August 5, 2011
WInking Lizard

July 30, 2011
Just a note: Google always likes to put this place on the north side of Rockside. It’s actually up Quarry Lane (the first right after the freeway) on the left of that street, south of Rockside. This is just the second Winking Lizard I’ve been to, and I would have to put it below the one on Coventry. That’s not saying it’s not a good place. In fact, I thought it was very good, but I thought the one on Coventry was great. Had a seat at the bar. The bar itself is not much, but it’s in a big room with plenty of long tables that look through a long window. And it’s obviously a very popular happy hour place. That happy hour knocks off $1 from 22oz drafts until 7pm, which puts them at about the same price as the 16oz versions. Beer menu was a little limited, but they picked pretty good stuff. Nothing too weird or interesting, but that may be more a factor of the neighborhood than anything. I had a Mojo IPA (Boulder) and a Brooklyn Sorachi. Service was very good. The bartender was on top of me with water refills and checking in periodically. I was never waiting around. I went on a Thursday, which is their burger special day. Something like $5.49 for most of their burgers, which usually around around $8. The burger was very good and was a lot of food. I didn’t end up finishing all of it. My advice for this place would be to get there early. When I left at about 6pm, there were roughly ten separate parties waiting for a table.

January 13, 2011
Arguably the best beer bar chain in Ohio, the Winking Lizard sponsors a yearly tour of 100 different beers with a prize jacket to all finishers. The Independence location is good, but not the best of the lot. It’s very dark, almost like a cave, with pretty lax and "too pretty to actually work" service, especially at the bar itself. With that in mind, they have over 20 beers on draft, including regular handles from Great Lakes, Stone Brewing, and others as well as "High Hops," "Belgian" and "High IPA" handles that change regularly, and 100+ beers in bottles, as well as a glass of month. If you’re in Independence Ohio, this is the bar for beer.

March 27, 2010
1 of my favorite places to stop when I go shopping in Mentor now....unbelievable selection in beer on tap and in bottles, Founders Porter on tap...are you freekin kidding me. Hard to find beers, great food....a bit pricey, but well worth it, say hi to the Iguana in the window as you come in....yes it winks.

February 26, 2009
Situated in a pretty non-descript strip mall complex in a quiet ’burb. My boss and I headed there since our hotel was just a block or two away. Atmosphere is alright, if you like sport bars with plenty of widescreens and sports memorabillia. We sat in a booth near the bar section and looked over the menu. Plenty of local drafts to keep a guy like me interested, with a good mix of micros from all over the US, and decent import mix. Sure, they have a few macros, but not enough to keep you away. Prices were quite reasonable, especially the drafts. What caught my eye on the menu was a little caption saying "Orval embassador 2009". I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’ve seen this on this continent. I asked our waitress (she was really nice and helpful) what it took to actually get this accreditation, and she brought me John, one of the head Beer people for the chain who just happened to be there. Next thing you know, our booth was full of Beer guys, both pros and enthusiasts, and p