We had lunch here at the beginning of July and, although the place was not very busy, the service was not very good. Drinks were good and a good variety of decent beers.
Food portions were a good size but I had the Fish and Chips and the fish was totally over cooked and dry. Â My wife had the chicken Alfredo and again a good sized portion but the chicken was dry and not very good.
With so many really good places to go and eat in the San Ramon area we will probably not be returning!
Okay Firehouse...2 out 3 and you nailed it!! After a great experience a few weeks ago, we had a work lunch there today with a group of 8. We sat in the bar area and Tim was our guy! He was on it. No one ever had to ask for a refill, or really for anything for that matter. He was totally attentive and took care of us. The food was great. Our table had everything from fish and chips, to pizza to salad to sliders. Everyone said their food was really good. I look forward to returning here on a regular basis.
Review Source:We decided to try this restaurant for the first time on a Tuesday evening. Â There was no one in the restaurant at 7P.M. Â We ordered a pizza and pulled pork sliders. Â The order came out quickly and the pizza was just warm, not hot. Â The pizza tasted like it had come out of a microwave and the toppings were added at the last minute. Â The sliders were just ok. Â Too much BBQ sauce. Â On a positive note, the servers were very attentive and friendly. Â We won't be back.
Review Source:This is just an update from our other reviews. We had a new server, Chris, who doesn't know us like our usual wait staff but was still a friendly and helpful waiter.
We tried the pizza and the fish this time and felt compelled to write how much we enjoyed both. As well as to update our review of the sweet potato fries which we haven't liked on the past, but now do.
Fish is cod that is cut and breaded when ordered with a beer batter made on site. It was excellent. You can taste the beer on the batter, the breaking is light and airy and the fish was very flaky and you could actually taste the fish it wasn't overwhelmed by the batter. This was served with an enormous amount of sweet potato fries which have changed. They are now sliced thicker and served with a light flavorful batter that makes them almost addictive.
We've had the pizza now twice, the vegetarian. It's quite good. The crust is medium thick bit not gooey. Cheese is a bit much for my tastes and even light cheese is more than I'd like but the toppings are flavorful. The veg has red onion, roasted garlic, black olives and fresh mushrooms. We also got mild pepper rings which are great. Â Pizzas come in three sizes. The medium is 8 pieces.
My son hosted a graduation party here which was attended  by 8 people. People were drinking and appetizers were ordered.  My son ordered some hevier appetizers for everyone thinking that they would serve as dinner.  He did not say anything to anyone that he did it.  The same waitress then comes around and takes dinner orders from everyone who most likely would not have ordered had they .known what was coming.The appetizers arrived.  Once it was realized t what happened, an attempt was made to cancel the dinner %orders.  She said it was too late.  Ironically the  dinner food showed up 40 minutes later.  The point is,  that I feel the waitress took advantage of a situation that cost my son 50 percent more than he should have paid for the event and the only one who knew what had happened was a waitress who was more  concerned about the sale than letting everyone know what had transpired.  If people still wanted to order than fine but let"s be upfront about it.
I hope that others scrutinize things when the  come here.  I know for one thing; I will  not  be back to a place with questionable  integrity. in my view.
On a Friday night around 6:30 PM with no crowd (bonus!). Â Pear and bleu cheese salad (good), fish and chips (good) and chicken pasta Alfredo (not so good). Â I thought my daughter was just being picky or just not hungry since she was not super interested in her pasta. Â I had some of the chicken - a little too much char/dirty grill flavor. Â It was if the kitchen had let the chicken rest after grilling and they poured some of the juices with the charred residue into the pasta dish. Â We boxed it up and tried it the next day. Â Boy, the pasta was bland for an Alfredo sauce. Â Tasted like they used a very bland Parmesan-type cheese. Â So the only real flavor was the grill residue. Â I think we'll skip on the pastas next time. Â Service was very good though.
Review Source:Nice decor, courteous wait staff, but just bland, slightly over priced food. Â Had a group of 7 so each had chance to sample variety of foods from hamburger, fish & chips, salmon, ribs, and clam chowder bowl. Â About the only thing good was the french fries. Â Serve staff appeared like first day on job. Â Food was very tasteless, and if not for a discounted gift card, I would have given them a zero. Â This place has the feel of a middle-aged american male sports fan who thinks any food is good when surrounded by big screen tvs. Â If this place doesn't focus on food and service, they will have the nicest decorated bankruptcy.
Review Source:For the Dinng Room only.....
