Latest reviews from Monterey

“Nice location on top of a huge hill (hard on my stick shift car). Nice deli. A few Russian beers. A small cooler of large micros. Not a beer place.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“Wow. Maybe best beer store in Monterey. Tons of Belgians. Lots of semi local beers. I found beers from 2 new breweries. Great prices. $3.50/16oz can independent of abv. That is half of Silicon Valley prices. Very good.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“Small international grocery store. Almost no beer selection. Only two Kvass beers. Nice food and deli.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“I like the high ceilings and deli and friendly staff and awesome location. The beer selection is abysmal.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“A little worse selection than the Trader Joe’s in Cupertino. Maybe half. Most large micros. Tick.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“Standard Whole Foods, but maybe a little smaller selection. Mosty large micro breweries. A few locals. Mostly everything in 4 packs. Nothing special, except the great food.“

wetherel 965 days ago

“Brewpub attached to the Portola Hotel down on the waterfront in Monterey. Kind of tucked back in a corner, but easy enough to find as there is plenty of signage. A small patio area before you head into the large restaurant and bar space. About a dozen house drafts and some guest offerings in bottles (mostly ciders). They do flights of five for $14, so kind of pricey, particularly when you consider the beer quality. Which leads me to say...the beer here is not very good. Unfortunately our service was not very good either. Took forever to get our order taken, a long time to get the beers, and then they brought my wife the wrong thing. Oh well. It's an easy enough spot to stop in for some ticks, but I would hang out at Alvarado Street instead.“

brokensail 997 days ago

“Right in the heart of downtown Monterey, a cute little town. This place is large but can get slammed during peak hour. We visited around dinner on a Saturday, but managed to find a table quickly. A dozen or so taps, with flights of 6 available, or you can order single tasters -- all tasters are priced exorbitantly, at $3.75 plus tax each. However, given that you're getting top-quality brews, I wasn't too annoyed by this. They really do make some of the best IPAs in the game. We also ate dinner here, as they had a vegan burger on the menu. Extremely good and prompt service, especially given how busy it was. If you're passing through anywhere near here, you must visit.“

mcberko 1040 days ago

“September 2020 - COVID time. Outdoor seating. Excellent food truck. No wine. 24 beers on tap. Food was good. Beer also. No reservations. $5 voucher added to beer purchase -“

bhensonb 1304 days ago

“A big modern looking place occupied mainly by families with a small noisy beergarden in the back. very good selection, nice place.“

tomer 1729 days ago

“Big place. Crowded. Really good beers“

elbenco 1769 days ago

“Stopped here for dinner on a Sunday drive on the way back through Big Sur. Good food (excellent housemade chips) and the beer was superb. Had a couple of IPAs where the hops sang (one was infused with strawberries which were as delicious as if they were fresh off the vine), an awesome boozy sour and a very well done milk stout, all brewed in-house. Only regret is that I left around 15 taps untasted. I clearly need to take a backup liver with me.“

WestCoastHawkeye 2033 days ago

“Quite a big place, modern interior, high ceilings. 20 taps, one guest beer rest of them Alvarado. Flights available. Quality of beer was very good, some nice IPAs. Food was very good. Well worth visiting.“

Iznogud 2441 days ago

“Ugly lookin from the outside, but ya don’t care when lookin at the beers. Big selection. Wouldn’t trust the age on hoppy stuff if not clearly dated.“

slowrunner77 2550 days ago

“13 house, 7 guest taps, and 20 bottled brews. Decent beers, excellent food but a little pricey like everything else in Monterey.“

IrishBoy 2570 days ago

“Some decent beers here. They do barrel aging. Happy hour has $4 beers and good prices on around 8 items including wings, calamari, fried pickles and fries. Indoor, bar and outdoor seating is available.“

MattH 2589 days ago

“I go here to buy Red Bulls before going to the gym. Just a standard liqour store.“

MattH 2589 days ago

“The usual Stone, Green Flash, Lagunitas, and a few others always available. At times they have Modern Times. Value is always great.“

