D.wight L.
Yelp
Whoa, my last review for this place was back in 2008, that's 17 years ago yo, WTF. Lol. Since then long tenured Buffalo Bills changed hands a little past the pandemic. Like many other owners, not many wanted to stick around in an already hard business. New blood had to enter the equation and good for Hayward, a local empire took over. Owners of the Metro Taquero chain and Casa Del Toro next door bought the business rights to this old time brew pub and Hayward classic.
Much of the inside is the same, but honestly it's been so long since I've been in, I can't really tell. But the overall vibe is the same, very urban yet industrial vibe. The food and drink, albeit more expensive due to the times and inflation, is even better than what I remember so let's jot down an update.
4 beer Sampler ($12/4*) A little pricey for trying to find out what they have but at least their beers are pretty good. I hate paying for a sampling and the beers suck. Like any where else, they have multiple IPAs, but they are on the lighter side but still quite balanced. These aren't the thick and heavy ones like Fieldwork and Drake's. I really liked their Hazy (juicy and fresh) and their Double Standard which has a stern hop finish. I also liked their Blueberry Oatmeal Stout which was smooth with just a faint blueberry hint, not in your face or artificial tasting.
Half Club/Half Soup Combo - lunch special ($16/4*) You can pick between like 5 sandwiches or so, and between 2 soups. The sandwich was really good but at 3 layers can be a bit tough to bite into. Good toasted sourdough, turkey, bacon and avo slices. And the kicker I liked which you don't see often was pickled jalapenos which made it zing. I could eat pickled jalapenos on any sandwich, you just don't see it enough.
I chose minestrone soup and it was hearty with big chunks of veggies and swollen shell pasta. Loved the taste of the broth and seasoning, just thought it was a bit skimpy of a portion (like cup was only filled half way) and the soup wasn't hot, barely warm. Still delicious just an observation noted.
Combo Pizza ($22/4*) In my original review I was amused at how the pricing for pizza or burger was around $11 bucks. Now they are both over $20, weeeee! About small pizza in size about 8 small slices, good for 2 peeps as an app. Crust nicely charred on the edges edges but reamins soft and droopy in the center. I think the amount of cheese and sauce they use keeps it from getting totally crisp. But there is a good meaty and melty bite. I actually liked the slices cold the next day, as everything was stuck as one.
Service at the bar was good, spacing was kinda tight. But I'll definitely be back and won't hold off as long as I did for this return. I'm just glad a successful local group took over an old institution to keep it alive. It's a model I can root for and support. Cheers!