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Downtown Brewing Co - CLOSED
Categories: Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Restaurants American (Traditional) Sports Bars, American (Traditional) [Edit]
3755 State StSanta Barbara, CA 93190
(805) 682-7803
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Anna D. said: "Most amazing steaks, salad bar, and service in Santa Barbara! Every time I go I have an amazing experience. I live out of town now, but when I go back the servers STILL remember my favorite drink! Great service, great atmosphere, and…" read more »
16 reviews for Downtown Brewing Co
16 reviews in English
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Review from Molly T.
Silver Spring, MD
9/27/2009
the good: fun atmosphere to watch sports, decent beer and pretty tasty pizza.
the bad: their 'brunch' menu for sunday football (10 bucks for crappy eggs), the occasional rude waitress (she yelled at the entire bar area to 'CHILL OUT') and understaffing which eventually leads to pretty slow service.
it's not bad to grab a beer on occasion here, but not my favorite place to go out in santa barbara. -
Review from D. R.
Malibu, CA
3/16/2008
The music playing: rap, reggae, funk song about a fat guy. Yes, it almost drove me insane.
"You make me happy when you shake-ling your tub of taffy"
I was told this was Fishbone. I don't remember them being this bad. In any case, the visual image of a fatso dancing in my head while you are trying to eat and entertain a female is not what is called for. Not at all.
The beer was ok. Bland like the name "Downtown Brewing Co."
Which one?
Make up your mind.
I did.
I switched to vodka.
And this is a brewery, so that can't be a good thing. -
Review from lemonjelly l.
Santa Barbara, CA
Updated - 2/24/2010
This business is CLOSED.
This may be attributed to the area being slated for development, but few locals are lamenting the loss, particularly in regards to the food.
For your referencing pleasure:
http://www.edhat.com/s...1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/5/2008
I was underwhelmed.
I've been there three times now. Once was a weekend lunch, once was a weekday… Read more »
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Review from sloe j.
Los Angeles, CA
7/6/2007
I flat out did not like this place.
I try to keep an open mind to it, but when I go into a brewery / brewpub and they have Bud Light on tap - the place is not worth visiting 100% of the time . Same applies here. I've never been found of SLO's beers so I wasn't shocked that the IPA I got was not special. It was drinkable. Their other beers on-tap (all made in San Luis Obispo, I believe) did not sound interesting, but since I only tried one I can't really comment on them.
The clientle ranged from the "I wanna get drunk" frat types to the "gimme another Bud Light" types. So, yeah no variety and not my scene at all. Our bartender fit right into this mold, straight up plonker. My brother and I drank our beers and left.
Of the 4 brewpubs in SB I hit this day, Downtown is the only one I do not recommend. -
Review from Mark F.
11/27/2009 1 Check-in Here
Looking for good micro beer in Santa Barbara is tough and the options limited but Downtown Brewing Co delivers a nice pint. That's if you can flag down one of the many, busy, unhappy waitresses that run around like chickens with their heads cut off in front of a packed crowd on Sundays. That said, the food is good, not great, but I do enjoy the Turkey Guadalajara sandwich.
With DirectTV Sunday Ticket, DBC offers many TVs at the bar, on the patio and in the lounges that fill up quick so get there early to find a seat and a parking spot in their very small lot. The scene is young but I've only been there to watch a game at lunch and not seen who shows up for dinner. It won't be me but I'll be back for an IPA and some football. -
Review from Bethany N.
Honolulu, HI
3/11/2009
The beer is decent but other than that it's a little blah.
The service leaves a lot to be desired. It took a while to even get the guy to turn our TV to a channel that wasn't just the Directv logo. Decor and ambiance is nothing to write home about.
Keep the beer, scrap the rest. -
Review from Jesse M.
Santa Barbara, CA
10/29/2008
Even though they are called Downtown Brewing Co, they aren't downtown and they don't brew beer. They are part of a chain based in San Luis Obispo previously called SLO Brewing Co. They serve beer brewed in San Luis Obispo by their parent company.
The food and beer are great but service is often pretty bad. I usually go for pint night on Tuesdays where they have $2 pints for all their beers plus a "two steak dinners" special for $15. On Wednesdays, 25 cent wing night is fun too.
Overall it's a cool sports bar with many LCD TVs, pool, darts and both tables and couches. If you're patient with the service, it's worth it. -
Review from Jesse Q.
Escondido, CA
5/30/2009
I have been there a handful of times. The first time wasn't very memorable, had the tasters (very expensive) a salad and fries (or something).
People don't have beer-tasters as their main drink, the tasters are so we can choose our beer! When you charge close to two beers, or anywhere over one beer for the price of tasters, you are killing your consumers and they won't stay for long!
I went there again for beer and had the fried sweet potatoes...delicious! Went again the next day fir a growler of beer and the service was excellent.
Went last Aunday for beer, no growlers, had a to go order of fries...$7.00!!!! And bad attitude from the server!
And another thing, if someone is waiting for a to go order...offer them water at least!!!
I'm not bitter, just dissatisfied! They weren't solid afterall! -
Review from Greg C.
Santa Barbara, CA
7/23/2009
My friends and I go to the Downtown Brew Co. because the food is decent for the price. You're not going to find an amazing dish on the menu, it's pretty standard fare...but it's kinda hard to screw up an order of Wings and some Fries. (knock on wood)
I've probably been 6 or 7 times and the service has always been fine, never a train wreck by any means. There are a couple of cute young waitresses too (if you care).
The beer is Average, but none of them blow my mind so I usually stick to Stella, but the IPA is flowing by the pitcher with the rest of my group.
