Ethan C.
Yelp
Having not visited a Eureka location almost 6 years, we weren't sure what to expect from a place we really enjoyed back in California.
We popped in for "Hoppy" Hour, and while it was initially pretty quiet, it was nice to chat with the bartenders and GM and take in the comfy vibe while sipping on $6 beers. I was hopeful the beer selection for hoppy hour would have had more stuff I've not tried, there were a few new beers I hadn't had, and I really enjoyed the Maui Brewing Pineapple Wheat.
Since food was also discounted during Happy Hour, and we had already enjoyed a few beers on an empty stomach, we jumped on the Fried Pickles, Mac n Cheese Balls and split a Burger.
The Mac N Cheese balls were alright, they had a slight spice but it just felt like there were missing something.
The Eureka American burger was solid, cooked as requested, and just a tasty no frills burger with decent fries.
The star of the show were the Fried Pickles! Holy moly, these were perfect; crunchy well seasoned batter that held up nicely, and a flavorful pickle chip inside with a brine-y punch. Rarely do you get fried pickles that stay together (the pickles love to slide out and leave you with just a batter shell in your hand and a mouth full of pickle), but their batter stayed put and stayed crunchy. These will always be something we order!
We finally ended our marathon visit with the Bourbon Barrel Cake which was decadent without being overly sweet, and paired fantastic with The Bruery's Black Tuesday that was on draft.
I will say, despite stellar service, nice ambiance, and tasty food, it felt like a long wait for each food item considering how few guests were there. I didn't want to dock a star, but over 15 min for an order of fried pickles, with only two other parties in the restaurant, seemed a little excessive. At least the beers were reasonably priced during happy hour, but something I hope is improved before our next visit.
Overall, I feel like this is a good value for happy hour, food quality is great, and feels very hip compared to any other restaurant close by. Certainly a good happy hour hang that we are adding to the rotation.