Karl Strauss Brewing Company, San Diego CA

Fluke accident where our drink ticket got lost behind the printer. The bartender was quick on catching that we had our delicious ahi taco appetizer prior to our drinks. He quickly brought out our original order along with some tasters of beers that complimented what we already ordered. We appreciated the service! The stout was my favorite.

Older taphouse/pub, definitely older feeling to the establishment.
Good selection of beers. Service was good. Tasted nearly every beer there, I ended up liking the Red Trolley Ale.
I did not have food here and regret it now - it looked very good. Would stop by here again when I'm in the area.

They were very short staffed yesterday but what few staff there was they did an excellent job. The food was hot and fresh when it came to the table. We ordered the garlic boneless wings, poke nachos, 4 burgers and drinks. My only complaint is that the drinks took forever to come to the table.

PSA:
Because I feel the rating system (stars in this case on Google) is an unfair process that forces readers to judge quickly and doesn't give the establishment a fair shake, I will give ALL reviews 5 stars and then a detailed review below. If you want to know how my experience was, you will have to read the review in full.

This is a small local chain I. San Diego, and it carries it's own beers, as well as other beers. There was a range of 4 IPA's during my 2 visits, and I did a tasting of them on my first visit, as well as trying their sausage entree.

I enjoyed the beers, with Boat Shoes being the favorite, a juicy hazy IPA that was solid and balanced with a focus on bitter hops. The sausages were ok, nothing memorable; felt like food that had been prepped in advance and warmed to order. The mustard sauce was very potent, prob too much for the sausages, but quite tasty. The green beans were incredibly over cooked, again pointing to precooked food that was reheated and served.

Service is order at the counter, or use a QR code. My second visit the QR code was offline, and although there was signage, it was not clearly posted. So I spent about 10 minutes trying to order a beer online and was rather frustrated by the time I gave up and stood in line to get the beer. Not a huge miss, but it would have been better to place signs on each QR code to save customers time and frustration.

Not a ton of places in the downtown area, so this was more convenient than anything else. If you need a beer and a quick meal close to a downtown hotel, this should fo the trick. But this is not a true craft brew pub that takes their menu as seriously as their beers.

Very fast service, servers were very helpful in the ordering process, beer and food was awesome, just to let everyone know, it's no open tabs, pay as you go

I had a Korean rice bowl that was not up to their usual top notch standards, I gave them a call because the rice was not hot and under cooked they apologized and told me to come in for a fresh one, it was ready and perfectly made when I came back in for it. They are 9/10 on food and drink and when they do miss, they make sure to make it right by the customer and make you happy. Thanks guys I had a great time here.

So, so good. Everything - including the beer - is awesome. I love how pet friendly the front deck is, and the beer pretzels are out of this world.

One of the best dining experiences I have had living in San Diego! Love the patio.and the the guys and gals there are super cool!

Food was really good. Friend & I got same Chopped chicken salad. Service was a little weird -all walk in with Q codes at table & services brings food but unfortunately never got second round of drinks because no one came around? I would go back for the food but service could use some extra care

This location is absolutely amazing. The care and attention from the staff can. Not. Be. Touched! Awesome staff, great food, delicious beer.

Great outdoor and indoor environment. Staff engaged and interactive.caring and attentive. Beer choices are fun and local! If you want a fun outdoor experience.stop by!

Always good food and great beer. They will always seat you pretty quickly. One of our reliable, consistent downtown spots. Their patio is dog friendly.

Came here solo while visiting from out of town looking for a low key dinner; ate towards the end of the night. COVID service is either order at the bar for to-go or grab your own table and order via QR code. This felt pretty impersonal to me, and that was emphasized during the meal. I only saw a server when dropping off my beer or burger. No one to ask questions nor any check ins from staff through my meal. Grass-fed burger was average. Upgraded to the truffle fries which were good, no truffle aioli with the side however, Beer menu was largely IPAs, a few other choices for those that prefer other styles. Overall not particularly impressed.

Would you like a rich historical experience with your lunch? Well come enjoy some amazing food and beer while you look up the great icon Karl Strauss.

Blown away by the customer service and care here. After an excellent meal I purchased several 32oz Crawlers of a particularly good stout. The lids on the cans didn’t seal properly and I had to return them later with much sadness. They fully refunded me for the purchase and provided two bottles of their rare specialty brews to bring home for free as an apology for the inconvenience - absolutely phenomenal experience, thank you guys so much.