I think it's important to mention that the name is a bit deceiving as it is not actually "Downtown".
Sure, it's on State street, but I wouldn't walk from downtown by any means. Probably better suited for tourists with rooms in the area.
If you are Hellbent on brewery food, and are apprehensive of the low rating...I suggest the Brew House on Montecito street.
It's on the other side of town and a little more pricey, but well worth the journey. -
Review from Tiana T.
6/6/2009
Really surprised by the reviews and the rating. The service on a Saturday night was excellent, we sat ourselves, outside. Took our drink orders, turned on heaters, checked on us, took orders, checked on us several times during the meal. Everything came out perfect. Philly Cheesesteak sandwich w/ Sweet Potato fries were YUMMY. Glad we decided to try it!
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Review from Melissa R.
Seattle, WA
5/24/2009
Not sure why this place gets such bad reviews. Yes at first service was pretty bad but then they woke up and I bitched about getting my first drink I didn't have a problem. Food was good, drinks were good and prices were average and expected. These reviews bitching about hummus and onion rings being $5.95, WTF? Where do you live? South carolina? Welcome to California ...people should focus on the quality of food and service, if you want a 99 cent meal I'm sure there's a crack in the box nearby! Enjoy and cheers!
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Review from Diana N.
6/3/2009
Who knew the brewery we chose with such high expectations would disappoint us to such an extent that we all decided to blacklist it. There is no surprise why your restaurant only received 2.5 stars out of 5 total. This is another review that will accompany those already listed.
What went wrong?
- It took over an hour to receive our food . We ordered at 6:55 pm and received our food at 8:00 pm. Yes, we were keeping track since we arrived hungry enough to eat a horse! The food took so long that my friend was able to finish four cups of coke.
- We were seated in the corner near the entrance where we had an overall view of the other booths and tables. After a long while, we started to realize that groups who came in AFTER us were being served their food BEFORE us! A family of 8 people came in 20 minutes after us and received their food 15 minutes before ours was served!
- The cooks/waitress did not get our orders right. One friend received mashed potatoes when she wanted sweet potato fries. Our meal came with coleslaw when we wanted steamed vegetables and we were served fries when we specified mashed potatoes. The menu said we would get a vegetable side, cut fries, and one extra side. We only got 2 sides total.
You should put in what the menu states:
St. Louis Ribs Cooked to perfection and served with our housemade BBQ sauce, hand cut fries, coleslaw, and your choice of sides. Full Rack 16.99 Half Rack 12.99
- Not only was the order made incorrectly, the quality of the food was horrendous. My cousin ordered the half rack, while my sister and I ordered the full rack. Let me give you some advice, if more than one person orders ribs at the same table, make sure the quality of the ribs is consistent for all at the table who ordered them. My cousin's half rack was loaded with BBQ sauce and the meat fell off the bone with ease. Our full rack on the other hand, barely had any BBQ sauce on it (delete). There was little that the BBQ didn't even reach the end pieces. In addition, the meat on our bones was so coarse and tough. We both broke into a sweat trying to cut the ribs apart with our knives. In the end, I was only able to eat 1 piece, because every bite I took made me feel like a dog mauling meat off a bone. My sister stopped after 2 pieces because hers tasted as if it was cooked in a pot or pan that was not thoroughly washed of soap.
My other friend ordered the Philly-cheese steak because she is a mushroom fanatic. But she was to be dissatisfied with her food as well. Not only was it served between two slices of wonder bread instead of the french roll as indicated in the menu description, but when she lifted the bread, there were no mushrooms whatsoever.
[Philly Cheese Steak Thinly sliced tri-tip sauteed with bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. Topped with melted Swiss cheese on a toasted French roll. Served with your choice of sides. 8.99]
My other friend ordered the filet mignon. Any restaurant that offers filet mignon on their menu, she orders it. When she received it, the filet mignon was smaller than the ice-cream scoop of mashed potatoes. Compared to other chains where she got filet mignons for a cheaper price, she literally teared up looking at the sight of it. It was not 8oz (1/2 lb) as described in the menu. It was about 4-6 oz.
[Filet Mignon 8oz Seared with fresh cracked pepper and spices and your choice of sides. 17.99]
The next time we decide to visit Santa Barbara, we will be sure never again to visit Downtown Brewery. Out of all the breweries we have visited and eaten at in the past and at other places, your brewery has no right to call itself a brewery. -
Review from B W.
Stockton, CA
8/13/2008
Beer was alright, nothing to get excited over. Environment seemed nice. We ordered the chipotle chicken pizza and seared ahi tuna salad, and both were very good. The portions were good. Service was kinda lacking, but I expected that when I saw the cute waitress flirting with one of the other tables.
Overall I probably won't return on my own, but the food there (From what I ate) is good and I wouldn't mind trying some of the other flavors of beer. -
Review from Yummy P.
Santa Barbara, CA
8/1/2009
hm, why is this a brewing co when they have so few beers? and ya, the service is absolute crap. completely un-attentive and just plain d-u-m. also, i got a side of onion rings w/ my terrible wrap. guess how many i got!!!? 3. there was 1 small one and medium ones. uh what? that counts as a side of onion rings? but I guess that's ok since they were yucky anyway.
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Review from Ben B.
Santa Barbara, CA
1/3/2008
Terrible service all around. They should have hired managers with actual restaurant management experience.
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Review from Becky S.
Atlanta, GA
8/5/2009
This place is just bad. The staff can't be bothered to help you and the food is gross. My friends said the beers were good though. If you go for dinner, be prepared to sit there for 3 hours. That's what happened to us when we went. And there was nobody in there!
