Restaurant review: Wild Bills

Around these parts, "Wild Bills" is as famous as its namesake.  Opened by Texan Bill Curry and his wife Somjai, the pub house and restaurant burst onto the scene in 2006 and has been a staple ever since.  The couple have proudly gone back to their roots to offer Saipan a diverse dining option that offers a little something for everyone.  For the red-blooded Americans out there, you'll notice some familiar grub on the menu that will make you feel right at home.  For instance, they offer fried chicken, chicken fried steak and the perennial favorite: the bacon cheeseburger. 

And for the more international astute amongst us, Wild Bills will treat you right.  In fact, the Thai food in my opinion is the best in town and that's saying something considering its competing against a dozen or so Thai restaurants.  For dinner, I typically order the Gai Kra Praow (Chicken with sweet basil) or the Pad Thai.  Make sure you come hungry because the portions are HUGE.  My wife and I generally split an entree and we both leave full.

It's not all sunshine and puppy dogs though--Wild Bills has a few flaws in my book.  For starters, the atmosphere leaves something to be desired.  It's hard to enjoy a quiet meal here as the bar area can often get rowdy.  Like most restaurants in Saipan, the furniture, appliances, and decorations have a weathered look to it which might create an impression of untidiness.   The prices--while still inexpensive--have increased 20% in the past five years.

Thankfully, the efficiency of the waitstaff more than makes up for any shortcomings.  Don't expect lots of friendly conversations though--the bar area and the steady stream of customers keep these Thai waitresses busy.  And while they may be too busy to chat up, you can nonetheless expect a friendly smile, prompt service, and an overall great experience.

Wild Bill's is open for breakfast, too, and serves Omelette's, Eggs benedict, Chamorro Breakfasts, Beef Tapa, Breakfast Steaks, Pancakes, French Toast, Hash Browns,and Fried Rice.  While I love breakfast food, I wouldn't recommend the eggs benedict.  I've ordered it twice and both times the eggs were overcooked and the hollandaise sauce was more like a cream gravy  Other than that, everything I've tried is good.  So go ahead and give 'em a chance. Their phone number is (670) 233-3372 for take-out and they are open from 7am-10pm.  They also host a trivia tournament every Tuesday starting at 6:30--it's free to play and everyone is welcome to participate.

Posted 19th October 2011 by Ramblin' Russell

New video playlist!

Back In The Saddle

Wild Bill's soccer team returned to the Win column this past week with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Paire Football Club.

Pairee took an early lead when Striker Jason Schroeder's noggin drilled in Midfielder Steven McKagan's corner kick in the fifth minute of play. The squads battled evenly through most of the first half until Wild Bill's found an equalizer on the foot of Adul Detdon (AKA Nong) in the 41st minute.

The good guys carried their momentum into the second half and took the lead when Midfielder Greg Elliot buried the ball from the goal line during a scrum that decided the outcome. Soon thereafter Nong found a streaking, airborne Jeeraphong Thoensaket(AKA Jack) for what's been referred to as the Goal of the Year to deliver a 3-1 lead 15 minutes into the second half. Nong added another score to his impressive stat sheet in the 74th minute to end all hopes of a comeback for Paire.

Wild Bill's returns to the Ada Pitch this Thursday, May 19 at 7:30pm against MP United.

Good turnout for first Tuesday Trivia night at Wild Bill’s

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 12:00AMBY RAQUEL C. BAGNOL - REPORTER

OVER 40 people showed up for the first of an ongoing series of Tuesday Trivia nights sponsored by Wild Bill’s on Tuesday night.

Event organizer Glen Hunter said nine teams joined the event.

The first prize winner was team Bipolar Bears which took home a $50 Wild Bill’s gift certificate for garnering 52 points. Two teams tied for second place: “Trifecta x2” with 51 points and “Saipan Sucks, Guam Swallows” with 51 points. They won $30 and $20 Wild Bill’s gift certificates.

The host was Jordan Davis while Daniel Stafford and Brian O’Laughlin were the quiz masters.

“It was super-fun last night, and a really great crowd,” Hunter said.

The quiz masters took the participants through four rounds of questions on advertising slogans, Oscar winners, sports, and famous landmarks.

Other participants also received prizes from Foremost Foods and Coke.

Hunter and the organizers of Tuesday Trivia are inviting everybody to join next the next trivia night, have fun and get a chance to win prizes.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m.  every Tuesday. It is open to the public and admission is free.

(c)2010 Marianas Variety

Wild Bill's vs. Paire FC Today!

Football fans and fans of alcohol consumption rejoice! Wild Bill's FC returns to the Ada pitch this afternoon in a pre-season warm-up match against our breakaway brother from the Parie FC.

Tune in after the game for a wrap-up!

Wild Bill's vs. Paire FC
1pm at Ada Field
Sunday, Feb. 27th

Admission: Free to those who bring beer and heckle

Trivia Tuesdays!

Come stimulate your brain every Tuesday night at Wild Bills. 


Weekly prizes and food and drink specials! 

Play alone or as a team of up to 6 people. 

4 rounds of fun and excitement! 

WIN WILD BILL'S GIFT CERTIFICATES!

