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99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall
Categories: Restaurants American (Traditional) Nightlife Bars Pubs American (Traditional), Pubs [Edit]
110 Walnut AveSanta Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 459-9999
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 1:30 am
Sun 11:30 am - 12:30 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Justin C. said: "Only been here late Friday and Saturday nights, but a great place to dance like a drunken fool. Nice and helpful bartenders, average priced drinks" read more »
317 reviews for 99 Bottles of Beer On The Wall
Review Highlights
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"My friends and I do Trivia night every wednesday night." In 19 reviews -
"Holy chicken strips and waffle fries, Batman." In 13 reviews -
"...gravitate towards the young's double chocolate stout or the..." In 4 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
317 reviews in English
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Review from jessica m.
Diamond Bar, CA
5/25/2012
Came here to catch up with fellow yelper Tiff. She took me to Saturn Cafe on my last visit to SC. I swear she wanted to poison me with her vegetarian food because she knows I'm a meat eater.
We sat outside since it was pretty packed inside. The patio area is super small, but it was okay since we only had 2 people. The waitresses were pretty attentive considering we were on the patio, which is a plus when you're used to waitresses purposefully ignoring you.
I ordered the roasted garlic and blue cheese burger. I actually ate everything that came with the burger, which is a surprise since I usually pick everything but the meat out. Not quite a fan of blue cheese though. The burger was really big so I saved half for later.
The burger came with a good helping of delicious waffles fries too. The place is conveniently located in Downtown Santa Cruz so you can shop off those calories once you finish eating! -
Review from Mike P.
3/26/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Santa Cruz inhabitants - I know that you guys are done with dumpy watering holes, endless sushi restaurants with crappy food (but you keep going back because they do free sake bombs). You yearn for a decent beer joint that provides tasty beers. 99 Bottles seems to do that just fine.
I was thoroughly impressed with the beer selection that they have - anything from light and smooth to cask ales. The draft and bottle selections both excel.
Compared to other joints - the crowd is a bit more mellow and are mostly local. The bar obviously attracts most of the crowd, but there's ample seating downstairs and upstairs if you want to sit down and have a beer or two with food.
I have not tried out their food - but I owe it to me to try it out. I will definitely return here the next time I am in Santa Cruz and am wandering around for a decent joint to meet up with friends. Wait - I won't be wandering anymore...99 Bottles is where I will be heading in. -
Review from Shianne D.
Bay Area, CA
3/15/2012
Boyfriend loved the beer they had here, and I loved the people watching.
Deff. not very clean inside, but it's santa cruz- what are you expecting?
Such a good location, and our server was a total sweetheart. (can't recall her name)
Good food and a cheap price. Wish the outdoor seating was bigger! -
Review from Sofya P.
Berkeley, CA
5/22/2012
Drinks are good, which is what this place is all about. Their food is atrocious though. I've been here twice and have never liked what I ordered, or what my friends have ordered. Their wings arrive swimming in sauce- which makes it more of a sauce soup with mediocre wings on the side than actual wings. Will most likely not be returning.
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Review from Meghan R.
My #1 reason for coming here is the supreme people watching you can do from the front patio as you drink.
#2 are the insanely good chicken strips. They are little bitty strips, almost in the style of clam strips but somehow they manage to make them moist despite the size. The ranch tastes like what Whole Foods smells like when I first walk in. I am not sure how I feel about that, but they have other sauce options too.
#3 is obvious (and may be higher for others) - Their beer selection is huge! You can go loads of times, try many beers and still have many more to go.
#4 Clean and easily accessible restrooms.
Only downside is I think it can get a bit costly here, even during happy hour. If you think you are going in for a bender, look out for this pre-paid card called a Draft Card you can get in advance. Good for 10 draft beers for $50
There seems to be a room upstairs for large groups. -
Review from Aron H.
Santa Cruz, CA
5/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Excellent place to eat with a huge selection beer.
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Review from Sylvia D.
