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Brew It Up Brewery & Grill - CLOSED
Categories: Food Breweries Restaurants American (New) Nightlife Bars Breweries, American (New), Bars [Edit]
801 14th StSacramento, CA 95814
Neighborhood: Downtown
(916) 441-3000
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
202 reviews for Brew It Up Brewery & Grill
Review Highlights
"Everyone especially loved the onion rings."
(in 30 reviews)
"Love their kettle chips and their pretzels."
(in 18 reviews)
"Came here with my hubby for Happy Hour."
(in 19 reviews)
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202 reviews in English
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Review from Rick D.
West Sacramento, CA
9/11/2011
I loved this place and it will be missed. nobody has fried brussel sprouts at all in our area.
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Review from Pia V.
11/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
All-in-all this place was so-so.
The food didn't really stand out much and it was basically your typical bar food. They do have a wide selection of brews though.
What pushed my review down from 3 to 2 was the service. We were sat for 10+ minutes before an employee noticed us to ask if we had been helped yet. Needless to say we haven't been back since. -
Review from Alex L.
7/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Brew It Up is a popular establishment. I have been here only once when it wasn't packed to the rafters, with all the tables filled, the bar almost inaccessible and people standing in the aisles. This is great if you are coming in for a quick drink or to join in talking very loudly, but not so good if you are coming in for a relaxing meal.
There's no doubt about it - their brews are all great. I just wish the service, which is awfully slow for a sit down meal, was equally on par. Also, and this is just a personal quirk, it has an awfully "chainy" feeling for being what I assume is a unique business to Sacramento. -
Review from Catherine H.
Sacramento, CA
7/5/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Not impressed.
I went to Brew it Up twice last week (to use Groupons I had purchased) and was frankly disappointed both times. When you have doubts about using a Groupon because your experience was so bad - that is not a good sign.
I first went on a Friday at lunch time. The service was terrible and I do mean TERRIBLE. The waitress was friendly enough - but it was clear she was in over her head. It took forever to get service, we never got the water we asked for at least 3 times, or the salad we ordered, and it took forever to get our drinks and food. We had another server and a manager ask if we had been helped - that's how long it took us to get any food or drink.
We had a Groupon for a beer and food sampling experience and if this is the impression Brew it Up wants to give its customers I am suprised they are still in business. My brother and I both prefer darker beers and we tried 8 different types from amber ales to stouts, etc. Between the two of us (him especially) who both like darker beers there was not one that either of us liked or would order again. When I asked him his opinion he indicated there were one or two that were mediocre at best. We chose their artichoke dip and fish tacos as our "food experience" and I would say for the almost $10 they normally charge for the artichoke dip... it isn't worth it - I've had better. The fish tacos were good though.
I returned the following day for a late lunch/early dinner with my son. I did not order the beer... frankly had no desire to. Our service was MUCH better and we got our food and drinks in a timely manner. Our server was friendly and efficient. I ordered the prime rib sandwhich and it was disappointing. I was expecting a cut of prime rib... what I got was thinly sliced beef that frankly didn't resemble any prime rib sandwhich I've ever had before. The mushrooms on the sandwhich tasted canned (not sure if they were or not). The bread for the sandwich was its one redeeming quality - and their fries are good. My son ordered the Ahi salad and he seemed to enjoy it, but said he wouldn't order it again. I tasted it and it wasn't bad - but it was weird. Strange flavor and the capers on the salad just didn't seem to belong.
I really struggled between giving them one star or two. I went with the second star because the server and the busser on day two were both efficient and I felt they should be given some credit for redeeming their business from the previous days terrible disappointment. -
Review from Jey K.
