Mike Hess Brewing—Imperial Beach

I have to leave a review, as this place was fantastic hidden gem on my trip. Imperial beach is lovely, and the tacos and atmosphere at Mike Hass was great! I was there on a Saturday they had live music. Pollo, beef shin & fish tacos all amazing, fresh and full of flavour! The fish was the winner but had to choose. Highly recommend!

Really good food and beer! And the staff is super friendly and helpful! Can't wait until we're able to come back again.

Nice beach side restaurant/brewery. Excellent variety of delicious tacos. Tacos are good in size and have good flavor. Reasonable prices. Amazing patio atmosphere with fire pits. Plenty of tables to accommodate couples, small groups, and large groups. There's a private 21+upper deck. Self seating, order inside, then they'll bring out your food. Strongly recommend.

Great venue. Great atmosphere. Server could have been more attentive being that our appetizer order was forgotten for one. Condiment table was amazing. Food was outstanding. Weather was perfect which made the experience even nicer. Great spot in Imperial Beach while on vacation in San Diego.

Staff was extremely friendly & place is super dog-friendly. Bike rack we could secure our expensive E-bikes to —> greatly appreciated! Didn’t get food this time but it looks amazing.

Came Monday evening around 5ish and cute blonde was working. Since we are staying near, we opted coming here. Asked the gal what she recommends and she delivered. Food is fresh, flavorful and setting is superb.

Large restaurant with tons of outside seating a block from the beach. You order at the counter and they'll bring your food to your table. We ordered the fish, crunchy shrink, and spicy shrimp tacos. They were all good and loaded with toppings therefore more filling than they look. I really like the fluffy soft flour tortillas that they use. Tastes freshly made!

My daughter brought me here for lunch and a beer. Let me start by saying the chips and salsa are sooooo good. Fresh chips with salsa that's not the norm for tacos. The flavor was really good. Our tacos were really good as well. Make sure you get some of their sauces. I ordered a flight of beer since this was my first time and I wasn't disappointed with any of my choices. The seating was all outdoors and the weather was beautiful. They have outdoor games and a very reasonable kids menu.

I didn't order food here just a strawberry lemonade! It was frozen slushy. Visit 12/10/24 Love the location. The seaport village is a beautiful one stop spot for San Diego Visitors. The bartender/cashier was nice. He made sure I stayed connected with my crowd when we all split. My teammates ordered lunch here. The tacos and chips looked yummy! They all seemed to enjoy their food

You stand there and order then they expect you to select either 18, 20, 25% tip. But the customer is standing and ordering then they bring your food. This violates the "if I stand and order then no tip" rule. Come on !!

I live near imperial Beach and went to the other day and I got a beer. It had a hair in it and then I got to listen to the owner talk about how he wants to deport all immigrants and he was all pro Trump out so that just took my out of my life

Food and beer is HORRIBLE!! My 10 year old daughter can make better food than this!!

We were in town for a week and came here 3 times. Beer is delicious and so is the food. The staff were friendly and fast. It is all outdoor seating with plenty of kids and dogs. There is upstairs adult only seating if you like. Got a free glass when I ordered a flight. Got half off a T-shirt when we bought a 6 pack.

Tacos are fantastic. Beers are delish and cold. Ambiance is relaxing. All seating is outdoors and some fire pits in area. Wear warm clothing. The staff are great. Very friendly

Treated myself to tacos and a tasty beverage at the beach. Adrian, who took my order at the counter, was very personable, and let me sample several beverages. The. Sangria Spritzer that I love was not available at this location, so I opted for a hard blueberry lemonade, which was delicious. The gentleman who was running food brought my food up to the patio deck where I'm sitting, well, I'll never understand why runners/servers don't bus items nearby, especially when they have to go up and down a flight of stairs. But, that's not my problem, just an observation. Peaceful ambience, not crowded at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, exactly what I was looking for. I love the pint glasses. Wish those would be added to the other Mike Hess locations that I frequent in North Park and Alpine.

Dillan, Adrian soooooo good, excellent customer service !!!! Alex really ? The worst customer service, he shouldn't be a manager here, great place but if you are being looked at like a CIA agent it doesn't feel good. Restaurants and bars are supposed to be a place to have a good time, Alex is not good at all. Just saying. I'm going to keep coming back here but no hope I don't bump into Alex asked again.

Come on with this yummy fish tacos and beer and there for friendly! Can't help myself the atmosphere is on point for beach days and bike days.

Mike Hess is a great place to meet up with your friends to enjoy a beer or a michelada, or enjoy a dish from the great selection they serve there! That's why I'm a regular there, i enjoy the ambiance, the service they provide is always with a smile, and my friends love going there as well... I highly recommend you come out and check it out, you will not be disappointed!

