Brew River Restaurant & Bar

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  I was in the area with family and we stopped in here for lunch on a Tuesday.  The place was fairly dead inside with the exception of a group of ladies that were taking up a table in the corner loudly playing bridge.  We were seating by giant windows that overlooked the river and the dock bars.
  
  I ended up with the coconut shrimp appetizer, mainly because none of the sides seemed really appealing to me.  I was hoping that the mac n cheese would be homemade or something...but the server likened it to easy mac so I decided to skip sides altogether.
  
  If I were feeling like eating way more, I totally would have gotten the cold salad platter.  Holy cow, this place has some delicious chicken salad and shrimp salad!  You can tell that all of their salads are made there and fresh.  The chicken salad was all white meat, which is something you don't always see in restaurants.  The shrimp salad had whole pieces of really good shrimp!
  
  My coconut shrimp was pretty good, just nothing to really write home about.
  
  If I were back in the area I would probably come back to this place!  I don't think I would come here on a weekend night or college night...the place is HUGE and has a lot of college-oriented specials.  I can imagine that their dock bars get absolutely ridiculous.

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  Posted on 05.25.13 Jamie D.

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  definitly has changed since I went to college there. One room had alternative music and the other would play popular songs with a cover song. I think that is the worst thing you can do to a song and is disrespectful. Overall it sounds like the two rooms are playing the same music. They might as well have one DJ and play the same songs in both rooms. When I was in college this place was fun.

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  Posted on 02.20.13 Theo J.

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  We went to this place after our sea gull century ride. The buffet they decided to serve us was burgers on dollar buns. Hello, we are people looking for healthy foods. Not grease to have a heart attack with. Anyway we asked if we could have a menu and the first person said no. The second person said I don't think so...we explained we wanted to be waited on as customers we are paying for our own food we dont eat what's on the grease buffet . After more than 30 minutes we finally convinced a waitress to go ask the manager if we could please be served food. We get the menu....lololololllllll it's pretty much all the same. I personally picked the veggie penne and asked that no Alfredo sauce be on it. What it was ..soggy noodles bland with veggies on it. Ok veggies were good as it would be hard to mess that up so I ate them and left the noodles. It comes with two sides. I asked for a side salad...that will be 2.00 extra my server said. Ok it's already 13.99? Hello seriously? Ok what can I have .A baked white potato or French fires and green beans. She said. I said can I have a baked sweet potato instead? No ok somebody at this table will eat the French fries and ill have the beans. So, I get my food it so bad...13.99 a bunch of agrivation. Now, here is the kicker.. Most everyone at the table ordered seperatley and they would not seperate the check or let us pay seperatley....the grand finally we have an ATM located in the front lobby....OMgoodness what? Ok, fine...now I thought this is worthy of writing about. I think most of us agreed if this function is held there next year we will not be in attendance we will go to somewhere were yelp shows a 5 star rating  in Salisbury. Oh and it is showing that there are 5 stars in Salisbury.

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  Posted on 10.07.12 Rene S.

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  I went on Wednesday, which was 1/2 off a 12oz prime rib night with 2 sides...added a crab cake...total bill was $19.  Simply amazing.  The prime rib was cooked just how I wanted it.  The crab cake had large jumbo pieces and a lot of flavor, no filler.  Green beans had a onion and seasoning that made them melt in your mouth.  Will definitely go back.  Can't go wrong with the view either.

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  Posted on 08.25.12 Shawn V.

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  Stopped by for lunch today.  The Blackened Tuna steak sandwich I ordered was delicious.  I also had the sweet potato fries with a wonderful sweet dipping sauce.  I tried one of the various craft beers they had on tap, a blonde wheat ale dubbed "Sweaty Betty" from Colorado.  My meal experience was very satisfying today and it always has been in the years I've been coming here.  BR kind of takes the place of the late restaurant owned by the same person, The Royal Exchange Pub.  I recommend the bar or outdoor eating, grabbing a bite or sitting down to a dinner with friends or family.

