- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
JT Schmid's Restaurant & Brewery
Categories: Food Breweries Restaurants American (Traditional) Breweries, American (Traditional) [Edit]
The District at Tustin Legacy2415 Park Ave
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 258-0333
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 12 am
Fri-Sat 11 am - 1 am
Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Justin B. said: "Beer - by beer drinkers, for beer drinkers. There is a full range of quality craft microbrews available, from IPA to Porter. Seasonal brews are available seasonally (unfortunately, they'd run out of kegged Pumpkin Rye Ale when I was…" read more »
235 reviews for JT Schmid's Restaurant & Brewery
Review Highlights
"Some of my favorite sweet potato fries ever ^_."
(in 50 reviews)
"I enjoyed the Farm House Burger here today."
(in 3 reviews)
"My all time fav, the Monte Cristo."
(in 6 reviews)
Loading...
235 reviews in English
-
Review from Randoll C.
Orange County, CA
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ended up here with friends on a Thursday night. Group of more than a dozen which the staff was able to accommodate. It's always a nice thing when a large group is taken care of whether it's being seated or just being served.
Speaking of being served - our server's name was Olga and she did an amazing job. Remembering all the little things like refills and just following up with the table even though it seemed like she had tables out on the patio as well. She recognized that some in our party showed up late and later and still made sure they were taken care of, both food and drinks.
The food was OK. I ordered the Wild Mushroom pasta dish. I made the mistake of not eating until everyone's food had arrived which made the pasta a little on the soggy side. Not anyone's fault by my own. It had decent flavor, just not the great explosion of taste one would come to expect from a dish that's $16.95.
Lots of beer. I had a sweet Pear Cider. I guess I was in the mood for sweet beause I tried the taster and before the server walked away, I ordered the largest size glass, just below the pitcher.
Another thing I found nice is that it wasn't a loud, party scene like other places tend to be. We could hold a conversation across a table of over a dozen people and we weren't rushed because the tables needed to be turned over. There were TV's if you're a sports fan or whatever fan that happens to be playing but we weren't there for that so I'm just mentioning it just in case.
I also liked that diners flowed in and out however I never saw a wait. That's always a good thing especially when it's chilly outside. -
Review from Manisha B.
Costa Mesa, CA
1/8/2012
Pros: sweet potato fries, decent beer selection, interesting mix of girly cocktails.
Cons: well, I ordered my cowboy burger medium rare and it was about as well done as it could have been without being completely burnt. It's not like they were super busy, and the waiter repeated my order to me so I know he wrote it down correctly, but whatever.
I probably could have complained and gotten a new burger, but we were trying to get to a movie, so it's fine. The bbq sauce on the burger was good though! -
Review from Floyd B.
Tustin, CA
1/1/2012
sour steak. Over priced food, slow service.
Ordered the $22 steak topped with blue cheese and fried onions. Sides were one scoop of mashed potatoes and some lightly sauteed veggies. The steak had a strange sour taste to it. very lightly (if at all) seasoned. Absolutely not worth $22.
Service was slow and un attentive. Food was not worth the prices they are charging. Not a good value at all. -
Review from Steve W.
Fullerton, CA
2/4/2012
Went here on a Friday night after catching a flick at the AMC. Not very crowded, decent grub. BBQ Chicken Salad was huge (think Cheesecake Factory), piled high w fried onions, but w pretty scant chicken. Farmhouse Burger was decent, not as artery-clogging as promised by the description. We opted for a side of tomato bisque. Too high cheese to soup ratio. Everything was just alright, but good for the price. Beer was $18.50 for a 60 oz pitcher.
-
Review from Michelle K.
Pasadena, CA
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for dinner after a riveting evening at the ballet.
Chilean Sea Bass = amazing. It is drenched in sauce so I'd ask for it on the side. But it was sweet and flaky. I'm craving it now.... -
Review from Julie N.
12/4/2011
This place is good for a quick and simple dinner. They're pretty standard, just like every other restaurant/brewery. They don't have any gimmicks, unless you consider The Twenty Dollar Burger one (but I don't).