Nice spot less than a block from the beach. I went here twice during the day. I'd be interested to see what it's like at night. The tacos and Steel Beach beer were pretty good. The salmon taco has some kick.

Nice location and concept with an American version bier garden. Felt it's a 3 star join as it has some positive points and just okay points. Really liked the beer garden and setup with the corn hole. Ordering process either table via a red/red sign or at the counter. Found it a bit confusing as no one showed for about 5 minutes after we turned it to green and as I was getting up to go to the counter someone rushed over. Beer was fine, but found the selection limited. Felt had better coffee options than beer. Mexy fries with carne asada was okay. Jalapeños was nice and spicy, but the fries were a undercooked and limp. It said the cheese was ipa fondu, but tasted very bland. If they paid a little more attention to the food and service this place would me awesome!

Came here on New years Day for Hair of the Hog. The Adrian's, Joey, Jizelle, and Eric made our experience so awesome! Great way to start the New Year! Staff was so friendly and personable. The food, drinks, and atmosphere were top notch! Will definitely keep coming back!

Location- Imperial Beach the most Southwestern Beach in the United States. Calm peaceful and quaint. Parking - horrendous! Service- on point everyone is friendly and always smiling. Bartender super nice Food- street tacos pork n beans Mexican style fish tacos delicious Beer well it's why we go -Amazing place -outdoor seating, no indoor - sit upstairs!! -play cornhole!!

I have always been a fan of Mike Hess, and I finally made it to this location. This location is huge and has a great selection of food. The servers were all super nice and overall, this place has a laid back vibe. Can't wait to come back!

Love the beer and the amazing staff. They make you feel like you are home. Only thing that is missing are TVs and HEATERS! But besides that I cannot complain. I'll just bring a blanket next time, only to enjoy a nice could beer. Mr. Hess could you please get HEATERS instead of investing an other restaurant ur regulars and tourist would enjoy your amazing beer outdoors instead of freezing our butts off. JUST SAYING

I've been wanting to come to this spot for years and because of Adrian, we've found our new spot. We come from AZ and always stay at the beach before we head back home. First thing I told him. I like blue moon and he suggested the perfect beer for me and never let me go empty. Wonderful vibe. Great food and service. Music was top notch. See y'all in December!

Greetings all, The city tacos are always a good choice while here and the service has been top notch. I have enjoyed the this location since day one, (dirt sitting area & before the fire pits) We recently stopped bye for a pint around seven o'clockish and it was cold. Please can you service the heaters so we can get back to our routine visits. Thank you

Shout out to Adrian Bueano at Mike Hess Brewing CO. Service was excellent. My was at my table before our boy Adrian ever even left. Now that's Service. Who says AI is better? HELL NO! AWESOME WORK, Adrian!!!! Cheers till next time, Mike Hess!

My husband and I walked down to this location while we were in town for our 10th anniversary. The food was great and staff was super friendly (husband actually bragged about his burrito mid bite), I had a mimosa flight (blueberry lemonade was amazing) and my husband had a mikealada. He loved it. Would definitely come back again.

Let me start off by Lexi & Dylan were AMAZING! The previous reviews were not accurate what so ever! Service was fast, food order was accurate and both were friendly. Please read the other reviews and take it with a grain of salt and come experience this place for yourself.

Monthly hangout with my Navy Brothers and we were down for tacos! Started out with nachos and beers, and the rest is a blur of tortillas and toppings. Fish, Al pastor, and carnitas oh my! Great beers, great tacos, great staff..only negative is the lack of heat or indoor seating this time of year. It was a chilly night, and we were a bit chilled. All the other seasons I'm sure this place is the bomb, so we will be back...this joint makes the list!

My daughter and I decided to have some breakfast at Mike Hess after a nice gloomy morning beach walk. It wasn't very busy because of the sprinkling weather. Lots of open space for kiddos to run around and lots of seating for big groups. They also have corn hole to play but it was put away. For drinks I had a mimosa and an iced Viennese with oat milk. It has cinnamon and honey and espresso shots. So good. For food we ordered the chilaquiles verdes with 2 sunny side eggs and carne asada, a breakfast burrito with sausage, bacon, eggs, French fries and chipotle sauce, and I also ordered a breakfast taco with a sunny side egg, chorizo refried beans and a salsa on top. Everything was so good but my favorite was the taco. The spice with the yolk from the egg balanced so well. Definitely enjoyed the food and ambiance, even though it was a little wet and cold outside.

Came here our first night and it did not disappoint. The most impressive thing was the customer service. Everybody was so friendly and welcoming. Beer flight was delicious, could have been colder. Taco of the month, fish taco, and ceviche were all bomb! Decided to come our second night and the friendly staff remembered me by name!! Def a great spot with great food and vibe!

