Alcatraz Brewing Company

A solid 4 star. Good food, good service.
Waitress remembered our order for a party of 12.
It’s a shame to hear that they closed down.

Very sad to hear that Alcatraz has closed! My family loved this place and we would enjoyed coming here to sit on the patio and have cold beer and appetizers when we were in the OC /​Anaheim area.
They had the best chicken strips and fries ever and their burgers were great. I remember the strawberry wheat ale and I haven’t ever had one like it anywhere since! Waitstaff was always in a good mood and happy to help. You will be missed Alcatraz!

I was just here Sunday to redeem my Groupon deal and watch the game and can’t believe they closed the day after!
We had 2 sets of the sampler beers and shared a Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Flatbread, all for $ 11! It was such a steal. I’m sad to know they’re closed for good now. The spinach artichoke dip was interesting with the flatbread and I liked the beers. Overall, sad to see them close their doors for good.

We stopped in after doing some shopping in the Outlets where the Block used to be. We chose to sit outside, as it is a bit dark and chilly inside, especially away from the bar.
Great Happy Hour deals. $ 3 pints of beer! Not a huge range of choices, but enough. The strawberry seasonal was refreshing, with just a hint of strawberry.
My wife ordered the spicy wings and asked for them to be spicy! They were, and she was very pleased with them. The sauce they used was house-​made with red chiles. They were beyond my spice tolerance level, but she is Mexican with a high tolerance. She loved them.
We also had the pork sliders. 4 to an order, and they are good-​sized. They are a meal in themselves, as were the wings. Very generous portions. The sliders were tasty, but maybe a tad too sweet. We finished them, though!
We’ll be back. Just a few minutes from the house, and a good place to watch folks and have a cold one or two.
One warning: there is smoking on the patio.

Summary: Came here on a Sunday night and the place was PACKED. At first I thought this place was really popular to only realize it was Sunday Night Football.
Happy Hour: The food was just O-​K but their prices were unreasonable for happy hour. There was barely any chicken on their Alcatraz Nachos, the Mac & Cheese was too moist, Margherita Pizza was over-​sauce and very oily, Grilled Slider was overcook which makes the patty very dry and their Garlic Fries were… well, the Garlic Fries were actually tasty so no complaint there.
Drinks: Just ok. Small selection (happy hour wise) with mostly wheat and IPA.
I am not fond of the fact that if you want to take advantage of their happy hour, you are only allowed to be seated at the bar or in the patio. I guess the next time I visit The Block, I’ll stick with TGIF. At least with TGIF I can choose where I want to be seated and I know they wont be stingy with the chickens.
I intend to give one star but instead I chose two. The two star is actually for Eddie (our server). Eddie was very friendly, easily ease you into conversation and very attentive.

I came for their all day Happy Hour on Friday night. We got a nice table right away and it was next to a standing heater. Their happy hour prices are great! $ 3 pints and $ 5 well drinks! My friends both ordered a pint of their brews and I got a whiskey ginger– tasted very good.
We ordered from their Happy Hour menu for dinner. We got the Spinach and Artichoke Dip, a Margherita pizza, and the Baked Mac and Cheese without the bacon. Everything was DELICIOUS! It was perfect between us three girls. We actually could have had leftovers but we were very hungry. The margherita pizza crust was chewy and light, and perfectly cheesy. The Spinach and Artichoke dip had bread triangles that came with it, and they were seasoned with garlic and herbs. So good and full of flavor. The Mac and Cheese came out in a cast iron pan and was crunchy and wonderful. I did add some hot pepper flakes on everything, though, because I like a nice kick.
I would come back for their all day Happy Hour on Friday and Sunday for sure! I’d also like to try more of their beers because they’re a brewery, after all.