I ordered the Pork chop dinner (it was actually 2 chops) and when  I got them one was burnt and one was undercooked.  I brought it to my server's attention and all she said was "They are still adjusting to the grill temperatures."  No offer to get a new order or ask a manager to stop by.  How long have they been open now???  They should have grilling down pat.  I also thought the garlic mashed potato trend went away years ago..but not here.  Green beans were VERY al dente and topped with cheese??  So I  unhappily paid $17.95 for someones cooking incompetence.  The bar seemed packed..maybe happy hour is a better bet here.
I was a bit worried about coming here because of all of the negative yelp reviews. However I was happily satisfied with my meal here. The service here was very friendly ! The staff made sure that we had everything that we needed... The owner/manager of the place came over to our table just to check on us and see how we enjoyed the meal. Very nice touch!
Decor:
-dark woods and burgundy/red accents
-cozy fireplaces in several corners , very inviting. Lots of thought was put into the decor.
I had the corn beef and cabbage special (st pats day) with garlic mashed potato. Can't really go wrong with that meal, but I also had the Beer flight $11 of 5 local beers that I chose. Â I love that they were local breweries. Â My husband had a juicy burger which he enjoyed.
This place is OK. The food is not half bad and they've got plenty of beer, alcohol, and TV's (to watch sporting events) to choose from. The employees here are pretty young though and just need a bit more experience handling customers, getting orders, and remembering requests from customers.  That just goes with experience! The HH is a good deal.  There aren't too many people during the last time my golf partners and I came so it was nice for me since I hate busy restaurants. A pet peeve I have though is how a bars serve Guinness...let it breath and settle younguns...don't just serve it after a quick rough 2/3 pour then top it abruptly. Guinness is a delicacy and should be treated as such.  Also, if you guys could learn to make a shamrock for the Guinness it'd be great.  It's not hard really...YouTube  or Google it...it takes practice though.
Review Source:I have to say the food has definitely improved here over the last time I dined. Â The barbecue chicken pizza and the turkey burger were both excellent! Â The turkey burger was flavorful, and not dry at all (a common problem I find). Â The pizza crust was a little thicker than I typically prefer (I'm more of a neapolitan gal) but it was delicious. Â Sweet potatoe fries were yummy too. Glad I gave them another try and I will certainly be back.
Review Source:Firehouse No. 37 was a unexpected surprise.
last time i looked in they they looked deader than a doornail. turns out this place is huge. the entrance from the parking area is a long ways  from the main dining area and the bar.
Happy Hour, 7 days, 2-6, $2 off all drinks except for bottled beers (30ish drafts on tap). $5 bar snacks
pour: black butte porter (3.5)
-fresh, not stale pour.
eats: bowl clam chowder (6.95)
-chewy clams, starchy broth, creamy flavor. source-luigi's, fisherman's wharf.
3ish stars
on draught:
-friendly, fast, smiling service
-even buffalo wing associates drink here
-nice extensive draught beers
-HH bar menu small, not sure of quality.
-HH drink policy-5 stars.
-lots of flatscreens
Strike 2! Â Won't come here again and won't recommend.
Went there last night for my birthday and what a mistake. The Ahi Tuna was cold upon arrival and the cheesecake was FROZEN solid. Â The only thing they did to comp us was pay for the dessert. Â
I felt sorry for the server. Who's back there in the kitchen? Â
Overpriced for crappy food. Me thinks not.
Sorry to say, but this place is crap and won't be in business beyond next year unless the owner is a Kardashian or Paris Hilton or Jamarcus Russell or someone else dumb and rich. It is a beautiful space but a restaurant bereft of any personality even by the vapid standards of most San Ramoners.
Without getting into all of the messy details, here's the bottom line: The food sucks. The prices suck. The service sucks. Oh, it does have a cool name though. Maybe they can come back as Firehouse No. 38 and do a credible job of running a restaurant and bar.
I write reviews when I love a place or hate a place and occasionally when I just meh a place. This place is terrible like a piece of turd that is glued to my shoe and whoever is running this hollow place must not recognize the smell of horse manure or he or she's used to the smell, because this place and everyone associated with it, is total horse bleep. If you are a regular here, you are truly going to spend eternity in the big firehouse with lucifer and the molten fire and pointy sticks.
So to recap, try to avoid going in this place unless you need to use the bathroom. The bathrooms are actually really nice in this place, but the rest of the place is complete S.
I have only been here a few times for lunch and the review is for food & service only!