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  Posted on 08.04.12 Kevin C.

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  Located off the river, had a dock bar. They serve a great bread basket with both sweet and savory items. I love their prime rib and it's a weekly special. College kids love their attached bars. It gets crowded and loud on weekend evenings,

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  Posted on 07.08.12 Heather T.

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  When did Salisbury and Brew River become so ghetto?  A few friends convinced me to go to the Brew River dock bar on a Friday night when I was back in Salisbury.  Unknowing just how bad it took a turn for the worse (it used to be reasonable back in college), I agreed to go.
  
  First off, there was a cover charge of $5 for the guys and free for the ladies.  What's up with that?  That should have been my first clue to do an about-face and leave.  But I still went.  I think it was easier to get through airport security than it was to get past the door staff at Brew River.  If you grew up in the Salisbury area, Brew River is like a class reunion.  At least it's the kind of place where you can tell people "Didn't like you then, still don't like you now."
  
  But anyway, the dock bar itself was nothing special.  The service absolutely sucked.  The two female bartenders acted as if they couldn't be bothered to fulfill drinks and the poor guy working was practically running circles around them.  The tables around the dock bar were just as clean as the nearby Wicomico River (notice my sarcasm).  The other patrons were just interesting... the girls that looked like hookers, the guys that looked like they would be dancing back-up to Justin Bieber, and those that looked like they completely missed the Jersey Shore so Brew River was as best as it was going to get.  
  
  So it wasn't the best $25 I ever spent at a shitty bar, nor will it probably be the last.  But at least I could say I went.  And in a vain way, I can feel better about myself after talking to some former classmates knowing I don't have a "Well, I left Salisbury and then I came back..." story to tell.  
  
  And what's up with the cops at last call in the parking lot monitoring the bar as if it was a prison yard?  Aren't there bigger problems in Salisbury?

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  Posted on 06.01.12 Katie C.

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  Stopped in for lunch on our way back from Chincoteague and were pleasantly surprised.  Started off with Md. Crab soup, Excellent!  Its made fresh on site with lot of crab, vegetables and Old Bay.  My partner had the cream of crab which was equally good.   Then I had the blu cheese burger, requested it to be cooked medium rare.  What I got was a hand formed, perfectly seasoned burger topped with lots of melted blu cheese that was cooked to perfection!  My partner got the fish tacos.  Three tacos filled with multiple pieces of breaded rock fish cooked enough to make it firm but not tough, lettuce, onions, grated cheese and a complimentary sauce.  
  
  Wait staff was very attentive and pleasant and the atmosphere was quite and relaxed.   Our table overlooked the river where there were lots of birds to keep us entertained while we ate.  We will definitely be stopping in again:-)

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  Posted on 05.18.12 Et T.

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  The food is really good.  I used to get the Lobster Imperial but now I like the crab there.  Their crab cakes is filled with crab, not so sure on it's freshness.
  
  The atmosphere is pretty nice, it over looks the water.  Good place to take a date to if you're in Salisbury.  I believe the locals come here for the bar on certains nights.  Pretty big bar.  The dinning room is fairly clean.
  
  I usually visit here when I come into town.

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  Posted on 01.04.12 Lynda L.

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  I am going to be majorly biased here.
  
  I don't care how lame/cool the party was last Saturday night. I LOVED three things about Brew River:
  
  1) The drinks are cheap as hell, and MADE RIGHT! This is crucial. Somebody finally knows how to make a good Bahama Mama on the East Coast! I had truly lost hope.
  
  2) The bar(s) was well stocked and had anything I could think to ask for. That's nice.
  
  3) They actually have an outdoor section, with a full bar, with plenty of couches and chairs you can actually lounge in and just chill. You don't have to buy out a bar or be VIP (or in my case, find someone I know who will be) to sit down comfortably.
  
