop. The tables are really jammed into the small floor space.

There were about 20+ beers on tap with some regional micros among them. Not bad.

This seems to be a popular place in this college town and being so near to the U. Mass. Campus.
Jul 20, 2004
Photo of nomad
Reviewed by nomad from Kansas

3.63/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5
Quite possibly, the best place for wings in the United States. Thirty flavors of wings, with some other sandwiches and what-not on the menu. Skip 'em all, order wings and fries, or their gargantuan nachos.

For history, their delivery service has pummeled the competition in the college town of Amherst, turning students into zombies for their dozens of tasty styles. Flat out, the food is to die for. I know, I have twice.

Beer here is about 24 taps, split into thirds: some macro poop, imports like Newcastle and Bass, and then plenty of nice local micros, like Z Street, Paper City, Magic Hat. But the prices can be rather nice, and they like to serve beers in a range of uber-sized glasses. This is a very small place, dressed up with plane memorabilia in a generally sports-bar atmosphere, with seating at most of 50 people literally on top of each other. The bar and on the floor is a bit cramped, and the pool table is half-size. Also, because you're in New England the sports channels on the TV screens are often of those horrible Boston sports franchises that are not the Red Sox. Boring. Most important, get to this small sports bar and restaurant early any night besides the weekend or special-deal nights, because it will be packed with a long line. A simple place but with unbelievable food.
Oct 14, 2003
The Hangar Pub & Grill in Amherst, MA
Place rating: 4.11 out of 5 with 26 ratings