*Bar service is always great (Tylar is one of the best servers)
*They have a great selection of beer if that's your thing, they also have wine and other drinks
*Food is pretty good: the Ahi Tuna Burger and Turkey Burger are always excellent & the fries aren't full of grease
Overall, good lunch spot in San Ramon!
I am Impressed! I thought for sure I was going to have bad things to say about this place based on what I've heard and read but I have nothing bad to say.
Me and this space go way back, I've spend too many nights to recall here back when it was El Belazzo and I was very skeptical of any new joint moving in. They did a total renovation and it looks AMAZING! I kept wishing I had a camera with me to take pictures of everything! I hardly recognized anything from the old dive, even the bathrooms look great and were so clean!
I have to give a little disclaimer first - I was dining with a group of 18 and I'm pretty sure they knew we were coming so they were prepared for us as soon as we walked thru the door. But they accomodated us nicely in the back and we didn't have to fight for space. We had 2 dedicated servers for our group and a few one-off people showed up now and then. They kept our drinks filled and while yes, it was a bit of a wait for our food, I don't know if that was because we were a large group at lunch rush or because they really do take long like everyone else has mentioned.
We did get our soup and salds pretty fast and they were DELISH! I had a cup of clam chowder and I was so impressed, it tasted like they made it from scratch. There was lots of meat and it was really creamy but not filled with all the fillers like big potatoes or extra corn starch! The salads looked really good but they were quite big for a starter.
There's not a really big menu but they had some decent selections that appeal to the general american taste buds. I ordered the Fish and Chips and was a little worried that I might still be hungry after but I was, again, very impressed! They were 3 BIG pieces of fresh fish and the batter on them was perfectly crisp and thin and yummy! There were lots of thick-cut frys that came with them too. I actually only ate 1.5 of the fish becasue I was comfortably full at that point. I reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were still delish!! I will totally order these again!
The girl next to me ordered a mini-pizza and it looked really good and cheesy, with thick crust and lots of toppings. She only ate half of that before getting full. All around our table, the food looked really beautiful and fresh. Almost everyone really enjoyed their selections - the burgers were the biggest hit. Unfortunately, the pasta left a little something to be desired but we can't please everyone!
I really like this place and will probably go back to try our the bar sometime. The prices were a little high, they did give us lots of food but for a lunch menu, I would have liked to see a few specials or half portions. I have no complaints about the staff, the food or the ambiance. I would just like to see them diversify their menu and portions/pricing some more.
I think this would be a good place for a group lunch or family dinner. They have lots to look at and there's even a little kids corner in the back. The room does get noisy but there is still something cozy about all of the fireplaces and little nooks with booths and the way they have different areas sectioned off. The only thing missing from this firehouse is a spotted dog running around!
Until tonight, I very much wanted this restaurant to survive. Â Now, I believe that it's appropriate to have this terrible restaurant die a slow, painful death. Â No, I'm not trying to be funny. Â These neglectful owners deserve to lose their shirt.
Never in my life, have I seen a dining room so overwhelmed with paying customers who were not able to be served. Â Waiting, I might add, for overpriced, mediocre, uninspired burgers and fries, thrown down onto the table with a sigh of relief. Â The young waitstaff tried their best, but the end result was nothing short of an embarrassment. Â
Please go away, Firehouse No. 37. Â Let someone who cares enough and/or actually understands how to run a restaurant try to save this (now) jinxed space.
UPDATE 4/23/13
Now should read 4.25 stars
So I should thank Vivek V, because now I go to Firehouse like every other week. I always sit in the bar area, which I've been getting pretty great service and while I still mostly eat the turkey burger, I've discovered their pizza...
The pesto bacon pizza will blow your mind with pesto sauce, artichoke hearts, mozzerella and you guessed it....mmmm bacon. Â I also have really enjoyed the bbq chicken pizza. Â
So if you had a bad experience a while back, I'm telling you, NOW is the time to check Firehouse No. 37 out again. Â They've got their "stuff" in order and this is a great gastropub now to have in San Ramon!
============================
Should read 3.75 stars
After reading some very well-written review updates by Vivek V, Â I decided to give Firehouse No. 37 another try. Â And I'm really glad that I did, because San Ramon needs this gastropub and I love to have another place to go locally.
