Great beers but horrible service. Wait staff is neglectful and argumentative. Food menu is incredibly limited. Â After ordering the server brought me the wrong item. Â When I brought this to his attention he tried to argue with me rather than fixing the mistake. Â After speaking to the manager he ended up comping the food, but never did bring us the correct items or offer to fix it in any other way. Â It's a real shame as the place has tremendous potential to be amazing.
Review Source:Cool little place. Good scenery :-) Had the rib eye burger. Tasty but on the small side. Probably the right amount actually. I lost weight even after eating there lol. Along with a side of potato chips and a there Piraat Belgium Ale. 10.5% I would come again for sure.
Good location and parking is descent.
I don't know how this place isn't a easy home run but they managed to turn me away. Â In my several visits I have yet to get the check without having to send it back. Â Some how they always "forget" to credit me the happy hour prices or have "accidentally" added on an item we didn't order. Â So far I am 8 of 8 times for this happening. Â Annoying, but easy to forget with their above standard beer list and great outdoor patio. Â However, forget asking any of the waiters or waitresses about which beer they recommend. Â My last visit went a little like this.... Â "Can I get this IPA?"--- "Sorry we just ran out of that."---- "Ok, what other IPA would you recommend?" ------ "Well, I don't really like hoppy beers so I can't help you with that." Â Really? Â I don't expect every person to love the same beers as me but educate yourself about your menu. Â Who hired that person to work at a craft beer gastropub? Â
Patio= 5 stars
Beer= Â 4 stars
Service/Knowledge= Â 1-2 stars
Hopefully things can change.....
This is a cool english themed church themed bar. Â With the servers in catholic school outfits (guys & girls) and the stained glass window behind the bar - it has a cool feel. Â It also has a great outdoor patio and large parking lot.
A pretty good selection of beers but not as many as most other pubs. Â Honey Barber is pretty good. Â Frambroise is a little on the sour side. Â But the rib eye burger here is great! Â Served the way you want it with your choice of two dipping sauces for your fries. Â They also have pizza and a few other dishes. Â But the burgers here go well with the beer - you can ask the bartender to help you pair the beer with your burger (and the sauces you choose for your fries).
Servers are quite friendly. Â TVs to catch up on sports. Â Service is kind of weird though - you need to go up to the cashier counter where there is a large chalkboard of menu offerings. Â Then order your food get a number while the bartendar pours your beer then you find a seat with your number. Â Strange versus just opening a tab and ordering at a table but the food makes up for this. Â
I would have given this five stars but the guy cashier wasn't very friendly and didn't even say thank you when I left a good tip at the cashier (which I wasn't sure to do so if not granted someone else brings your food to the table and there are no tip bowls at the cashier). Â But the server who brought the food and followed up on if I wanted another beer made up in service.
The most confusing ordering/waitperson system I've ever encountered.
It if it were just an "order and pay at the cashier, waiter will bring it to your table" kind of place, that'd be fine. Â But it's a hybrid--you open a tab either with the cashier, or, if it's the weekend, a waitperson (except, for some reason, this particular Sunday when we were told we couldn't do that option), and you can order your drinks and food at the cashier, if you know what you want immediately, but you don't have to, but it's better if you do, and.... Wow. Â Â
So confusing, we just drank our beers (which were good), didn't go back or wait around to order food, and left. Â Even our waitress, who closed out our tab (after searching for it on her little electronic device, which apparently still contained every tab opened for the last month), agreed with what a horrible system it is, said she had 5 parties a day complain about it.
Beers: Â unusual beers, but not a great selection, only about 16 on draft, less than half of what most places like this have. Â Â There wasn't one pale ale on the menu, just IPA and Farmhouse Ale. Â And this isn't a brewhouse, as some reviews state; they don't brew their own beer like other nearby places.
And as some other reviewers have mentioned, the church thing gets a little overdone.
Won't be going back. Â There are other, better places that make it easier for me to give them my money.
It's where you go to meet. Â Accommodating of large groups and with staff whose patience is on the order of a saint, you can always find a meeting spot here. Â Thus, the name, obviously. Â I have no idea if the ownership is religious, but my friends who go here certainly are. Â The food is unremarkable, standard white people fare with a lot of deep fry and ranch dressing and day-old veggies, but the drinks are unflinching and the atmosphere says "come here, stay here"
Review Source:I enjoyed the food and drinks here, that's not where the two star rating comes in. The service is downright horrid. I suggest that the congregation managers decide if this is a full service dining experience or an order at the bar joint. It doesn't work as both, and here's why ....