  Places like DC try to emulate this for its so-called rooftop parties. But a DC rooftop party just means you'll be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a thousand others in your stilettos gasping for air in the humidity, while waiting 30+ minutes to get one overpriced and watered-down drink.
  
  Brew was a major breath of fresh air for this DMV local.

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  Posted on 06.24.11 Jasti S.

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  The old standby of Salisbury aka BRO RIVER with $1.50 drafts on Thursday nights and a somewhat decent dance crowd on Fridays and Saturdays.  Not much competition in town though.
  
  The food is nothing special.
  
  The DJs are usually decent and they have live bands and lots of space inside and out.

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  Posted on 01.25.11 Rodge B.

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  The folks who own Harpoon Hannah's in Fenwick Island operate this place, and since we love Hannah's so much, we thought we'd stop in.  It is one of those "do it all" places, which attracts college-aged kids, families, dates and older folks.  It's right on the water, near the marina and drawbridge, and has a nice outdoor view of the waterfront.  
  
  Now this place is dubbed "Brew River," so that would mean, um, a beer list?  The waitress rattled off the beers, so fast that I could hardly decipher them.  I hadn't heard of most of them.  What, no paper beer list?   Since Swiller Lite, Spud Lite and Yuengling were the only beers I recognized, my choice was simple.   Water.  
  
  They had a prime rib special the night we visited.  We all got it, and ordered the meat at varying temperatures.  Mine was just right (medium well).  My other family members ordered it rare to medium rare, and they all complained about the meat being too well done.  I guess restaurants are not taking chances these days.  
  
  The service was decent but this place also sort of disappointed us.  
  Since we're strangers in this town, I guess we should have researched the restaurants before visiting.

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  Posted on 09.09.10 David R.

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  I should probably write 2 reviews for Brew River.  One for daytime visits for lunch or happy hour, and one for night life experience.  I really enjoy it during the day cuz you can sit outside by the water and get a pretty solid crab cake sandwich.  I've always been pleased with the food, not blown away tho.
  
  The nightlife there is just not for me, however.  It's just too weird how busy it gets and how the place is broken up into 4 different sections.  Just doesn't really float my boat these days.

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  Posted on 04.11.10 Mitch F.

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  Food is acceptable, but nothing to write home about (at all).  
  
  The ambiance is OK, but the furniture needs updating and the lingering smell from the days of smoking is pretty bad.
  
  However, if you already ate and are looking for somewhere to hang out - this is one of the few places in Salisbury.

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  Posted on 03.30.10 Sonya W.

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  When the restaurant first opened, the food was good. It was basically the same menu and quality of dining as The Pub, a Salisbury landmark (also owned by the Brew River restaurateur) that was ungracefully replaced by, you guessed it, a pharmacy.  I guess the drug business is better than the restaurant biz..
  
  A few years ago, the long time chef from The Pub left Brew River and the food almost instantly became, well, 1 star dining.
  
  Ask a local how the food is at Brew River and the response will either be "Awful" or "Well, I don't know how it is now because I stopped going there a couple of years ago because it was so bad.".  I fall into the second group.
  
  I haven't eaten at Brew River for three years since I had a soft crab sandwich with crabs that were so under cooked that if they hadn't been freezer burnt frozen crabs they would have walked off my plate.
  
  The only nice thing about Brew River is their dock bar.  It's right on the river, surrounded by the City marina and is one of the only places in Salisbury where you can sit outside in the summer and have a drink in nice surroundings.
  
  I am currently going into year 2 of a personal boycott of Brew River.  The reason for the boycott?  Their ridiculous COVER CHARGES for the dock bar and night club.
  
  Apparently food sales are so bad that they have to supplement their revenue with cover charges.  It's the only place in Salisbury where you can regularly expect to pay a cover charge.  And don't think you can show up at 1AM for one of their over priced beers and not pay a cover.
  