We rolled into the bar area around 5 just in time for happy hour. Â The beer selection is still fantastic and this time we were greeted within a few minutes (no more land of the forgotten tables here). Â We ordered drinks and the crispy green beans off the happy hour menu. Â Those green beans were so GOOD. Â Tempura-ish coating, crispy and with a little kick to it (reminded me a bit of spicy plum sauce)....ahhh, they were delicious and truly special. Â I also had a turkey burger again which was not quite as amazing as I remembered it (I think the chiles used to not be chopped up), but it was still very good. Â Note to those ordering the turkey burger: Ask for a side of bbq sauce. Â The sweet tangy sauce is perfect with the burger! Â And of course I had that with a side of garlic fries because who am I to get a salad when I can fend off vampires by eating parmesan cheesey fried goodness?
We also "checked in" on Yelp and got $5 off the bill:)
I can't quite say that I'm a fan of Firehouse No. 37 yet (will have to come here a few more times to see what the consistency is like, and it's a little pricier than I think is warranted), but I'm rounding up my original review for a very "better than A-OK" experience.
Yelp 100 Challenge: Review #18/100
I just ate here tonight with a girlfriend. Â This was my second visit. Â I don't get why people are so hard on this place....?? Â If you go and have a good experience, please write a positive review! Â They deserve a much higher average rating then 2 stars! Â I have no incentive to suggest that, but I am a small business owner myself and understand the value of these reviews. So if you have a good experience please help these guys out and write them a positive review. Â I think they deserve it. Â
We sat in the bar this time. Â I was greeted as soon as I arrived and a server was there promptly with ice water and menus. Â We had the mushroom pasta - it was good....I thought it needed just a touch of more salt, which I rarely add on my own, but it was on the table and once added I was very happy. Â We also had one of the pizzas and it was very good. Â Our server was Marie. Â She was very friendly, attentive and kept my water glass full. Â
Another observation is that I live nearby and drive by almost every night and the bar is almost always full. Â That has to say something! Â I look forward to going one night for the live music.
Went here for lunch & sat in the bar on a Saturday afternoon. It took 15 minutes to get our drinks & it was not crowded. We saw a couple get up & leave after 15 minutes because they never received their drinks & when they were in their car the waitress brought the drinks.
The rest of the experience was OK at best, bus boy wanted to take my plate before I was even finished & I will pursue other options before I decide to return.
Dined here twice for lunch in the past month. Â Both times the joint was mostly empty and service was poor. Â A half hour to prepare a chicken sandwich and chef salad? Â (More than that to cook a burger on the first visit) Â At this point they should be able to do this blindfolded. Â The food was good but not spectacular. Â It is not clear how they intend to compete against Hopyard where the prices are about $5 cheaper across the board. Â Maybe a 2* rating for the restaurant, and that's stretching it.
To be fair Firehouse has an awesome selection of beer on tap. Â Maybe that's why the joint was packed to the gills on a recent Friday night (or maybe just a reflection of the pathetic San Ramon night scene). Â The atmosphere is definitely more classy than the chain bar that will be opening across the street. Anyway, 5* for the bar and beer. Â I'd be tempted to boost the overall rating if they cut the prices to reflect the actual restaurant experience.
Got a gift certificate here so thought we would give it a try. Went on a Friday night around 7:00 and although the place was crowded, we were seated right away in a nice booth.
I ordered a wedge salad, which is usually a pretty safe bet. In this case, the salad had the right amount of dressing and i though the Balsamic they added to the plate was a nice touch, especially when mixed with the blue cheese. I also got a cup of the Clam Chowder, which was pretty good too. Lots of clams, which was nice.
I thought the beer list was very good.
I am knocking one star off for the noise, even though we were in a booth a little away from the main dining area, it was pretty loud. Might have something to do with the concrete floors and lack of wall coverings.
Also taking one star off because we recieved 2 of our 4 dinners and after waiting about 5 minutes, had to ask our waitress if the other ones were on their way.
I will definitely be back, a great addition to The Marketplace.
The rating is based on service only because we never got our food.
Hubby and I attempted lunch on a Friday at 1. He had a late breakfast so he ordered a bowl of soup. I ordered a chicken sandwich. After we sat down it took about 10 minutes to get our water. I ordered a beer, which sat on the bar for a while because it was lukewarm.
The place was not very busy as it was 1 pm and that's on the late end of the lunch rush, yet after 30 minutes with no food or drink refills, we started to wonder. 40 minutes, nothing. At 45 minutes, three different people came out to apologize. At 50 minutes we still had nothing despite being told our order would be out in "just a minute". At 55 minutes, hubby had to go back to work and I had to eat before picking my kids up in Livermore from school.
