Cat N.
Yelp
I've been here many times aka given it plenty of chances, since I used to live down the street on 41st and Telegraph. Never have I had prompt or friendly service. Nothing near a simple welcome. I get that they're busy, in a prime spot in Temescal. However, the last time was appalling considering it wasn't some sort of rush hour with the parklet and back patio full. My friend and I were participating in The Lede anniversary crawl, else I probably wouldn't have come by here. No one greeted us, even after I stood for a long time trying to politely make myself present but staying out of the way, and even asking about a table out front since we had my dog with us and there were spots available. I hate to be the kind of person that just seats herself without checking in with a host, but my friend got frustrated and took a table, while I ran in because I was frantic for the bathroom as we were doing a bar crawl.
I tried to grab us some beers on the way out, but even though the staff person behind the bar was not occupied with helping anyone seated at the bar or fulfilling orders, once he heard that we were sitting outside, he abruptly told me to go back to my table and someone would take my order there. I went back, and asked my friend if anyone had come by in the fifteen-or-so minutes since I had been waiting in line/going to the bathroom/talking to the bar dude. Nope - nor did anyone eventually come to take our order. So up my friend gets again, to put in an order - successfully, and I'm a little miffed and start wondering if it's because he's male. I usually don't think this, but started putting together the bad vibes I got from all the other times I have been here: asking about a waitlist, table, water for my dog, the tasting notes of a beer, etc. yet met with at best a shrug and at worse a dismissive tone. I promise, and I'm gutted to realize this last time, that once one of my male friends went up in any of these scenarios, we were able to get a table, were finally served, etc. A pretty shitty feeling.
You probably just want to know about the beer? Well, no caliber of beer could ever make up for this sort of treatment. I know it may read as "whateverrrr" but microaggressions, in the cumulative - sod it, no matter what, are inappropriate ways to treat people of any gender. But the beer? Totally flat in flavor or abhorrently sweet, as in the case of the two that we had on the crawl. I immediately put it out of my mind, as it was so bad that neither of us could finish it. I made a strong attempt but my friend was up from the table and already walking away from an $8 beer, slightly annoyed that I dragged him there on a competitive alcoholic quest. I guess at least we got cute pictures of my dog out of it (they are, to their credit, dog friendly).