The wait was around 25 minutes at around 9:30 on a Friday night, but there were a bunch of open tables in the bar area so we just grabbed one of those. The crowd was chill; mostly groups of guys in their 20s and older couples.
My friends and I were being boring and we all ordered pizzas. I liked the buffalo chicken pizza the most, but even so it was just okay. The sauce was so good and I liked the bacon bits, but I didn't like how extra gooey it was. I also couldn't really taste the bleu cheese =/ The barbecue chicken pizza was too sweet for me and I didn't care much for the Works. Their Hefeweizen went well with all the pizzas; very refreshing! Truffle fries are around $7 which is kind of a rip off. They didn't fill up to the rim of the basket, which I thought was so selfish. haha. They were kind of soggy but flavored well.
I like the ambiance here but the food isn't great. None of their other menu offerings interest me so I probably will only come back for some drinks and appetizers during happy hour. -
Review from A T.
Irvine, CA
1/11/2012
Ever look at a menu and can't decide what to order? Or worse, looking at a menu and nothing looks quite appetizing to try out? That's what happened to me here, and I was fairly disappointed. I got the burger (I can't even remember what it was), which seemed to be the "speciality" but overall thought it was too greasy and nothing out of the ordinary and the fries didn't compliment well either (soggy). (I AM BIG ON FRIES!) Pretty sub par meal. I rather go to Islands or BJ's. Nothing much more to say then that.
-
Review from Mike N.
11/29/2011
Been here many times prior to catching a movie and usually doesn't disappoint. most of the dishes are pretty good. great juicy burgers and I really like their sweet potato fries. Remember to let them know that you are in a rush to catch a show. Somehow they can work their magic and rush your order. Maybe is was just me, but the two times I've ordered their Jambalaya it was WAY WAY over salted, I hope it was an accident and not their actual recipe because it was borderline inedible. I just ended up bringing most of it home and diluting it with more rice...I'm not a fan of having food go back into the kitchen (ever seen the movie "Waiting"?)
BTW if you see Meatloaf on the menu (some JT Schmid's have a different menu) get it, does not disappoint! -
Review from Sidney S.
10/5/2011
"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just God when he's drunk" --
Tom Waits
"I told my wife the truth. I told her I was seeing a psychiatrist. Then she told me the truth: that she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender" -- Rodney Dangerfield
This incident happened several months ago and it was so irresponsible of this establishment I'm still having problems comprehending the incompetence displayed.
I was looking for a place for lunch and ran into an acquaintance at the District outpost of JT Schmid's. A lost soul, she had obviously been sitting at the bar drinking for a long period of time. It was a Sunday and she was actually supposed to be at work at a nearby retail shop. While I was there listening to my friend's litany of life problems spill out to, I ordered a diet coke and definitively the worst version (overly salty yet bland) of the old bar staple spinach artichoke dip that I have ever had the misfortune of tasting.
Meanwhile..the bartender was plying this poor girl with drinks including a special apple martini that was mostly martini and little apple. The drink was disgusting. She didn't care or notice though because she was a stumbling drunk...obviously so as she spilled two drinks while I briefly sat with her. I'm sure the bartender was just going to keep adding to the tab if I hadn't showed up.
Instead, I closed her bill...paid it for her...gave her taxi fare and sent her on her way. The bartender was very disappointed and pissed off that he was losing this whale of a customer. What a jerk! All I could think of was some poor family getting hit and injured because of her and all he was thinking about was a big bill with big tip. When I paid the bill I stiffed the prick (intentionally making a bad pun here) for how unprofessional he was.
I'll never set foot in this place again. -
Review from DL M.
Newport Beach, CA
1/9/2012
Good, typical brewhouse food and a nice beer selection. Interior is comfortable with dim lighting and TV's and the patio has a fire pit and heat lamps. On the same level as BJ's or Yardhouse.
-
Review from Jennifer L.
