It’s a bar, it’s a deli, it’s Hawk’s Bar and Grille on State Street. Walk through the door on the left, and you’ll be entering the bar. Walk through the one on the right, and you can walk right up to the deli style counter, and order anything off of the menu or a custom salad.

Whichever side you enter, you’ll instantly notice the old-world feel of the exposed brick and rich wooden tabletops that go along with the bar.

When I approached the counter to order food, the server behind the register was on the phone. Instead of ignoring me, he put his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and said he would be “just one second.” The rest of the staff there was equally as courteous.

Order a beer while you wait for your food, but be quick about it. My appetizer of cheese curds took only two minutes to be ready. My name was called over the speaker system as I was paying for my Bell’s Oberon. I usually order Blue Moon, but they didn’t have that. The bartender was kind enough to suggest the Oberon as a good substitute. She didn’t leave me disappointed.

The cheese curds were plentiful for $5.95. They were a little on the crunchy side, but they were not at all dry, and the cheese was perfect. Two sauces complemented them. One was a wonderful buttermilk ranch. The other was what must have been a homemade marinara sauce that was a little tangy, yet sweet and had a perfect balance of flavors.

Food was ready just a shy nine minutes later. Normally I wouldn’t try a turkey burger, but the cilantro sauce and melted provolone intrigued me. It did not disappoint. The sauce was amazing, but could have more plentiful. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about the meat. By itself, the burger was a little bland. With the sauce and the fixings however, it was amazing for $6.95.

The best part of the meal – besides the beer – was the spicy curly fries. They weren’t really that spicy, but they did have a little kick to them. Not only were they amazing, there was enough of them to be considered an appetizer. It was enough for two people, but I was tempted to stab a fork at any hand that came too close.

Overall the place was pretty tidy. The floors and surfaces seemed like they had been cleaned well.

The only thing that wasn’t up to par with the rest of the place was the bathroom. I’m not sure how the women’s bathroom was, but the men’s had a typical musty, humid, bar bathroom odor. On the positive side, it was clean.

Cleanliness is an obvious priority of the staff. Even though there are parts of the building that are quite old, the staff does a great job in making Hawk’s as clean and nice of a place as they can.

From the jazz décor and pictures of celebrities to the original brick walls, you’ll feel upbeat and maybe taken back in time a little. Most certainly, you’ll feel welcome.

Hawk’s is a great place to go if you want a friendly atmosphere along with decent food at a great price.