Sacramento, CA
6/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Firstoff, beware of the street parking signs around here!! Especially when its dark and the parking signs are camouflaged by the darkness and tree branches. I parked around the 14th and H St intersection, right next to my friend's car. The nearby parking sign nearby says 2hr parking until 6pm and I parked @ 8. When we returned to our cars, there was a $50 parking ticket on my car and not my friend's. Apparently a third of the way down the street, the parking changes to 1hr parking until 10pm.. and my spot happened to be the cutoff point between those parking limits. Seriously, @ least clearly distinguish which spots between the 6pm and 10pm signs apply to the corresponding signs. [This doesn't affect my rating for this place though, it's more of an FYI]
Service: Upon my arrival, the hostess ignored me for the time I entered and stood in front of her--she didn't even bother looking up or replying to my "excusez-moi"s. Perhaps my movements were so stealthy that she didn't sense my presence(??) After a while, I wandered off in the restaurant in search of my friends.
Our waitress was okay for the first half in serving us food, but then she was no where to be found. We sat there for a good 30min or so before attempting to track her down to get our bill. We asked the other servers passing by, but apparently they couldn't do anything since we were not their table--and our waitress at the bar. More waiting for her return: Oh she left!? And still no bill in sight!! We could've simply walked out w/o paying, but we know better. Finally another server swoops in to apologize and print our bill.
Food: Overpriced and not that great. We had the sampler and a veggie pizza. The sampler wasn't good at all!! We substituted the taquitos for fries--which were probably the best thing on the platter. The wasabi chicken wrap(??) looks like a fried wonton and was really dry and bland inside. The fried shrimp tasted old and stale like it's been sitting out all day and the onion rings weren't that good either. Like other reviewers had mentioned, the ketchup is laced with possibly hotsauce(??) I happen to actually like it, but yeah, you would have to ask for ketchup if you wanted it. The pizza was okay compared to that dreaded sample platter. We packed the leftover pieces of pizza to go and gave it to this homeless guy we saw earlier as we were parking our cars. We would've packed the sampler leftovers too, but we're not that cruel to give him such atrocity.
Nevertheless, this place is way overpriced and not worth it. Note to the manager: if you're gonna have the prices that high, with that small of a portion, you should at least have the food taste good--or have some sort of taste to it period. Maybe try adding salt? Or call Gordon Ramsey?
Since I don't drink, I wanna say that perhaps beer/alcohol is their specialty.. but both of my friends who ordered drinks couldn't force themselves to finish more than half of their glasses. And they typically never waste booze.. We went elsewhere afterwards to sate my friends' booze fix. -
Review from Alex S.
Rancho Cordova, CA
6/6/2011
I go here often with my grandma for lunch on the week days, but after we had dinner last night (Sunday) and I feel compelled to write a review at this point.
Service SUCKS (period) the hostess is always rude and lacking basic industry knowledge - I'm sorry to say. I've been a hostess and it's not that difficult to seat people, with a smile at that. We stood at the front for a couple minutes and the host was nowhere to be found and when she finally ran up she ran to the table to put our menu's down. When we sat, we waited about 10 minutes for anyone to even come by to say hi, or give us waters. Also, host, when you're attempting to be a food runner and bring out our appetizer with a stack of plates and then don't give us the plates and walk away, it's a tad annoying. Everyone is running around so quickly I can hardly grab someone to give us plates ... and it wasn't even busy. The wait staff is generally nice, but rushed every time I've been there even when only 5 tables are there.
**On a good note, my drink was never empty, the food came out quick, and my finished plate didn't sit in front of me for longer than a few seconds.
The food is OK, but I've definitely had a better burger at Carl's Jr. I would say those appetizer chips and beer is all they have going for them.
STORY: One time I order and Irish coffee at the end of our meal. The drink was OK and the whipped cream was good, however, towards the end of the drink I caught a big chunk of something in my mouth texture and shape of an un-ground coffee bean. I almost bit it, but I don't like coffee like that, so I spit it out in my napkin - IT WAS A FLY. I was going to say something like, "might want to check out your coffee maker" or whatever, but as usual everyone was sprinting by not giving me a second look (since we'd already paid)
I've had enough experiences here, I won't be back. -
Review from Steph W.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2011
I love this place!! But I still feel that three stars is an adequate rating, I come here for specific things!