CORONA DL MAR, CA
1/21/2012
This place gives a solid effort, and I tried really really hard to like it, but both times I have been here I have left a bit disapointed.This place reminds me of house shopping...you drive by a house, and it looks really nice from the outside, but once you go inside, it sucks!!!,The decor is nice and it looks like a high end resturant, but the food is just OK and the drinks are expensive and weak. I've had salad, flatbread pizza, spinich artichoke dip, and chips and salsa and nothing really blew my mind. I was upset that I wasted calories on food that was just BLAH. Both times I sat in the bar area which has a good vibe, I just couldnt enjoy myself. My long island iced tea tasted like lemonade mix without any alcohol. It was $26.00 for 2 long islands and an order of chips and salsa. I would of much rather spent my $26.00 somewhere else and gotten a stronger drink, better chips and salsa, and faster service. I'm disapointed because it has so much potential to be a really good, chill place, but it just doesn't live up to expecations.
-
Review from Ellie Q.
Irvine, CA
11/27/2011
We found this place while yelping "open late" restaurants in our area. It is such a great place. The atmosphere is sort of rustic yet elegant. The food is fabulous!
Our favorite is the Killer Tacos, filet mignon strips with cheese and salsa. That's all it takes to make these tacos to-die-for! We've taken everyone we know. Four tacos for $12! Good size tacos too. The french fries are great. Also the avocado rolls. I didn't care for their fish n chips. Too overdone and low quality fish. Other than that, everything we've tried is pretty good.
We don't drink but we sit in the bar because the service is always way better there!
Open until 2 or 3am.... Midnight snack, here we come! -
Review from Hion L.
Fullerton, CA
10/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Anything with Brie in it is difficult for me to turn down. Put it in a burger and it's GAME OVER - I have to stuff it in my mouth now. Utterly decadent when heated, it transforms from a simple peasant cheese to a topping that tastes like butter married with whipped heavy cream. Although it may seem disgusting to some, don't knock it til you have stuck it in your mouth at least once. There is a slight bit of earthiness from the sandwich due to the crust on the brie - I guess that solves the debate on whether the crust should be eaten or not.
Aside from this, I can't help but feel that they must share a test kitchen with BJ's and Gordon Biersch. -
Review from Jason W.
Tustin, CA
1/20/2012
Rather disappointing. Slow (but nice) service. The food was the low point. The ahi tuna in the Thai salad was NOT sushi grade and had clearly gone past its due date. Could have been an off night, but JT Schmid's has begun a downhill slide.
-
Review from Ashley M.
Updated - 10/17/2011
Recently came here for Happy Hour. Every time I come here, which is not very often the menu has changed. In this case it was for the better.
The happy hour is until 6:30pm?, (don't quote me on that), but they had a good selection and the prices were fair.
Ahi Tuna Poke- Not amazing, but definitely worth a shot.
Killer Steak Tacos- Husband got those and said they were really good.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps- Chicken breast with an assortment of veggies.
Chicken & Avocado Egg Rolls- Deep fried goodness!
Beer of Choice: A pitcher of Hef.
Overall: Noting spectacular, but the food was good, the ambiance isn't bad, and the beer gets the job done.Listed in: Happy Hour
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/25/2009
I'm taking a leap, but I'm gonna say it... i think this is one of my new fave restaurants. Now why… Read more »
-
-
Review from Vanessa H.
Aliso Viejo, CA
9/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Happy hour, dinner, or just drinks...JT Schmidt's is a safe place to bring friends for good times, or or co-workers for corporate functions. If you've been to BJ's, you've been here.
Bonus points for being on OpenTable - AND for having 1,000 point times!Listed in: OpenTable Restaurants
-
Review from Gabe P.
Aliso Viejo, CA
12/29/2011
The beer is good and the place is nice, the food is so and so, but who cares, you are here for the beer anyway! Try the beer soup and also ask for the beer float, it's not on the menu any more but it's not a big deal for them to put some ice cream in a glass of beer!
-
Review from Rose L.
Anaheim, CA
11/4/2011
In a nutshell, get the burger with sweet potato fries. It was delicious
!
We also ordered jambalaya and their spinach dip , it was ok .... -
Review from Kent L.
