Buddys Bites and Brews

I’ve been here before a couple times to eat and the food is just alright, and the service is usually great.
I came in for drinks and a snack with a friend today and the service was so SLOW toward the end of our dining experience. I don’t want to call anyone out but our server was so slow to get our checks. It took him a little over 30 minutes to bring us our checks and pick them up from the table and we’re still sitting here 10 minutes later. Business has picked up since I got here but geeze, what is taking so long? We’ve been here for a total of three hours now waiting on our check we just want to leave!!!
Btw we ordered a pipeline and it claims to be 6 glasses of beer and you can see from my pictures it was clearly not. They also almost charged us full price for it when it was supposed to the happy hour price ($ 5 off) if I didn’t speak up!
I plan on coming back again for drinks but this dining experience has been by far the worst Buddy’s :(

A little hit and miss with the food. First time there. fantastic food. Other times… meh. Last visit, chicken wings VERY undercooked! Scary!

The food was awesome, but this review is solely for Maria. She was fast, attentive, friendly, and amicable. I noticed that she had around 5 – 6 tables that she was taking care of, but she consistently wore a smile and made sure all tables were satisfied. It’s sadly become a rare occasion to receive good service at a restaurant but Maria was on top of her game!

Always a great go-​to for Beer and Bar food. Try the burgers… and pork belly skewers… mmm

I’ve been here twice previously.
The first time the food was decent. The second time was ok. This last time (tonight) was the final deciding factor that I will never go back to this place. The garlic fries were hard and covered in grease. I wasn’t even sure if my burger was actually ground beef. Everything was pretty bland and tasteless. Service was even worse than the food. Ended up getting my meal free and 50% off the other 2 meals. Drinks were good. But I won’t be back. My stomach hurts…

First timer last night and enjoyed!!! Went small on the food since we mainly came for a Pipeline. First thing I noticed was they serve Drakes Beer!!!
very nice customer service and food came out fast with our Pipeline of Drakes 1500! Will def be coming back to try out other dishes!
And I just saw that they have the «fish bowl» what? Gotta try that!

What the hell have I been doing with my life? I can’t believe I haven’t been to Buddy’s for Trivia Night before last night!
For all diehard trivia fans out there, on Wednesday nights, make sure you show up before 7:15 to sign up. The trivia theme changes weekly and is posted on their Facebook a day beforehand for a hint. Trivia starts at 7:30 and lasts 5 rounds. You write your answers down on a sheet, and there’s one question that you shout the answer out to at the end of every round. The third round is always an audio round of songs, movie clips, etc.
Teams are usually named something punny or pop culture-​related, and when their names are called they yell out something related to their name. I need to come correct with a better team name next time!
I have to say that I didn’t really understand the scoring system, with something about a sudden death round. But the first place prize is a $ 20 gift certificate! We weren’t playing to win since we only had two people.
My one complaint about the trivia was that the pace was a bit glacial — by 8:30, we were only at the end of round 3, and there was a 10 – 15 minute break after the round. There’s only one MC running the trivia, so it’s understandable, but be aware of this if you come for trivia, and time your meal appropriately. Next time we’ll get our drinks and appetizers and hold off on the entrees for a while.
Speaking of the food… it was a lot better than I expected it to be! Oh, and the drink I had (pineapple mojito) was just perfect. I didn’t taste any alcohol, it was delicious and didn’t get me too wasted. Maybe those who like their drinks stronger would disagree with me.
1up burger — SUPER tasty, my favorite thing we ate last night. Had hints of sweetness and crunchiness. It was a little overcooked for my taste and didn’t have any juice, but the toppings/​seasonings made up for it. The fries were pretty good too. Yum!
Crabamole — Didn’t taste the crab at all in this, but the guacamole was definitely freshly made. We added lemon.
Wings — Didn’t eat any of these but heard good things.
But let’s be real, most are coming here for the drinks/​atmosphere and the food is secondary. Even so, the food is pretty good!
I’ll be returning soon (probably next Wednesday…) to make up for lost time!

This is a cool spot. Hayward needs more places like this. The food is good bar fare but the staff is where they’re different. I can get a burger or nachos anywhere (although their nachos are my fav). The staff here is so freakin nice and you feel like family. It’s interaction with customers that makes a restaurant truly great.
Parking is plentiful. Prob won’t leave valuables in your car.