3/3/2012
The song you sang as a kid during long family road trips is a real place. There really are 99 different types of beer, albeit not mounted on the wall unless it's draught. There are about 35 beers on tap, with the remaining in bottles. The beer selection is good, but nothing too crazy that an above-average beer aficionado hasn't already heard at least half of. If you're there with a below-average beer fan, 99 Bottles offers domestic macros like Bud and Coors Light. Oh, and WATER. Just kidding, sorry to sound like a jerk. They also serve wine and limited mix drinks. The food here is pretty decent for a bar, just nothing to write home about. Happy hour is Monday-Friday from 4-6.
If you're planning on coming back here relatively often, be sure to get a stamp card to keep track of all the beers you've tried. Drinking all 99 beers gets you your name on the plaque wall. Drinking all 99 beers 9 times gets you a brick on the wall. Let this be your goal in life. -
Review from David S.
San Jose, CA
4/16/2012
I can't speak to the beer, but if it's anything like the food, run far and run fast... in the other direction. Sub-standard, unimaginative fried bar food, sandwiches, and salads delivered with inattentive and not-so-friendly service on a not-particularly busy Saturday afternoon. To add insult to injury, an automatically added 18% gratuity added to our table of 6. Downtown Santa Cruz has so much more to offer than this; go elsewhere.
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Review from Kuro N.
San Jose, CA
2/14/2012
I've been coming to 99 for over 15 years now, and it has layers and layers of good memories and celebrations. It took me a good dozen years to get my name up on the wall, but I've done it. I still look on in wonder at the giants who came before me, getting their portrait done on the half wall above the bar. Heck, I even remember when the upstairs was painted to look like an enchanted kingdom with green rolling hills.
What else can I say? This place has introduced me to more varieties of beer than any other place I've gone to. I had my first lambic here, I came to appreciate white Belgiums here, and I've walked the edges of hoppiness (I like less hoppy beers.. I skip IPAs now).
Perpetually casual, I've had very mellow interactions with wandering locals and other travelers like myself. A great place in many ways. -
Review from Lauren K.
Came here strictly just for the food. Had a CampusCred $20 credit so wanted to spend it
Immediately got a booth seat and ordered the roasted garlic and blue cheese burger which was completely BOMB. I am a huge blue cheese fan so this completely hit the spot. It was super filling. We also ordered an appetizer: Cream Cheese Cilantro dip which was a bit disappointing at first because the bread was so hard. But after taking most of it to go and toasting the sourdough bread and tasted a million times better.
Service was awesome. The waitress was MIA sometimes but because we were sitting all the way in the front next to the hostess, she saw that we needed our waitress and made the best effort to go find her or help us herself. PROPS.
What sucked was it was obvious that we were college students and apparently there's always 15% off for college students (which was not applied to our bill) and try to get your hands on one of those coupons. You get 50% off appetizers. If you're a UCSC student, you can find them easily scattered on the tables of the Science and Engineering Library. -
Review from Adam K.
4/7/2012
I really like this place. They have some of the best hamburgers I have had...and I love hamburgers. Also, you have to try the criss-cut fries. They are amazing. It is a nice even-keel environment and very comfortable. The only reason why I am not giving this place a 5 is because they serve their beer a bit warmer than I'd like. I mean come on...ice cold beer!
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Review from Chris S.
Santa Cruz, CA
4/21/2012
What a great pub. A menu of 99 different beers, friendly and attentive staff, good bar food and a great downtown location.
Working on our "Drink 99" card and have been there about a dozen times with consistent service.
Cheers -
Review from Itzhecatl D.
Santa Cruz, CA
This is a good place to grab a drink as its name might suggest and YES there are bottles (and other containers) of beer on the wall although I have never counted them. You can try!
The drinks were good. They offer an array of alcoholic beverages which is refreshing! I like to try new drinks and this is a good spot for that. The waitress that assisted us was very nice and the rest of their staff was very attentive.