9/28/2011
I had been pounding down vodka tonics at the hotel I was staying at courtesy of the complimentary happy hour, then proceeded to JT Schmid's for some wine, beers, and a fat steak. I was pretty damn buzzed toward the end of the dinner, which made for a fun night, but surprisingly, it did not make the food at JT Schmid's taste better. It's a shame because I usually love these type of restaurants (laidback microbrewery chains).
Awkward server, food was only okay (ordered the filet mignon and cheesecake dessert). The beer was pretty good (again, I love microbreweries), but overall, an only "ok" dinner. There are better dining options in Orange County. Give this one a try, but do not go with high expectations. -
Review from Amanda N.
Irvine, CA
8/13/2011
I came here for dinner with my parents. This place is a crossover between the Yard House and BJs.
As an appetizer, we ordered the calamari. It was a lot chewier than I expected it to be. Plus, the tomato sauce that accompanied the calamari was extremely watered down. I found myself trying to dip more tomato sauce on my calamari, only to find that it still lacked flavor.
I ordered the mahi mahi tacos. There are three tacos served with tortilla chips, half an avocado, and some chopped tomatoes on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce. I was confused as to what I was supposed to do with the tomatoes because there was so little of them. As for the tacos, the mahi mahi fish is supposed to be blackened. There was a small piece of oily fish under a large pile of cabbage and tomatoes. My mom ordered some salsa to eat with the tortilla chips. But then again, this salsa was incredibly watered down. How can you mess up on salsa?
My dad ordered the chilean sea bass and my mom ordered the halibut tacos. Both of those dishes were not great either.
Overall, this place is a disappointment. I will not be coming back here. -
Review from Steven S.
Irvine, CA
10/25/2011
The food is very good, the prices are reasonable, the happy hour deals are great and their Heff is awesome.
Do yourself a favor and try it out. -
Review from Jessica N.
Los Angeles, CA
9/28/2011
I came here for a friend's birthday dinner & even though I was optimistic for the experience, it turned out to be overall pretty lackluster. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say I was thoroughly disappointed.
First of all, I really dug the ambiance of the place. It had the same kind of feel as The Yard House & BJ's (both of which I absolutely love). Low lighting, semi-formal, but still very comfortable.
The service wasn't bad but it wasn't rave-worthy either. They were pretty regularly attentive. I thought getting the food out took forever but we had a pretty big party so I excused them for that - although I did find it kind of off-putting that my meal didn't seem particularly hot once it eventually got to me.
Alright, on to the food.
Appetizers:
Boneless Buffalo Wings: WOW. I really really liked these. I prefer bone-in wings but my hosts graced us with boneless so who was I to complain? They were well-portioned & very tasty! Spicy but not overwhelming & packed with delicious flavor. This was definitely one of the highlights of my meal & I'd be eager to try their bone-in variety. Unfortunately, this was such a high note in my meal that it gave me too high of hopes for the rest of my meal.
Hummus Sampler: This plate came with 2 types of hummus - roasted red pepper & black bean I believe served with pita bread. Though not terrible, kind of "meh" in general. The hummus was on the dryer side. I wasn't very impressed but it was edible.
Sweet Potato Fries: This was probably my favorite thing I tried here. I'm a *complete* sucker for sweet potato fries so any time I go anywhere that has them I have to try them. These were a little bit on the sweeter side but I didn't think it was overpowering. They even had kind of a cinnamon taste to them which I thought complimented the sweet potato flavor very well. The part I found most addicting was the texture! They were crisp (but not crunchy) on the outside but almost creamy on the inside. Some of my favorite sweet potato fries ever ^_^
My Meal:
Killer Steak Tacos: I had read great things about these... probably too great. They're served on corn tortillas with pepper jack cheese & grilled onions. It didn't advertise a sauce which worried me a little bit but I was pleasantly surprised when it was served with one. They were good. Filling. & at the same time I felt like they were missing an element to make them pop... I've definitely enjoyed taco-truck tacos more than these.