For large groups you would think the walk up option would be more convenient, but at this establishment it doesn't work well. Numerous occasions drinks were being placed on the wrong tabs that were opened, which was annoying. We were only a party of 5.
The one roaming waitress was catering towards one side of the room. Our table was not even greeted or helped until I had to politely provided the manager the feedback.
The beers our table ordered were tasty, however, they were all poured improperly and each drink (every round ) had about 1" of foam on top. What a waste of quality beer.
The doozy that concluded this trip dealt with closing the tab. The beers we were ordering were $5.50. When closing our tabs every person in my party was charged $7.00. That's a huge difference. And what's worse is they didn't allow us to view our itemized receipt first, they simply closed us out. So instead of cancelling the transaction (because of their mistake) they charged our card the incorrect amount and provided us with the cash difference.
The overall experience was poor. The staff is not attentive, friendly, or looking out for their customers best interest. We spent a lot of money for the short amount of time we were at the Congregation, and I didn't feel welcomed or appreciated. Simple common courtesy isn't so common here.
I came here on a Monday night and the place was packed! Usually, if I'm drinking on a Monday night, it's typically because life isn't good. So I was quite surprised to see people spilling out of the seats on a Monday. And parking was craaaazy! We had to park at the train station across the street. I recommend biking if you can (even though people in Pasadena will honk at you!). Anyway, come to find out, they had an AWESOME happy hour for Monday. $3 pints! Saweeeet! We were able to find a seat and I tried the duck sausage. It was pretty okay but the sweet potato fries were legit! And they had an array of sauces to choose from as well. We also had the thin crust pizza. It was very fresh and delish!
The best, best, best, best, best part about this place...THEY WERE SHOWING WIMBLEDON ON 5 DIFFERENT TV SCREENS! Yes! Way to bring back tennis back to America! We used to dominate! Sampras! Agassi! Chang! Courier! Let's do this! I loved seeing everyone watch tennis like they were watching a basketball game (my dream!).
Happy or Sad, this is most definitely my new Monday night drinking spot for when I am ever in the area! :)
I like the vibe of this place. For one thing, I love the benches on the patio. The food is pretty good. I've had both the vegan apple sausages and the grilled portobello sandwiches. Definitely prefer the former. They have a crazy beer selection, with $3 specials during HH. Personally, I'm a wine girl so I usually just go for the food.
Review Source:If the fact that my last three reviews have been breweries and ale houses is a cry for help, than perhaps it's fitting that Congregation Ale House offers a type of salvation.
A cold, frothy, delicious salvation.
Although the Epic Hopulent IPA was great, the true show stopper was Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixir.  Sort of a cross between an ale and a mead.  Dogfish Head claims it's crafted from ingredients found in a  2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas.  Although I'm a bit skeptical about the truth of the statement, one sip made a believer out of me.
Their vegan sausage was divine perfection. Â I followed it with a sublime mixed green salad. Â Should have stopped there, because the grilled artichoke that followed was way too oily, but that doesn't stop this place from getting five stars, thanks in large part to the amazing service I received from Eric manning the bar! Â
The ice coasters on the bar are nothing short of a revelation. Â Never seen such a thing before! Â Hallelujah! Â
Can't wait to try their breakfast pizza and bloody mary's! Â (So it's 5 am now...how many hours until they open!!!)
:-)
The portabello mushroom and pesto pizza, and duck & bacon sausage were VERY good. Â
BUT, when your business is selling beer...you should be versed on how to pour it.
Ordered an 8oz beer, which was delish, HOWEVER, it came with a 1" foam topper. So really it was $6 for a 6oz craft beer. Also the host seemed like WE were wasting HIS time.
So while, the pizza and sausage were the highlights of our visit, the host and sucky beer pour turned us off to ever wanting to come back.
I went here for happy hour on a weeknight and was able to get a table outside. There's indoor and outdoor seating but come early if you want to get a table outside. Congregation has an extensive happy hour menu. All items are ~$7 or less. We got the beer special (it was an English pale ale that night, $3) and it was great. They have a variety of beers/drinks to choose from off the regular menu as well. For food, we shared the grilled artichoke (delicious) and a pretzel. The pretzel was ordinary but soft and fluffy. Service was excellent and the bathrooms were clean. I also like how there are tvs outside so you can enjoy a game on a warm summer night. The only drawback about this place was parking. The parking lot is small. You're better off looking for street parking on Raymond.