  The last time I was there, we stopped by after making our rounds of all the local watering holes.  It was about 1:15AM on a Saturday night.  There were four of us.  Two of us had VIP cards that exempted us from a cover charge.  They wanted $10 a head for our 2 friends.  No one had any cash.  The doorman's response? "There's an ATM around the corner."  Seriously?  Forty-five minutes before closing, in Salisbury, MD, with a no-name band and they want to charge us $10 a head for the luxury of drinking their $5 beers?
  
  I don't think so.
  
  Guess what.  There are plenty of other nice places in Salisbury where the owners actually VALUE your business.  Instead of Brew River, you should try out the Market Street Inn, Flavors or Specific Gravity.  These places are pretty much the Cheers's of Salisbury where everybody knows your name and actually care about your business.  And their food is leagues above Brew River's!

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  Posted on 02.06.10 David L.

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  All I can say is YUCK!  The food is terrible, tastes premade, frozen and just BLAH!  My husband got a margarita that looked like Hi-C ecto-cooler  green....YUCK YUCK YUCK.  The only decent thing is the bread basket they give to you when you get there!
  
  The bar atmosphere is full of drunk college students, PLUS, if you want to hang out outside you will most likely smell the chicken plant across the street.....UGH.

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  Posted on 09.27.08 Allison V.

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  Brew River is one of the only decent places in the Salisbury area to go drinking and, as people in previous reviews have alluded to, it is quite the Salisbury late-night hotspot (whatever that means).  Going to Brew River when I am in Salisbury equates to a mini-high school reunion...oh goody! (please note the dripping sarcasm in my voice). However, it beat sitting at my parent's house, so Brew it is.  The outdoor bar area is nice and it's actually quite enjoyable to sit out there especially when it's a nice night out.  Bar service is a tad slow inside and out, so make sure to get in line for your next drink right after you get your first.  Drink prices are a little pricey in my opinion, especially for shots, but I have found that to be true for a lot of places in Salisbury and Ocean City.
  
  I've at at Brew twice before...once for lunch and once for dinner. Food is OK...nothing spectacular but not horrible.  It's a good option though if you don't want to eat in one of the 100 chain restaurants that seem to be invading Salisbury.

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  Posted on 01.18.08 Melissa H.

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  I've been to Brew River on numerous occasions -- for lunch, dinner, and for the night club -- and I can't say I've ever really enjoyed it. The lunch experiences were the best. The food is decent and a good value for the money. It's pretty standard lunch fare: sandwiches, soups, and salads. There's nothing inspired about their menu, and you can get the same things at other places with better food.
  
  Dinner was even worse. Each time I've been there, I've been very disappointed by the food, the service was slow to terrible, and I thought the dishes were overpriced.  Their stuffed rockfish was easily the worst I've ever had. If you're going to have such an Eastern Shore specialty on your menu, you'd better be sure you know how to make it. It was tasteless and the fish was overcooked. The time I got the shrimp salad, it was too salty to eat. My dinner companions fared similarly.
  
  By far the worst experiences would have to be the nightclub though. I've heard the outside tiki bar is nice. I wouldn't know. It's never been open when I've gone. The inside is extremely cramped and always packed far beyond what is comfortable (and probably beyond what is safe). Bar service is extremely slow, partially due to the fact that the place is overcrowded and partly due to the fact that the bartenders don't exactly rush. There's also frequent bursts of violence. I finally just started refusing to go to Brew River for anything, lunch, dinner or clubbing.

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  Posted on 08.02.07 Josh A.

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  While the food isn't the best there is, it's certainly a great lunch place.  You get a good value for your money, however they don't seem to understand the meaning of a side salad.  It was as big as my business partner's crab cake salad!  Speaking of the crab cake, it was nice to be at a restaurant that didn't use filler in their crab cake.
  
  The service was a bit slow, but it didn't really detract from the whole experience.  Overall this was a good place for lunch in a small town.

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  Posted on 03.23.07 Jason H.

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