New Old Lompoc

No Longer In Business

Today was not the first time I visited this place, but it will be the last for tomorrow it closes it’s doors on this phase of its existence. The bar pulled features from both western saloons I would see in movies and from many English pubs I have known. Always something interesting on tap, interesting if not great. A wonderful buzz to the place tonight which could seem a little dead and run-down at times.

Well I have done them all finally and this was a great place to finish up a PDX pub crawl. Had a blast the food was great and the service they did great. This is a people watching time for sure. They get them all in this place. The beers are awesome.

2010-06. Visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon last June, we sat in the back patio on the picnic tables and tried a couple samplers. Didn’t try the food but the menu looked fine. Service got a little confused over their brews but were otherwise friendly. Tried most of their 11 brews on tap and all were pretty good, the C-Note being of particular "note". Glad to have been there but not itching to return.

This place did not cry brewpub since it was more like a teahouse. The beers were mediocre and they actually didn’t have all of them there. A bit out of the way from downtown (my Ukrainian cab driver acted like he was going to kill me the whole way), so I wouldn’t recommend it on a Portland brewery tour unless you’ve hit everything else.

2010-06-26. Really nice outdoor patio. Covered area was a nice respite from the sun. Picnic table seating. Outside seemed a bit nice than the inside. Server is friendly, but brings me the wrong seasonal on the sampler try. Brings out an extra sample of the other beer to make up for it though so it worked out in my favour. Did not eat here but the menu looked decent. Overall the majority of the beers were just okay, with a handful of standouts. I’d go again, but overall I enjoyed the Laurelwood down the street a little more.

Conveniently located on busy, hip 23rd avenue, this pub boasts a spacey, large terrace with picnic tables and lots of flowers. A most pleasant spot. On the other hand, the inside multi-roomed pub is dark and while it has a bit of character, it feels a bit spooky, old, not particularly pretty. Varied menu of interesting-looking beers, varied, ranging from different Belgian styles to lagers to IPAs. Upon tasting though, I must say I felt let down and even original styles like the Belgian stout left a lot to be desired, being borderline syrupy. Besides, the service was agreeable and pleasant. I might not have hit it on its best day and might visit another Lompoc establishment on a visit to come, but at this point, I consider there are many better places to satisfy your thirst in town.

I love their beers, so I am biased. And this was one of the best places to drink and study on a weekend afternoon. What more can I say, good beer, good prices, lit windows in an otherwise dank bar of a joint.

Visited the 5th Quadrant location a couple months back, and found an okay little bar with pretty good service. We went early in the afternoon on a saturday so there were a bunch of families in there which wasn’t really my vibe, but whatever. It was entertaining that there was an opening to the booth across the panel from you, my buddy played a joke on a family, swiping their bottles of ketchup. The food was solid enough, some decent nachos were consumed. Out of all the beers we sampled, the only one I really liked was mine, the Old Tavern Rat Barleywine. I’d had their CNote from the bottle many times though, so didn’t grab one of those great beers. Pretty average establishment.

Cool, funky little re-purposing of an old house. Rooms strung together like a rabbit warren. Cool pass-throughs from the bar, which maybe once was a coat closet and part of a stairwell or something. Half the fun is imagining what it would have been like to have lived there, back when. Good beers, efficient service. Nice beat-up old wood floors. Neat place. Genuine, functioning water closet in the men’s--water tank at head height, with a chain. Just another little historical touch.

Nice setting. Good outdoor seating. Enjoyable if uninspired food. Good beer all around with nothing outstanding. Quiet at mid-day, good service.