Decided to come out for appetizers and a cold one with wifey tonight. We sat outside to enjoy the cool outdoor ambience. Our server was friendly and cool. We got an order the garlic and herb fries and the ABC sampler.
The garlic fries were ridiculously garlicky. In other words, delicious! They were the best thing I ate tonight. Goes perfectly with a cold brewsky. The ABC sampler consisted of barbeque ribs, hot and spicy wings, onion rings and a few slices of celery and carrot. The ribs itself was pretty good. Meat was tender but the bbq sauce was way too sweet for my taste. The wings were okay, nothing special. The onion rings were disappointing. They was thick batter around the onion that got soggy real quick. Gross.
Overall, this is a decent place to hang out with your pals. The food overall was disappointing except for the garlic fries. If they had garlic in all of their food, I’d probably give them another star!

Awesome happy hour, great beer, and hit or miss service. Their happy hour appetizers aren’t AMAZING but they do their job in filling the tummy and being yummy for the first few bites. We always end up ordering too much appetizers but it’s priced fairly.
I love their seasonal beers but for anyone whose never been here, I recommend the Weiss Guy Wheat. My friends really like the red and I personally enjoy their stouts or brown ales. If ever they have Tiger’s Blood, I usually get that.
Andddd the beers with any kind of fruit in it seriously tastes just like water.
Did I mention their happy hour?

I like this place because you can get GROWLERS which are HUGE jugs of beer — you can choose what beer you get in it, and if you bring the growler back you can fill it up with any beer again for eight bucks.
The food is standard for this type of restaurant, the service is really nice, and they’ve put a lot of money into the décor (see: huge replica of Golden Gate Bridge spanning the length of the restaurant).
Get a taster flight of beer and then choose your favorite one to fill up a growler with to take home.

Giving it a 4-​star review just because this place has sentimental value (which makes me a little biased). My boyfriend took me out here to experience my first beer flight. Yay!!! The BEER FLIGHT was a great first-​time experience. It was also my first time trying out their STRAWBERRY WHEAT beer which definitely was fruity enough for a girl like me who recently is trying to acquire the taste for beer.
They were extremely nice because we came a second time to use the amount paid for an expired Groupon from awhile ago. They said not to worry and that they will honor the Groupon for the beer flights even though it’s expired. So nice of them. NOTE: Every Saturday, they have $ 5 beer mugs!!!
A fave appetizer of ours is their ALCATRAZ NACHOS that come with three separate dipping sauce. They really load up the melted cheese on this one, too. My boyfriend loves it with chicken bits (which you pay a little bit extra for). He’s also a big fan of the HOT AND SPICY WINGS and said they tasted great. I tried the ALCATRAZ CALAMARI (wasabi cocktail) that had a slight hint of spiciness to it.
There was a time when we were there and my boyfriend stacked up all the finished beer flight glasses (the small ones). Lo and behold the stack fell over and some of the glasses broke. They were really nice and professional about it though (we both apologized so much).
Would love to come back for sure!

I’ve come here about three times in the last month with my friends from church and my experiences have been pretty consistent every time.
The environment is pretty cool. They have a lot of interesting paintings and decorations with an Alcatraz/​San Francisco theme. Its pretty mellow and dim on the inside and a great place to just talk with friends or even bring a date.
First I have to say, I’m not really big on alcohol which is probably why I’m only giving a 3. My friends say their brews are the best and I believe it. I’m sure its 5 star worthy with all the praise I’ve been hearing from multiple sources.
As for food and service, I am giving it a 3 for both. I ordered burgers twice. Both times, the meat was a bit rough and the ingredients didn’t taste all too fresh. It didn’t taste bad by any means but I definitely think they could do much better especially since the quality of their brews is so high. In my opinion, this is a place more to enjoy the environment and the beer than the taste of the food.
I must make a paragraph for honorable mention though… their garlic fries were really good. My friends ordered one dish and it was gone rather quickly. One my friends even took the remaining garlic and put it on top of the fries that came with his burger. Yummy!
Their normal fries however had much room for improvement. The texture of the fries and the consistency of the seasoning was a bit inconsistent and the presentation was lacking.
For their service, I’d give them about a 3.5. The servers I had were prompt but they weren’t all that friendly or welcoming. They just took the order and that’s about it. They didn’t make much of an effort to make recommendations or show any enthusiasm.
Anyhow, over all, its a good place to hang out with some good company but its not a place to go if you want to eat for taste.

