Godfather’s Bar & Grill opens for lunch

Godfather’s Bar & Grill, located along Palm Street in Garapan, began serving lunch last month. (MARK RABAGO)

Godfather’s Bar & Grill is giving island foodies an offer they can’t refuse.

The Garapan landmark famous for being the go-to watering hole for night owls is now serving lunch with some variants of its bar food making it to the lunch menu.

Owner Scott Dottino said Godfather’s Bar & Grill began serving lunch last month or at the start of the year due to insistent public demand.

“A lot of people requested it and there’s not a lot of places on Saipan that offer sandwiches so we’re focusing on sandwiches for lunch.”

Godfather’s Bar & Grill’s French dip sandwich.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Starting at $12.95, Dottino and company’s lunch menu includes grilled footlong hotdog; slider burger; ham or turkey panini with your choice of provolone, swiss, or American cheese; bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich on white or wheat bread; Philly cheesesteak with peppers and onions; burgers with your choice of cheddar, swiss, or American cheese; ham or turkey wrap; chicken parmesan sandwich; and beef and chicken quesadilla with French dip with au jus. They also offer fresh green salad with either grilled chicken or tuna for $12.95.

Godfather’s Bar & Grill’s new lunch offerings come with free bottomless Marianas Coffee or iced tea. It also comes with either a side of fries or salad. 

Godfather’s Bar & Grill’s 14-inch pizza.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Pizza is also served all the time—a 14-inch cheese pizza is $13 and an 18-inch cheese pizza is $17.

“We try to make sandwiches that you can’t get anywhere else on the island and we have a bunch of more sandwich ideas coming,” said Dottino. 

As for drinks, aside from the bottomless Marianas Coffee and iced tea for those getting items from the lunch menu, Godfather’s Bar & Grill’s usual beverage offerings are still available for lunch, including most varieties of draft beer.

He also said Godfather’s Bar & Grill has been getting a good mix of local and tourists since it started doing lunch. 

Dottino said they actually served lunch when they first opened 18 years ago, but it just didn’t pan out. Now, he’s hoping the second time will be the charm.

To prepare for their new lunch offering, Godfather’s Bar & Grill hired a new cook and Dottino said the rest of his staff couldn’t be happier because of the extra work hours added to their paychecks. 

Next week, they will also start a delivery service where  Godfather’s Bar & Grill will deliver anywhere around Garapan for a nominal fee of $1.50.

“I’ve already ordered the food warmers to transport the food hot,” said Dottino. 

Godfather’s Bar & Grill’s recent stab at capturing the lunch crowd is a testament to how Dottino and co-owner David Hood are willing to adapt to the changing times.

A former chef at one of prepositioning ships off Saipan, Dottino started Godfather’s Bar & Grill in 2005. 

“By the grace of our local customers’ loyalty, they’ve been keeping us going. It has been tough. I mean, we’ve been up and down and there was even a time we were getting by from paycheck to paycheck. We’ve been keeping the doors open and as long as we can pay our staff and the bills, we’re okay,” he said.

You can say, giving up on Godfather’s Bar & Grill is just an offer he and Hood have continuously refused.

Godfather’s Bar & Grill, located along Palm Street in Garapan, is open for lunch everyday from 11:30am to 1:30pm. For more information or for reservations, call (670) 235-2333 or go to their Facebook page.