1. ONION rings, fantastic panko breadcrumbs habanero ketchup..mmmm
2. The Burgers, had them all....they are all delish
3.BEER (of course) - My tip...sit at the bar, better service than any of the waitstaff and you can sample the different beers and no cost. Versus, sitting at a table and buying a flight!
4. Brew Parties....always a great day....lots of options, and you truly do all the work...cant wait to pick up my latest brew!! -
Review from Jessica F.
Sacramento, CA
Update: Christine from Brew It Up contacted me and made sure we got our beer labels. It sounds like they've had some hiccups with the logistics of making individual labels and have taken steps to make a standardized label for each Brew Crew until they can make the process more efficient. Thumbs up to Brew It Up for reaching out to its customers to make things right.
========
(This review is for the Brew Crew beer brewing experience only.)
At 11 a.m. we were the first brew party appointment of the day, so at the start the restaurant was empty, save for our group of six. The restaurant gave us the option of right away starting with our samplers, of which you each get four 5 oz. tasters of your choice, and "bar" appetizer, which seemed to be on the small side. We flipped through the label book and decided on making our own at home and emailing them to the restaurant.
That day we were making the Engine #2 Pale Ale and the Nut Brown Ale, so after we waited for everyone to arrive, a brewer came to round us up, and off we went to measure and grind grains, pour malt extract, and begin the brewing process.
After the grain bag was steeped, the yeast was pitched and the final steps were taken care of by employees, we were taken on a tour in the back rooms to see where the beer would ferment during the following weeks.
At this point, the experience was a solid four stars.
But then, things began to get a little chaotic. There was a brief mention of the "bottling party," but details were sparse and we were left not knowing if we had to confirm if we would be there (we wouldn't be there because of other plans). Also, another brew crew had arrived for their appointment, and the space wasn't really large enough for both crowds, let alone the brewers and patrons who were just there to enjoy lunch and who ended up having to sit next to a group of people who were up and walking around their tables for the entire meal.
In all, even though the website says to expect to stay "3+ hours" for the process, we were there for well over 4 hours, so don't make any immediate plans after your Brew Crew experience.
Within two weeks of the final bottling party, we created labels and emailed them to the restaurant, but we never received a response saying they had gotten them, even with follow-up emails. In the end when we went to pick up the beers, not only were our cases of beer unlabeled, but the bottles of our friends were also unlabeled, and they had chosen from the pre-made labels provided by Brew It Up.
When questioning why there were no labels, the employee replied that the label guy wasn't there that day (which was several days after the bottling party and several weeks after we had emailed them the labels, so that really shouldn't have mattered) and didn't offer to follow up. It was quite a letdown, especially since my boyfriend had designed the labels for our cases himself.
I also question why the 22 oz. bottles aren't incorporated into the per-person price since the "Brew Crew" parties seem like they're geared to newbies to the brewing scene who aren't going to have their own set to bring along.
Overall it's a fun experience, but I feel like they need to get their act together from start to finish, not just the first few hours.Listed in: I came, I yelped, they closed
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Review from Ellen L.
6/16/2011 4 photos
This place has such a cool concept to brew your own beer! I came here for the 6/14 Sacramento Dishcrawl and I'm so glad it was a featured restaurant! The hosts and servers were all extremely welcoming and friendly, and the layout of the restaurant was very spacious.
The Dishcrawl was set up in the back near the bar and they served amazing food! Large platters of onion rings, kettle chips drizzled with balsamic vinegar, mac cheese pizza (they used truffle oil, yumm!!) and asparagus prosciutto. Everything was absolutely exquisite! Paul (manager) was also very nice and made sure everyone got a plate of pizza and offered great happy hour prices. This is definitely a place I will come back to! -
Review from Trent J.
Sacramento, CA
10/24/2011
Restaurant was empty in the 5 o'clock hour. I asked to move to a bigger table and was denied because they might get a rush. All the tables can be pushed together .. I was one of 6 patrons. The rush never happened, I called the mgr after leaving and he was polite enough to listen and seemed concerned. Love the beer and burgers, I would not advise it for laptop use.
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Review from Amber N.
