What to Order When You Can't Decide at a Bar and Grill

August 22, 2026 · Bar, grill and good times in Ephrata

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When you can't decide, order the burger or ask the server what sells most. Both moves work almost every time. A typical bar and grill menu runs 40 to 60 items, and most of that list exists to give you options you'll never actually need. Narrowing down fast beats staring at the menu for ten minutes while your table gets hungrier and the game keeps playing on the screen behind you.

Key takeaways

• When stuck, the **burger or the top-selling item** is almost always a safe, satisfying choice.
• Menus with **40 to 60 items** are built for browsing, not fast decisions, so don't feel bad asking for help.
• **Happy hour windows**, usually a couple hours in the afternoon on weekdays, are a low-risk time to try something new.
• Ordering **on autopilot** during a rush or big game often leads to picking something too heavy or too slow to come out.
• For groups, **one shareable appetizer plus individual mains** solves most indecision without slowing down the whole table.

Why does choosing feel harder at a bar and grill?

Bar and grill menus try to do a lot at once. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bar snacks, full entrees, and a drink list all sit on the same pages. That's on purpose. These places want to serve a family stopping in after Little League, a couple grabbing wings before the game, and someone eating a full steak dinner, all in the same room. The tradeoff is a menu that can feel long and a little scattered if you're just trying to eat something good in the next twenty minutes.

Add a TV showing whatever game is on, a friend asking what you're getting, and a server standing there with a notepad, and the pressure to decide fast goes up. Most people don't actually want more choices in that moment. They want a shortcut.

There's also a mental cost to comparing too many similar options. A burger, a sandwich, and a wrap can all sound fine on paper, and the more you compare them, the harder it gets to feel good about any single pick. This is a normal decision-fatigue problem, not a sign you're bad at ordering food.

The fix isn't more information. It's a simpler process. A few rules of thumb get you to a good meal almost every time, without needing to read every line of the menu.

What should you order when you really can't decide?

Start with the classics. Every bar and grill menu has a handful of items that exist because they work for almost everybody: a burger, a club sandwich, wings, a quesadilla, fish and chips. These dishes are popular for a reason. They're built to be crowd-pleasing, not experimental, and kitchens tend to make them consistently because they sell in volume.

If you want a low-risk way to pick, try one of these approaches:

• Ask your server what two or three items sell the most. Staff usually know this cold, and it's a fast way to skip the guesswork.
• Pick the item with the most familiar ingredients. If you already know you like cheeseburgers, order the cheeseburger. Save the unfamiliar dish for a day when you're not starving and short on time.
• Go with whatever matches how hungry you actually are. A cup of soup and a side salad is a fine answer if you're not that hungry. A full platter is fine if you are. Don't order a heavy entree just because it looks impressive on the menu.
• If two items are tied in your head, order the cheaper one. It removes a layer of second-guessing and you'll likely enjoy it just as much.

Shareable appetizers are another good default, especially if you're eating solo at the bar or with people who also can't decide. Wings, a loaded nacho platter, or a basket of fried pickles all work as a full meal for one person or a starter for a table. They also tend to come out faster than a full entree, which matters if you're trying to catch the start of a game.

How do you match your drink to the moment?

Drink decisions trip people up just as much as food. The easiest rule: match the drink to what you're actually doing. Watching a full game with friends calls for something you can sip slowly, like a draft beer or a simple mixed drink. A quick lunch calls for something light, like iced tea or a soda, so you're not sluggish for the rest of your day. A celebration or a slow weekend dinner is the time to try a craft cocktail you've never had.

Happy hour is a good low-stakes window to experiment. Most bar and grills run it on weekdays for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and pricing during that window is usually friendlier than at dinner rush. If you've been eyeing a cocktail on the menu but weren't sure you'd like it, that's the time to find out.

One thing that commonly goes wrong: ordering a complicated, multi-ingredient cocktail during a packed Friday night rush. Bartenders are slammed, well drinks and drafts come out fastest, and an elaborate cocktail can take a while to build correctly when the bar is three deep. If you're in a hurry or the place is busy, keep it simple. Save the fancier order for a quieter night when the bartender has time to make it right.

If you're driving, or just don't want the alcohol, most places also have non-alcoholic options beyond soda, like mocktails, lemonade, or specialty coffee drinks. It's worth asking rather than assuming your only choice is water or a Coke.

What commonly goes wrong when you order without thinking it through

The most common mistake is picking something too heavy right before a long stretch of sitting and watching a game. A huge plate of fried food and a couple of beers can leave you sluggish by the third quarter. If you know you're in for a few hours, pace yourself: order something moderate to start, and add an appetizer later if you're still hungry.

Another common misstep is not mentioning dietary needs up front. If you're gluten-free, have a shellfish allergy, or need a dish modified, say so when you order, not after the food arrives. Kitchens can usually accommodate simple swaps, like a lettuce wrap instead of a bun, but they need to know before the ticket goes in.

People also forget to ask about specials or the soup of the day. These often aren't printed on the main menu but can be some of the freshest options in the building, especially at lunch. A quick "what's the special today?" takes five seconds and sometimes solves the whole indecision problem on its own.

Finally, don't order a dish you've never had during a big rush if you're picky about how food is cooked. Steak temperature, spice level, or sauce on the side are all things worth specifying up front. Making that change after the plate comes out means a wait for a new one, and nobody wants that during the third period.

Ordering for kids or a group without slowing everyone down

Groups get stuck for the same reason individuals do: too many good options and not enough time. The fastest way through it is to split the table into two decisions instead of one. Pick one shareable appetizer for the table, then let everyone choose their own main separately. That way nobody has to agree on everything at once.

For kids, stick with what you already know they'll eat. A bar and grill kids' menu is usually built around a few reliable items: chicken tenders, a small burger, mac and cheese, maybe a grilled cheese. This isn't the meal to experiment with a new dish. Save that for home, where a picky bite doesn't mean a wasted plate and a restless kid mid-meal.

If your group genuinely can't agree, order a mix of appetizers as the meal instead of full entrees each. Wings, nachos, a flatbread, and a basket of fries covers a lot of ground and lets everyone pick at what they actually want. It also tends to come out faster and works well if you're there mainly to watch a game rather than have a formal sit-down dinner.

FAQ

What's the safest thing to order if I've never been to a place before?

A burger or a classic sandwich. These dishes are almost always on the menu, kitchens make them often, and there's little room for a bad surprise. Save the more unusual dish on the menu for your second visit, once you know how the kitchen handles the basics.

Should I ask my server what to order?

Yes. Servers and bartenders know what sells and what's fresh that day. Asking "what do people order most" or "what's good today" is a normal question, not an annoying one, and it usually gets you a fast, honest answer.

What if I want something light but everyone else is ordering a big meal?

Order what fits your appetite, not the table's. A side salad, a cup of soup, or a smaller appetizer plate is a completely normal order next to someone else's full platter. Most bar and grill menus are built with a range of portion sizes for exactly this reason.

Where to put this into practice in Ephrata

If you're in Ephrata or anywhere around Grant County and want a place where the decision is easy, 12 Hawks at 140 Division Ave W covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a full menu, craft cocktails, and a screen for whatever game is on. It's closed Tuesdays, and happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 2 to 4pm if you want a low-key window to try something new. Next time the menu feels like too much, just ask what's popular, pick something familiar, and get back to watching the game.