MattH 2589 days ago

“Located on a main drag in downtown Monterey, this restaurant/ brewery is a very attractive structure. There is a long bar facing about 20 taps of Alvarado Street beers and a few guest beers. There are a lot of tables, indoors and outdoors. A modern kitchen and adjacent brewery can be viewed from the restaurant. Good music, friendly staff and lots of good beer.“

marcus 2604 days ago

“Cool place. Good if a little overpriced food menu. LOOOOONG bar with lots of seating in a narrow configurement with a nice garden out back with more seats. We sat at the bar and had a couple dishes and flights ( $2-3 per taster of fair to high quality brews). Well known for their hoppy stuff, and it was all enjoyed. 2nd time, mid afternoon - must always be a zoo on weekends. Ordering from the bar is a bit of a chore if you’re not seated there.“

slowrunner77 2662 days ago

“After a scenic drive along highway 1 from Morro Bay we were ready for lunch when we arrived Monterey. Great beers and food? This is the place to go in Monterey. My family were all satisfied by the food and service was nice too. I ordered a "Loco Moco" which is ground chuck burger patty, bacon fried rice, avocado, ABS beer gravy and fried egg. Nice! All beers available as 5 oz tasters for $2. I tried Table Beer, Mai Tai PA, Levi PA, Tell me when to Gose, Tell me when to Bloody Peach, Boysen Back in Town and Mine Sweeper IPA. All very good! Some interesting bottles in the fridge as well, from Sainte Adairius Rustic Ales and Bruery Terreux. The brewpub also has a large patio. A must visit in Monterey. (Visited with my family July 15th 2016)“

Bryne 2805 days ago

“Nice brewpub to stop by, near Alvarado street. They pour decent seasonal beers and staff is very friendly. Had a good time there...“

HenriH 2806 days ago

“Yep, trader joes. On the walk back to my car, so worth a quick tick-whore stop. Selection pretty TJ-standard, although they did have the new Modern Times IPA, which is good.“

bytemesis 2842 days ago

“A walk from Alvarado, in the Portola Hotel complex. Quite busy on a Tuesday, with outdoor seating as well as a bar area inside. Service was prompt and good. Beers available as flights of 5 for $7.50. Did not try the food, but the beers were mostly so-so.“

bytemesis 2842 days ago

“Tuesday evening stop. Busy, but not full despite some sort of street fair out front. I parked on the street 4ish blocks away. Service was solid from seating to taking orders; friendly and efficient. All beers available as 5 oz tasters, which makes it nice to build your own flight. They have flight boards that hold 4 taster glasses, FYI. I ordered a burger and it was pretty standard fare, as were the garlic fries. The beers, on the other hand, ranged from good to excellent. Really hitting on all beer cylinders here.“

bytemesis 2842 days ago

“I don’t make it down to the Monterey Bay area that much, but the better half and I were down to visit the aquarium and just spend a day in the area. I convinced her to stop here for lunch.

We ordered the full set of the house beers including a bottle of their newly released cherry sour beer. Really thought the beers were excellent overall. Wasn’t sure what to expect on that front. Also a decent guest tap selection.

I got a burger (patty melt) which was nicely done and enjoyable. Her sandwich had some problems, though...like an obviously very burnt bun and the chicken being incredibly dry...the second attempt on their part was better but still left something to be desired. Service was kind of haphazard as well.

Overall, this was really a pleasant surprise. I’d certainly come back for the beers, and probably a meal too.“