I really enjoyed their beers. Hands-​down best 5 dollars I ever spent on beer in my life. Drink the Strawberry wheat and the stout. Delicious.
Their burgers were alright. I would opt for the MSG next time (might be called gilroy burger or something) as its portobello and garlic flavors really mesh well together. The barnyard burger was 14 dollars but tasted like a 10 dollar burger. That was kinda disappointing. Fries were alright though but nothing spectacular.
I definitely want to come back here for happy hour. I think the food will be way more worth it then.

Happy Hour all day Friday and Saturday? It’s definitely one of the few places to offer such a deal especially in the entire restaurant not just the bar area. I guess that is why we had to wait an hour before we were seated.
Serving standard American Fare, we ordered the Alcatraz Nachos with Chicken (which was huge), Spinach Artichoke Dip (which was small) and served with pita chips, calamari, Fried cream cheese wontons and the Gilroy Garlic and Swiss Burger. The food quality was standard, just as you would expect. Burger was cooked well and came with a side of fries and a dill pickle.
For drinks at HH prices, $ 5 got us either a Mai Tai, Purple Haze, XXX Lemonade or Mojito. Although I enjoyed my Mai Tai, I would also say the drinks are pretty standard as well. Its definitely falls short compared to the Shipwreck at Rocking Baja Lobster in NB which runs about $ 6 during HH.
For dessert we ordered the crème brûlée and the chocolate decadence, both came with a side of ice cream. The crème brûlée was on the small side but the chocolate decadence was the clear winner and went great with the ice cream. It was fudgey and tasted like a flourless chocolate cake.
We were very happy with the service and no complaints when we wanted to split the check 5 ways. Our server was attentive and patient was we looked through the menus and kept ordering sporadically instead of all at once.
Parking can be tight here so come early to find a spot. Come for the Happy Hour!

I’ve walked by this place dozens of times while on trips to the Block of Orange (err The Outlets at Orange) and always blew it off for one reason or another. It didn’t look bad, It didn’t look good, I just wasn’t looking.
So a few months ago I get my weekly Groupon spam and I see this deal that looks very appealing. Two 4oz 6 drink flights of beer and 2 growlers of your choice for $ 23. Cool I thought as I ordered 2, I could take a friend and give this place a try.
A couple months rolled by and I had forgotten about the G-​on I’d purchased until I was flushing out my emails and tripped over it again. Woo Hoo … Oh crap I gotta use these in a couple of weeks or I’m screwed.
After a looooong day at work (16+hrs) I got a hold of a buddy, UC
said he’d meet me there.
He beat me there and he was already downing a Red.
Our server came over almost as soon as I sat down. I pointed out the G-on’s and she said «let me get those right away». and off she scooted to return in only a few min. with two flights and a map.
First Flight
We both started our flights on opposite ends and cited the ups or downs of each until he got to one and proclaimed «This tastes like cat piss!» I asked him how he knew what cat urine tastes like in the first place?
Pint Time
Our server returned right as we were downing the last pair. I was getting ready to tell her to bring on the next when she said that happy hours were still happening. $ 3 pints and we’d be getting more bang for the buck to save the flight deal for another day. OK I said, and I ordered an Annihalator for me and I forget what UC ordered. Oh yea and an order of wings.
A second pint was consumed as was a 3^rd and an order of onion rings. I was stating to feel much better after my LOOOOOng day at work.
Second Flight
They all were pretty tasty at that point, and UC even drank the cat pee with ought a second thought.
Flight Home
We asked for the 4 growler fills and went outside to shoot the shit and get some fresh air. Took these bad boys home with us. Annihilator to go.
Food:
The wings were not crispy nor were the least bit hot. So So 2**stars
The Onion rings were very good, lightly battered & crunchy and the batter did not fall off after one bite like some places make them. 4****stars
Beer:
NACKTBRAU MARZAN 5.5%ABV 3.5***STAR
ANNIHILATOR DOPPELBOCK 8.3%ABV 5*****STAR
BIG HOUSE RED 6.0%ABV 3***STAR
HOP GODDESS IPA 7.3%ABV 4****STAR
WEISS GUY WHEAT 4.6%ABV 2.5**STAR
SEARCHLIGHT GOLDEN ALE 4.5%ABV 2.5**STAR
While its not my favorite brewery the $ 3 pints and O-​rings were great! I’d come back again.

