Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurant

Just had a very pleasant lunch on the patio with several family members and our forever furry friend. Server was pleasant, answered all our question and kept our beverages re-​filled without asking. The reason for the 4-​star rating was because my blackened salmon, on salad bed was slightly undercooked to my looking. Took the uneaten portion home, in a nice container, and a 40 second zap in the microwave should solve that problem for me.

Every time that we go to Karl Straus (which is often), we ALWAYS have excellent customer service. We compare this to the multiple breweries we have visited through out San Diego. Special shout out to Vicky and Al whose customer service is unparalleled. Stone and Ballast Point employees could learn a thing or two from Vicky and Al.

Every time I come here, it’s an excellent experience! The food is always really great, and of course the beer is my favorite! This last trip here led me to write this review because the service was top-​notch! Our server, Jason, was so attentive, and made us feel like we were his only table even though he was super busy, the place was packed!
I had the turkey burger, and it definitely did not taste like a boring turkey burger. It was super juicy, and the sauce on top was simply delicious. I love the Red Trolley beer, and the chocolate peanut butter beer is absolutely delicious!
Perfect combination of great food, delicious beer and fabulous service– ask to sit in Jason’s section– he’s the best!

If you are on business trip to San diego in Mira Mesa area, you are bound to go to Karl strauss — named Building K by some. Its a happy place to hangout after hard day of meeting.
we went on a friday evening so it was pretty crowded with mostly office people, there was lot of conversation everywhere and there was a happy vibe.
Its a burger and beer place, since we are from chicago and we tend to compare burgers to Kumas from chicago, I personally didnt like my veggie burger that much. My husband Big burger– their speciality he said was average. I think the only thing we really liked was the beer battered onion rings.
The staff was really, really interactive and proactively asking our feedback and making us feel comfortable. So all the 3 star are for staff and ambience, food was a miss for us.

Let’s just start with the food to make it simple for your stomach. Large variety of food with great spices to give them great flavors. I’ve had a good sample of items from the menu and have not been disappointed by any of them.
The beers are good but what makes it better is the small batch beers. It makes it so that every time you come in you can try a new one and generally they are very good. The servers know how to recommend the right beers and which beer to drink with your meal.
Saving the best for last… The service. A meal can be ruined if the service is garbage. The service has always been good here. Last time though it was different, which prompted this review. Billy was our server and not only did he recommend the right beers for my very picky girlfriend but he also made my day better. I lost my wallet that day so I wasn’t exactly happy… Billy was easy to talk to, fun, knowledgeable about the beer and food and he was the best server I’ve had the pleasure of talking to in a very long time. I highly recommend going to Karl Strauss.

I give Karl Strauss 3 stars because… I don’t know why. It seems appropriate. Stick with their famous Mac and cheese and stuff of that sort. I learned the hard way and ordered spicy shrimp and grits. It was not good. I give that dish 1 star. Everything else is great! The fries, sandwiches, fish, and all the other «beer foods». I will definitely come back to Karl Strauss due to its ambience but I’ll never order the grits again.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
With a modern, reclaimed, urban feel, and a name everyone immediately recognizes, it’s hard not to like this place.
THE EATS
The kitchen here kicks things up into the happy place between «pretentious hipster» and «high end culinary experience» with their reinterpreted bar food and burgers. Their menu also has some ridiculously tasty vegetarian options, which makes this recovering herbivore a happy camper.
THE BEER
Who hasn’t encountered Red Trolley before? Karl Strauss is one of the heavy hitters in San Diego and beyond. Instantly recognizable both in name and flavor, these beers embody Southern California. Plus, they don’t just serve their own beers: you can get pours of all sorts of brews from all over the place here. Tia the mark of a great bar, in my humble opinion.
THE VERDICT
Great beer. Great food. Service is a little slow, but mostly due to heavy patronage. Check out the A-​OK spot if you happen off the beaten path into 4S Ranch!

Love coming here for a get together with my friends and family! They have an amazing selection of beer on tap. Great happy hour! Our waiter is super friendly and was very helpful in matching up some beer with our food. Never had a bad moment here!

My fiancé and I recently visited as our first date to ring in the new year! We showed up at 9 and were seated immediately under a heater on the patio (per my request). The hostess assured us multiple times that she would gladly seat us inside if we ended up getting too chilly.
Our server was relatively prompt. It seemed busy inside so I didn’t put much weight on the wait time to greet us and in-​between check-​ups. He promptly provided me with a wine list from his server book when I didn’t see the wines on the menu (I recommend the $ 6 Chardonnay. To die for!)
Our food came out quickly. I think we had a 7 minute ticket time? Less than 10 for sure. The food was cooked well (We got the Squid Pro Quo and Norm Mac n Cheese). We were delighted, as usual.
The only snag: I ordered a second glass of wine and still had not been served it 20 minutes after I ordered it. However, the server came out, gave us 2 free samples of one of his favorite beers, promised the wine would be out soon (the bar was busy) and said it would be «on him»! So generous and so thoughtful. Nice touch!
We will definitely be back, and recommend this restaurant to those who like authentic brewhouse eats and drinks.