Additional prizes to be added every week along with giveaways throughout the night.

Burning Bush @Wild Bill's, September 2010

Burning Bush played a couple of awesome sets at Wild Bill's in Saipan. Kila Moses, playing the electric Ukelele, and his band, played for his girlfriend Anna Manibusan's birthday party there.

for more photos go to: Tropical Pete's Photos on Flickr.com

EVENT: Blues festival at Wild Bill's Saipan, Nov. 5 + 7

Four concerts, three nights, two islands, and one island chain under a groove, the Micronesian Blues Society is celebrating their 20th birthday.

The musical event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 at the Mermaid Tavern and Grille in Hagåtña, featuring Johnny Paniolo & Hula Blues.

The music plays on in Garapan, Saipan at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Wild Bill’s Bar & Grill on Beach Road, featuring the Big Island Playboys.
At 3 p.m. on Nov. 7, an afternoon luau takes place with Slack Key Soul at Wild Bill’s Bar & Grill.
The event continues at Wild Bill’s Bar with a performance from Diving with the Dead at 7:30 p.m. on the same day.

Admission is free but a small donation is welcome.
Featured musicians are from Hawaii, Korea, the Philippines, Saipan, Guam and the U.S. mainland.
For more informaiton, contact John Hoffman in Guam at 788-4413 or e-mail: jhblues@guam.net or Mike Thorpe in Saipan at (670) 285-3533.

Wanted: writers from the Northern Mariana Islands

Saipan, CNMI – A quartet of local writers from the Northern Mariana Islands is accepting submissions for an upcoming anthology of local writers they are tentatively calling Stories from Wild Bills Cafe: Life, Love and Spicy Tofu in the Northern Mariana Islands.

“A number of local writers have been throwing around an idea to create a compilation of local work for years now,” said Angelo O’Connor Villagomez. “A group of us have been meeting together over spicy tofu and chiliburgers at Wild Bills these last few months and we’ve finally decided to put it together.”

When asked how long the anthology would be and how many writers would be included, Villagomez said that the book would be “about 200 pages, which will probably fit about 15 -20 writers.”

The editors of Wild Bills Café are Jane Mack, Joe Race, Jaime Vergara, and Villagomez.

The inspiration for the name of the anthology comes from Wild Bills Café on Beach Road in Garapan.

“I talked to the owner Bill about the name, and he’s allowing us to use it,” explained Race, a local novelist and former police officer. “Our idea is to focus the attention on a physical place to ground all the stories.”

Race also said that the book would promote the Northern Mariana Islands and might even turn Wild Bills into a destination for tourists, readers, and writers.

“Saipan, Tinian and Rota are home to several dozen newspaper reporters, bloggers, novelists, poets and amateur writers,” said Mack, a novelist and lawyer. “There are also a number of writers from the Northern Mariana Islands living and working abroad, but who write about home. These are the people we want to include in this first edition of Wild Bills.”

Writers interested in submitting work for the anthology can contact the editors at WildBillStories@gmail.com. Submission guidelines are available upon request. Writers whose work is chosen for submission will receive two (2) copies of Stories from Wild Bills Café

Thai New Year

Wild Bill's celebrated Thai New Year recently. Read Angelo's account here.

New items added to store

Wild Bill's Ceramic Travel Mug
order here
$18.99 + S&H

Love style? Then drink this up, because our eye -catching ceramic tumbler is a work of art. Plus it's also a workhorse -- thanks to a solid design with steel inner-sleeve that's ideal for hot or cold beverages. Holding a full 15 oz. and fitting into most vehicle's cup holders (includes snap-tight lid), it's also a great choice for travel.

• Measures 7" tall
• Holds 15 oz.
• Ceramic outer shell, with stainless steel inner sleeve
• Gasket-sealed lid, with snap tight closure
• Hand wash only

visit our store for other great items, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, postcards, caps, and more!

New pictures

Wild Bill's as seen from Beach Road, photographed by some very loyal customers.

ABOVE: Philly Cheese Steak, photographed by some Japanese visitors to Wild Bill's.

ABOVE: Hot open-faced beef sandwich.

http://ameblo.jp/mayuki-saipan/entry-10064623528.html (Japanese)

New review by a local blogger

This is my new favorite breakfast joint in Saipan! Actually they are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even happy hour! It is a nice small place that has implemented a smoke free zone. We used to eat at Wild Bills almost everyday for breakfast before. Back then it was called Sams, then wild bills.

My favorite at Wild Bills is the Wild Bills Special (breakfast). They have really good food and really good service, but the best part is the prices are REASONABLE.

TAOTAO TASI

Wild Bill's slideshow!

A hungry diver blogs about Wild Bill's!

Richard's Saipan Restaurant Picks
Wednesday, August 22, 2007

You can't be underwater all day, you have to come up for food at some time, so I thought I would add Richard's Saipan Restaurant Picks. I have given up on cooking myself almost entirely and eat most of my meals out. Below is a list of restaurants worth checking out. Feel free to leave your own comments.