We walked in to say we had to go and the hostess said "let me get the check for your beer." I honestly blurted out "SERIOUSLY???" Then we waited another five minutes while they scrambled to "find our check" and lo and behold our food was ready. They wanted to pack it to go. No thank you, I like my bar food with my beer while I sit and savor it. I didn't want to eat on my car. The waiter was miffed that we said no.
Then the unexpected happened. Confused hostess #51 told us the head chef has been in the hospital. I'm sorry, but are you trying to make me feel bad? If the chef is gone, your manager needs to find a replacement and not use it as an excuse for their horrible service.
I will never go back. And news flash: I'm from Livermore and have never been to Hopyard. Can't believe that was an actual accusation here and here is one for you...after the service I had, I believe the good reviews here were made by employees or affiliates of Firehouse No 37 because they cannot be talking about the same place!!
Travel to Livermore and go to the Ale House. Good food, better beer, and service is outstanding! That place is crowded 24/7 and they don't make mistakes like this. And no, I don't work there either. I'm a full time mom/part time fitness instructor who is just giving an honest review.
I rarely write reviews unless I have something really good or really bad to say. Unfortunately this is one of those bad times.
I was REALLY looking forward to the opening and wanted to love this place. So much so, that I went twice hoping it would be better the second time. I'm sorry to say that there probably will not be a third chance.
Went once for dinner and once for lunch. Dinner was slightly better. Waitress was nice and attentive but the food took forever to come out and when it did, it was pretty bad. Â Fish and Chips was expensive and the portions of both fish and slaw were very small. They claim the chowder is fabulous but it is just some clams and potatoes in a flavorless heavy cream soup. Pizzas are nothing special. Burgers were not too bad.
Went yesterday for lunch and it was so bad it was almost as if they were trying to see how bad they could be! We were there at 11:30 and almost the only ones there. We were seated outside at a filthy table that no one offered to clean. We ended up using some wipes from my purse to clean our own table. We sat for 15 minutes before anyone came to take a drink order. We ordered beers and it was literally 20 minutes before we got them. Should have left then as it seriously went even further downhill. We ordered some food which then took 30 minutes. My sliders were CHARRED so badly that even the waiter agreed. We sent them back and had them taken off the bill. So in the over one hour we were there I had a beer and some fries and left hungry.
On the upside, the staff has been friendly both times, the bar area is nice, and they have a good beer selection. If I were ever to try again I would sit AT the bar and just order beer in hopes that I might get it in a timely manner if I can actually see the tap.
To the person who accused the Hopyard of sabotaging... You cannot be serious. This place needs serious help. I want it to survive because I want to support local business and think Firehouse has great potential, but these are more than "kinks". I hope the management is listening. I noticed the only review they responded to was a very positive one.
I would be likely to come here quite a few times per month and would much prefer an independent place over the Buffalo Wild Wings chain, so please get it together guys! The concept and ambience is great, just fix what is broken.
I've been here twice. Both times we were only in the bar. The first time, we had a large party & took up two of the long pub tables. The blond female bartender was great. We had prompt service. The food was just ok.
The second time was horrible. The bartender (guy, ponytail) was rude to me. I ordered a vodka tonic & he brought me a vodka soda. After waiting 10 minutes for him to come back he tells me with attitude that he heard vodka soda. He made me a vodka tonic but slammed it on the table & slid it at me.
I did speak to a manager who said that he would speak to him. But honestly between my experience & the other reviews I won't be back.
It's really sad because they have a great beer selection. I'll just go to buffalo wild wings when they open.
Have to agree with the majority of reviews here. Â Went with 3 other families. Â The place was pretty empty. Â We asked for patio seating but were told our large group could not sit on the patio. Â (There was plenty of room.) Â Service was slow, food wasn't anything special but prices were high for what they served. Â
The big complaint from all of us was that they were out of Mayo ... no mayo for the burgers?!! Â It was 4 pm AND there is a grocery store in the shopping center! Â
On the way out we stopped in the bar for a drink. Â We sat at table and waited and waited... finally we left and had a relaxing drink at home. Â
Hopyard across the way is a better choice. This place probably won't last long. The theme is fun, but that's about all it has going for it.
My roomate and I were so excited to try this new restaurant and bar and it just didnt live up to the hype. We went in on a friday and it was not that busy but it took almost 10 min before we were even asked what we wanted to drink. After we got our beers, we decided on splitting the pesto pizza and two side salads. The pizza was delicious but not worth the $17.00 price. The thing that really put me off about this restaurant was that our side salads were $6.00 a piece and were nothing more than a small handfull of mixed greens with a few shreded carrots ane ONE cherry tomato cut in half. I could have made that salad on my own for one dollar. When we asked to speak with a manager he came out to us right away and was very kind but his remedy to the situation was to bring us two handfulls of mixed greens...still with only one cherry tomato and a few carrots, now it was a two dollar salad.
