Russell T.
Yelp
Bend, OR is well known for their breweries - which can make finding a spot that has room for you difficult on a holiday weekend, on top of there being a pandemic.
10 Barrel (east) had call-ahead over the phone which made this super easy. The concierge even took my consideration for a spot with shade into account. I got a couple texts once my table was ready and walked right in upon arrival.
The beers are delicious and there are a variety. Everyone has their own tastes in beer, but I would recommend this place highly.
As for the food, we got the Brisket Sandwich and the Burger. The Burger was a classic gastropub burger, about 1/3 lb of meat with all the fixings. Well seasoned and quite the gut-bomb if you're really hungry. Just like our server said upon recommending the Brisket Sandwich, it was really nice if you're looking for a strong smokey flavor.
With COVID, eating at a restaurant made me very anxious. Would we be too close to other tables? What about the food? Would people be observing social distance?
I will say: 10 Barrel is probably the best example I've seen of a restaurant going above and beyond. In what usually would be a packed restaurant space, tables were more than 6 feet apart, both inside and out. Windows / doors were fully open. There were one-way lanes within the restaurant to help ensure a flow of people that could be better controlled. The bathrooms had clear signs about capacity. Every server had a mask on. There was a contactless option for payment as well, using your phone and a QR code. Valerie, our server, had her mask on the entire time and even without seeing it, I could tell she was smiling.
All in all, this was a great experience from reservation, eating and drinking, and all the way through payment.