1. Wild Bill's:

Wild Bills possibly has the most eclectic menu of all restaurants on island. Dishes range from breakfast with hashbrowns ($5), Thai food, Mexican food, chilly dogs, salads, to even vegetarian dishes. The Thai food at Wild Bill's is in my opinion the best on island. The prices are very reasonable and range from $5 to $15. Okay, so it is not the most classy looking joint, but we're talking food here not interior decorating. The only drawback is that it can be smoky inside. Wild Bill's offers free Wi-fi.

Click here to read the rest of the post.

Here's an article published in Japanese about Wild Bill's....

外の黒い看板からでは一見バーかなと思わせるこのレストランは、中に入るとなんといきなり笑顔の木像が迎えてくれます。所々にタイの飾りがあるのは、オーナーがタイ人というので納得。
The black sign outside the restaurant and a bar-like look, you smile at the wooden figure into it all of a sudden. We'll have to have the decorations of Thailand, Thai people understand and because the owners.

メニューは豊富で、朝食メニューからランチ、ディナーと…そしてなんと言っても、アメリカ、メキシコ、タイの3カの料理が楽しめるのです。どれを食べて も、満足する味。そして値段も良心的で、二人でも欲張って3品、4品頼みたい程。ただし一皿一皿がボリューム満点なので、充分おなかをすかせて行って下さ い。The menu is extensive breakfast menu, lunch and dinner ... and it's going, the United States, Mexico and Thailand are the countries to enjoy the food. How to eat, taste good. Conscientious and reasonable prices, and greedily at the two-three, about four-invite. Since the dish out a plate of volume, but please not hungry enough.

毎 週、日曜日の朝はローカルの常連さんで席は埋まってしまうほど。パンケーキに、ソーセージ、ベーコン＋お好みスタイルで卵を２つもつけてくれる WildBillの特製ブレックファーストは$5.50となかなかのお値段。平日の朝でさえも、ここで朝食を食べてから会社に出かける人も多いそう。それ ほどまでに日常にとけ込んでいてなおかつ愛されているお店なのです。
そして毎週木曜日の「タイナイト」も見逃せません。かわいい踊り子さんのダンスをみながら、食べ放題のタイ料理を楽しるのです。Every Sunday morning in his regular seat just buried locally. The pancakes, sausages, bacon + eggs in the style they prefer on any two WildBill Breakfast special $ 5.50 price is good. Even on a weekday morning, so many companies from going out to eat breakfast here. I love a store that is not enough in life so TOKE込N.
Every Thursday, "Thai Night" Do not miss. He said the dancer and dance pretty, I feel comfortable in the all you can eat Thai food.

さて、小さい島ですが、いろいろな変化があります。食べに行くところも、紹介する人がいるからこそ、しっかり見て、食べて、コメントを考えました。残念ながら、サイパンからのレポートは最後になりましたが、6年いながらにして、まだ行ったことのないお店はたくさんあるので、コラムが終わっても、私の冒険はまだまだ続きます。では、皆様お元気で。Now, a small island, there are a lot of changes. I also go out, because people are about, look good, eat, and thought the comments. Unfortunately, reports from islanders In closing, the comfort, the store has not yet made it a lot, even after the end of the column, and still continue my adventure. So, take care everyone.

from "News From Saipan"!

Review by Ken Stewart, the "Guam Food Guy"

Another worthwhile spot in Saipan is the relatively new pub and restaurant called Wild Bill's Bar & Grill, which is located in Garapan about a block away from Thai House. I was told about this place by several people, but it wasn't until I ran into Bill Curry and his wife Somjai on Guam that they told me I needed to get to their new place and try out their Thai food. Wild Bill's boasts a diverse menu selection, including a variety of hot sandwiches from Roast Beef ($6.25) to burgers such as the Bacon Cheeseburger ($5), Country Fried Steak ($7), Fried Chicken ($6.50), Steaks, Seafood Entrees, Combinations, and more. They also have a Thai food section on their menu, which is what I came to eat this time.

I ordered the Gai Kra Praow (Chicken with Sweet Basil $7 ), Pad Thai ($7), and was given a sample of their signature fresh rolls (Summer Rolls, $7,) which were mixed bean thread noodles and vegetables with shrimp, served with peanut sauce. The rolls were awesome...not just great tasting, especially when dipped in the hot, as in warmed, spicy peanut sauce with generous chopped nuts floating atop, but also great in stature and number. There were eight halves that each seemed to be about as big as the regular-sized ones I'm used to getting. I ate what I could, and brought the rest to the staff at my hotel.

The Pad Thai was pretty good, too, and I portioned half for take-out. I really enjoyed the Gai Kra Praow. I had this dish Thai Style, with the fried egg on top. It was as good as I've had at my favorite Guam Thai restaurants, with nice red bell peppers and fragrant basil infused throughout. It has to be one of my favorite Thai dishes...certainly an aromatic delight for me!

Wild Bill's is open for breakfast, too, and serves Omelettes, Pork Chops, Chamorro Breakfasts, Beef Tapa, Breakfast Steaks, Pancakes, French Toast, Hash Browns,and Fried Rice. Their phone number is (670) 233-3372 for take-out and they are open from 7am-10pm.

See the original review, with photos, here.