I didn't give them 5 stars because I was not impressed by their fish and chips. Their fish was good but their chips tasted like they sat in the freezer a little too long.
Their seating upstairs is a bit bland. I'm not sure what they can do to turn it up but its something to think about or avoid. We were somewhat forced upstairs since the party I went with was too large for the available seating downstairs.
Tips: Avoid the happy hour rush so you don't have to sit upstairs! =D -
Review from Ron O.
Los Gatos, CA
3/18/2012
Winner. Great beer selection. Great service. The food was pretty good too. I will be back.
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Review from William Henry Harrison R.
Chico, CA
3/13/2012
The beer selection says it all. Plenty of great beer on tap, with a very large selection of craft and micro brews. I had several of my favorites, including some new ones. They really do have 99 types of beer-like beverages, though some of them were in fact ciders and whatnot. It was pretty crowded when I was there, but I suspect it is drawing some of the college crowd. I went at lunch (not crowded) one day and ordered the fish and chips. They offered snapper and salmon. I was interested in the salmon, but couldn't bring myself to test it. They were fair, nothing great, but standard bar food. The beer is why you come here, and you are not dissapointed.
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Review from Stephanie L.
Milpitas, CA
11/14/2011
They have a huge selection of beers!!
After stating the obvious, I'd just like to say that even if you dont like beer you will probably find something you like here. I had a chocolate raspberry once and even though it was a little too sweet towards the end,it was amazing! The food is great too, especially the nachos. -
Review from Corrine L.
San Jose, CA
9/18/2011
Let us bring our dog and enjoy lunch in their outside seating.
My dogs + great day and delicious food and beer = BEST DAY EVER! YAY! -
Review from Denise S.
Monterey, CA
12/3/2011
Went here for the first time with my co-worker after the downtown parade today, and it was great.
The bartender (whose name I didn't catch) was very helpful and recommended the Winter release from Anderson Valley Brewing. It was sweet and refreshing and very, very good. After trying something new I went back to "ol reliable," Black Butte Porter on tap. Mmmm.
We also got some great food. Everything on the menu looked good, but I went with a chicken avocado wrap-thing w/ pasta salad, and my co-worker got a turkey/bacon/avocado sandwich with crinkle-cut fries. We shared everything since deep down we wanted what the other had, and were not disappointed.
I can't wait to go back and cross some more beer off my card. -
Review from Dani K.
San Diego, CA
9/26/2011
Not sure where to start...I think the only good thing about this experience was the beer selection. Our waitress, although seemed friendly enough, wasn't anything special.
I ordered the Reuben, which was good (you can't really mess up a sandwich) and it came with fries; the fries were a little on the crispy side. My friend ordered a steak tri-tip sandwich and literally took one bite of it and just ate the other half of my Reuben instead. Waitress never asked him how he wanted it cooked so it looked and tasted like a piece of my shoe sole. Our waitress checked on us once and she clearly noticed that my friend hadn't even really touched his plate, but said nothing and just took it away.
If I had to go back, I'd only be sure to get a pint of beer... -
Review from Warren H.
Fairfield, CA
3/4/2012 1 photo
Right off the bat....AWESOME place to go and I'm sure the night life is just as fun. They literally do have 99, if not more, bottles of beer to offer and I'm soooo thankful they carry what they carry. In short, go there, you won't be disappointed.
Me and my friends were on our way to Pebble Beach for the Pro-Am and we decided to stop here first for some "breakfast". The restaurant had just opened for the day so there was barely anyone in there. We were presented with the menu and, of course, being at a beer place, the first thing we looked over was the beer offerings. I found all the things I expected to find, but the one thing I was looking for was KoKo Brown made by the Kona Brewing Company. The beer is infused with coconut and caramel flavors and is freakin' delicious. On to the food, my friends had burgers, but I wanted to dive more in the finger foods area so I ordered their chicken strips and the onion rings and man was I actually really impressed. I was expecting the chicken strips to be typical strips served by a restaurant with maybe 5 pieces in total, but what they brought out to me was a platter of bite-size chicken strips (see picture). It had just the right amount of seasoning and breading and went perfectly with my beer. The onion rings came out in a basket and those were flavorful and "spicy" as well and definitely made for another great pairing with my beer.