Mac & Beer Cheese: I had the highest expectation for this part of my meal & it was the most fail. It sounded amazing on the menu! I pictured delicious, creamy mac & cheese with bacon, chicken, tomatoes mixed in... but it ended up being more like pasta tossed with these elements & some cheese melted on top. It was really dry. The pasta was cooked all the way but it was just not creamy or saucy at all! & I was extremely perturbed because they used a type of pasta that had lots of creases & ridges that would have been IDEAL for soaking up a creamy sauce! & even though it had bacon, I felt like the overall flavor was missing salt. I was so so disappointed but so glad I only ordered a side of it & not the whole dish.
So overall, this place was extremely hit or miss. For as delicious as everything sounded on the menu, I was really disappointed that I only really felt satisfied by 2 of the things I tried. I would go back for some wings & sweet potato fries but I wouldn't order anything on my own without someone else personally recommending it at this point. -
Review from Michelle T.
Fountain Valley, CA
OK, 3 stars for the service and 5 for the Buffalo Chicken Pizza!
So the service was a bit slow and lacking. Anytime we needed something we had to ask twice because the first time they would say they would bring it and then 10 min later we would have to ask again, water, to go boxes, etc..... I would understand this if the place was busy but it wasn't, and honestly a lot of the times the waiters/waitresses looked completely lost and confused.
The Buffalo Chicken Pizza was delicious!! Finally I've found one that's met my standards! Watch out though if you're not big on heat b/c this one is quite spicy. It has chunks of breaded, hot chicken on it, bacon, corn which is a great touch, thin slices of red onion, not big chunks that overpower, and blue cheese. All the flavors of spicy, sweet, tangy, and smoky, all balace out so well. The size of the pizza is pretty big for a "personal" pizza too, you could easily split this among two people.
Oh, the Bloody Mary wasn't bad either!!
Can't wait to return for my pizza fix :-) -
Review from Rich L.
Garden Grove, CA
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Been here once, service and food was great. Been here again, service and food was horrible. It was a Friday night, but luckily there wasn't much of a wait for me. I grabbed $100 worth of gift cards for $80 from the nearby Costco. The first time, was fine and everything, that's why we came back a second time.
This time, the server took a long time before they finally came back to took our order. The appetizer (fried calamari) came out soggy. I've never had soggy calamari anywhere before. They didn't even give us plates or utensils so we ended up picking at it with our fingers. Asked for flavored iced tea and got these bottles of flavor iced tea with natural sugar, but good thing there was sweet and low. But for $5 bucks a bottle? Me thinks not. Ordered the prime rib special for $45. Yikes huh. Wasn't even that good. All the other foods... were sorta bland. It must have just been a bad night. The first time I went there was on a Friday afternoon and it was great....but time...it wasn't. -
Review from Andrew M.
Aliso Viejo, CA
7/18/2011
0 Stars - 0 Stars - 0 Stars - 0 Stars - 0 Stars - 0 Stars - 0 Stars
Too Expensive. Fraud. Cheat. Gouge. Scam. Flimflam. Gyp. Bunco.
Girlfriend got FOOD POISONING. Pukin' Rally! She was callin' up dinosaurs immediately upon our home arrival.
Jackasses sacrifice ergonomics for presentation. Yeah, I'll have my cheese burger 4 by 12 inches. *Sarcasm Alert* All that shit was strategically placed to mask the conspicuous fact there was little-to-no beef in the actual burger. I'll take Carl's Jr. (or any fast food joint) over this rip-off ringleader any day of the week. French Fries were also a plentiful source of suckitude as well.
Service was god-awful. No bread. No ketchup. No refills. No smiles. No nothing.
I don't hate much, but I HATE JT SCHMID of Tustin! I HATE IT! Never EVER go here. Boycott this inglorious shit hole. It is an utter travesty and a despicable crack den of swindling flop.
I HATE THIS PLACE AND WILL NEVER GO BACK. If you value your wallet and stomach, do yourself a favor and never EVER go to JT SHIT! -
Review from Nicole D.
Aliso Viejo, CA
7/18/2011
***FOOD POISONING*** DO NOT EAT HERE!!! (One hour after eating)
Food:
I had just gone and seen the Harry Potter 7 movie and wanted to celebrate the end of a great era at a nice restaurant. I had only seen the inside of J.T's before and thought the ambiance was great. So I decided upon there for a great meal after a more amazing movie.