The beer selection was good but the hopyard has better prices and better service!
A bunch of work colleagues ranging from Walnut Creek to Pleasanton get together quarterly to talk about trends in our field and someone suggested the new Firehouse in San Ramon as its a central meeting point for everyone. Â
This time there were five of us and we were meeting at 12:15 on a Wednesday. Â Most of us arrived by 12:15 and and we were seated immediately. Â One showed up late at around 12:30. Â It must have been 10 minutes before our waiter greeted our table (although we were brought waters and given menus when we sat down). Â The place was not too busy as there was many open tables. Â Our waiter was nice and friendly and when everyone arrived we placed our orders. Â It had to have been about 35-40 minutes before we got our food. Â I dont know why but it took forever! Â Like I said before, the place was not packed but 35 minutes is way too long.
The food itself was decent however the portions are really small. Â I got a grilled chicken sandwich and felt that the bun was too big for the portion of chicken. Â It had to have been a 3-4oz piece and it was mostly bread.
Overall ok experience but doubt I would be back becuase of the SLOW service, small portions and hefty price. Â My chicken sandwich was $12 when I think charging $8 would have been too much.
We ate lunch here on Saturday, 9/8 at about 11:30am. To put it bluntly, we were not happy with the service at all. The food was ok, but the service totally ruined the experience. So, where to start...
1. 2 kid size pizzas come out as regular size pizzas. Can't complain too much here since we got two pizza upgrades for free. The server was quick to point out the mistake, but little was I to know that this would be a common theme.
2. Mom's order comes out completely wrong. She ordered a grilled chicken BLT sandwich w/ garlic fries but gets what looks like a turkey burger w/ sweet potato fries. Mom didn't want to say anything but a couple minutes later our server comes out with her correct order and acknowledges her second mistake.
3. My wife's order comes out without the requested changes to her sides. She asked to have her potatoes substituted with steamed veggies but got the potatoes. My wife points out the mistake and gets her veggies a minute later.
4. My order, pesto chicken fettuccini, came out ok...until I took a bite. The dish was ok, but there was absolutely no hint of pesto. Disappointing because I love pesto. Also, I realized halfway through my meal that it was supposed to come with a piece of parmesan garlic toast. I pointed out the mistake and my server brought out some bread for me a minute later but it was not parmesan garlic toast. It was three thin-cut and very stale slices of what seemed to be a baguette. Again, very disappointing.
I eat out frequently and can understand a mistake or two, but everyone's order had something about it that was wrong!!! Unbelievable. It would take a lot for us to return to this restaurant.
My wife and I went to Firehouse for lunch on Labor day to check out the new restaurant and wanted to offer my review for others to consider. First this review is for the restaurant only, not the bar which may offer a different experience.
Ambiance:
Concrete floors with mostly wood tables and chairs and some booths. There were probably 10 other tables/booths occupied so low patronage but the sound was very loud since there is nothing to absorb it.
Staff:
We were seated right away but it took several minutes for a waitstaff to approach our table. The waiter was a young girl with obvious limited experience and the rest of the floor staff were very young. I watched two guys and a girl get seated across from us then after about a 10 minute wait got up and walked out.
Menu:
Disappointing; good appetizer selection but the main selection was a bust. A few good salads but except for a very limited entree section it's several burgers and pizza with one sandwich which is pulled pork. You're only option for their award winning clam chowder is in a bread bowl ( or regular bowl at the same price).
Price to value ratio:
I don't know that I saw anything less than $10.00 on the main menu other than the appetizers and the burgers are around $12.00 which I find a bit steep.
Food:
My wife had the pear and apple salad which was very good, I had the wedge which had so much salad dressing on it the soft lettuce was actually wilted but for both dishes the food was acceptable.
Overall:
It took several minutes for our wine to arrive and our meals not too long afterward so I'll give them an OK on overall timing however; my wife's soda water showed up just as we were finishing our meals. Incidentally the glass of water from the bar cost $3.00 which she had to drink after we ate. The wine list has a fairly good selection of overpriced bottles and limited glasses not to mention they don't have a Zinfandel on the list.
