Breakside Brewery - DEKUM
| Address: | 820 NE Dekum St, Portland, OR 97211, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-719-6475 |
| Site: | breakside.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
BE
Ben Schultz
Even though Breakside is not convenient, my wife and I have been going to Breakside for quite awhile now. If I wrote this review yesterday I would have given them 5 stars and Im the type of person where a 5 star review means I really do LOVE the place... 5 stars means more than just a good product or service as it means that I have had more than a couple lovely and/or important shared experiences at a place with people I love. Breakside isnt close to our home, or work, or any of our friends places, so we always have to choose to go there. Weve both worked in the service industry and feel pretty in tune with customer service so I believe our expectations arent outlandish. Were good tippers (15% means Ive had a terrible time but I respect that people have off days) and usually pleasant no matter life circumstances. My wife says the nachos are her favorite in town and I love Breaksides beers and their carnivore mac n cheese - and this is coming from somehow who grew up on mac n cheese in the Dairyland. So, earlier tonight my wife had a pregnancy craving for Breakside nachos. Pregnancy cravings can be serious business so I cancelled plans with a good friend and we drove past a few places with good nachos and places with cheaper nachos in order to get Breakside nachos. We justified the visit even though were over in our Eating Out budget (trying to prepare for our first kid). Knowing that it was a Thursday night, we also expected a wait but none of these were deterrents as we headed to a place where weve had multiple great meals/beers/experiences at. Even at 19 weeks pregnant, were a pretty even keel couple and not much can get us riled up but by the time we got our food, we had already felt ignored and under-appreciated. The beer, of course, was great and the food was just what we wanted but the only reason tonight wasnt a terrible experience was because the guy who checked us in was great. (seriously, thank you for being sweet, genuine and engaging!) Without the hosts saving grace, this would have been one of the worst restaurant experiences weve had in awhile here in Portland. The service was mediocre enough to make us think back on past experiences with a different mindset - was the service ever that good? Did we ever feel listened to? Or was I distracted by good beer and mac n cheese? Or that one random time the guy behind the bar asked me if I was from Wisconsin and gave me an Aaron Rogers magnet? In a place like Portland where good food and beer is plentiful, the product is not the main reason why you go out somewhere. We choose to go out somewhere because of the service or the environment or the occasion, just as much as the food. To be frank, we have had great service at Breakside but, overall, the service is typically okay. The waitresses (I dont think weve ever had a waiter there) are acceptably accommodating and timely but theres rarely much interaction or connection. The beer has always been some of my favorite, but never the reason we go there. Tonight, we felt ignored, under-appreciated, and saw people around us, who came in later and ordered later, get their nachos and mac n cheese before us. As a modern American male non-emotional robot, I was trying to figure out why I felt an emotional response to this experience. We talked about the experience almost the whole way home and then it dawned on me what had happened - Breakside just went from a place Ive Loved to a place I now just Like. The saying about customer service does seem true - it takes more than one good experience to make up for a bad customer service experience. I am bummed as I write this review because Im realizing this might have been our last Breakside visit in awhile. I doubt my wife will want to go back to Breakside for the remaining 5 months of her pregnancy and, from how bummed she was tongith, I probably wont want to, either. With some big life changes coming up, I dont know when well be able to go back again and its a sad way to part.
A
A Private User
A couple of us tried the sampler which included their flagships; dry stout, Aztec (brewed with habaneros & chipoltes), IPA, a cranberry infusion, rye, strong nw saison and one other... I forgot. They just didnt seem to have the character of McMenamins or Laurelwoods or Hop Works. However, their Imperial Pumpkin Stout was delightful! You cant get it on the sampler... its a bit more expensive. But, better yet were their happy hour dishes. OMG! the mussels were to die for! And their hummus had plenty of "character" and the pulled pork and Italian sausage sliders were very tasty. Even their pickled onions were great! I would definitely go back for the food. And we had all that for $30! Also, the waitress was so sweet and efficient.
A
A Private User
Only place in town that I could still find Dogfish Punkin on tap, or in bottle for that matter. Breakside beers are now on the taps, and are impressive. The staff are kid friendly, and the kids menu isnt dumbed down. No Kraft mac & cheese here (yay!), though you will find yummy mac & cheese. Ive tried many menu options, and the only thing I wouldnt order again is the jalapeno poppers. The food alone is a reason to come here, the beer alone is a reason to come here, the food AND the beer make for a really nice, unpretentious evening. I love this place, my hubby loves this place, my 18 month old loves this place. Five stars on all accounts. Keep up the great work, Breakside!
DA
Dawn Wagner
I love Breakside! The fact that they offer quite a few healthier items at a brewery is what sells me the most! Im slightly obsessed with the Superfood Kale Salad (plus chicken). Ive also tried the poppers (which actually have a bit of a kick to them - I like spicy), blue cheese waffle fries (umm, yes), and buffalo chicken wrap. All were great. Portions were appropriate and comes at typical brewery prices. Beer is always on point too! This place is usually packed but efficient. During the warmer months they offer quite a bit of outside seating too. I went once with around 10 people - our server handled us with such patience and grace. I really appreciate this place!
JA
Jason Donaldson
Spinach cheese dip with bread (insert fancy fake name here) = cold soup with 3 pieces of bread, celery, carrots and some greasy tortilla chips. The host asked me to move tables twice while I was waiting for friends, then proceeded to ask me (while sitting at a table for four with one other person) if it was going to be an hour before they got there because there were 40 people waiting...there was one group of five at the door. Overall, the other servers were good, but there was no organization in place, no house beers on tap, very overpriced and in a pretty sketch neighborhood.
KA
Kathleen Anson
Well-executed, slightly upscale pub grub - the chorizo stuffed jalapenos are fab. So is the warm spinach salad. So is the cuban sandwich. Beers are creative (spruce tips, hot peppers, etc) and continually improving. This has become one of my favorite breweries in Portland. They tend to make beers I like, even in styles I generally dont. The space is nice and attractive - well-laid out with lots of natural light. The oversized benches outside are so inviting, but usually full. They have great staff too, that know their beer and seem to genuinely enjoy their job.