Long due review I have been. coming here for ages, since I always have lived not to far from the mall former known as The Block — Alcatraz included.
The decoration is obviously very San Francisco inspired, with bridge and all
Alcatraz has good brews, that they change seasonally.
If you don’t like beer, they also have full bar.
The service is OK, sometimes it feels understaffed but always friendly.
I can’t talk about the entrees, never had any, but their appetizers and finger food are pretty good.
Their Happy Hour is pretty good, $ 3 for a pint and other discounts on the finger food, my favorite are their ribs.
Let’s say that is 3 stars join because it’s like many other bars here in the US, but for consistency on their beers, OK service and great Happy Hour, I’ll give them 4.
Safe choice.
Recommended if at the Block (or Outlets or whatever that mall is called nowadays)

6 of us came for happy hour at Alcatraz. Each couple had a groupon. 3 groupons in one table? You’d think they’d treat us terribly since really in the fine print it says 1 groupon per table but they were super sweet and let all of us use our groupons! How nice! And they were still attentive and service was awesome.
I’m not a fan of beer so I thought all the beer tasted disgusting but I did down two shots and ended up drunk already (IN MY DEFENSE– I hadn’t eaten ANYTHING that day [except funsize twix, butterfinger and snickers– yup, I’m so healthy]).
Calamari is good. Their burger is pretty GIGANTIC but for the price it better be! It was really good too. Boyfriend and I shared the Gilroy Garlic + Swiss Angus Burger =D.
Oh! Boyfriend actually enjoys beer (he makes his own) and he said the beer is really good. He can taste the «sweetness» etc of the beers but I think beer just taste like beer.
So if you’re a beer person, you’ll enjoy it! Everyone at our table enjoyed the beers (except me) which they gladly drank the rest of mine. hahah =)

Had a groupon deal so I decided to stop by. This place is OK… nothing out of this world awesome. This place is cheap tho! So that’s a plus
The Appetizer Sampler — $ 14 — 2.75÷5− This thing can feed 2 people easy. I made the mistake of ordering this and an entrée w/​my friend and we were SO stuffed afterward! This thing comes w/​4 ribs, 4 onion rings, 8 wings, and some celery/​carrots. Everything was just aite. Nothing out of this world awesome, but it could’ve been better. The ribs were a bit salty, which means it’s really preserved over time. The onion rings came out a big soggy too. You can tell this is all pre-​packaged stuff. (If you use the groupon deal you can get this for an extra $ 3)
Italian Sausage Pizza — $ 13– 2.75÷5 — Eh, was ok too. I liked how the pizza dough didn’t come out oily, so that was a plus. Toppings were a bit lacking in flavor and they didn’t put that much on it. Cheese was a little bland too. 6 slices total.
6 beer sampler — $ 6 — 2.75÷5 — To be honest I wasn’t a fan of any of the beers here. The only redeeming was was the wheat, and that was decent at best. The pilsner tasted like coors light and the 10% Belgium wasn’t good either.
I think BJ’s is 10x better than this place. I’d probably stop by for HH’s, if that.

