Culinary Dropout

Fun place!!! Great ambiance… Great people… great food… Fabulous drinks…

Excellent service!
Incredible food! We had the mussels with spicy sausage & pretzels with provolone fondue and the kale & butternut squash salad. I’m so full and jolly– just like Santa… Minus the beard.
Great craft beer and cocktail menu!
I would give more stars if I could!

Was in town for a night and met a friend here. Quite an atmosphere the owners and staff have created. Very vibey and open, with ample space and seating variety– whether you’re in the mood for a more formal inside experience, bar or patio. Staff is friendly and casual, and the food is great. Several options across the board for whatever you feel like. Particularly enjoyed the small plates and antipasto menu. Will definitely be back!

Pretty awesome place. Love the food here! I’ve liked everything that I have tried from here so far. Service is pretty good but it does get pretty crowded during lunch times and ofcourse at night.
There are some games you can play out in the yard-​like area. Pretty fun!
My complain is about forced vallet parking. I wish they had a self-​park area. If u want to self-​park you will have to park out on the street.
Overall I’ve had good experiences and recommend it!

Just an all around great experience, excellent service, fun ambiance and amazing food. Live music and games make «The Yard» a fantastic place for date night or entertaining guests.

There were probably 4 different guys behind the bar today around 2pm that really provided superstar service. Maybe it’s because I’m a server myself, but today at The Yard Culinary Dropout just made me excited to go to work. And I’ve been here a solid 6 times and the service has always been good. But today inspired me to finally write a review. Keep up the great work ;)

One of the best places I have ever been! We had a group of 8 people, 4 adults and 4 kids. It was probably some of the best service I’ve ever had! Thanks Ty :)

I had the opportunity to visit Culinary Dropout at The Yard earlier this year as part of a Unilocal Elite event and I have been looking forward to coming back ever since. If you’ve never been to The Yard, then you need to check it out. Located in Central Phoenix close to Missouri and 7^th Street, The Yard offers three distinct restaurants and a common patio area — a GREAT place to hang out with friends. On this recent visit, I took a small group of customers there for lunch. While I was leaning towards Barrio Urbano (SO amazing!) one of the guys in our group had just had Mexican food so we decided on Culinary Dropout. We were glad with the choice!
We started off with a few small bites: brussels sprouts, roasted beets, and truffle cheddar potato chips. The brussels sprouts were perfect roasted with a nice char on the outside. The beets were small cubes served with light balsamic finish. They had a deep, earthy flavor that hit the spot. The chips were also very good, crisp and salty with shaved cheese on top (can’t go wrong with that!) All in all, the snacks were very good — only $ 3 each but a little on the small side. I’m glad we got them all as starters.
For my lunch, I went with the seared tuna salad, a large bowl of greens served up with a light ginger vinaigrette, cashews and crunchy wasabi peas, topped with petite, delicate seared ahi medallions. The smooth taste of the tuna mixed with the fresh greens and dressing (with the occasional crunch) was wonderful and I was very satisfied.
The sandwiches also looked very good. One of my customers ordered the chicken club and it looked like a monster bacon cheeseburger with a grilled chicken breast in lieu of a beef patty. Cheese was oozing down all sides and it looked amazing. I might need to try that next time!
If you are in the Central Phoenix area and are looking for a cool place to hang out and enjoy some great gastro-​pub fare, then look no further than Culinary Dropout at The Yard!
Enjoy!

Overall I dug it. We were able to get seated right away. They have a nice cocktail list and some intriguing beers. I was going in a little hungover, so I went with a bubbly cocktail which fixed me right up! We were going with regulars, so they ordered the pretzels; I recommend them. There were a couple nice veg options, so I didn’t feel like I was forced into any dish. Our table got a variety of dishes from salads to meatloaf. Everyone was happy with what they got. The décor and vibe is cool– Edison bulbs aplenty with that rustic yet elegant thing going on. Our server was super knowledgable and friendly. There is a cool yard space with games too, so brunch can easily turn into an all day drinking event.
My only real complaint– don’t force people into valet. After we got inside, I realized I left my sweater in the car, and it was such a pain to go and find it.

This place is super chill. Our waiter was really nice and recommended the pork belly nachos and a bunch of other things that we passed on. The nachos were good tho. Apparently my sister liked them just cause the chips were different haha. But my drink was strong. The kale salad was really good. And the valet dudes were on their game cause they seriously ran to get our car. I shall be back!

I enjoyed the pretzel bites with cheese sauce, they were definitely delicious. I chose the grilled cheese sliders and had a side of homemade chips and onion dip, both pretty good. Our waitress was nice. I liked this restaurant overall and have no complaints about the restaurant, but it didn’t seem super extraordinary to me, just another restaurant.
Also, I was kind of confused about where to park. There was a sign that said complimentary valet. Seeing as there were no more spaces left on the street to park, we used the valet services. But since it said «complimentary,» does that mean you give a tip??? Kind of confusing… And we felt so bad because we had no idea there would be a valet and we had no cash on us for tip. Sorry guys :(

I tried the After School Special with modelo beer & a turkey pastrami sandwich/​burger with pretzel buns. It had a slaw + horse radish in it and was served with a pickle a side of salad (you could have chosen chips or french fries). They have different salad dressing toppings but I went with champagne vinaigrette which tasted nice and light. I tried the chicken and waffles with biscuit and mashed potato and thought the chicken was cooked perfectly. It wasn’t overly salty or overly cooked. The meat was moist and tender. The pretzel bun on my sandwich was super unique but filling. They had a live band play tonight called Vinyl Station. They played awesome cover songs including some songs by Oasis, Beatles, Cold Play and Black Keys. Our waitress was friendly/​cool and the manager comp’d us on the chicken because no 1 actually ordered the chicken. They left out our fish and chips order on accident but it didn’t take long for them to whip it up. The tartar sauce was perfect and the fish was great. I’d come back here again with friends for sure. The space is super hip, well decorated and fun. Music can be loud so conversing can get difficult.