I visit IB from Vegas about once a year and continue to come to Mike Hess for the great tacos and beer. Will forever hold a place in my heart.

Love it but would have given 5 stars and more if the aluminum glasses were being recycled! Please get some recycle bins there!

Excellent customer service from Adrian B at Mike Hess Brewery. He was attentive and was quick to get our food and drinks out for our large party. Look forward to coming back!!

This is the 2nd location I've been too and love the vibe of this location as well. Lots of outside seating. Upper deck seating for some views. Great beer, slushies, and food! Can't go wrong with anything here! Plus always great service.

Best tacos in a very long time. Even my fish hating kids loved the fish tacos. Way to go!

Extremely bad fish and chips, very soggy batter and dry fish. Chips were cold and felt a couple days old. Do not recommend this spot for food besides the beer which was actually nice tasting.

Stopped in last night after work for a late dinner. Love the Biergarden. Great atmosphere, very chill. My wife ordered one of their sour beers, and absolutely loved it. For food, she did the fish and chips, and I had a fish taco and a carne asada taco. The fist was the star - beer batter was 10/10. The chips (fries) were good, just a tad under salted. The carne asada taco was meh. Worth checking out for the biergarden alone! Service was good, not great, as we had to flag someone down to get our bill and cash out. But they did make sure to let us know about last call for the kitchen.

(Late Post) My wife and I had our small wedding reception at this location back in October 2023. The staff was very accommodating and helped us schedule a reservation to ensure we had enough tables for our guests. The manager also brought out a free bottle of champagne which was very kind! We were told that we were there first wedding reception, so the manager was glad they were able to host us. As always, the food, drinks, service and atmosphere were 10/10. I apologize for barely getting around to writing this review, but thank you again!

Wife and I ordered a couple Surf and Turf tacos for lunch. Noticed the texture and taste of the shrimp slightly off. An unbelievably miserable night of food poisoning later ensued. Please improve quality checks and protocol of the food.

Very poor costumer service. waitress are rude hardheaded. I travel a lot, love experience new places but that one was not a pleasant visit. food was good but area very dirty

Very poor service. We were asked for our credit card after we first sat down. We opened a tab but only orders a root beer for a drink and a few tacos. We waited 40 minutes for the tacos and fries which were cold. After that no one returned to our table. I asked several times for condiments which were never brought. I asked the young lady that opened our tab up if she could close it out she said OK after that she walked by a several times and never came back. Again the worst service I've ever seen at any restaurant in San Diego. I finally went to the bar to close out my tab and told the gentleman there I wasn't going to leave a tip and he said "OK so what" not we are sorry or we value you. It's pretty much what I expected. "So what"! Just amazing...!

Tacos were good with lots of variety. Would not have figured a Brewery named Mike Hess would have decent Mexican food but it did. Carnitas tacos were good as were the Osso Bucco tacos which I had not seen before. Salsa was just OK but overall a positive experience.

Amazing ambiance and scenery, great beer and fish tacos. Pretty perfect to spend an afternoon oh and the corn hole is fun too!

Sophie is Always my waitress and couldn't have asked for any body better ! She's always on point and she's been there a long while and she knows what she's doing ! I only go to like Hess to see her cuz she gets it right every time ! Plus her coffees are my favorite ! Thanks for all that you do !

Adrian, the best server ever, literally gave us the shirt off his back!!! Beer flights and food are awesome as well

There is a craft beer at the Imperial Beach Mike Hess for everyone, from very light low alcohol, to hardy flavorful high octane skull numbing brews. They have delicious hard ciders, seltzers and kombucha, and they even brew their own root beer, and have NA brews. My favorite is still AFP, aka Assaulted by Feathered Pillows. 8.0% They also have a full-on coffee section. The staff largely consists of youthful and apparently happy souls from the local and surrounding hoods. Seems they take turns supplying the soundtracks. Not surprisingly some is completely foreign to me, given the era I grew up in. They usually keep the sounds low enough that you can have a conversation. I rarely give 5 stars, and I credit the staff with the extra star. The food choices are tasty and creative, mostly Mexican themed stand-by items like all sorts of tacos, with some twists (like portobello mushroom tacos) to accommodate the hipster and more vegetarian crowd. They have breakfast on weekends. The restaurant portion is operated by 'Quiero Tacos' aka City Tacos aka Street Tacos. The food is consistently good. Hess and Quiero Tacos have other collaborations at other San Diego locations. This venue has come a long way. Initially the ground was covered with dusty, decomposed granite, and shaded by picnic table umbrellas, the upgrades were much needed. This outdoor venue is now covered in artificial turf, which makes it ideal to keep clean. I see staff out hosing everything down when I pass by in the early morning. The sail-like overhead coverings are ideally placed. If you want to sit in the sun, you got it. Want shade, there it is. I rarely visit Hess on weekends and evenings, especially not during the summer when its popularity is most robust. During the daytime on weekdays, it's quieter with the lunch crowd and those who bring their pooches to this dog-friendly enjoyable eatery and brewery near the beach.