I chose the "Jamaican Shrimp" which was coupled with (3 spoonfuls) of uncooked black beans, a horribly hard and unsteamed mound of white rice (No, they do not replace with brown rice if you ask). When I took a bite of the rice, my teeth literally hurt because it was that hard! I told the waiter and he brought me a tiny portion of greased up vegetables, when I asked for steamed-fresh ones. Again, not delightful. I also ordered a side order of "House-Made Coleslaw" which was just a pile of shredded cabbage, very sloppily set into a ramekin, spilling over the side. No sauce, except maybe a teaspoon of vinegar. The only thing good was the shrimp- EXCEPT IT MADE ME SICK. So I pretty much only ate the shrimp, besides my bites to taste everything else.
Service: When we sat down there were wet rings on the table, (not wiped down) and the hostess just placed the menus over them, as if they weren't there. The waiter never refilled our glasses or offered us water. We were waiting at least 20 minutes for food, and never got offered bread, when the couple right next to us received some for free.(Would you like some bread to hold you over?) was overheard by yours truly. The waiter asked only once how things were going, and that is when I told him my food wasn't fully cooked. After that all we heard from him was for the check.
Price: Horrible. For such small portions, which was surprising because the plates were huge, the price was high. For two people it was $46 (without tip) when we both didn't end up full or satisfied by any means. I would have much rather got a burger and fries from In-N-Out for five bucks...and I don't eat meat.
I'm calling in the morning to tell them I got food poisoning and want my money back. An hour after I got home I was in the bathroom and sick. Now it is 8 hours later and I'm still feeling the wrath of the wretched food. Please, save yourself the money and pain and DO NOT GO HERE! -
Review from peter f.
Irvine, CA
9/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here a lot for both business and personal. I always get the french dip with sweet potato fries. I also try and get a beer but for some reason this brewery seems to always be out of beer...
Now the french dip was interesting. It was dry. How the fuck can you produce a dry french dip? Now I said this to the people I was with and they didn't believe me. They said I just wasn't dipping it long enough. But sure enough, after they tried drowning the sandwich in the a jus for a good minute it still had a dry taste. The meat some how is consistently dry here. Extremely dry!
The sweet potato fries are the only reason this place has two stars instead of one. -
Review from Bruce B.
Irvine, CA
10/29/2011
Stopped her with my daughter for a quick sandwich about 3 PM on a Saturday afternoon. Not busy at all, 4 waitresses on duty. After being seated, we waited 10 minutes for our waitress (Michelle) to come by. She took our order and delievered it 15 minutes later then disappeared. The order was incorrect and we asked another waitress to send Michelle back. After 10 more minutes, I asked the busboy to send the manager. About 5 minutes later Michelle came back, listened to the problem (no cheese on the club sandwich) and took the sandwich back. After another 10 minutes, we got the sandwich correctly from the cook. Manager never did come by.
The food was slightly better than average so kudos for that. The service was as bad as I have encountered in the past few years. I will not go back.... -
Review from Kimberley H.
Laguna Hills, CA
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here late one night with a friend for drinks and dessert.
We sat at a booth in the bar and it was semi-loud, but that is to be expected. There were some idiots up at the bar doing shots and trying to sing along with the music, but they finally packed it up and went home.
I got two glasses of red wine and dessert and our waitress was really nice. We kinda pretty much closed the place down / were the last two people there and we never felt like we were being rushed out. I would totally come here again. I just wish there were a few more choices on the desserts. -
Review from Suong N.
6/22/2011
Look at all the recent five-star reviews. All from users with zero friends and little to no reviews, and they all sound similar. Shady!
The restaurant has an incredibly nice interior, I'll give it that. Food on the other hand, not so great.
I've been obsessed with ahi tuna poke lately. When I saw it listed under the appetizers I just had to try it. It arrived on a long platter with three wonton chips, each topped with the poke, with mixed greens tossed in a sesame-ginger dressing with wonton strips buried beneath. The flavors were good, and it was a nice presentation, but it just wasn't a good way of serving it. The chips were soggy from the poke sauce and salad dressing. The tuna was poorly cut and not fresh. Small and large chunks, and really stringy and mushy.