Review Source:Solid gastropub experience. The beers are really great here, they have a good selection and fair prices. The food is overall good, there are some inconsistencies, but hands down, the grilled artichoke is the best thing on the menu. It's a must. My boyfriend and I will default to Congregation when we can't decide where we want to go because we know we're golden with the artichoke and a Belgian.
The service here is above average as our plates are always cleared the minute we finish and the staff is really friendly. I'm definitely a fan of Congregation.
I hate how busy it gets and there's nowhere to park or sit, but it saved me during my internship this past year. On lunch break, I would jet out of internship and take advantage of their lunch specials. Items on the menu are hit or miss. Can't really vouch for the alcohol as I've never had any (I know, I know... but I can't drink on the job!). Overall, just A-OK. Nothing so fancy or amazing that I'll be back now that internship is over. Service is hit or miss, too. Most of the people that would take my order seemed as if they'd rather be elsewhere.
Review Source:Cannot sing the praises...
This place is ok as a drinking spot, it reminded me of the many relaxed Austin bars  with beer gardens except this one's patio was rather small. Bartenders were friendly. My main gripe was the food being sub par, almost store bought prepped quality... The pretzel with cheese was good, but I've had better frozen pizza and sausage and the cheeses were low end mass produced kind while the salad looked terrible.
Somehow this place is always crowded, a sign this place could use competion? I don't think I will do penance here anymore...
I loved reading the reviews to CAH, but was not so pleased when I dined there a few times.
Everything was great, the service was friendly. You wait in line while reading a huge chalk board of beers on tap, order at the register, take a number and grab a seat. The food came out quick, but the quality was mehhh.
Joints like this should have more flavorful foods. The pizza was bland, the salad was bland, and the pretzel was almost raw.
Parking is convenient and its a cool place to grab a drink, but I won't go there for dinner again.
Whenever my out of town friends come to visit me in Pas, I like to bring them here for good beer and appetizers. On our way, they always ask me, "what the hell? are you taking me to some weird church you go to and convert me? what kind of church is an ale house?" and they have no idea what I'm talking about until we finally park in the lot, and i drag them in and they happily glare up and admire the wide beer selection.
Wurst-wise, I personally like Wurstkuche's sausage selection more. I don't know why. But my belly prefers wurstkuche sausages as well. As for parking, seating, watching games/tv, and a larger variety of food, I obviously prefer this one over Wurstkuche. I am extremely impressed with the sweet potato fries. Even when I am "not hungry", I will attentively listen to my friends talk while obliviously stuff my face with the whole basket of sweet potato fries.
The sweet potato fries are perfectly sweet and salty. and cooked. they are great plain. they are great dipped. they are great in my mouth. and they're even greater in my belly.
Great happy hour. Â Great burger. Â Excellent beer selection. Â Cool atmosphere. Â Really neat bar with built in beer chillers (never seen that before anywhere). Â Only bad part was the disinterested service from "Melaini" (who was by the way a black female in case she was wearing someone elses name tag). She was one of those people that just shouldn't be in customer service. At all. Anywhere. Â Hope the management figures that out.
Review Source:When we first pulled up here, we missed it because we thought it was supposed to look like a church but it actually looked like a strip mall second hand clothing store.
The food tasted pretty good and while I prefer smaller portions, a lot of people don't like paying full price for small portions. Â So $8 for a tiny sausage that fits in my clutch kinda sucks.
The service was terrible. Â They can't seem to decide whether they would like to be full service, or have you order at the bar and get a number. Â My favorite part was the waitress trying to explain later (because we ordered at the bar after sitting for 15 minutes with no service) that Mon-Fri during lunch is "get a number" time, but in the evenings and on weekends they are "semi full service" where you wait for a waiter. Â What? Â I still don't get it. Â She was very condescending and it was an awkward experience. Â They need to figure out what they would like to be first, and not have to push their customers in 4 different directions.
I thought it was all right because the food and drinks were pretty solid, but the service really put a damper on things. Â I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
Okay, I must admit: I love Congregation Ale House. Â That is why I am making it my 500th review as well. Â I have been here a number of times, I'm always suggesting it to friends or for a date, and I have yet to be disappointed by the beer, food, or service.