This is a new restaurant and it's clear watching the staff who seem to be somewhat confused or unsure of how to serve the customers and I hope with a little hands on training they will get better. First impressions go a long way and so far they may have lost a customer on the first try. I will follow on yelp over the next few months and if I see improvement will come back to give them another try.
I don't know about the comments regarding the Hopyard but I hope they improve as there are limited options in San Ramon for dining.
This restaurant is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
The decor is bright and inviting, the beer selection is varied and well priced, and the menu offers a lot of good choices.
The food was well prepared and very well presented. I really liked the sweet potato fries and although it wasn't the right time for it when we visited, I could see that I'd enjoy the desserts there too.
The service was prompt but not overbearing. Â I felt completely at home here and will return often.
My experience was so pathetic, I HAVE to share. I feel a bit guilty, but the law of averages will work it out. It was painful, and I had to pay, so here it goes...
There were 4 bartenders (during shift change) and ~8 customers.
Sitting at the bar, I ordered a Racer 5. Now the fun begins. I watched the bartender cut 3 lemons, 2 limes, stack a rack of glasses, THEN take another order before she simply took 5 steps to her right to pour me a beer. That's service! To the bartenders credit, she was a fast fruit cutter.
Unfortunately, it was the same when my beer was finished -- Waiting...turned glass upside down and pushed forward...waiting....more prep...waiting....bartenders greeting each other....waiting....OH, HELL to the NO. CHECK PLEASE! Waiting...LOL
Let me start by saying... Rodney? I am not sure how you are affiliated to this place but accusing people from Hopyard for leaving bad reviews? Well that is just in bad taste! If you notice a lot of the reviews after yours have the same comments and most of them have been members for a long time. I am sincerely hoping that you are just a customer who has strong views and not an employee or owner of sorts. I have worked in the service industry for a long time. Restaurants should be able to work together to bring more people to the area!
Anyways on to my review...
I had a relatively good experience here! Went with a group of six for dinner on a Sunday night. Our server (although I can't remember her name) was very nice and timely with our food! I had the Pastrami Burger and my fiance had the BBQ Chicken Pizza. If I am correct I think we had the best plates of our group! My burger was pretty tasty with the pretzel bun and everything. I tried the pizza and it wasn't to shabby either. Robert, one of the managers working, touched our table and he was very friendly and seemed to be working very hard!
The main reasons I am not giving this another star are... The prices! Food was a little over priced and so were the drinks! $5.50 for a beer and $7 for a house Chardonnay? I am not a cheap person but considering the casualness of this place and the prices of competing restaurants in San Ramon (not just Hopyard) it seems a bit pricey. Also this place is extremely loud! They need to do something about the noise level. I can only imagine what it would have been like if the restaurant was completely full? And last I agree with some of the other reviews. Put some TVs up in the dining room!
All and all I would give this place another try!
2 stars easily for their awesome draft beers menu...they must've had 25+ diff beers on tap and they were all enticing in their own way. disappointingly, they lose .5 stars bc draft pints start at $5.50. Â GD. Â i mean, yea; GD.
1 more star for service...our waitress was consistent. Â drink orders taken promptly, no food orders were flubbed...i don't fault her, but she mistakenly switched my fiance's and mine beers (and looked nervouse carrying that serving tray!) Â easy fix.
they ought to get negative stars for the price tag on food/drinks alone though. Â i mean seriously, $13 for the cheapest burger? Â at least they have sweet potato fries... and my 'side house salad' (i just wanted a small side salad!) was $8. Â yeesh. Â while the food ranged from average (the pastrami burger's one redeeming quality was the pretzel bun,) to pretty good (bbq chicken pizza apparently was the best item on the table.) Â however, the theme overall was unanimous: WAY OVERPRICED.
my $8 chili was hearty, but lacked bean varieties, meat, and heat/spice (had to ask for hot sauce,) and too many tomatoes. Â the house salad is basically a cobb salad without meat...tasty, but come on. Â they need to offer a $5 side salad for people who want soup and salad combos. so bump um back up to 3 stars.
i hope this place makes it, i LOVED the beer selection....but this place has something left to be desired. Â and btw, there's like NOTHING on the walls. Â put up a couple axes or something. Â SOMETHING fire-themed other then blank walls and brick! Â and maybe a couple tv's throughout the dining area? Â dunno...grapevine tells me the rent is horribly high, so i guess i can 'understand,' but when nothing stands out at this place, i think they need to fix something.