All in all, the food was great, got to meet some awesome locals, and was just able to have some down right "bar fun". Go to 99 Bottles, morning, noon, or night....you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Jimmy B.
San Jose, CA
12/12/2011
This place is so good! Love the atmosphere! We're not from around here, we came up from San Jose to check out Verve and then we got hungry so stopped by here for dinner. We decided to get the 5 beer sampler. (By the way I prefer dark beers such as IPA and Stouts)
Prohibition: 5/5 (A friend chose this)
Anderson's Oatmeal Stout: 5/5 (I Chose this)
Arrogant Bastard: 3/5 (friend chose this)
Hoegaarden: 5/5 (I chose this)
and something else forgot what it was called.
We then wanted our own beers so we got:
Some type of IPA I forgot: 5/5 (I chose this)
Blueberry Beer? : 5/5 (A friend got this)
Dogfish Head Beer Midas Touch: 5/5 (Friend got this)
Great beers! For food I opted for the Western Burger. It was the best burger I've ever had in my life! Even the fries were great! My friend got the Calamari Steak sandwich and he loved it as well. My other friend got some vegetarian food and he also loved his meal. Overall amazing place and definitely recommended! So glad we decided to come here at the last second -
Review from Louie L.
Pacifica, CA
11/13/2011
"99 Bottles nights are my favorite nights!"
Which is true, my few experiences here have been great ones.
The half-pound burger meals here are around 10 dollars. This is on the pricier side for my comfort-level. You can get a full-pound burger for an added 2.50$, and they come with a side of waffle fries, which are delicious and crispy! The burgers are cooked well-done only (I don't know if it's served any other way, but it's good to ask), but the burgers are delicious. Good-quality beef, toasted bun, and a slew of burger options to fit your taste (California burgers have avocado and bacon, while there's a bleu cheese burger option). These entrees are great to share.
For appetizers, I highly recommend their nachos. If shared, it's seriously a lot of food and cheese for a really good price.
Of course, there's their massive beer selection. They have a lot of brews on tap, from local breweries too. I've seen beers from Dogfish Brewery and SF's Anchor Steam, for starters, and larger-scale brands like Corona or Guinness. Draft pints come around 5.50$, but their other selections can run a little more.
Thursday nights are great, too, as they have Happy Hour. Dollar-off pints all night, and two dollars off appetizers. Wednesday Nights are trivia nights, which I've heard were intense.
This is one of my favorite places in Downtown. I can't come here often, but my experiences have been great the few times I've been. -
Review from Kenyon K.
Hanalei, HI
2/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Kona Koko brown ale is awsome
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Review from Mario L.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/22/2011
This is a great pub in downtown Santa Cruz. Lots of beer choices available and good food too. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. The staff is friendly and the service was very good.
I recommend getting a table on the outside patio--especially if you like people watching. As someone who grew up in Santa Cruz, I can say there is no better place for people watching than downtown Santa Cruz :) -
Review from Julie K.
Santa Cruz, CA
12/25/2011 3 photos
1 Star for being open on Christmas Day and another star for all the awesome selection of beer (Duvel and Double Daddy). Food was cold and terribly greasy. I had to choose between eating at 99 Bottles or at the Cinema 9 Regal Theater concession stand. I should have chosen the latter.
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Review from Paul S.
San Jose, CA
8/20/2011
Been here a few times, never disappoints. Lots of great brews here, and lots on tap.
Great atmosphere, but I do find the occasional glare from people who are obvious locals. Nothing bad, but getting asked "you aren't from around here are you" then getting rolled eyes when you answer is strange. I will be back though! Still love it! -
Review from Paige I.
