The view is the reason people come -- and it's worth it. One of the best views of the Raleigh sky line. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. The food isn't amazing, but it's solid and enjoyable. The beer is brewed at this location and doesn't disappoint.
Boylan Bridge has the best views in the city. The food and beer are good enough; not the best in the immediate area but good and combined with the awesome outdoor seating makes the place worth a visit. Anytime someone visits from out of town on a nice day I try to bring them here.
One of the best patios and views of downtown! They got a new brewer who s working on new beers and the strong golden was excellent. Every time we ve been here the servers have been incredibly nice and hospitable!
The food was just okay. They didn't have their local beers when we went. And the place seems really cheap and sketchy.
Went to this place last weekend and it was awful. Below are my experiences:
1. Took roughly 30 minutes for the waitress to get our group's first round of beers and take our food orders.
2. My group did not get one refill on our drinks the entire time we were there, which was roughly 1.5 hours.
3. When we decided to leave, the waitress told us "they usually don't allow separation of checks for groups of 8."
In which she is right and very nice to do it for us. She hinted for a larger tip and it is well deserved considering we do understand it takes a while to separate a large group's check.
4. Lastly which was the last straw. My bill was 10 dollars and i had some cash on my so i tipped the waitress $3 dollars even though our group never got refills, but i decided to give her a nice tip since she did separate our check. When my bank statement came through, i noticed my bill ended up being $11 dollars....Yes i know what you are think...just a dollar. And yes it is just a dollar but the fact is that is illegal to alter a customer's check.
So for you people who go out there just beware of the waitress Carmen. I will assume that since she was my waitress, she is the one who altered my check. Also, i need to mention that when my group went there, there was only 1 group inside but a good amount outside. So it is possible they were understaffed at that time.
Great view at sunset and evening. Dog-friendly patio, has some rain cover. Our waitress was friendly and prompt. Other staff members checked on us.
Food was a bit slow but the view is nice and the atmosphere pleasant.
The onion rings were good. The grilled Romain lettuce needs improvement, I think the lettuce itself was not fresh.
Our beer and cocktail were good.
Best view of downtown Raleigh at sunset. And good beer too! Service can be a little slow at times.
This place was foul. Walking around the corner of the restaurant (before I realized I was at the destination), I remarked there was a horrible, dirty restaurant smell and to remind me to never eat at the place. When I turned the corner and realized this was our destination, we all decided we would definitely not eat anything. The bathroom was dirty and the interior was outdated and dirty. The tables outside are mismatched and not cleaned off properly. There were grease stains all over the unsealed picnic tables. Service was equally terrible. Our server was nice enough but to get a beer and a mule, and two waters took about 25 minutes and the mule was horrid and we never even got the water. They didn't even have their own beer available. The only way this place is open is because the patio and view is awesome. Hopefully the current owners will go away and this place can get a face lift and a deep cleaning.
Great beer. The pale ale is very tasty. Would recommend to anyone who loves beer
Beer was great food was good as well. Needs more vegetarian options on the menu.
One of the better views in Raleigh as it overlooks the city. The beer is pretty good and the apps are delicious.
One of the best places to relax. Don't expect too much. Its definitely worth to try.
New brews on the menu, very good, excellent vegetarian sandwich, the best sweet potato fries I've had.
Bartenders and staff are really awesome. Beer was good and would go back!
The view is awesome! philly cheese steak looks like dog food and the eastern Carolina bar b que sandwich was served cold, food took about 1.5 hours. beer 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.
We stopped here on Sun. evening and wow, what a view from their large deck! We were pleasantly surprised by the menu options and the food we ordered was all very good. Our drinks were good, too, but their sweet potato fries were, honestly, the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD. And I get them everywhere. These were perfect - thin and crispy with fantastic flavor - cooked just perfectly. Honestly I will go there again just for these fries! No joke. And I live in Durham.
Service is hit or miss. The view is classic though!
Stopped by for a quick dinner with the family. John was great and the food and beer were on point. Best onion rings around.
Harris Teeter Philly cheese steak is about 5 times better, without exaggeration. I was surprised!
Indoors very small. Outdoors is an amazing space with an unrivaled view of downtown. The food is typical bar junk. No surprises here, pleasant or otherwise. The beer is a surprise. It's good. If you're hitting breweries downtown, this one is worth it.