I wasn't too hungry so I just had the house salad as my entree. What a sad salad. It was just a pile of greens tossed in basalmic vinaigrette, and one tomato wedge. No croutons, carrots, cheese, anything. Not worth the $6!
Tried a bite of my boyfriend's District "Works" Burger, and it was completely flavorless. It had swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and bacon, and it didn't taste like anything! I also had a bite of my friend's French Dip, and it was SO dry! Even the au jus couldn't save it.
Service sucked. It seemed like our server was more interested in chatting it up with the large group of guys at another table than to check on us. My boyfriend asked to see the drink menu and she never came back with it.
Bottom line, the food here is mediocre at best and incredibly overpriced. I mean come on, $6 for edamame? $9 for like five onion rings? I'd rather go to BJ's. -
Review from Dave F.
10/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
We had an event in the bar. The food was good and the service was marginal. I'd give it another try as this was a really large group and perhaps too much for the Tustin folks to handle.
-
Review from Christopher B.
Long Beach, CA
5/8/2011
We went here for lunch and I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the outdoor patio and the fact it was half empty. We were seated in the sun so we could catch some rays! I had the lettuce wraps and not expecting much I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was perfectly grilled and seasoned and there was more than enough lettuce, sauces, cilantro, etc. It will definitely a dish I will get again in the future.
The people I was with had beer so I sampled their brown and amber. The brown was seasonal and okay. I just wasn't in the mood for something that heavy but it did have a nutty flavor to it. The amber was good. I wouldn't call it one of the best I've had but I'd consider ordering it next time. I think it would go well with food. -
Review from Tim S.
Irvine, CA
10/8/2011
If you've ever been to Southern California you've already been to, at minimum, five or six of these restaurants. There's no escaping them -- the half-assed Applebees clones that throw a half-assed brewing operation on the side as a differentiation strategy and call it a day. But if everybody's doing it -- and everybody is -- and if everyone's doing it badly -- and they are -- it ain't so differentiating anymore, am I right?
The food is basically edible but tremendously uninspired. There's maybe a hint of creativity in (I can't believe I'm saying this) the corny asides on the menu, and I'm sorry to report that's about as good as it gets. The Ahi tuna steak sandwich was a waste of a good fish, seasoned aggressively and drowned in a mediocre bun with bland burger fixin's. The shoestring fries are just okay, mostly because they've apparently been packed in salt; the steak fries reminded me of my high school's cafeteria version. The mac & beer cheese side (with a pile of diced, raw supermarket tomatoes on top?) and the ale & cheese soups are coronaries in a dish -- avoid them if you value your arteries; they're just not worth it. The one exciting visual presentation of the evening was the cowboy burger, which came with two gigantic onion rings between the buns -- but that just ended up being impractical. The beers were, I guess, fine. Service was spotty -- nothing grossly incompetent, but just slightly frustrating throughout.
There must be better options.Listed in: death by a thousand cuts
-
Review from Vanessa C.
Irvine, CA
8/20/2011
Huh... Interesting range of reviews... although I do feel bad for the people who got food poisoning, that should NEVER happen.. but my review is based off the times I've eaten there so here goes.
I've eaten here several times, including twice to celebrate my 21st and 22nd bday (the 21st was on my actual bday St. Patty's day). Ambiance was really fun on my 21st since everyone was happy (due to copious amounts of alcohol I'm sure) and all other times it seems like a place people go to watch the game or to have some grub. I do feel like if a group gets a little too loud... as when a game is on... the waiters should at least be able to ask the table to quiet down a little. I mean if I can't even hear the person in front of me talk there's an issue.
On to the food however. I say it's your typical American restaurant fare. The cobb salad, steak and hamburger I've had are all pretty decent here. What I've found to be my go to food are the hot wings. They are your typical hot wing flavor at any hot wing place, but the wings are HUGE. They price comparably to any other hot wing place out there but instead your getting more meat on your wing. If you're looking to grub on hot wings and beer, come here... the price is better for the size and taste of the wing and you'll probably end up saving money compared to going to other wing places. -
Review from sugi o.