Seattle, WA
5/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have been to Brew it Up a handful of times, normally with a big group of people. We always sit in the bar area. Service is spot on. Very efficient. The food is pretty typical. Nothing super special about it - I will say their onion rings are DELISH! I recomment trying the Shandy beer. Very light and refreshing if you are into that sort ot thing.
My ONLY issue is when I was there last, the entire place smelled like a barn. I am sure it was from the beer brewing. Not the worst smell in the world, but, not one that you would expect to smell in a restaurant.
I was VERY happy to see that one of my favorite bartenders from Hangar 17 now works at Brew it Up. -
Review from Mike D.
Sacramento, CA
3/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Quite satified with the Deli Panini. Rich and full of flavor...
However, when I went to redeem my check-in offer of 1 free bar appetizer, I got hella dirty looks. First the waitress then the bartender. Like Yelp is on par with food stamps or something. (Not that there anything wrong with food stamps, I'm just sayin...)
that's why I can't give up the 5th star... -
Review from Lynn H.
6/2/2011
I used to come here a lot when I went clubbing/drinking downtown. They are open decently late and have good burgers.
Here's the only tip I really have to offer: Order a burger! I've had various other things on the menu and it almost always has been pretty bad. However, they get it right on the burgers! Every burger I've had there is really good.
Service here has always been, "meh." Servers don't seem particularly enthusiastic. I did notice this last time I got stuck in the kids n' minorities corner though... There was a couple with a kid next to us, and everyone else seated in the corner were minorities. Maybe it was a coincidence? I hope so.
Anyway, I haven't been back in a while and the place is pretty much as I remember it. It's not a fantastic experience, but at least it's open late and the burgers are good! -
Review from Caryl F.
Long Beach, CA
4/26/2011
I purchased a Groupon for Brew It Up. I've been there before and it was a good experience but you never know if you go in with a coupon. I don't know who I should praise more, Groupon or Brew It Up or both.
Our server treated us well, as did all the other staff. Like I said, I've been there before and it hasn't been a bad experience yet. I was impressed at how she never batted eye (and you never know when the customer will "forget" that they need to tip on the whole bill, not the end result).
It was a great deal, I even got to bring home a couple of logo glasses, something I didn't even realize was in the package. So, yay for Groupon, yay for Brew It Up! -
Review from Paul J.
7/17/2011
Love this place! This was the meet up and start to our wonderful Bike Ride UYE pt 2 . This place became packed instantly! That tells me one thing...this was the place to be on a Saturday for brunch. I tried a quick appetizer before we started our trip. My food and service was outstanding. I will be back to try more. I loved the look and feel inside of this place it was very nice. For those of you that partake of the barley and hops- you can brew your own beer here. I don't drink but that sounds like winning to me! Good place great service!!!
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Review from Erin S.
Santa Rosa, CA
3/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Smell of mash when you enter is pretty inviting.
It's a big restaurant with brewing kettles lining the wall and people brewing their own beer. Props to them for providing this service to Sacramento.
We tried four of their beers: Scotch Ale, Churchill ESB, Three Amigos , (Belgium), Pursuit of Hoppiness. The beers were pretty good. The beer prices are a bit step and the prices are especially high for the quality of food. Its not bad , but a $14 salad should taste better than something prepaid tasting.Listed in: IPA Journeys
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Review from Jenna P.
Citrus Heights, CA
3/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've been here 3 times. The first time was an ok experience, got a http://restaurant.com gift certificate where you got $50 of food for $25. Just had appetizers and drinks and it wasn't busy.
The next two times I went here were HORRIBLE!!! We went for a friend's birthday to brew beer and then went back to bottle our beer. Despite the fact that our reservations were confirmed, no table was ready for us either time. Service was slow, and the food was not worth the price and some items were just plain gross! Our brewer that was helping us disappeared for an hour at a time, and left us to figure it out ourselves. The only reason we went back the second time was because we needed to bottle our beer.
Overall, they are understaffed, the food isn't that great, and don't waste your time or money on their brewing. -
Review from Linsey F.