Every time I go to Congregation, I order something different. Â I don't think I have ever had the same beer twice here, because I love exploring their menu and trying out new and interesting beers. Â The "Brothers" and "Sisters" here are always helpful with suggestions, and they will give you tastes if you are undecided, always with smiles on their faces. Â Try to grab a seat with a good view of the tap chalkboard, so you don't have to keep running over to read the many choices. Â However, you CAN order from your table; the servers are pretty good about checking on people and they can take your order on their nifty iPhone systems. Â I am a huge fan of their happy hour, or "Mass". Â You get $1 off any of the draft beers, or there is always the daily Mass "Chosen One"- a pint of beer for $3! Â They also have some tasty bites on the happy hour menu. Â I have enjoyed all of the various foods I have tried here, including the Duck & Bacon Sausage, the Hot Atomics Sausage, the Artisan Pepperoni and Sausage Flatbread, and the doughy and delicious Pub Pretzel. Â Monday Mass is ALL DAY! Â They also have the late night Midnight Mass on weekends (be careful not to come back TOO late- I did that once). Â I still need to check out their brunch on Sat and Sun some time. Â
Even if you can't make it for happy hour, the beer list is so extensive and prices are reasonable enough that you can always find something. Â They also serve cocktails, although I still haven't tried one. Â I'm sure they are delicious as well. Â The crowds here tend to be pretty mellow, and people often have birthday gatherings at the large tables inside on the west wall. Â Last but not least, the place is SO convenient! Â Whether you are driving or taking the Metro, you will be happy. Â Congregation has its own parking lot and it is only a block away from the Del Mar Gold Line station. Â You have no excuse not to check it out!
Hard review to write because I love the food and beer. Especially late night. Fantastic menu for eats and drinks. Have to dock to stars though because the service is horrible. Not so bad at the counter, but once your sitting down forget about ever having a server come by the table. The runners throw the food at you and are quite unapproachable. So enjoy the food and brews, just leave your service standards at the door.
Review Source:Congregation Ale House has all the qualities of a gastropub that I appreciate: ample seating, savory food, and a great selection of beer. But what makes this place even more fun, is the theme.
When you walk in, you notice the dark wood, and the stained glass behind the bar - and it feels oddly like you're in a church. In fact, the men's and women's restrooms are designated as being "For Brothers" and "For Sisters"; the waitresses dress like catholic schoolgirls and the bartenders - like priests; and happy hour is called "mass". It's great.
Of course, if you are of the faith, this might be deeply disturbing to you. But if you're reading this review, it's because you like beer and you enjoy a good party and that bit of information shouldn't bother you in the least.
I've been here dozens of times, and maintain that they have THE best grilled artichoke. Other great items include the soft pretzel with pub cheese (SO good), and the beer float. If you like Guiness - get the Guiness! if you like something sweeter, try it with a lambic.
If you want water - it's self-serve on the inside, across from the jukebox. (YES, there is a jukebox!) Also, it's HOLY.
They serve brunch too! Mimosas, anyone?
And last of all - don't forget to bring and treat your designated driver well. Unless of course, you plan on taking the metro. (It's one block away!)
I discovered this gem because I used to intern next door (s/o to Fresh Events Co.!) and since then, I can't stop coming back. The food easily justifies the 20-30 minute drive.
My go to order is their chicken salad with sweet potato fries - always, ALWAYS with the rosemary dipping sauce. I can't remember exactly what's in the chicken salad, except that they are generous with their chicken, comes tossed in balsamic dressing and is served with freshly made pita bread. For $7, the salad is delicious and a great deal (+1 star). While I've also tried their flat breads, sandwiches, and burgers - I always return to the chicken salad which is consistently tasty and makes me feel a little less guilty about ordering fries & a drink.
Now, the sweet potato and belgian cut fries belong in a whole other category. I love sweet potato fries, LOVE - and these are the best I've ever had. Just try 'em, and thank me later. I believe each order comes with one dip. While my absolute favorite is rosemary - the sweet chili with sour cream is surprisingly good! I really like that the Congregation serves more than just your typical ketchup and ranch. (+1 star for flavor and creative dips).
The "Catholic" theme of this restaurant is unique/satirical, and integrated into the design (stain glass window) of the building, uniforms (plaid skirts), and detail (brother/sister bathroom signs). Compared to other local bars, the Congregation wins for best detailing and is a great place for lunch (they have specials!), dinner, or a drink with friends. (+1 star for environment). Seating is available inside and outside, and I'm definitely looking forward to summer nights here on their patio.
Parking is easy - they have a lot right out in front with multiple spaces (+1 star).
Delicious sausages and a a great beer selection!