**3.5 Stars
BF and I didn’t know what to eat for dinner and since we were on a time crunch tonight we decided to stay local. We only had an hour to kill before he had to go to work. We decided to try Alcatraz Brewing as it’s been bookmarked for a while now.
This place is at the block so it’s so convenient when you’re already their shopping. We were able to make it to their happy hour (HH until 7 PM). I wanted to try their Strawberry Wheat beer (HH Price $ 3) and BF tried their Weiss Guy Wheat. Both beers was pretty good, I liked mine better :)
As for entrees, we stuck with their HH menu, all appetizers are half off. We got the sample platter which consists of wings, onion rings, BBQ ribs and some carrots/​celery. We also tried their sweet potato fries which was yummy. I loved thier onion rings and the BBQ ribs were good too!
Why 3.5 stars? Their wings!!! I’ve never had such bad wings before, I was disappointed. Also, our table was sticky as ef! I would have understood if they were super busy, but they weren’t.
We will most likely be coming back here, especially knowing that they have HH all day on weekends if you sit at the patio or bar.

Good happy hour. good brew and I suggest the Margherita pizza for $ 6.75. It’s big. I’ve had a sampler plate that had the hawaiian short ribs (didn’t like the sauce), the hot wings (pretty good) with the carrots and celery and blue cheese and ranch dressing. It also came with 3 huge onion rings. I enjoyed those but I can tell they are pre packed and all you do is toss them in the fryer.
Price what you would expect of happy hour items. It’s really pretty nice inside with a sports bar feel but they have regular sit down restaurant dining off to the side of the bar. It’s pretty big inside and for being attached to an outlet mall, I’d say this is a good choice. Their regular menu had a variety of food options. Next time I might have to try a burger if I get back down to the area. I would come back.

Almost 4 stars…
Alcatraz Brewing, what a crappy name for a restaurant. It’s namesake was former federal prison who housed the likes of Al Capone. It was closed due in part to living out its usefulness, corrosion and its toilets discharging into SF Bay. Fortunately, the food overall here wasn’t too bad. And with it’s decent props and service, it’s a decent place.
My niece and nephew, who grew up in the Bay Area, and I had dinner here on a Monday night. Parking was bad at 7:30 PM in Block parking lot. When we walked into the restaurant, there was no one to greet us for several minutes. I guess she was imprisoned by some friends at a table somewhere. Oh wait, here she comes… Other than that, service was great. Our waitress had a great sense of timing — when to refill, when to ask if we needed anything, etc, good sense of humor, and knew the menu well. My young niece was carded, and I would have tipped her 30 per cent if she had done the same for me!
I ordered the Asian Chicken Salad. I’d rate it as 2.5. My mistake was ordering the dressing on the side. So my chopped Napa cabbage, carrots, cukes, and pieces of edamame and chicken were piled high inside a fried flour shell. I poured the dressing on it, and had to toss it myself… impossible without breaking that cool looking shell. The dressing was very thin and watery, and IMO could’ve used a bump of sesame oil, plum sauce, or something creamy. I won’t order it next time. Napa cabbage is far superior to lettuce IMO. BJ’s Brewhouse uses similar ingredients but the dressing at BJ’s is IMO much, much better. it’s creamier, denser, sweeter, with more flavor and calories overall.
My niece ordered the BBQ chicken pizza, we agreed it was a 4.0. There wasn’t as much topping as other places we’d been, but the crust was crispy all around, and the chicken, and everything on it was sweet, salty, and delicious. It went well with her beer.
My nephew ordered the Prosciutto and goat cheese pizza, a 3.5. The prosciutto was baked, so the salty flavor was intensified. Somehow the goat cheese overpowered it, but everything else on it was good. The other bad thing was that the toppings were so liquid, the middle of the crust was soggy.
I have the most awesome niece and nephew. They put up with me taking pictures of the fake Golden Gate Bridge inside, the beer kegs, and the front. I felt totally like a tourist and/​or Unilocaler and proud of that, though they were glad to get out of there and start shopping.