Saw the posting on the window a few months before they opened, so I was anxious to give it a try and see if it was any good. Â Going into the old El Balazo spot, it had some pretty big shoes to fill. Â That was a great place! Â Too bad they were ruined by their shady dealings. Â Anyways, back on topic...The Firehouse!!!
Came here for dinner tonight and while it was all very nice and new, the layout was quite similar. Â Bar on one side and restaurant on the other. Â Cool! Â
Walked thru the bar and over to the hostess desk. Â Noticed that although they were quite busy, there were still a lot of empty tables. Â Great! Â I was hungry and didn't feel like waiting. Â So, I told one of the tiny pint-sized hostesses-'2 for dinner'. Â Without missing a beat, she says...'it will be about 10 minutes'. Â Huh? Â What? Â There's like 10 empty tables right over my shoulder! Â Seriously? Â Puzzled, I go 'WHAT?' Â She says that we can order food in the bar if we wanted to. Â Hmph...O.K. Â Well, just stinking DANDY! Â Maybe I didn't have my hair combed just right, was too old for their crowd or just plain too ugly to fit in??? Â But, 10 minutes to get a table? Â
So much for first impressions.
Bring back the old El Balazo. Â PLEASE! Â Just nothing good about this place.
So I've eaten  here a few times now-- two for dinner, once for lunch. My twin brother lives around the corner and he's super excited about the beer selection.
Problem is that people have been waiting so long for the Firehouse to open that their expectations were super high. I've opened a few restaurants and things happen. They do run out of food. There are usually staffing problems, especially in the kitchen. I have a feeling that they opened a week or two too soon.
Suggestions
--MANAGER PRESENCE ON THE FLOOR NEEDS TO BE INCREASED BY 210%
  There needs to be someone touching tables, helping the servers. Servers shouldn't be doing damage control. This is the time where a lot of food is going to be comp'ed to keep people happy and coming back during this difficult time.
--They should have a temporary, limited menu.
  Guests should not be able to see the house specialties, and servers shouldn't  have  to tell people that "we don't have this," and "we don't have that." It doesn't leave a good impression.
--Close during your slow times, and figure out what you need.
  Whatever you can do to stay afloat. The dinner crowd is the most important, and displeasing them is the best way to get a horrible reputation.
--Maybe hire a consultant or two.
Also, everyone has a different perspective and experiences when it comes to visiting a restaurant. Yelp reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Other yelpers shouldn't be calling out their fellow reviewers just because they don't agree with their opinion.
When the food did finally came out, it was pretty good :) Great job Geena, Erick, and Kimberly on your quality service too.
Yes, it's true that they just opened, but it should not be an excuse for the poor performance. Â The problems should have been fixed before they opened. Â As a full paying customer, I don't want to be a "beta tester". Â The negative reviews are quite necessary so the owner/management knows how the customers feel. Â I will give this establishment another go in a few months and expect that they will have ironed the kinks out by then. Â As of right now, they are no competition to the Hopyard.
Pros:
1. Â There were a lot of people on staff, and my water glass was constantly refilled.
1. Â Kimberly, our server, was very good. Â She was personable and accomodating. Â
2. Â The side of sweet potato fries that came with my sandwich was delicious, and I finished every last morsel of it.
Cons:
1. Â They seemed to have a shortage of menus. Â There were 2 of us in my party, and we only received one menu. Â There was a large party at the table next to us, and when one person had apparently already decided on an order and put her menu down, the hostess came to ask if she can have the menu back, even though the table had not yet placed their orders with their server.
2. Â My daughter ordered the shrimp scampi pasta. Â Here pasta sauce was tasty but runny, and the pasta was brazenly undercooked. Â It was clearly rushed and not given enough time to cook. Â The texture was pasty and gummy, and tasted like raw flour.
3. Â I ordered the chicken BLT sandwich. Â The bread was stale. Â The chicken was under seasoned and still pink in the middle. Â It, too, was clearly rushed.
Kimberly was apologetic and explained to me that the kitchen is having problems with the multiple chef changes. Â They've reportedly lost 2 consecutive chefs. Â I apprecitate the explanation, but again, as a full paying customer, that should not be my concern. Â It's not like I'm eating here as a guest for free. Â Kimberly said she would gladly have given us a free dessert on the house, but alas, they did not have any!
Additionally, as some other reviewers have mentioned, it's extremely noisy here. Â Tablemates cannot have a normal conversation without yelling at each other. Â After you wait 20 minutes to get seated (surprisingly, since there were at least 3 tables for 4 that remained unused the entire time that we were there) and another 30 minutes for your food, the yelling gets quite tiring.
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