Travis Bailey

Review of Boylan Bridge Brewpub

Low quality food at a high price. Service was ok. ...

Low quality food at a high price. Service was ok. Great view of Raleigh's downtown skyline, and this location has a ton of promise. I only hope the quality improves.

After waiting for over a year for Boylan Bridge Brewpub to reopen I was excited to go back. I waited a few weeks after the opening to give some time for staff to be trained. The menu hasn't really changed from what I remember prior to the restaurant closing in 2015. We ordered two beers, a cheese quesadilla, and an order of fish and chips total came to $45. The beer was very flat. I was surprised since the beer on tap wasn't from Boylan Bridge Brewpub they were ordered from other breweries in the area while the brewpub's beers finish brewing. The quesadilla was very basic with cheap cheese melted between a flour tortilla. No guac or sour cream included, and the quality of the cheese tasted like it came out of a bag of kraft shredded cheese you'd get at the grocery store. The menu says the quesadilla was supposed to contain chicken, but I couldn't detect any, it's also supposed to be served with guacamole and salsa. For a $7 quesadilla the quality was extremely poor. The "Pacific Surfliner", or Fish and Chips, is listed on the menu for $11. I was eager for this dish as it had been removed from the menu when I last at at BBB in 2015. However, it was also a disappointment. The portions of fish were very small, four long fish sticks instead of the large robust pieces of fried white fish I'm used to. The fish had also been over fried giving it a burnt taste. No tartar sauce or vinegar was served with the fish. It was served on a bed of previously frozen french fries that were very plain.

Service was good at first, but quickly fell off. It took over 10 minutes to get a beer after ordering it. Food arrived promptly, but all accompanying sauces were missing and it took several minutes to flag down our waitress to get the missing items from the kitchen. After notifying staff we were ready to check out it took over 15 minutes to receive the bill, and process payment.

If the owner is reading this review I implore you to improve the quality of your food. I'm confident the beer will be good once it's finished brewing, and the service issues should clear up over time as long as there's not a ton of turnover. If the restaurant's prices are going to be at the same price point as restaurants like Parkside then aim to bring it up to par with their quality. This location enjoys a view of downtown that brings customers on its own. If the food was up to task this place would be at capacity for lunch and dinner.