I love our local Karl Strauss. We were here for happy hour and tasted their Maori IPA, milk stout and new sour beers (all were tasty).
As for food, I’m happy they brought back the cauliflower romesco. Oven roasted caulker seasoned with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper topped with parmesan cheese along side Romesco sauce. One of my all time favorites.
I really like the laid back atmosphere, friendly service and beer tastings to complement the food we ordered.

Updated Review– I am writing to update because I was so impressed with the response that I received from Karl Strauss. Typically, I only hear back from businesses here on Unilocal if I write a poor review. Within a week, I heard back from Billy (our server) who told me that they had read my review, and they had updated their closing procedure. That made me want to go back and tell everyone else to do the same. To me, it communicates that they really care if within a week my 4 star review has been read and they want to make customers happier. Thank you KS. I will be back soon!
Original Review:
First Impressions: Cool, gastropub feel (appropriately so). Modern and industrial. The host greeted up right away and took us to the best available table. We arrived at 9:30 pm so it was nice to get a good seat.
Our Server: Billy: We received fantastic service from Billy. He checked in frequently and made sure that we had all of our questions answered and we knew about all the specials that we going on. He was friendly and present, but never invasive. Exactly what you want from a server. His service was 5 star for sure.
The Food: I ordered the Beach Burger, which is a fiah burger and my friend ordered the meaty Mac n Cheese. When you come into a restaurant late, you run the risk of the chef or cook having one foot out the door and the food being just okay. This was NOT the case. The food was delicious. My burger was really well cooked. I asked Billy to send back our compliments to the kitchen. The food was 5 star.
So why did I give a 4 star rating??? I hate when a restaurant starts putting chair on top of tables in the middle of my dinner. I think its tacky and it leaves me with one feeling «get out.» Also, when I asked someone where the restroom was he couldn’t hear me because he had his headphones in. One ear bud, okay. But on the floor while you’re still open, not okay.
I’d love to go back, but I was disappointed that those two things affected the experience.

Greeted with a massive wall slogan: «Make beer, not war.» I can get behind that.
The roasted brussel sprouts were fab, complete with crumbled feta and bacon bits. This is a fancy pub, so I sampled one of the house favorites. Wansea Wheat beer. It’s flavor was very reminiscent of Blue Moon. I also stole a few fries from my daughter’s plate because they were drizzled with chipotle lime sauce. Or at least that’s how I rationalized it. Deliciousl

3.5 stars. I didn’t sample the usual menu but instead was provided with a short menu for a large party. Even so, the selection of entrees were intriguing and seemed very creative. I opted for the salmon with watermelon and cucumber crudite, all topped with shaved basil. The compilation was interesting and new, particularly with the smell and flavor of basil. Vegetables were plentiful, including some green beans, and the cucumber in particular kept the dish light and refreshing.
The dinner would have been thoroughly enjoyed if the salad and dessert were not served on autopilot at the start and end of dinner. I am lactose intolerant and could not enjoy the salad that had goat or blue cheese mixed in. I was not given the opportunity to request a similar salad without the cheese. The dessert was cheesecake, and likewise, was something I could not indulge in. I hope the restaurant remembers that patrons may have food sensitivities or intolerances (lactose being a very common one) and to ask about those specifics prior to serving food.

5-​stars for the customer service. Came late on a Wednesday night with some friends to celebrate my birthday. The server was incredibly attentive and what I loved the most was that after we finished our meal, we brought me out a Karl Strauss class to keep as a birthday present. But, it didn’t shop there, there was also a Birthday comp on the receipt, how awesome is that?!
Now, the choice of beer here is pretty good if you’re a Karl Stauss lover and you enjoy a good beer. They had a wide enough selection that I think would cater to the masses. What I wasn’t impressed by was the hamburger. I ordered the smoked gouda burger and it came with fig compote and chipotle may/​aioli with smoked gouda cheese and some other stuff. The burger was pretty messy, no surprise there and I definitely have no problem with that. BUT I ended up eating part of the patty just by itself after the hamburger deconstructed itself and it was pretty bland.
I’d rather have an amazing tasting patty and than amazing tasting hamburger that was only amazing tasting because of the heaps of toppings that were added. Patties are the basis of hamburgers, so it’s super disappointing that the actual patty didn’t have great flavor.
Overall, the service was amazing, the beer selection was pretty good, but I don’t think I’ll be ordering another hamburger the next time around.

