Alvarado Street Brewery

Reviews 4

PA

Paul Caruso

Summary(5/5): Excellent culinary establishment!! Highly recommended for visitors and locals alike. Craft beers brewed onsite are Awesome! Great staff and service. Environment engenders an open atmosphere for groups, families, and individuals. Brilliant addition to Old Monterey. Brewery(5/5): As a local Monterey IPA fan who has visited Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa, CA. several times to fix my Pliny itch, we are gifted by getting a local establishment that delivers the goods and saves the drive. The Brewers offer a changing mix that has been tantalizing me for the past few months. I’m stopping by several times a week. Testimonial: I have been enjoying the Cindercone IPA from the recent batch (Feb-March 2015). They got something right here. Darker color and intentional smoky flavor. Amazing thing is that enjoying two beers after work, a bike ride home, and gleeful smile attending to mid-evening business, there are NO morning after-effects from consuming alcohol the previous night (I’m a lightweight, so I notice these things - the effects of two Pliny the Elders, or other IPAs, are still present in the morning). I’ve tried this Cindercone experiment on three separate evenings over 10 day span with the same NO morning residual effects. Its kinda weird. Seems like the Brewers have concocted a Happy Health Food! Go Brewers! Service(5/5): Courteous, helpful, and professional. Staff is selected to high standards. There is a general good vibe that staff present. Cooks smile while talking with coworkers (very important to have low stress around food preparation, and food presentation reflects this). Bussers take the time to straighten items in cabinets. Extra effort is noticeable throughout the establishment. Testimonial: Needed to spend several hours reviewing work for impending symposium. Server was open and helpful in allowing me to occupy table (with several beers of course) that provided positive atmosphere to complete the task. Owners/Mangers are commended for building what appears to be good morale with their staff (an unfortunate rarity these days). Food(4.7/5): Only lost twinkle on the star rating is need for more vegetarian offerings. This may be a bit premature as they are trying (47 is prime anyhow - yeah, I’m a nerd). What is on the menu is great. Pesto flatbread is excellent pizza substitute (and less cheese!). Grilled asparagus is delightful (sans bacon). Appeals have been made for veggie burger, which they are working on. Chef is to be commended for trying different veggie burger combinations (some of which I have had) but pulling them back until they get it right. Alvarado Street Brewery is an intelligent, artful, and thriving addition to Downtown Monterey. Recommended for an eclectic experience, or if you just wanna drink some GOOD beer!

JO

Joel Steele

Best beer in town! Ive been to every restaurant in the Monterey area that offers an above average beer selection and THIS IS THE ONE! Not only do they brew their own beverages on site, making for a fresh and crisp compliment to EXCELLENT food, they are the only ones to offer such a VAST local selection of beverages! Service (5/5) - Every experience Ive had at ASB has been met with professional, courteous and very friendly (as well as personal) service! Ive visited 15+ times now, which is saying a lot considering they only opened up a few months ago. This can make for a small wait time if you want to be seated somewhere in particular but the bar is almost always open with text message wait service available! Food (5/5) - Ive had at least ten things off of the menu here and every single item has exceeded my expectations. My favorite is the Brewery Burger and the fries (original, I know) because it goes so well with the many incredible beers that are served here, freshly I might add, every night. The FLATBREADS are also an excellent choice and offer something for the whole table as an appetizer or can easily sate ones own hunger with many great flavors that can also be complimented with great tasting beer! Beverages/Beer (6/5!) - The ever-changing menu of beers is the highlight of this restaurant. Ive never gone out with less than three drinks under my belt and on all but one occasion where they were sold out (a testament to their quality) of all three top brews, I was beyond satisfied. The service is extremely knowledgeable as to what pairings are best with what foods and are more than happy to offer a sampler platter so you can get an idea as to what youd like to make your dining experience all it can be. IN COMPARISON: Peter Bs is a second, but not a close second by any means. It can be pricey for what is offered and doesnt offer the contemporary atmosphere or many qualities in which ASB tops them with (Service, selection, FOOD QUALITY). Cannery Row Brewing Company in comparison is an AWFUL CHOICE. Not only do they not brew any of their own beers *GASP* (how deceiving) but their quality of food and service are trumped ten times by both ASB and Peter Bs. The only redeeming quality (if you want to consider it one) of CRBC is its proximity to the tourist attractions. However, Alvarado Street Brewery is a gorgeous ten minute walk away regardless! Any and all that appreciate great food, atmosphere, EXCELLENT beer or all of the above would be VERY PLEASED with their choice in Alvarado Street Brewery.

J

J Lee

I hate to say this, but Alvarados is getting worse and worse. A few years ago, I rated them 5 stars. Even though I thought the food there sucked and was expensive, the beers more than made up for it. Then they served me an insanely gross, infected batch of Business Time XPA. It literally smelled like garbage and farts. My wife smelled it before I did and was like, "Did you fart?" I was like, "No ways." Then we both smelled the beer. It smelled so bad we had to return it. I cant believe they kept serving it. So, I lowered them to 4 stars. Now that they got rid of their weekend happy hour, I think theyre just OK. I mean, cmon, even the world renowned Russian River brewing has an all day happy hour on Sunday with even cheaper pints at $3 to $4. Theres really no good value in this place. The beers are expensive outside of happy hour. The food is really expensive and not good. Their imperial beers are just meh. Their regular IPAs are still really good, though. Thats the only thing I like about this place. For the weekends, youre better off going to Peter Bs. Better food, cheaper, and good beers too. edit: Wow, I was just served an $8 glass (3rd year Anniversary Ale) of 8oz beer during their happy hour. Even Ballast Point has $2 4oz pours of any of their imperial stouts any time of the day. Alvarado, you effing suck.

RY

Ryan Manzer

First the beer: Head brewer JC is both interested in classically representing long established styles such as Belgian blondes, crisp Pilsners, citrusy West Coast IPAs, and dark roasty porters, as well as experimenting with barrel aging, sours, and adjunct ingredients (The Muay Thai P. A. is a Mosiac hopped IPA with Thai chili a kefir lime leaf-VERY tasty). The beers are on a fairly constant rotation so even if you are showing up once a week there is probably something you havent tried. Also, as they are still getting started, the beers vary slightly from batch to batch. So just because youve tried the schwatzbier Salute Your Schwartz once, doesnt mean you know how it tastes the next time its in the line up. I continue to be surprised and impressed with this spot and cannot recommend it enough. The food is also of very high quality. While the menu options are not the most creative or ridiculous, they do what they do and they are very good at it. Everything is satisfying and pairs well with the beers on tap, which is the whole point. I love their flatbreads (pizzas) and the burger is a solid staple of bar & grill fare. All in all I think this place is a great location for locals and visitors. If you are making your first visit then make sure to grab yourself a tasting flight.