brokensail 2969 days ago

“I’ll leave my initial review from 2014 below as it represented my views on the place based on my first visit. Now, after coming here at least 15 times over the past year and a half I feel compelled to increase the score I initially gave this place. This increase is based on the great service from the bartenders, the ever changing menu, which always provides interesting and flavorful food, and most of all the fact that this place just simply makes great beer from IPAs to sours to stouts to experimental beers. The only place I’ve been where the combo of food and beer together is as good as this place is the Beachwood Breweries in Seal Beach and Long Beach. In addition, this place also makes some very good cocktails. My only critique is that the some of the servers here don’t know too much about the beer. Therefore, I would always suggest sitting at the bar if you can. Cool place in downtown Monterey. Too nice inside to be a brewpub, so I guess you could call it a brewery with a restaurant attached, or vice versa. Anyway it is a beautiful venue. People having drinks at the bar were also very nice. Service here was good. A few patrons told me the bartender serving me was the assistant brewer. Selection was pretty good as they had nine house beers as well as some good beers from other places on tap. Bottle selection was alright. For food I tried their poutine and a frisee, watermelon, and salami salad of which I am going to try to replicate. The food is a little pricey, but the items I had were good. Their happy hour offers great prices on beers. House drafts cost $4. Their regular (not happy hour) prices are the standard $6 to $7. A flight of 4 cost $8, and normally I like to pay a dollar per sample, but these samples are pretty big and they come in mini brandy snifters which gave me a better sense of the aroma and flavor of the beer than I get in the standard sample glasses. As for the beer, I liked it and they do have an up to date tap list on their website.“

MattH 3000 days ago

“Visited on a trip back from The Big Sur. 14 beers on tap, 5 house styles and seasonal/ barrel aged ales. Taster flights available - any 5x 4oz samples for $7.50. Fairly easy to find in the pedestrianised zone. Beers were decent. Free popcorn is a nice touch.“

mR_fr0g 3003 days ago

“Stopped into this brew pub on the way back from a drive to the big sur. Really nice atmosphere inside, lots of space to sit at tables or the bar. Really friendly place both staff and regulars. They have 8 of their own beers on tap and 10 guest beers. All available in 5oz sample sizes for $2. They have a selection of snacks/sandwiches and mains on the menu, we didn’t try any but they looked good. The beer quailty was really good, some really drinkable beers on offer. I would definitely come back if I lived nearby.“

mR_fr0g 3003 days ago

“Awesome, upscale brewpub. Twenty taps, nine of them house taps. Guest taps include SARA, lost Abby, Stone. Flight available at a reasonable price. Beers were terrific! One of the better brewpubs I’ve been too.“

BVery 3077 days ago

“Pretty damn solid spot. 11 house beers on, flights available. Great food. Lots of TVs and NFL Sunday Ticket. Seasonal beers were quite good.“

BVery 3077 days ago

“This place has a huge number of bottles. There is a possibility that some of them are rather old. But for the most part we are not talking pale blondy beers. We are talking about heavy beers. Tho that may reflect my focus. Gotta like this place.“

bhensonb 3225 days ago

“Decor is modern; steel and wood. Beer is good. Food is very good. Grilled fish tacos! Servivice was very good on a busy evening.Popular place. A bit crowded when the gang’s all there.“

bhensonb 3238 days ago

“Busy spot right downtown. About 8-10 of their own beers, all of which I tried were probably some of the best ’brew house’ beers I have had in a long while. Also have some guest taps and a mostly Belgian bottle list. Sat at the bar and service was friendly and had some good grilled fish tacos and shishito peppers.“

wchesser 3286 days ago

“A really nice addition to the Monterey-Carmel beer scene, which quite frankly had been virtually non-existent. The place really has a "wow" factor when you walk in with tall ceilings, brewing equipment in view, an attractive bar, cool decor and flat screen TVs for your viewing enjoyment. Excellent selection of beer when you consider 8-9 house brews and another similar number of Guest taps. I wasn’t expecting much from their house brews and I very pleasantly surprised by the quality. Had 4 of their brews in a sampler, which included their minisweeper and minesweeper IPAs, the outstanding Citraveza and their saison. Really impressive. With the newly branded Mucky Duck (now Bull and Boar) across the street, Peter B’s brewpub down the street at the hotel, and Cannery Row Brewing a short distance away, Monterey is now a burgeoning beer destination.“

ElGaucho 3383 days ago

“This is becoming my new beer place to go in Monterey as they not only have their own beers (which are actually very good) but guest taps. Nice selection of food, not the typical pub fare. Prices are average for Monterey, but take advantage of happy hour when they discount their own beer. The brewer here is fairly creative and things outside the box. The restaurant itself is well appointed as expected on the main downtown tourist drag. Staff is attentive and knowledgable about beer. Nice addition to Monterey.“

larryLSB 3395 days ago

“If this place is a "beer store" I need to start rating every single gas station market with beer. If you want to buy beer this place has it. Lots of BMC and Mexican brands with a wall cooler of California’s largest craft brewers’ beers. Three different sixers of a local brewery too. Quite similar to any other little market in California.“

Fatehunter 3463 days ago

“Visited October 10, 2014.

