Latest reviews from Visalia
| 80 /100 521 EAST MAIN STREET “Loved finding this place in the relatively small city of Visalia...kinda out of the way and unexpected. They have several locations but this is their largest. Big taproom and outdoor space with stage (they refer to it as their beer garden). Great ambiance. The selection is large...20 taps...15 pouring when I visited...most of the beers are pretty solid...with a few very good...and a few nondescript. This is a great venue...and a nice choice if in the area.“ |
| 70 /100 219 E MAIN ST “(Visited 11/2014): Brewbakers (no affiliation to the one in Huntington Beach according to an employee) is located in downtown Visalia on Main Street. Parking is available on both sides of Main. The exterior has a brick facade with the Brewbakers logo on the front. Inside opens to a long relatively narrow room with tables along the right and the bar running the length of the left side. Brewing equipment is situated behind the bar. The interior retains the brick walls and there are hanging lights. There is a large board above the bar listing the available beers. There is an upstairs dining area as well. Brewbakers has 8 beers on tap, as well as a couple sodas. Pretty typical styles including a Wheat, IPA, Blonde, Amber and Stout. A sampler is available, and the beers were all pretty average. Service on a weekday late lunch at the bar was pretty good. The bartenders were attentive and pretty well-versed in the beers. In terms of food, I only had soup and it was pretty good. Overall the quality of the beers here doesn’t necessarily make the place worth seeking out, but merits a stop for someone seeking out a brewpub in the immediate area.“ |
| 66 /100 Frank’s Liquor & Superette (Beer Store) 416 N WILLIS ST “(Visited 11/2014): Frank’s Liquor is on North Willis and J32. There is a small lot in front of the building as well as street parking in the surrounding blocks. The exterior is a typical nondescript convenience store complete with bars on the windows. The inside is brightly lit and again laid out like a convenience store. The beer is located toward the left rear of the store, primarily in coolers along the back wall. The beer selection numbers around 100, with breweries like Kern River, Out Of Bounds, Tioga-Sequoia and Lengthwise represented. Other domestic and imported craft breweries are represented. Service on a weekday afternoon was decent. I was asked if I needed help finding anything and checkout was pretty friendly. Overall this place isn’t much to look at but chances are there are a few worthwhile beers in stock that make it worth a visit.“ |
| 62 /100 219 E MAIN ST “I stopped in to visit the gem of Visialia late one night. This was my second visit to the great city of Visalia and that was probably two times more than necessary. The down town area isn’t too bad but yeah, I have no interest in returning. Lots of people out and about on a Friday night so parking wasn’t exactly easy but it’s not too bad either. The clientele were fun to talk to (I happened to be sitting next to a couple that goes to the church down the street from my place (we live 250 miles away). They happened to be beer nerds and got a couple of other people at the bar into the conversation about various breweries. So at least the atmosphere was nice, even if the beers were not. I feel bad for the employees here. They have to get complaints regularly about the quality of the beer. Ugh.“ |
| 68 /100 219 E MAIN ST “Parking can be a bit tough here on a weekend, but there is a large structure behind the brewpub. Sort of cramped downstairs bar and seating area with more room upstairs. Service at the bar was sufficient: not terribly friendly, but reasonably fast. The beers are pretty bad for the most part. Their sodas are good, though.“ |
| 90 /100 Howie & Son’s Pizza Parlor (Restaurant) 2430 S MOONEY BLVD “Old school pizza parlor that I remember from my youth in the 80’s. Ever changing wall of beer featuring the who’s who of California craft brewing. Their pizza and food is about as good as you get without going out to a gourmet restaurant. The bartender is a cool dude who likes to talk his beer, sadly I have yet to talk him into pouring me some of his Pliny!“ |
| 84 /100 Frank’s Liquor & Superette (Beer Store) 416 N WILLIS ST “Best place between Bakersfield and Fresno to get beer. A very solid selection of California based breweries and a pretty solid selection of European imports. The staff here are some of the nicest guys I’ve met. Have any questions and they’ll be happy to help you, and if you want something they don’t carry, they can probably get it for you. They also have a much larger selection of wine than they have of beer, however I haven’t ventured down that path yet. Great store in the Tulare/Kings county area, you won’t find a better selection of beer without going to Fresno to BevMo.“ |
| 90 /100 Howie & Son’s Pizza Parlor (Restaurant) 2430 S MOONEY BLVD “Excellent service, great food. A real diamond in a dust pile. I have been in town for a few days, found Howies on RB, and havent went anywhere else. Outstanding rotating tap selection, backed by bartenders that really enjoy good beer. Friendly locals as well!“ |
| 96 /100 Howie & Son’s Pizza Parlor (Restaurant) 2430 S MOONEY BLVD “Ken came out and we immediatly hit it off. A true beer enthusiast. He gets the hard to get beer, especially for this area.Cask ale nights to specific brewery nights. Good pizza too.“ |
| 78 /100 219 E MAIN ST “Located on the main drag in Visalia, this establishment houses a brewery and a restaurant with good food. There is a nice bar fronting 8 taps of mostly excellent brewery offerings. There are a dozen bar stools and 8 booths downstairs, and some more tables upstairs. There are 2 flat screen TVs at the bar and a local band on most nights (no cover). The brewing equipment can be seen from the bar. The barkeeps are very friendly and helpful and there is a wide range of good chow on the menu.“ |
| 80 /100 The Cellar Door (Bar) 101 W MAIN ST “This place is actually a dance club with a nice bar and a pretty good selection of beer and wine. There are a dozen taps, some macros but most are good west coast microbrews. The bottle selection includes about 8 good Belgians and quite a few nice microbrews (I had a Chimay and a Stone Double Bastard). I was the only customer over 40, but found the crowd to be quite friendly. The DJ generated music is loud, but there is very comfortable furniture away from the dance floor if you want to sip your beer in solitude. The barkeeps are friendly and attentive and try to serve your beer in the proper glassware. This is the only place in Visalia to find good beer.“ |