Hollister, CA
5/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I basically love the fact that I can get any of the beers I love, plus sample new ones, all in a friendly kickback environment.
And yes, they do have 99 beers for you to indulge in, from the best Belgium down to good ol' Pabst.
Bartender was a bit on the slow side, but this review is not about him, just the establishment. -
Review from Mitchell B.
Santa Cruz, CA
7/21/2011 3 Check-ins Here
One of my favorite bars in Santa Cruz. The beer selection (like the name of the restaurant might suggest) is quite large. In a town where I often can't find my favorite beers on tap, 99 Bottles always comes through. The food is only okay, but the ambiance and bar are so cool that I gave it 5 stars anyway.
Also, things to think about, the 99 Bottles challenge runs up about a $750 bar tab. So if you're planning to do it all in one day like my friends and I, prepare for the massive bill. -
Review from Brian B.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm really impressed. I had been thinking about going to 99 Bottles for awhile, and finally made it in a couple nights ago. A friend and I ordered burgers, which were cooked well and full of flavour. I had the Chipotle Burger, which was surprisingly spicy...while my friend had the Western Burger, which was much better tasting in both of our opinions. The fries were good, but the ranch they came with was not (tasted weird). Wait staff were friendly and atmosphere was fun (pub games!). One of the best things we enjoyed was reading all the quotes on the wall from people who had completed the 99 bottles beer challenge.
A fun place to go for some good food and fun. I think I'll be back for sure. -
Review from Kailey O.
4/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've sat at the bar for the past 2 times, and the bartenders are extremely slow and ignore you for at least 15 minutes (when you arrive and in between each drink order). the food isnt really that great either.
one of the bartenders was playing connect 4 with a customer and i tried for so long to make eye contact to at least put in my initial drink order. i think he was too distracted by her to notice there were customers waiting.
amazing beer selection though.Listed in: Watch the games!, Belly Flop
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Review from Tammie W.
Scotts Valley, CA
8/28/2011 6 Check-ins Here
The wall. Ok, so one year my better half and I decided to have a "anti" new year's resolution and drink the 99 beers to get on the wall. Several years later, we're up there a few more times.
I will freely admit its one of my favorite haunts downtown. The beer selection changes every week and they have a great group of beers on tap. Very good selection of Belgian beers and local microbrews from around Northern California. They've just recently updated the menu and the food selection is good and reasonably priced.
The waitstaff is great and they are knowledgeable about the beers they serve, and can help you get a beer to fit your tastes. And service is generally fast, even on busy sports days (where it can get a bit crowded!).
Best nights are Thursday (happy hour price all day on drafts), Tues nights (which are featured brewery nights--go just to hear Defina, the bartender call out the raffle tickets) and Fridays, where you can see a good cross selection of local bands. They also run trivia nights and other specials as well.
Its a great place to grab a brew and people watch. Friendly staff and customers give it a definite local pub feel! -
Review from Will D.
San Jose, CA
1/30/2012
Good beer selection, good food selection. The beers aren't exotic, but there are quite a few so you can probably find something here.
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Review from Tom L.
3/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
99 Bottles help me survive law school, for that I'm forever indebted to them.
This is always a great place to come and have a couple of beers with your friends. When you sit down they hand you a list of all their beers which has a description and tells you whether it's on tap or in a bottle. Odds are they have your favorite beer here and the prices are very reasonable.
Favorites:
Westmale Trappist Tripel
Gulden Draak
Down Town Brown
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse
Fire Stone Pale Ale
Bass
If you drink all 99 different types of beers they offer then you get a sweatshirt and your name on the wall. It's a fun challenge you can complete either by yourself or with a group of friends.
I'm not a fan of the food here, but I come for the beer not the dining experience.
On wednesday they host the best Trivia Night in the Bay Area. The questions are always diverse and challenging. The atmosphere is always really fun, but it gets packed on Wednesday nights so arrive early if you want to play.
Araceli is the nicest waitress on earth, if you are lucky she will be there to take your drink orders and make sure you have a great night.Listed in: Best of the best, Santa Cruz
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Review from Linnea E.