Sacramento, CA
4/9/2011
I've been to Brew it Up lots of times for lunch seeing as my office is right down the street. Its got good, pub food and prices you would expect for the portions. My favorite meals here: The Chicken Curry and the Blackened chicken are so good (and I am not even a chicken fan). One entree I am not crazy about it the duck.
However, this review is for their awesome service when I brought in a group of 45 people for an annual business dinner. Working with their banquet manager to plan the dinner was easy. She was so friendly and professional and handled all my requests with ease. Their banquet menu offers great options for a group- lots of options for beef, chicken and a great veggie option too.
At the actual dinner itself, the staff had everything ready to go so our group was seated on arrival and drink orders were taken immediately. I had arranged to pay for all nonalcoholic drinks and in the past this creates issues at other establishments (not being able to keep track of who ordered what and leaving me with people's tabs at the end of the night). Brew It up handled my request easily, providing a separate tab for each guest. Piece of cake!
The food service for 45 people was smooth as it could be, each entree arriving promptly. No one was awkwardly left waiting for their food while everyone else chowed down.
If you are looking to host a dinner for a large group, I recommend trying Brew It Up. Based on my experience, they handle groups with ease. -
Review from Sasha c.
Pleasant Hill, CA
7/17/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I had a couple cocktails here on Saturday, the place was packed! I sat at the bar, the bartenders were very nice, although too busy to talk- a small price to pay for quick service. I ordered the fresh baked pub pretzels with house-made horseradish mustard. The pretzels we piping hot and the horseradish mustard was just the right amount of spice, but the pretzels are little small so you will want at lest two. I shared my order of two and found my self wanting more to dip in to the mustard.
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Review from Emily F.
Sacramento, CA
3/22/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Some friends and I went here for St. Patrick's day, and it was a premium choice. We had green beer, which is a beer of your choice colored green with green liquor (not with food coloring, a nice touch).
We also each ordered their sampler beers (4 5oz beers for $7, of your choice), so between all of use we tasted a lot of different beers, and they were all very unique and flavorful. There was a live Irish band, the service was friendly, and the pretzels were hot and delicious.
If you want a grill with a relaxed atmosphere, and lots of unique beers, to relax at with friends, try Brew It Up. -
Review from Joshua C.
Sacramento, CA
4/13/2011
My first date with Maureen was here. They get 5 stars for that fact alone. She's that cool.
Ive been here twice though. First with a buddy and the second was with her. I don't remember anything about the food. Matter of fact I don't even remember much about the restaurant, I was just really nervous trying not to mess anything up. We just had salads, a talk about pews, and a really good time on a quiet Monday evening. -
Review from Jack J.
Folsom, CA
11/13/2010
My wife and I tried to eat there after attending the theater. Their website clearly states that the kitchen is open until midnight but when we got there at 10:50 we were told that the kitchen had closed at 10 and just the bar was open.
Please don't trust anything on the website and call before taking the time to travel there. Also, remember that even if you're in the parking garage for 1 minute you still have to pay $1.50.
I've been to Brew It Up before and have enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, but this visit was a big disappointment.Comment from Mike C. of Brew It Up Brewery & Grill 11/16/2010
Hi Jack, I'm so sorry about our mistake on our website;… More » -
Review from Marsh W.
10/24/2010
Really loud!
Lots of people I know really enjoy this place, but I can't understand why. This is one of the loudest places I've been in. The din from the crowd was so great that we couldn't hear each other speak. The water had a funny taste to it and it took so long to get a beer, I decided not to get anything to eat there. When the beer finally arrived I immediately ordered the next round and the two beers I had were both pretty good. I had to wait a long time for the check and again for my change.
The air in and around the place was humid with a yeasty smell and about an hour after leaving I was taken ill with severe stomach aches that stayed with me for the next 12 days. I suspect I was allergic to something there.Listed in: Can I get a beer over here?, Why bother?
Comment from Mike C. of Brew It Up Brewery & Grill 11/11/2010
Hi Marsh, My apologies for the experience you had and I do… More » -
Review from Kris I.