Not sure why this only has one place rating so far. It’s actually a pretty nice place. The beer is decent, the food is good, and it’s in a beautiful area. Sitting at the bar you can see the brewery through the windows. It seems to be a 10ish barrel system with some larger fermenters. They have 6-8 house taps going along with another dozen guest taps and a couple dozen bottles. I spotted Orval front and center along with some other Belgian bottles. Actually, most of the bottles are Belgian. Dupont, Kasteel, Kwak, Lindemans (Cuvee Rene luckily), Timmermans, Rochefort, Westmalle, and a few others along with some Bruery and Lost Abbey. The guest tap list included some IPAs, a proper hefe (Weihenstephaner), the new Anchor Zymaster beer, and what looked like a promising Midnight Sun IPA called Pleasure Town IPA.

The house beers apparently normally include several IPAs but due to the most recent heat wave those all sold out. I was pleasantly surprised by the amber ale. I was expecting the usual chalky crap but its very dank. I’m told that it has Amarillo in it. The hint of onion would confirm that. The tripel has locally grown honey in it and is very floral. Kind of nice if not a bit too sweet. They also have real pint glasses here. No crappy tumblers, but rather a glass that holds an honest pint with room for head. They of course have taster glasses (smaller globes) and they have a tulip of sorts. Pretty sure it’s the same shape as the St Feullien glass.

The food was decent to high end. They have a smaller menu at lunch. I went with the special which was a "carnitas burger". I assumed that meant pork mixed into the patty but as it turns out it’s basically the ingredients of a taco on top of a burger. So you get your regular patty and on top of that is some shredded pork, guacamole, tomato, and onion. Pretty good I have to say, but I will complain here about the burger being over cooked. Not dry but I made it a point to ask for it medium rare. The server even agreed that burgers should be medium rare but it was brown all the way through. Hmm. Other than that it tasted good. They have a chicken sandwich with an "IPA Harissa sauce" on it. I was tempted to try it but the server talked me into the burger. He did however bring me a little side of it.

The service was good and the guy answered all my questions about the beer. The prices however are a bit high end. $12 for a full sampler of 6 beers plus $14 for a burger. After tax and tip it was a $30 meal.“

t0rin0 3485 days ago

“Visited October 10, 2014.

This is one of several Trader Joes locations in Monterey. I actually came across one on hwy 68 earlier but since the beer selection is really not very inspiring at either location I didn’t feel the need to add it. They have the usual stuff: house beers, Chimay, Firestone, Full Sail, Corona, and Sierra Nevada. They had a couple of Lindemans fruit lambics too. I took a look at the born on dates for the Union Jack and noticed that it was only 2-3 weeks old so that’s good, but it’s sitting on top of the shelf, under the light, and not refrigerated. Meh.“

t0rin0 3485 days ago

“Visited October 10, 2014.

This is one of the weaker selections at a Whole Foods that I’ve been to. Also, the parking lot sucks. I hate malls and terrible drivers and poorly designed streets are among the top reasons. Getting in is easy, but getting back out is a real challenge. It’s easy to find though, so there’s that.