Service sucks. Employees are not helpful and tbh the beer isn't anything special. Pass.

Great views and delicious food!! My husband and I have a great love for Mike Hess Brewing and we're shocked to see such low reviews at the Imperial Beach location. For a Saturday evening, we had an easy time finding parking, was seated immediately, and our food & drinks were out within 10 minutes. Tacos were delicious and so accommodating for those who have dietary restrictions ( vegan like myself). AND even have a self serve salsa bar!! The ambiance was filled with families, friends and couples enjoying the first weekend of summer with soft music in the background. With steps away from the ocean, this place has become our new favorite spot!

What happened?! What used to be a great destination after a bike ride down the silver stand is no longer one. I've been here many times- love the outdoor restaurant and tacos. This time- terrible. Do not get the carne asada. No flavor and very tough meat- and I'm pretty sure it wasn't fresh and I got leftovers. The birria quesadilla- this used to be exceptional, today it's was dry meat that once again, I'm pretty sure were leftovers. Just not fresh. Both of these dishes came out cold. The fish taco was the best of what I ordered but pretty heavy on the breading. Something's off here. It also wasn't as crowded as it normally is- especially for a Saturday. I'm so disappointed that I'm not sure I'll come back. Might be time to try another place in IB.

Great place for tacos and beer. In my opinion, this place has the best tacos in all of San Diego. Maybe not the most authentic, but they're my favorite tacos. We always get the fish tacos and avocado city tacos. The avocado city is unique in which the taco contains a whole tempura deep-fried avocado, crunchy and delicious. They also have a free unlimited sauce and condiment bar. Service is good too. Try this place!

Best tacos in California. If you come here please be respectful. It's paradise. They put a lot of time into the grub and it could very very easily be white tablecloth. Make no mistake the prices are right. Home made everything including the tortillas. If you've ever drank a 5 star taco... these are the best. They melt in your mouth. Everything is good I'd recommend everything and the American beers.

Great location, great service, worst nachos in America. These were so bad- a swamp of cold runny queso, the cheapest of everything canned as toppings, and unseasoned chips. Wholly blah!

Been coming here for years; even had my wedding rehearsal dinner here. First time here in 6 weeks and had a really bad experience. We paid $30 for 2 ciders!!! We've always paid around $80 TOTAL for 5 tacos and a few drinks. When we tried to figure out why, we realized there's no prices posted anywhere. Went inside to ask the guy about the prices and his response when asked if there's prices was "negative". Super rude and flippant attitude. So yeah we paid $60 for 4 beers and feel duped. Won't be coming back unfortunately. Attached is the pic of a 12oz pour we paid $14

This place was POPPIN on a WINTER cold cloudy chilly day...The rooftop was given me Baja MX vibes, Rosario almost. I thought the bikini shades were too cute and fun. The fact that they are SO dog friendly is a win in my book. They had dog water bowls, dog treats and even sold dog collars, how cute aw. I love that the food is SO reasonably priced. It was very affordable, especially since my girlie friend and I were just stopping by for a little snack and a view. We had two big body guards with us aka my puppies lol so we just were drawn to this place like a magnet, BAM. We picked a spot on the top, very empty and quiet up there, how we like it. We went downstairs and inside to place our order (kind like a chipotle style), and we took a number and went back to our table. The food came out so quick, probably in 3 minutes on a Busy Saturday and we dug in. The food tastes so fresh and I love that the woman is making the tortilla's right in front of you downstairs. Talk about 5 star service! We love a good cozy beach spot with a view and an affordable menu. We will be back! YUM

I enjoy trying new places. This was the first time trying Mike Hess, and probably the last time for me. I stopped after a morning walk for coffee. The customer service was horrible. When walking in, it says, "Wait to be seated," but when we walked in, we were never greeted by anyone we had to ask the guy that was working the register if they were oped and if we can just sit anywhere, his response was " you order here first, than find a seat" only on one side of the restaurant. When ordering the guy was rude, he assumed we knew the menu and got bothered that we didn't know it. My mexican mocha was whatever my friends drink tasted just like milk. My chips and salsa had no flavor. The salsa tasted like tomato sauce. My friend had a breakfast taco that had no flavor. We had to throw everything away. Overall, I give this place a 1 because of the customer service.