11/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Fact: I'm not a big beer fan. At all.
But, I went here for the champagne tasting, and I loved it!
$10 for 16 different champagne tastings? The chance to buy the ones you taste at a really, really good discount (especially the ones from France and Italy)? And you get to take home a bottle of Kentwood for free? Uh-mazing.
Apparently you can brew your own beer here, and the first thing I can think of is: excellent date idea. Let me know if you try it and whether it worked on him or her.
PS - Loved the location! I parked in the structure and once I got off the elevator, there I was! -
Review from Jennifer T.
Sacramento, CA
11/30/2010
I have been here once for a friends birthday.
The waitress took forever to come around to take our food orders after we were seated and our drink orders were put in. When she first arrived, we had already decided on what we wanted to drink, but not what we wanted to eat at that moment. Once our drink and appetizer orders were put in, it seemed like it took forever to get our drinks. The appetizers came out quickly. But our drinks came out almost halfway through our meal.
I don't think I will be coming here again anytime soon. -
Review from Stupendous sturgeon L.
Davis, CA
4/28/2011
Great Atmosphere and out of this world beers...there was this honey bourbon porter.....::melts::
great pub food, I had a groupon and shared pizza so I cant really comment on price, but it seemed decent for the quality of service and food -
Review from victoria L.
Sacramento, CA
11/14/2010
Terrible service.
Updated to add: According to other reviews here, Brew It Up seems to have an ongoing service issue. Especially with the woman who wrote about the spoiled cheese she fed her baby, and the server acting annoyed. The staff is very young, immature and unprofessional. Also, someone mentioned "lazy managers" ... perfect description of the manager on duty yesterday. Walking around, mopey, and at a snails pace-with a grumpy look on his face. He may need to consider a new profession. A manager in the restaurant industry? Not a good choice for that guy!
I changed my star rating from 2 to 1 after receiving an unsolicited email from their customer service rep, which made things worse. "We have superior service and food, come back and you can have a free appetizer on me!" Seriously? These people just don't get it.
********************
First, my husband's overpriced, $22.00 steak was cooked VERY well when he ordered it medium RARE. It was mostly grey throughout and tough. This was the first time in 17 years I've ever seen him send his food back. The manager quickly came out and told him "this is what we call medium rare here, but we'll cook it again for you". As if to say, "the steak is perfect, but we'll do you a favor and cook it again." No apology, just a bad attitude as if we'd done something wrong. So, so bad! A manager's response to a customer's plea for edible food could NOT have been worse!
We were close to the kitchen in a booth and other staff started peering out over the window to look at us. Which, of course, was uncomfortable. Especially while we waited ... and waited for the second steak to come out. Our server was nice enough, but never apologized or asked if the "new" steak was better and cooked properly. Never asked me how my entree was, etc. The second steak was good, actually. The quality of the meat was so-so, but at least the second time it was not cooked through and med. rare as requested. However, we did get a good laugh at the thought it had been sneezed on and dragged along the kitchen floor by the "kids" in the back.
We ordered the sampler appetizers and it was crappy. The chicken taquitos and cream cheese & chicken wasabi wraps were gross. I don't know what they did to the chicken in those apps., but it had the weirdest ground texture ever! My husband sent a 22 dollar steak back, when we should have sent that freaking 12 dollar app plate back, as well-- horrible. My tequila shrimp entree was ok, surprisingly.
We ordered a few beer samplers. I enjoy breweries and sampling different kinds of beers. Though I've visited much better, it was still fun to try different stuff. Allowing them to ruin a Sunday out for our family was not an option. We laughed and enjoyed ourselves as best as possible.
The scene was ok. It gets loud there. The last time I visited there three or four years ago, it was so much nicer. Everyone was sitting down and people weren't jumping up and down yelling. Seems as though they have a "new" crowd.
Overall, the manager's rude attitude toward us, and the fact that there was a problem with more than half the food, gives this place ONE star.
Even though we have an additional gift certificate, we won't be going back. -
Review from Anthony K.