6/29/2011
Was dragged here by some friends over the weekend. Interesting place, but I don't see it making my list of favs. I should say, I'm not a beer drinker... so maybe the appeal is lost on me.
Food: If you like fried artichokes, theirs are really really good. The beer batter is super yummy, and not too heavy. Potato skins are also good... though they could use sour cream. I hate when places serve ranch with potato skins... just seems lazy to me, and doesn't give the right taste.
Service is ok... nothing to brag about, that's for sure. -
Review from Stephanie W.
Santa Cruz, CA
5/13/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Let me preface this by saying - I am not much of a drinker.
BUT I do end up here because my friends do like coming here, and I am totally okay with that.
The friends typically come here on a Thursday night to grab pitchers and chill. Or on Wednesday nights when Woodstock's is packed for Pint Night.
I'd like to say the pitchers aren't super expensive, or super cheap. I suppose they are normal priced.
The vibe is pretty cool. Just a place to chill and hangout with friends, with a lot of beers to choose from.
I have yet to try their food, but I'll let you know when I do. -
Review from Ralph D.
Fremont, CA
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cool beer spot in downtown Santa Cruz. If you are in the downtown area and want a pub with a wide selection of brews, this is the spot.
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Review from Sandra C.
San Jose, CA
1/11/2012
This place is a bit pricey, but excellent nonetheless... The customers are just as energized as the employees who work there... And I decided to go for the 99 challenge!!! I tried three new beers and they were excellent!!! The food was really good too =)
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Review from messy b.
Concord, CA
8/12/2011
Went here on my honeymoon with my husband this past week for a late lunch, I loved the menu, not just the extensive and impressive beer list, but the appetizers and entrees as well!
We got the potato skins, which the obviously make with fresh bacon and cheese! mmm! We both needed a bit of beer help, I love brown sweet ales and was reccommended the Anderson Valley Boont Summer ale and my husband loves low carbonated stouts with rich kicks of flavor, so he had the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout.
After our starter of potato skins we weren't feeling as hungry as we first did so I got the "quick 99" special, a half blt with salad and fries and my husband got the HWY 99 a grilled cheese with fries and salad. These weren't your boring small plates! The blt was STACKED high and the salads were super fresh with great dressings! The grilled cheese was on perfectly toasted sourdough and the cheese was some sort of aged yummy cheddar! The best part, they were only $9.99! What a great deal! I can't wait to visit this place again! -
Review from Joshua G.
Hollister, CA
4/10/2011
I'm going to ignore the beer and focus my review on the food. I had the ahi tuna burger, sub out fries for onion rings. First off, the beer batter is one of the best I've ever tasted. These onion rings were perfectly fried, the batter was thick but still tasted very light. I don't know if the ranch is made inhouse, but it its not your everyday bottled crap. It had a strong taste of herbs, so good. The tuna was spice rubbed and nicely charred, on a wheat bun with the usual burger veg. It was tasty, and I would certainly eat it again. My only complaint is the ahi was sliced very thin and cooked through. I prefer mine thick and rare, but that is just preference I suppose. My friend had salmon and chips, how could you go wrong with that batter? I bet I could fry my shoes in that batter and dip it in the herb ranch and be a happy fat kid.
I'd also like to mention our service was perfect. I see many complaints on yelp about the service here, but we had a blonde girl who was attentive and really knew the food and bar. She even told us how the beer batter was made. -
Review from Faye B.
Watsonville, CA
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great selection of beer. You'd hope so with a name like 99 bottles, right.
So far so good on the food, as well. I really enjoyed my chipotle burger. It's no sissy, pretending to be spicy, burger. I will absolutely be having another. It comes with sweet potato fries, a bonus I neglected to realize when ordering.
A word about the garlic cheesy fries, they are good but not excellent. I like but don't love them. They are great with beer if you have decided not to care about your waistline for the week.
