the J. Clyde

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

As a family man with two small kids, I dont get to go out for dinner or drinks much. So when I do go out, its very important that I have a good experience. Which is why my first choice is always the Clyde. Sometimes my wife pulls us somewhere else, but fortunately she also enjoys hanging out at the Clyde. The most important thing to note is that they have the best beer selection in Alabama, period. I got a chuckle reading the review here in which the person commented, "They had no domestic draft, only imports." That fellow is obviously a dedicated Bud, Miller, or Coors drinker. The reality is that a majority of taps at the Clyde are domestic in the sense that the beers are brewed in the U.S. They just happen to be brewed by small craft breweries, not colossal multinational corporations. Youll find Rogue, Brooklyn, Sweetwater, Terrapin, Lazy Magnolia and many more. The Clyde has a standing order with the beer distributors to get any new beer in as soon as it hits the warehouse. Unfortunately, theyve gotten a reputation as mostly a beer bar, and little respect for their excellent food. They deserve the reputation as the best beer bar in the state, but they also deserve recognition for their fine dining choices. They have a cheap, pub menu with food options I suspect make up most of their food sales, but they also have a menu of more expensive entrees that rival any fine dining establishment in Birmingham. I have had a few experiences with sub par service. But I have also had many experiences with great service. I understand that finding and retaining good help in the food service industry is difficult, and the Clyde is still young. And it wasnt started by someone with existing ties to the restaurant industry, and its not a chain with an existing reputation that could attract the best servers in town. It was started by an engineer with a vision for offering a unique experience for beer and food in Birmingham. Considering the many things that make the Clyde great, I have patience for occasional mess ups on the service front. Be sure to ask about their monthly appetizer and beer pairing events and their regular beer dinners -- they are the only establishment in Alabama doing events like these. And ask if they have a cask pouring at the moment. The location is great, the ambiance is great. Its small, locally-owned and operated. And you must check it out.

A

A Private User

If youre in B-Ham and in the mood for a beer I seriously doubt youll find a better selection or knowledgeable staff anywhere around town. Alabama was a beer desert for years before the recent change to their beer laws to allow anything over 6.0%ABV and these guys are an oasis in a Bud Light town. They have beer specials so be sure to ask in the event that they dont offer. (but they probably will) The only thing keeping them from getting a five star rating was the food and if I could give a 3.5 then I totally would (averaging a 5 for beer and a 2 for food). Beer cheese soup was fantastic but choice of garlic croutons overpowered the more delicate flavors of the soup. It was better without the croutons and Id suggest a plain rye crouton if they want the crunchy texture and a complimentary flavor. I ordered the house burger but wished I hadnt when it arrived. It looked like a frozen patty had been tossed on the grill and it was obvious that it was way past well done and dry. The fried green tomato on it was a nice addition but they need to drop the standard lettuce, pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion garnish and really make this thing pop with a special sauce like a remoulade. The sweet potato chips seemed fresh but had a kind of "skin" with mushy insides. If theyre freshly cut, they need to learn how to blanch them ahead of frying. In fewer words, they need to hire a real chef if they want to take the food to the next level, especially in a neighborhood with much better restaurants, unless theyre going for a totally authentic British pub feel with bad food and all. They did have a separate full menu and perhaps that is better but it wasnt offered on Mondays. If other folks comments are an indication, I doubt it is better. In summary: drink here, eat dinner somewhere else.

CA

Carlos Hudson Jr

I went with a group of friends for their birthday. The waitress seemed overwhelmed from the start when she greeted us. As the evening went on she rarely checked on her, we had to ask could she take our orders. When she finally took our orders she never came back to let us know that our food would be coming up. She failed to keep the drinks served, check on us, and even ask us if we wanted an appetizer. When she did bring drinks she gave the wrong drinks to the wrong people. After several people asked where the food, she still never gave us an update. We even asked other waiters for help they did not want to help, Im guessing because they were not getting part of our waitress gratuity. After being there for hour and half our burgers and chicken fingers finally came out. She bought out burnt fries with one of the burgers, she went and got the manager and he had the nerve to say "they look fine to me, this is the way I prefer mine, do you mind if I have one" -- Im thinking am I not the consumer I decide how I want my food not you. How can someone in customer service tell you how you like your food. As we began to eat our food they never informed us that we being up charged for extra sauce. She never came back to check on us. She even failed to bring us the check but had the never to get upset when she combined a ticket for two who werent with each other. I will never refer anyone to eat here or visit here. Customer service is terrible. The Food is horrible

SA

Sarah Nee

I am going to break this down. One of the people in our group paid $11 for a watered down half shot of scotch which our waitress made excuses for and made no effort to resolve. Our fries were soggy and tiny, nearly crumb-like. I waited 20 minutes for a glass of lemonade. One person in our group waited 35 minutes for 1 beer after ordering. The waitress, Lauren, was off putting, rude, and extremely inattentive. 1 hour for our food to arrive (one of the people in our group did not get his food until the rest of us got our checks and he ordered at the same time!) When one of the probably 6 checks got mixed up the waitress (again, Lauren) returned with what appeared to be the largest man from the kitchen to rudely assert that one of us did not pay as if we tried to dine and dash on a $28 tab. Not to mention the added gratuity that she did NOT DESERVE, we were essentially charged extra for terrible service, soggy food, and wasted time. We will not return and we will not recommend to anyone. I can not make a single positive remark. To top it all off the manager blamed us for the bad service saying we were passive aggressive with the server which is irrelevant to the wait time and poor food. We were also told that they were experiencing a rush which is shocking considering the mass amount of empty tables. Here, not only is the customer NOT right, they are the source of the problem apparently. Disappointing to say the least considering other reviews are positive.