Andrew C.
Yelp
A lot of buzz since this place opened, so I just bellied up to the bar to avoid waiting for a table on a sunny weekend day. Turns out there was no wait anyway, as it was after lunch and before dinner -- that weird in-between time. In any case, Pfriem always has great beer and the tap list here did not disappoint; the bartender hooked me up quick with a cold refreshing Pilsner. They have a ton of IPAs ( of course) and wine and cocktails too, so something for everyone.
The afternoon light was lovely this time of day, stretching in from the outdoor area and into the bar, and I felt like hanging out. I asked the 'tender, an amiable dude, for grub suggestions from the fairly well rounded menu, and he convinced me the veggie burger was solid, so that's what I ordered.
Didn't take too long, and yea, while the actual patty (I think a mix of beans, shrooms and rice) was cooked just the way I like it, nice and moist inside, with a good char around the edges, it was fairly overwhelmed by too much bun (potato I think). So a B-minus, maybe. The accompanying skinny fries were great though. Service seems pretty attentive and efficient on the main floor, too, from what could see.
As for the decor... meh. I get that they reclaimed the old City Hall, which is fine, but it just feels a bit cold and stark, with nothin really special to warm it up. I didn't really see the supposed "historical Art Deco touches" anywhere except for the giant brick entrance. The restaurant part seems like it wants to be upscale yet casual, and I guess it is; there are way too many hosts, servers and bartenders for it to be considered divey. Plus it's way too clean for the dive' designation, IMO. Also, the toilets actually work.
Downstairs you have booths and separate tables as well as communal ones (these are outside, too), and there is an upstairs area as well. The upper bar is almost a mirror image of the downstairs one, but, the space up there is weird and there's not a lot of natural light so I didn't linger. The large, covered-but-open patio honestly is where it's at.
All in all this newest Pfriem
location is a clean, well-run place to chill in for a bit, with good service and better than average food, but there's nothing earth-shattering going on here.