Antelope, CA
9/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Their calamari is pretty good. They use the real cocktail sauce, which I highly enjoy. I got the prime rib sandwich which was pretty tasty. My wife got the cilantro chicken. This girl loves cilantro (I'm sure if she could put cilantro in everything she ate, she would), well this dish tasted nothing like cilantro, i think. So bleh on the food.
The atmosphere is nice. The smell of hops is pretty strong tho. Oh & the wife tried the rasberry beer or something like that, & thought it wasn't that great.
I also used the "check-in" to get a free appetizer & our waitress only took out $3. I'm pretty sure the appetizers costed more.
giving it 2 stars for the clamari. -
Review from Rachel S.
Pleasant Hill, CA
3/14/2011
We went here for dinner after the brewfest. Service sucked. Food pretty much sucked - especially for the price!
I've heard the ahi salad is good. So I'll probably go back one day for lunch and try it.
Note: They only serve beers they brew themselves. If you're a "lite" beer drinking (aka, Corona, etc) plan on drinking something else!Comment from Mike C. of Brew It Up Brewery & Grill 4/12/2011
Hi Rachel, Thanks for your feedback on your experience; it… More » -
Review from Chris N.
Updated - 1/18/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I finally got around to trying out their brewing program after a member of our crew got a Groupon for it. It was pretty fun, although my reviews for the food and service still stand at 2 stars.
But golly, it took FOREVER! On the phone they said it'd take 2-3 hours, but by the time we paid and finished it was nearly 5 hours, and that's a long time to be stuck in one place. And, of course, you have no choice but to order food and beer from their overpriced menu. Even appetizers are $9, and a pitcher of beer is $18. The waiter only came by every 45 minutes or so, leaving my water glass depressingly low.
On top of that, I noticed that my Yelp app gave me a "free appetizer" coupon for checking in there. Score! But the waiter said that since we're using a Groupon for brewing, I couldn't use it. I think that's BS... the brewing and the dining should be considered two separate entities. If you're gonna force me to remain within your compound for 5 hours, you could at least give us some sort of dining deal.
While it was all done way too slowly (it took us about an hour just to pay the bill), it was a fun and informative outing. We got 8 beers to chose from (only two were even considered decent), picked one and began the brewing. Our brewer was a friendly guy, and it was overall a good time. We'll see in 4 weeks if the beer turned out any good.
So brewing can claim a 3 star rating, but the restaurant remains at 2 in my book. Slow service and mediocre food made what should have been an exciting adventure into an activity that dragged on as we racked up an unfortunately sizable bill.Listed in: Sacramento Bar Adventures
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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7/24/2010
"I really wanna like this place, but I just don't".
It's been a while since I've dropped in (October,… Read more »
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Review from Christy M.
Sacramento, CA
10/31/2010
This place is a solid three stars.
While the beer is pretty tasty, the food is mediocre and over-priced. I recommend sitting in the bar area and ordering an appetizer or two with some friends. I know, I know - the menu does seem extensive and appetizing - but the food WILL fall short. -
Review from joe p.
Sacramento, CA
Updated - 6/20/2011
OK,So I gave them another chance to win my business and this time they did a great job.Sat at the Bar when we arrived and the bartender Christopher was great.He was very social and took care of all of our needs.We stayed for dinner and it did not disappoint .I had the blackened Salmon and it was FANTASTIC.Service was good too.Glad I gave it another try and I will be back.Love all the beers on Tap !
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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11/29/2010
gave brew it up another chance and same result.good brew but bartender hates his job and it shows.Oh… Read more »
Comment from Mike C. of Brew It Up Brewery & Grill 11/16/2010
Hey Joe! Thanks for the positive feedback! A bartender… More » -
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Review from Keri H.
Sacramento, CA
Updated - 6/13/2011
I will never dine at Brew It Up again. I should have trusted my instincts and never given them another chance, but I did. I truly regret it.
After a nightmarish brewing party last September (which was the basis for my original review), I was contacted by a manager named Christine who has superior customer service skills. If anyone could save this place, it would be her. Christine generously offered me two gift certificates and assured me that the service/food issues of the past were eliminated.
