Elizabeth Pratt Review of Growlers Beer Bistro
I don't know quite what to say- we keep coming bac...
I don't know quite what to say- we keep coming back but every time we do, we say it's our last. Pros, first: The beers are great with a rotating selection that keeps things fresh and seasonal. The food is usually good- they stick to a heavy-duty pub food and do fairly well with it. Nothing fancy and nothing remotely healthy. Parking is amply available in the attached lot.
Where this place falls down is service. We(my husband and I, or us with our two children) have never made it out in less than an hour, no matter how little we order or what time we come. We've been there as the only table in the place- 1 hour for two drinks and two burgers. As one of fifteen tables- 1:30. The wait staff seems to spend at least as much time on cigarette breaks as they do on serving tables. Their attentiveness to pub-basics like making sure empty glasses are quickly exchanged for full ones (if only from a profit motive) is astonishingly lacking. We do seem to have the same waitress every time, so perhaps there are real standouts but I doubt it. I've seen diners give up on their waitress and walk up to the bar to get their own refill. Something is seriously wrong if that's happening.
Again, I guess it says something for the quality that it's still the best burger and beer in town but they really test my patience every time I come.

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