I usually come here for drinks and appetizers with friends. Their meats and cheeses are to die for! The pretzels and fondue also cannot be beat. Their cocktails are unique and delicious. If you are a Moscow Mule fan like me, you will love their different varieties! One of my favorite mules is made with tequila, grapefruit, jalapeño, and ginger beer… SO yum! :) The games (tailgate toss/​ping pong) and open vibe make for a really great hangout spot to meet friends, celebrate a birthday or bring out of town guests. I know for a fact that i’ll be back soon! (Especially since it is FINALLY cooling down in the Valley!) Their HH prices are also spot on!

The first time I came here, I was with friends who ordered before I was able to be seated. There ended up being such a plethora of food that I didn’t need order! I tried the hummus: probably some of the best hummus I’ve ever had. I had a bite of the 36 hour pork ribs, and they were fell off the bone tender, with amazing flavor. The roasted salmon was creamy and delicious. The steak and potatoes were awesome as well. For dessert, we all chowed down on the caramel corn and the monkey bread. YOU HAVE TO TRY THE MONKEY BREAD!!!
The second time I went there I had the sweet corn cannelloni with grilled chicken on top. The cannelloni is a great vegan option, I just added the grilled chicken for added protein. Oh, and of course we had monkey bread. It’s addictive!
Everything I’ve eaten and drank here is great. They need to come to Virginia and open one up!

Culinary Dropout at The Yard is quite a place. Great planning obviously went into this concept and it works.
Happy hour drinks are a good deal, and they have a solid tap selection.
In terms of food, the pork belly BBQ nachos were awesome-​great homemade chips, pork, sauces (including a great queso) make this something to share… or not. I had the M.A.C. burger, their version of a certain famous burger at a large chain, and it really shows the difference in quality of meat and imaginative sauce-​making. Chips and onion dip were a great side.
Atmosphere is a mix between a craft brewery/​gastropub/​local joint, so it doesn’t feel like a chain but has their act together. When I’m in town next, I’ll go again for sure.

We arrived a little after 6pm 45 min wait but while waiting drinks & appetizers available. My suggestion don’t do appetizers because by the time we got to the table we where done. We ordered the couples 3 course meal for $ 44. My buddy ordered the salmon bruchetta, meatloaf, salted caramel custard. I ordered the salad, ribs, salted caramel custard. By the time I got thru the salad I was done because I had already ordered nachos as an appetizer we both ended up taking our food home. Culinary Dropout amazing service.
Now this was our 1^st time there & it’s amazing 3 restaurants in one Phenomenal idea. Our next visit will be Little Cleos.

We showed up last night for a party of 15 on a cool September night without a reservation (dick I know), and they were 100% able to accommodate our party. After we ate inside, we went out to the Yard and played ping pong forever.
Culinary Dropout is AMAZING, the food, the drinks, the service. They really try their damnedest to fulfill every need. Plus, the Yard is the best place to segway for an after party.
My biggest problem is that I have not yet tried the restaurants next to Culinary, but the entire place is amazing and a good time. Definitely check it

This place is in a place called «the yard». I think it’s one of two or more restaurants in the yard.
The indoor part of the restaurant has high and low seating — mostly high tables.
The 16oz beers (they call them pints) are more like 10 or 12 ounce.
We ate outside in «the yard». They have more comfortable seating, if you like the elements. They have yard games like lawn darts and corn hole (or whatever that thing is called).
I enjoyed the Ramen noodles. The menu is very limited items, but I think it’ll satisfy almost any palate. Also has the Pretzels — they were good.

Been to this location four or five times… Work lunch Sunday funday happy hour graduation celebrations… The place is big enough to accommodate large groups has shuffleboard bean bags photo booth table tennis to entertain everyone. Cocktails are nice but not light liquor imo… food is good pretzel balls are fun chicken meatballs are tasty… The mussels and toast is also a good choice… I think entrée wise I’ve probably had the western burger and the most often… Valet is convenient and cheap good selection of beers on tap and liquor options… I usually do mystery grab bag on Sundays random disgusting beer and shot for five bucks

We were out in AZ for my brother’s graduation, which meant he got to pick the place to celebrate. He recommended Culinary Dropout for our large group (2 other families celebrating with us). The cliff notes version is he chose wisely.
We sampled nearly all the apps. The deviled eggs were simple, but probably my favorite. We split the grilled cheese sliders as well. A few of us enjoyed the special kale salad they had, while the rest went large with the either the pub burger or pastrami. The salads came in good portions and were full of flavor. Those going with the sandwiches didn’t leave anything on their plates.
Of course, we also enjoyed a few drinks. Some seemed a bit pricy, but they came quick and it was a day to celebrate. I tried the After School Special beer cocktail and was happy with my choice.
Once the meal was complete, a few of us stuck around to play some games and enjoy the atmosphere. I could see myself frequenting this place if I lived in the area. Therefore, from a tourist perspective, I say go for a visit.