On May 28, my fiance, my future sister-in-law and myself decided to give Brew It Up one more chance for dinner. We arrived to have the EXACT SAME horrible waitress as the previous brewing party and the situation soured from there. She had a slightly better attitude than she had when we encountered her last September, but she was still unhelpful and unfriendly. Her service was ok until a brewing party was seated in her section and she became completely distracted. Food was terrible, especially the Seafood Fettucine which was bland and came in a tiny portion. My fiance's sister ordered a Wit Dream (delicious) but the server brought her a Goldenweizen. It took too long for her to bring us the right beer, then she even CHARGED us for the wrong one on the bill! By the time we got the bill, we hadn't seen the server for a while, so we decided to just pay the bill & leave. Good thing I had a gift certificate or I would have felt even more ripped off.
Nothing has changed here since last September. Food is not worth the price. Service is not worth your time. Spend your money elsewhere.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/29/2011
I have very mixed feelings about Brew it Up. I've been here at least 5 times and had a different… Read more »
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Review from Blake C.
1/9/2011
So I have been here twice. The place is a loud and fun atmosphere. To my surprise they take reservations which is pretty awesome! And be prepared to walk into a strong smell of hops and be prepared to leave smelling like it as well.
The service is kinda slow though, so be prepared to wait a few minutes before you get your drinks or even before you get greeted at your table.
The appetizer sampler is pretty good, especially for 2 people. I ordered the classic burger. Honestly, I probably would get a better burger from Carls JR. It was not that good, nor were the fry's. Stick to the pastas and the meat items and I'm sure you will be ok.
All in all not a bad place. -
Review from Jason G.
11/29/2010
When I first started coming here, I didn't know the owner and now I do but that has never stopped me from being honest (and it wont now).
You are either going to love the beer or not. If you are a beer snob, the previous sentence still applies. Some beers just don't work for everyone. I like most of the beers here. Their Honey Porter is die for. Also, if you have a few of them, you will pass the heck out. It is one strong ass beer.
I have pretty much done it all here. Brought a date for dinner, brewed beer with a bunch of friends, stopped here on St Patty's day and Oktoberfest, and also for numerous happy hours. I have also had them cater a business luncheon.
The food is still very good and the service is very good also. The kettle chips are DA bomb. They are like Chinese food, you cant stop eating them. Other foods are good too.
The only negative I have is that when I first started coming here was that there were not enough TVs (or even modern ones) but in the last month or so, Mike has invested money in new ones and now they are all over.
I try to come here often and I would come here much more often if it was more geographically desirable for me. You should come here for the food or the beer, I like them both. -
Review from Ilsa W.
Sacramento, CA
1/30/2011
I am a fan of this place but I don't go here too often even though its right down the street.
I really like the buffalo chicken salad, the buffalo chicken is crispy and mildly spicy, not covered in buffalo sauce, which I prefer
Its a little more money than I usually like to pay when I go out (salad with chicken is a little over $10, really not bad but a little much for my budget) but its good and the service has never been bad
If you don't mind the smell of beer brewing next to you its a fun place to go -
Review from mandie j.
Sacramento, CA
8/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Service sometimes bad
Beers on tap make up for it
The smell goes away -
Review from Perry M.
Lodi, CA
2/2/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Beer. Tasty beer. And probably some of the best homemade potato chips with blue cheese and balsamic vinegar reduction you'll ever eat. EVER!
I don't like brussel sprouts but if you deep fry em like they do at Brew It Up I'll eat em. -
Review from Stephanie D.
Sacramento, CA
8/1/2011
Brew It Up is now CLOSED.
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Review from Ben T.
South San Francisco, CA
2/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food here is good, but very greasy. The California Burger I ordered here was good, with mayo, avocado, and whatnot, but the bottom bun was a sponge for all the oil that was from cooking the burger. It was basically translucent, which was not appetizing. Oh the calories.
The beer on the other hand was good. Since it was my friend's birthday, she made her own beer. I've yet to sample it, but I hope it turns out well.
