You won’t go hungry at Dave & Buster’s

Dave & Buster’s – which opened Monday, Oct. 17, in Fresno – food and drink menu is just like the restaurant, big, bold and lots of fun.

Be prepared for a massive selection of pub-style eats that are part comfort food and part fair-type wackiness.

Just take a look at the appetizers. There’s something called the Carnivore Pizzadilla, a super-cheesy 12-inch quesadilla served pizza-style in eight slices, stuffed with manchego and cheddar cheeses, pepperoni, and Italian sausage. And if that’s not enough, it’s topped with even more pepperoni and Italian sausage, plus bacon, marinara and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

And there is also a Dave & Buster’s favorite, the Mountain O’ Nachos. Fresh tortilla chips are piled high and smothered with spicy ground beef and melted queso, topped with black beans, jalapeños, tomatoes, lettuce, fresh guacamole and sour cream.

Also on the appetizer menu are mini hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough, Buffalo wings and a jumbo braided pretzel brushed with garlic butter and topped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, fresh basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Byron Generalao, executive kitchen manager for Dave & Buster’s, said the idea behind building such an expansive menu is to give people plenty of options.

“It’s big, it’s fun and it’s shareable food,” Generalao says. “We want to have something for everyone.”

Rema Koligian of Fresno, author of the blog www.jewelrynjeans.com, got an early preview of Dave & Buster’s and was impressed with the food and design of the restaurant.

“There is a bit of novelty to the menu, but there is still plenty on there to appeal to the masses,” Koligian says. “It should do well.”

Koligian, who is launching her own restaurant soon, sampled a few of the menu items during a recent preview and she especially liked the deep-fried ribs, the Sailor’s Spiked Root Beer and the bananas foster.

“They had me at deep fried,” she said with a laugh. “The root beer was very tasty and the bananas foster was delicious.”

Koligian said one thing you won’t find at most Fresno restaurants is the unique selection of drinks. Dave & Buster’s has several signature cocktails, like the rum-packed Tiki drinks and the Snow Cones, a boozy version of the kids classic, but instead of sugary syrup these snow cones are spiked with liqueurs and liquors.

You will also find more than two dozen beers, including several from local breweries.

Generalao, who oversees 18 Dave & Buster’s restaurants, said that while appetizers are very popular items, the restaurant also likes to add new entree items to the menu. Recent additions include the bacon-wrapped shrimp with lobster sauce, plus a fire-grilled sirloin. There is also a pasta dish with juicy chunks of tenderloin, and bacon-wrapped shrimp with smoked chili & tomato cream sauce.

The restaurant also has a selection of ribs, steaks, pasta, sandwiches and, of course, juicy burgers. Two of the more popular ones are the Buffalo Wing Burger and the Hottie. The Buffalo Wing Burger has a half-pound burger seared and seasoned, topped with crispy chicken tenders tossed in Buffalo wing sauce, bleu cheese, onion strings and celery and is served on a toasted brioche bun.

The Hottie includes two seasoned burger patties topped with pickled diced jalapeños, grilled fresh jalapeño and poblano peppers, spicy queso, applewood smoked bacon, manchego and cheddar cheeses, and Sriracha mayo.

“We like to take things to the extreme,” Generalao says. “And we have fun doing it.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2016 at 7:37 PM with the headline "You won’t go hungry at Dave & Buster’s."