Hmm kinda odd that this place has almost over the top reviews.
Wasent anything to write home about. Came here to start off a friends 21^st b day with some early day bloody Mary’s.
And for me I stopped there.
Drink was good. Bartender was kinda a lame dude with an attitude. It wasent busy at all. Had both football and a basketball game on. When trying to engage in conversation with the bartender that was quickly shut down, like I wasent «cool» enough to speak with him. Had some friends meet up with us so we moved to a table for more room and to free up space at the bar. Tables were all broken? Oddly? Never been to a place to eat and all tables around u were lopsided or busted… Strange.
Random box of broken/​dirty toys mixed with their «arcade» right near all the tables. Like right in the middle of seating. I could only imagine being there having some grub and kids running all over.
Not to sure about this place. Had such high hopes, friends recommended it. But not sure I’ll be back.
_​_​_​_​EDIT IN RESPONSE TO THE OWNERS COMMENT_​_​_​_​
Im sure you wouldn’t think any of your bartenders have attitude, because then why would you have hired them. But the truth hurts.
It was made very clear when regulars came in and were shown very different attention.
And with your furniture, I completely understand, but i felt the need to note since, id say 98% of the places i would consider going to (fast food chains included) have furniture that is tidy, sturdy, and. well. taken care of.
Thanks for the comment though, so sorry to confuse, your little self. Hey, don’t think too hard about it, after all its just a review.
Cheers. Bro.

I am honestly pretty surprised by the awesome reviews of this place… I don’t know if it’s rated on a curve of the area or what… But I tried it here last night (to-​go) and wasn’t very impressed.
I kinda got the feel that they were trying too hard to be different rather than good.
Their fish and chips would be awesome– but they put a seasoning, like an Italian seasoning… Oregano… Something in it that makes it taste weird. I love fish and chips and these would be so great if they saved the Italian spices… It’s just an odd combo. My mom agreed. We tried the shrimp basket too and yep you guessed it same flavor. I think they had an abundance of little packets pizza places gave them so they just started adding that ish in everything.
The fish and chips and shrimp were a lot but between 3 of us we had no interest in eating more than one. Luckily the fries and sweet potato tots were good… But the spiced ketchup wasn’t good… Once again, I feel like they’re trying too hard to set themselves apart than just be good… Congrats you added cinnamon to ketchup… It tastes funny… and I paid 50 cents for a tiny thing of it… To throw it away.
The other ranches were decent tho… Tiny portions for 50 cents tho.
The shrimp and crab flatbread wasn’t very good either and I was wondering where you could go wrong with that… The crab tasted frozen… The sauce was a little overpowering… the flatbread was Meh… It didn’t get finished.
The only good thing I had was the crab salad sandwich. It was overall pretty good. The crab was cooked a little on the salty side, I would randomly get an over powering bite… But overall that Did get eaten.
Now the inside seems like a decent bar (especially for the area). And a cool place to hangout casually and get drinks…
Maybe the food would have tasted better if I was drunk…
But I just find the seasoning they randomly add to things to be different… Should be an option– some things– classics, don’t need it
2 stars for the crab sandwich. Otherwise… Probably won’t stop again.

I Unilocaled good food and this place came up in my search. So happy I did. I had the Chum Basket. It was good! The atmosphere was laid back and quiet, but it was Sunday evening and that was fine. Also had the prickly pear margarita. #YUM
And potent too. Il be back… Very soon!
Their brownie dessert, oh! So moist and chocolate! I got vanilla bean instead of chocolate ice cream and yessssss! That bacon caramel sauce goes well w/​it