The beer is split into 3 sections. On one end there are some imports, in the middle is a bunch of six packs, and at the other end are some domestic singles. About half the beer is from California brewers: Firestone, Bruery, AleSmith, Stone, Ballast Point, Lagunitas, Drakes, Green Flash, Anderson Valley, Lost Abbey, Napa Smith, Coronado. The imports included most of the common stuff (good stuff) like St Bernardus, Rochefort, and Straffe Hendrick. There was a random cider that had elderflower in it. Curious but not desperate enough for a tick to spend money on something that will taste like pickled peppers. Over all not a bad selection just a small selection.“

t0rin0 3485 days ago

“LIke GIJOE said, this is a sandwich place and the most rated and highest rated sandwich place in Monterey on Yelp. Sandwich I had was huge and good. Not a huge beer selection, but a unique one with beers from countries you do not see most places. I got a lager from Montenegro and a Ptolomavy. I was not expecting that when I came in. The owner is very nice.“

MattH 3595 days ago

“Smaller selection compared to other Whole Foods. Nothing really stood out to me. Unlike other places all of the beer is refrigerated.“

MattH 3597 days ago

“Solid BP a few blocks up from Fishermans Wharf visited on Tues 29/04/14 around 10pm. Not too easy to find, but we popped into the nearby hotel and they directed us. We sat outside (payed little attention to the internals but I think there was a roof, walls, floor etc), where we sat with a table containg an open fire in the middle - nice touch, kept my wife happy compared to the usual BP humdrum! Live sports (Bball) on show from a big screen facing the oustide patio, and a lively enough crowd for last knockings Tuesday. 8 house beers available, 5 standards and 3 seasonals, also a BA offering on the menu but of all the beers they were out of - yup you guessed it! I really enjoyed the beers here. Nothing world class but no duds, all 3.3 - 3.7 rates for me. 5x4oz taster at a very reasonable $6.50 - no limits either, choose all 3 seasonals + the BA if you wish. Decent venue and a nice aesthetic feel outside that pleased the missus who also bagged a cocktail!“

Theydon_Bois 3649 days ago

“Easily one of the better places to shop beer in the city of Monterey. It’s close to all the local attractions and everyone behind the counter knows what they’re talking about. Huge beer selection, and the staff can point you in any direction you wish to help you make the selection for your beer!“

that_Guy 3896 days ago

“A nice grocery store located more or less next to our hotel for the night. Got some nice sandwiches, fruit and water for our drive through Big Sur, and a couple of nice beers for our cooler. Could definitely have bought quite a few more unrated ones, and there were plenty of nice beers we had already sampled. It’s just a few hundred yards off the highway, so it’s pretty convenient to stop here if going past Monterey.“

yngwie 3900 days ago

“This store didn’t have as many beers as their other stores. It is a smaller store.“

mrhoppy 3928 days ago

“Stopped in on my way back from SF Beer Week. This was a bit of a detour off of my 101 route but it’s been years since I’ve been in Monterey. I had to ask directions from some random people to find the place as its hidden in the back of a shopping center.

The bar is very nicely done and clean. The bartender gave me 2 flights of 4 samples and since there were only 7 house beers he filled the last one with a rootbeer. I wasn’t impressed with any of the beers but the Porter was the best. The guy pouring the beer was very nice, not overly knowledgeable about the beer but I get the feeling that that isn’t really the point of this place. The others at the bar were drinking Bud Light and whiskey.

The crowd was a bit thin as it was a Thursday night but it seemed like more of a sports bar. I didn’t eat but I did get out for less than $10 after tip for my 8 samples. Parking was also free at that time but I had to park in the structure, so be prepared to pay if you visit the place on a weekend.“

t0rin0 3942 days ago

“This is a taqueria and a liquor store all in one. Strange, but neighborhood. Not a bad selection of beers in the cooler, although not all of them should be in the cooler.“

GIJOE 4043 days ago

“This place had a heyday, but fell to poor management and bad decisions. Great place for a smoke on the hookah patio, but the service ranges from poor to stupid these days.“

GIJOE 4049 days ago

“This is a sandwich shop, first and foremost. The food is excellent for what it is. Big, honking, juicy sandwiches, served up with a friendly smile and good-hearted banter. Lots of international beers available because of the proximity to the Defense Language Institute and the students interest in foreign beers. Bennett’s a good guy. Stop in for a sandwich and take some beers home with you!“

GIJOE 4064 days ago