The view is very nice, if you cannot sit outside and enjoy the view then go somewhere. With that out of the way: the food/beer is either average or sub-par depending on what you get and the service is absolutely awful. I've only been once and I had low expectations going in based on the other reviews on Google. Lets just say the expectations were met. The couple of sandwiches my wife and I tried were okay; the fries that came with them were pretty good. The pretzel appetizer is as if they heated up frozen pretzels and the accompanying cheese dip was gross flavor-wise and consistency; they should change to mustard from a bottle instead so that it's at least passable. The beers weren't the worst I've ever had but they weren't as good as any of the other Raleigh breweries. The service would be an improvement if you just placed orders yourself and walked up to pick up the orders. Our waitress forgot my first beer order entirely, we couldn't flag her down to take our orders for about 25 minutes, she forgot our appetizer order, our waters never got refilled, and then we couldn't flag her down to get our check. This place would never been in business if it weren't for the view. That said, I would take friends/family here in the future but only if we can sit on their outside patio. Set your expectations very low and you won't be disappointed.
Need to remove items not available from menu, bring back low-fat free alternatives to fries, and retrain insolent useless waiter.
Awesome location and view, good food, but the service is subpar. Would not recommend the Hopped Off the Tracks IPA...
Best view in Raleigh, yet the offerings and service is the worst in Raleigh. This place is really going to waste.
Emily and John were awesomely friendly. Great whiskey and beer!
Their spacious outdoor seating features the best view of the city you'll find in Raleigh. The beer is solid (try nearby if that's what you truly crave) and the food is decent (head up Boylan to Moonlight if you want some grub), but on the right night you can't beat the atmosphere here.
Boylan Bridge Brewpub is a special place for my wife and me, because it is where we went on our first date. The food is average, but the beers are good (I particularly like the Scottish ale) and the view of Raleigh's skyline is totally unique. It can be a fun place to hang out with friends or a incredibly romantic spot if you can get a table away from the crowds.
This is the first brewpub that only served their own beer, only 6 types.... 5 if you count the 2 made with coffee. Who only serves 6 beers in a pub? $5 a glass too. Ripoff.
Anyway, the waitress was scarce and we had to go inside just to get our check which had stuff we didn't order on it. The other waitress was nice and promp, guess we got the bad luck of the draw. The food looked good but all we could get was an order of onion rings from the fat waitress before the other came over while we decided to leave. We told her we would love to have some more about 20 minutes ago. She was nice but the big girl needs to hustle and stop spending her time in the empty inner store while all the customers are outside. Get a clue and maybe you can earn a tip.
Don't go here until they clean the outside up. It's dirty outside and the service and beer selection needs improvement.
Great staff, good food, and I highly recommend the brews that Brad Wynn has been making! Happy this place is open again.
This is a really cool place. It has plenty of local brews, great food, a beautiful design, and plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy a lovely view of the downtown Raleigh skyline. It's a great spot for a family afternoon lunch or a date, with plenty of street parking nearby. I highly recommend it!
The place has an awesome view of Raleigh. Definately a place to go once the weather gets warmer to have a few beers with friends and just chat. The beer is good, you can sample a view to figure out which one you like.
I'm a Raleigh native and have been to the Brewpub many times over the years. Last night I got a private tour from the owner, Andrew, and it went from a cool spot with great views to one of my favorite places in downtown Raleigh. Boylan Bridge Brewpub is the best spot in town to grab a bite, a drink, and unwind at the end of the day
I'm no expert, but I know a good brew, and I know a good pub. This is neither. Food and beer were bland. Saving grace is it's view, which is top 5 in the city. Someone said it in an older post, go for a quick pint and the view, nothing else
My family and I came in on a Sunday to grab dinner. Everything was fine, we ordered our food and that s when the issues started. I ordered the BBB cheesestake, my boyfriend and son ordered wings. The wings my son ordered were great. When my boyfriends food cane it was the pineapple wings Instead of garlic Parmesan. My cheesesteak was cold to the touch so i walked the food back inside. The gentleman cooking said they didn t have garlic Parmesan wings, but they were on the menu. He then said okay after a few words with the watriess. They then clearly stuck my food in warmer, but it still didn t make it warm. All they had to do was cook me another one. So imagine my face when i bit into another Luke warm sandwhich. The wings we received the second time were regular and he really wanted the garlic Parmesan . Neededles to say after waiting almost an hour for food, we are now at the Ale house.....starving.
I ve been a couple of times since management has changed, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much BBB has improved. Great service and drinks, and you can t get a better view in town. I m excited to continue coming to see how it develops!
So the best views in Raleigh may be a bit of a stretch, but Emily was absolutely the best service I have had in Raleigh. I travel here quite a lot, and would rather have attention than views. If you want to be attended to, request Emily. Beers were not the coldest, but service was something from a 5 star restaurant. Cocktails were great, food was delicious, service was almost like I had know them for years. I ll be back when I travel to raleigh!
-Blair
Good food and average beer, the view of downtown is great
Good beer and one of the best views in Raleigh. Food is your typical pub grub and at that I would say its on the lower end of that. Service is consistently horrible. The wait staff is so rude. Half of the time I go there the waiter will take our order and after dropping off the food never come back. I have gone there been seated and have waited over 20 minuits to have a waiter come over. I am always amazed at how rude the wait staff is.