The location is in a suspicious area, I also heard that frequent car break-​ins occur in their parking lot so park with caution. Other than that, this place is a grade A establishment and there is a reason why they made an appearance on Food Network.
On my recent visit this is what we ordered:
Steamed Clams: ¹⁰⁄₁₀ everything was delicious, the clams were fresh and had an excellent ocean flavor kick to it, the soup the clams were in matched perfect to the clams, it was a mixture of tomatoes, white onion, mushrooms and cilantro. They weren’t shy about the amount of clams that were in this dish, there was about 12 fairly nice sized clams. The dish also had garlic bread, well nothing is really better than garlic bread, so need I say more? I think not.
Burger: I do not recall what burger we had but it did include, sautéed mushrooms, picked cucumber, onions, and an added egg. The meat was cooked to a delicious medium rare and was definitely one of the better burgers that I’ve had in a while. The bun was sweet, kind of like a Hawaiian roll and the beef was extremely beefy and juicy it was so irresistible. My mouth was basically salivating the entire time. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Beer: they have a vast amount of local beer on tap which is great, so support the locals and sway away from your comfort beer. They have deals on beer towers, most going for 28 dollars but if you’re on a college budget they do have pbr for 18 dollars a tower.
Service: our waitress was very helpful, I’m usually a needed customer and she provide everything that I needed and did not complain. She was very generous and also came to our need without us asking. She also let me try multiple beers before I actually got a pint. ¹⁰⁄₁₀
The place is kind of expensive but with the food, drink and service exceeding with tasteful measures in terms of taste, service and overall appeal, this place is well worth the price.

Went in on Saturday to grab dinner and to watch the Warriors game. This place is the perfect spot if you want to grab a drink or a few of their «small bites» and watch whatever game is showing.
Our server Cynthia was wonderful. The service here is one of the best parts about this place. She was super helpful and attentive and took great care of my bf and I. You’ll definitely receive friendly and awesome service here at Buddy’s.
Food is a little pricier but the portions are decent as well as the quality. If you check in you get $ 2 off a small bite appetizer so we got the clam steamers. These were really tasty and the seafood was fresh. The broth and garlic bread were also really yummy. Definitely recommend this!
For our meal we split the 1up burger. Just your basic burger with fried onions, cheese, and some type of sauce. I think I’m forgetting some ingredients. We added a fried egg to it, which they were super accommodating about, and it added a nice flavor to the burger. There was a nice char to the burger and the bun was your typical bun. The fries were meh. Nothing special about it and I found it to be overcooked. Which is a reason I took a star off, just because for the most part the food was just alright.
Overall, a good place to check it out!

Having been all around San Leandro/​Hayward, I’m surprised it took me so long to get around to Buddy’s Bites and Brews. This place is so much fun! walking in, the air is filled with people, laughter and great vibes. In the back room, they also have a couple arcade games that people can check out. The crowd is a bit older, but they seem to be regulars and I don’t blame them — I wanna keep coming back.
The restaurant is pretty large so I haven’t had much trouble getting seated upon entry. The staff is super friendly and very accommodating. First we order beers (they have a rotating selection on tap). I really like the Hoptologist IPA — pretty hoppy with a refreshing taste. They have a lot on their menu, so it usually takes us a few minutes to figure out what we want. Their chicken fajita salad is huge, but the chicken was a tad dry. Their salmon though was so tender, soft and delicious — highly recommend. Friends have gotten their wet fries which is like heaven in a bite. Their burger was also very juicy and full of flavor. The sandwich, though, isn’t as great as their burgers, but still good. Overall, their is really great for the price and the environment.
They also have bingo night! Friends and I had the lucky chance of stumbling upon their Tuesday bingo night and won a Drake’s Brewing beer glass! Great fun, really enjoyed it. They also have a Trivia night that I will definitely check on in the near future.
Another cool menu item are their beer towers. Because pitchers aren’t enough, these tall columns filled with beer with a spout at the bottom is something you can order for the table. They also offer fish bowls and bottomless mimosas if you wanna go there.
Super fun place — definitely becoming a regular.
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Overall Experience: 4.5÷5

Came here for brunch on a Sunday with no expectations, and left feeling very surprised and satisfied.
Service — The staff provide great service, both our hostess & waitress were very attentive and had a conversation with us. Our waitress also gave us good recommendations on drinks and food.
Décor — The exterior is very unassuming and low-​key. When you get inside you’re surprised by the cool So Cal beach vibe inside, with all the surfing décor. As a So Cal native, I felt like I was in a restaurant in Newport Beach or Huntington.
Chicken & Waffle — Serving is HUGE. I could only eat half the waffle and 1 chicken. The chicken was very crispy and it was so moist inside. Not dry at all.
Clam Chowder — I’m not a clam chowder person, but I took a couple bites of my friends and it was delicious. Probably because we were all a little hungover from last night, but it definitely hit the spot. I also liked how meaty it was compared to other places that skimp on the seafood.
Bloody Mary — I liked it, but bloody marys aren’t really my thing. Bacon was very crispy!
I’d definitely come here for the other items on their menu, and the drinks as well.