Delicious! I was looking forward to trying this place after moving to the area, and I’m so glad I finally tried it. We went for happy hour, which is an awesome deal– $ 5 appetizers, $ 4 beer and wine. The beer pretzels were warm, bready, with just the right amount of salt, served with a spicy mustard-​like dip and a horseradish-​like dip. The piri piri wings were delicious! Spicy, fresh, and served hot. We split the fish and chips as the entrée, which was also pleasing. Three fresh, crispy, not-​too-​fishy filets, and hot salty fries. It’s also served with a refreshing and crunchy slaw.
Super good food, good beer, ample seating, and great service.

Absolutely great place to have dinner and beers. Great food at this location.
Parking: lot is huge and shared w many other stores. I went on a Tuesday evening and the lot was pretty packed. I had to park kinda far away.
Service: very quick and attentive. Hostess and servers were all amazing and quick to clear our plates as well as refill my water and friends’ beers. Everyone seemed to like all the beers they had. Servers are very knowledgeable of all of their beers and which food pair well w each beer.
Food: amazing! I tried a lot of their appetizers since it was a group of us ordering different stuff. Prices for each app is about $ 13. I tried the Asada Fries for the first time and they are so good! The guacamole-​chimichuri is amazing and the carne is tender and flavorful. Plenty to share w others or eat as your meal. Buffalo Wings have the perfect spice and I would order any day of the week. Piri Piri Wings have less spice, but have lots of flavor. They are made with an African Chili. Both wings come w a decent amount. The Big Beer Burger has bacon and mushrooms on it. The bun was decent and could use more moisture. Came with fries which are nice and salty as well. Very large burger and good portion of fries. Ahi Poke tastes amazing as well. Tastes very fresh and comes w crispy chips.
Atmosphere: great for parties or date nights. Pretty loud here, but very cool atmosphere. We had a table for 7 and did not have to wait. Many booths and tables all around. Outside seating if you prefer and they have heat lamps if it’s cold. You can also sit at the bar area.
Check this place out for sure!

My favorite of the Strauss locations. Open, airy and full of great indoor and outdoor seating. Try the cauliflower romesco and you won’t be disappointed. Happy hour is great here, 5 bucks for some of their best appies and beers on special too.
I generally think Karl Strauss gets overlooked because of all our great breweries here in SD, but they produce some pretty good beers and their food at this location is awesome.
We always sit in the bar area or outdoors. Service has always been great. Our favorite server is Victoria. She is full of smiles and knows a lot about beer. You can’t go wrong if you’re in her section.

I really loved how this Karl Strauss seemed bigger than the one I have been to in downtown San Diego. The staff are super friendly and nice; they are on top of everything! Even though my waiter got my order wrong he fixed that error and brought my food quickly!
I got the appetizer Ahi Poke and I loved it! It was a great portion for me and I also got a small side of the Norm mac and cheese.
Just warning you that the dinner size mac and cheese is a very big plate! So if you are not sharing with someone you are going to be taking left overs:)
Their menu is very big but everything I have had here has not disappointed me.
If you are a beer lover this is the place to go!
Great atmosphere for a date night or watching a game with a group of friends!

We stopped by after church last night and was pleasantly surprised with how packed it was on a Sunday night! The Warrior’s game was playing so the bar was busy and loud but the vibe was still pretty cool.
Our server was really nice and super attentive even though he was busy. I ordered the Piggy Bank Mac and Cheese and my fiancé ordered the Farmhouse burger. Both looked and tasted amazing! I love Karl Strauss because the restaurants have great food!
I highly recommend you stop by! There’s plenty of parking in the area and 4S is a really beautiful neighborhood!

For Lent this year, to help support my friends, I chose to give up beer (alcohol). So, it’s just my luck, that when down in the San Diego area this past weekend, I end up at a Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurant.
It’s not that I can’t live without beer — it’s just that there are so many good craft beers out there — like the 26^th Anniversary, that was in the spotlight this past Sunday night — that I missed out on.
I didn’t, however, miss out on some great customer service and some not to shabby seafood Cioppino. I’ll get back to that — but first, this brewery restaurant, offers tons of parking as it’s nestled in a decent sized shopping center. I like the open dining area with monitors around in case you want to watch sporting events or whatever is on at the time. And I really like that neighborhood feel as it seemed like a lot of people knew one another in the place. Lots of families, including kids as the menu isn’t just all about beer. Though one entire side of the menu offers nothing but.
So, anyway — I’m there with friends for dinner and I decide on the seafood dish. I wasn’t expecting much so it really surprised me when it came out with a decent amount of ingredients. The broth was a little on the thicker side which meant more flavor when I soaked up the bread, after I scarfed down all the seafood and vegetables. Guess I have to say I enjoyed it because there wasn’t much left other than an empty bowl when it was taken away.
I’ll be back in the San Diego area a few times thru this summer and this is one place I’ll definitely be back to.