Best view of Raleigh anywhere...however since it opened I have been there a few times a year and every time the beer is not very good, food is OK, service is about the same. Still a place to take someone new to the area, but then walk away.
Nice views and some crisp beer. If you want both at the same time just hangout here and you wont be disappointed.
Such a great stop for good food, beer, and a great environment. So close to downtown yet removed from the chaos. It has amazing city views from the deck!
Their beer is good but not great. I enjoyed the summer ale and their amber. The nachos were a good size but adding meat made them a bit pricey. From the outdoor seating area they have a great view of the city and I found their WiFi to be plenty fast enough to use for work. The servers were very attentive and friendly - I would definitely come back.
Worst experience of my life. it was horrendous do not go. My friends and I went when it wasn't busy at all and the server was awful and forgot to get our to-go boxes, forgot our waters, and forgot to pick up our checks. We asked to talk to the manager and he said he would refund our meal.... After several days we call back and he finally agreed to give us 1/3 of our money back? cool view. literally the only thing going for them. at least its only a step away to jump over once you get incredibly sick of the service.
Servers were nice but we did not see them often. View is great and worth a trip. This is a great place to go if you have time to burn.
Went there for lunch. Long waits. Waiter disappeared for half an hour at a time. We were bugged by other guests a lot...
We were told there was a 15 minute wait for outdoor seating so we grabbed a beer at the bar. The bartender was nice and quick and the beer was good. However, we waited about 45 minutes before being seated outside. When we were seated, it was another 15 minutes before a waiter came to our table (we actually had to go seek one out, it was like we were invisible!). Then, another 15 minute wait for an appetizer to arrive and lunch order to be taken...another 45 minute wait for lunch entrees.
Then, another 20 minute wait for our check! It added up to a whopping 2 hours of waiting...By that time, we were roasting in the sun and becoming very impatient because we had other things we wanted to do that afternoon! It was very time consuming and frustrating and we just wanted to leave.
ALSO, we were seated by the wall in front of the view and there were people constantly crowding around our table taking pictures and interrupting us to take pictures of them. We were happy to do it at first, but after the 3rd group asked we felt annoyed. It became very intrusive. (Not the restaurant's fault...just something to consider).
We had a fantastic time at BBB. We enjoyed the view of the skyline and the staff was very engaging!
Great food, good beer, excellent view, dog friendly & good people.
Great brewpub with the best view in town. They just reopened and it is definitely a place to go for good food and cold beer! Check it out you won't be sorry!
Their new hours of operation are Monday - Friday 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm & Saturday - Sunday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm!
I was there last week with a family get-together. We had a delicious burger, wedge salad, and grilled cheese
with soup and all were great. Plus I tried the beer (great!) And my daughter had a scrumptious old-fashioned. Atmosphere is neighborhood/rustic, service is friendly and prompt, a great neighborhood joint!
I don't understand how this place has so many great reviews when our experience was the opposite of five star. The beer was decent, the view was great but the service needs severe work. Slow and unorganized on all accounts. The potential is there but staff development is a must.
Extremely underrated place! Locals flock to the place for the awesome view great food and service! One of my favorite places in the area honestly and will continue to come for the best onion rings I ve ever had!!!!
The view is amazing. The beer is good. The bar food is ... bar food, i'd say above average. The service takes awhile. I read reviews that called the servers incompetent hipsters, that is just mean. The food just takes a long time, thats just the way it is there. Also saw a review complaining about cockroaches outside..... This is NC, there are always cockroaches outside in the summer- everywhere. Overall, its OK. The view is what makes it worthwhile.
Great bean burger, especially with added cheese and avacado. Fantastic view. Very dog friendly.
The only thing going for this place is the view of downtown. Other than that,
bring your own whiskey, since its not a full bar. Limited choices.
This place is up and running again. Food and drinks are basic.
Easily my favorite place to eat. Great dinner and lunch entrees, especially the fish tacos and the Asian wrap. I love that they substitute tofu for many items, making it highly vegan/vegetarian friendly. And their porter, bitter, and altbier are supremely good! Huge fan.
The food was fabulous. But even as a table of two, we waited 30 mins for our food. The cocktails were really watered down.
Great view and food. Good place to watch football while taking in the scenery.
Every time I go to BBB, I wish it was better. The outdoor seating is so enticing, that I trick myself into thinking I'll have good food, here, too. The sad thing is, you could have better (and hotter) food at McDonald's.
If they actually made an effort to have great food, this place could be a destination that people come to for more than their view. However, they don't have to try, so they don't. It's a shame.
Eat somewhere else, and go here for drinks on the deck.
I love the rail pale ale and the spicy chicken philly. I do admit the service sucks only on busy days. If its nice outside its going to be busy. Its like they don't hire enough people to wait on you. The view of downtown is probably one of the best!