I’m not a regular in Hayward, but a friend recommended this little gem and I am impressed.
It’s unassuming from outside, but inside has a cute beachy/​surfer theme. The menu is eclectic. You have your flat bread pizzas, burgers, ciopinno and various salads and apps.
I ordered a burger and when the waitress said they have sweet potato tots, I was in heaven.
My burger was huge and delicious. But, I can’t wait (yes, back to Hayward) to go back for those tots!
Healthy drink menu and beer by the yard! Go! Go now!

Decided to try this place out with a friend since we haven’t talked in a while and they have beer and good finger foods.
We shared the Strawberry Jalapeño Wings and the Carni Wet Fries which is topped with carnitas, jalapenos, and cheese. ($ 2 off small bites with Unilocal check-​in) I was quite surprised how good the wings were. Definitely sweet but with a nice kick. As for the fries, I had high hopes, but I prefer my fries to be a bit more crispy instead of soft? Also, the carnitas was a bit dry which was a bit disappointing, but the flavor was great! If you can somehow have moist meat on top of crispy fries, that would be perfect!
I ordered The Machete which is a sandwich filled with carnitas, chorizo, jalapenos, and cheese with a side of sweet potato tots! Honestly the tots were the highlight of the meal! These were on point! I loved how they were crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. Just like the fries, the sandwich was a bit dry from the carnitas and I ended up just bringing the other half home. I do like their portions since it’s massive! Definitely share because they pack so much into each serving.
The service was a bit slow. It took me a few times to flag down our waitress, even to the point where another man came by to help since she was busy. Overall, the food tastes good, there’s a lot of variety in terms of food and drinks, and the portions make the prices worth it! I definitely would like to come back and try more of their fries and burgers.

Came here after work with my friend for dinner and we just missed happy hour :(Luckily we had the deal where we get $ 2 off the mini bites (appetizers) for checking in!
We ordered the jalapeño strawberry wings and the pulled pork fries. The jalapeño strawberry wings were unique in the way where its sweet and spicy. I’ve never tried it before so I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be better than expected! More sweet than spicy in my opinion. The pulled pork fries were decent as well, but nothing really to die for. I personally like my fries crispier and more fried. The pulled pork came out a little dry too.
For the main course, I got the fish and chips, which were a deal! They gave me 6 big slices of fried fish, and I ordered the sweet potato tater tots as my side. The fish was good and very filling and the tots were sweet and crispy. I ended up bringing half of the meal home (VERY GENEROUS PORTIONS!).
Next time, i’ll be coming back for Monday night or Thursday night football where i’ll make sure to order one of their beer towers!
Overall, great place to chill with buddies and grab a bite. Come try them out if you haven’t already!

I’ll come back solely for happy hour and smaller bites.
But for a meal? I think I’ll pass. I ordered the Sebastian sandwich, which was advertised as a crab sandwich… when really it was two big loafs of bread with some crab and mayo spread. It wasn’t the supposed seafood sandwich I was hoping for, more like a toast. But hey, the beer was fine and I’m eager to try their wings!

I’ve been meaning to come here for some time as it’s apparently become a Hayward stable since I’ve moved away from Hayward.
It has a suffer dude on crack type of vibe and I’m OK with that as it’s something a little different than we all expect. Nothing wrong with doing something out of the ordinary. We came here around dinner time and there was no wait, so that was a nice bonus. Wasn’t empty by any means, but wasn’t full either.
The hostess was very nice and top notch, but our waiter seemed to be a little out of scope with reality. The food was pretty average, but not bad. Had the burger. Not a gourmet burger by any shot, but good overall.
A cool place and I can that this spot would be popping during a sports game or something along those lines.