6/28/2011
Decent bar type food... variety of items from burgers, to seafood, to salads, and steaks. The portions are humungO (like most of these joints) so you can definitely split a meal with someone...
I've been there twice now. the first time i had the pastrami sandwich and my brother had their Works burger that was $20. my brother and i both agreed that the burger was not worth it.. it was tasteless and there was too much bread in comparison to the burger itself. the pastrami sandwich was decent...
went again last night with the hubbo for a quick bite to eat (too lazy to cook after work!!). we shared the french dip sandwich and added a cup of soup. sandwich was tasty... french dip + horse radish mayo + au jus. oh and sweet potato fries! they were pretty damn good. i liked that the waitress didnt give us a hard time when we said we were going to split the sandwich too. i hate when people do that... yes, we dont want to gain 50 lbs and are trying to keep our indulgences under control. how is that any of your business?
my one gripe was that the cup of soup was $2.95 to add to the sandwich and it was literally 4 bites of soup. it had to be the smallest cup i have ever seen... -
Review from Alison S.
Irvine, CA
4/2/2011
Cockroaches!!!! I've been here several times, mostly just for drinks... which is great.
Last night we went for dinner and were seated in the back room. 2 very large cockroaches (maybe 3 inches long) scurried up the wall while we were eating. Saw them twice... and then one scurried under a door to go outside (WHY CAN LARGE INSECTS FIT UNDER A DOOR?) When we complained, managament brought only 6 of my 12 party group shots.
Probably won't ever be going back here. Really gross. -
Review from Eric B.
Updated - 6/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm updating my review, since I received a message from the owner of JT Schmid's apologizing for the food and offering me a gift card for my next visit. I thanked him for contacting me, but declined the gift card. Not because I won't be back, but I probably just won't use it. It'll probably be a long time before we head back here for lunch; just due to our lunch schedules and how often we actually get to eat out and sit down for lunch.
Thanks JT for contacting me.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/17/2011
I've been here a few times and the one thing I can say about the place is that it is consistent. Is… Read more »
-
-
Review from Craig D.
Huntington Beach, CA
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
What is up with this place? The one in Anaheim is a great sports bar with great beer. This place is just confusing. Is it a sports bar? A chic martini bar? Something else? We came to watch the Sunday night football game and they turned the TV audio off at 6pm before the 1st quarter was even over and put on the worst music mix ever. Who knew deaf people owned iPods?!?!? If you want to watch sports and drink good beer, go to the Anaheim location or head to Karl Strauss in Costa Mesa.
-
Review from Karl L.
Costa Mesa, CA
7/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here twice now and had a good experience both times. This last time I had the French dip but I substituted the French roll for the brioche, and let me tell you - that's the way to go! The au jus is tasty and so are the sweet potato fries. I washed it down with their 22oz Emil's Amber which I would give a 6.5 out of 10. Got to try the halibut which was delicious too.
Out of the blue our waiter was nice enough to comp us a bread plate that had some awesome pretzel bread with honey-butter which helped to make up for interrupting our conversation every time he approached the table without so much as an 'excuse me' - is a little courtesy too much to ask? Overall service was solid though and the atmosphere was everything you would expect from a mall-situated brew pub. -
Review from Vic A.
Irvine, CA
3/30/2011
I've given this place a few tries, and each time I was sorely disappointed. The service has always been fairly bad, but the food is downright terrible.
I've had the hamburgers, pizza, and a handful of specialty dishes, and each one is super generic and bland, or over -cooked, etc. I can't even remember what the food tastes like, other than bad. I do remember the french fries though... bad. How do you screw up fries?? The worst part is the food isn't very cheap either!
Take my last meal here, for example. The BBQ chicken sandwich. The bun was stale, the chicken lukewarm, and the bbq sauce might as well have been ketchup and sugar. As a bonus, the steak fries were undercooked and could barely be chewed. For this honor, I was awarded a 65 minute wait from the time i placed the order, to when the food was placed in front of me. And it cost me nearly $14. Thanks.
Great atmosphere, absolutely terrible food and service. Avoid this one.