Their happy hour is great as well. It's ALL DAY on Monday, Sun-Thursday at 12am, and Monday-Friday 3-7pm. Burgers, sausages, flat breads, fries, beers, are well drinks are all discounted.
My suggestions are the duck and bacon sausage, sweet potatoes fries with rosemary garlic mayo, and the pub pretzel (which comes with cheese). So good! And I also found a beer here that I really liked. It's called Weihenstephaner, and it's a hefe.
Parking is a little tricky here during the week. There is only about 5 spaces allocated specifically for Congregation customers, and they are always taken. However, the spaces are located in a private parking lot with other parking spaces that belong to the other businesses in the little plaza. They have signs that say Monday-Friday 8am-6pm. Make sure that you don't park in those ones, or those business will call the towing company on you. They are very anal, even if it's like 5:55pm. -___- Just look around for street parking in the area during the week.
First time here and I had a very pleasant experience. My buddies and I made a trip here on a Friday night. The outdoor balcony patio was PACKED and we were a little worried we'd have to find some place else to eat or wait a long time for seating.
Nope.
We walked in, got a brief first timers explanation on how to order, opened our tabs at the bar and sat ourselves. So the ordering process is you can either go up to the bar or if you see a waiter nearby, flag them down and they'll break out their device with an ordering system all restaurants should look into and take your order traditionally.
I ordered a Beer Steamed Bratwurst and a side of Belgian Style Fries. The Brat was delicious and was topped with the perfect amount of grilled peppers and onions. The fries was the winning pick of the night though. You get to choose two dipping sauces of eight choices to go with them. Sriracha ketchup and rosemary garlic mayo left a great impression on me, that I will never know what the other sauces taste like because I'd pick the same two again on my next visit.
This might be worthy of a star removal for others, but not me. At one point during the night, I leaned over to my friend and asked, "Is the wait staff done roaming around taking orders?" I noticed our regular waiter was behind the bar cleaning glasses. I have absolutely no problem with going up to the bar and ordering another drink myself.
OVERALL... reasonable prices, good food, EXCELLENT draft beer menu, helpful and friendly staff (early on). Will be visiting again soon!
I think this is my go to place on Mondays now. Why you ask? 3 simple words..
ALL DAY MASS
that means happy hour all day long. $1 off draft beers which are craft beers and are always changing. I forgot the other specials but they were good enough to not worry about how much your check will be. I got the $6 delicious, juicy, small yet filling if you are drinking beer and eating fries. Got the Belgian fries on the side for $3 that come with two choices of sauces. This may be the downside of the specials but its plenty enough to share if you are with company. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Our bartender let us sample almost all the beers before we decided on which to get, which was very helpful. He was cool about it and had a lot of share on which beer offered what qualities.
Fun and relaxed environment. The decor is very religious based but you wont feel like your feet are burning when you enter this congregation. Side note: they have little coasters attached to the bar top that meant to keep your glasses cold. Now that's awesome.
I didn't realized it was a bar sort of restaurant with the bad school girl uniform the waitresses were sporting. Quickly you'll see that it's sort of a church gone bad, but with delicious drinks and food.
Order and pay inside and then they will bring the food to you. We had the breakfast sandwich, sweet heart (sweet potato) fries with a bunch of different sauces. We also got the mushroom flatbread which was super yummy. Definitely will come back here again with a group :)
4 stars!
=====================
1 star - "will be telling everyone to stay away" bad
2 stars - it's okay, i won't return
3 stars - it's okay, i'll come back
4 stars - it's pretty good, i'll come by again!
5 stars - it's really good, my go-to places!
On the southeast corner of Raymond and Del Mar near the beautiful Old Town Pasadena, now the mecca for the migrating homeless derelicts via the Metro Gold Line, is this Catholic satire themed Gastropub. From what I can tell this is a beer-lover's odyssey considering the vast assortment of beers they have here which is really overwhelming for the part-time beer drinker like myself. However, this review will be strictly for the food as we came here on a Friday afternoon for lunch.
********* PARKING LOT ENTRANCE is on Raymond. ********
Considering how parking in Old Town Pasadena is always a cost, amazingly, they have their own parking lot with free parking. Sadly they only have several parking spots dedicated to their establishment which was very irritating as I drove around checking available parking spaces and their "reserved for" sign which mostly was for the next door yoga/wellness joint. I had to park a couple of blocks south on Raymond. Luckily I didn't have to feed a meter nor did I get a ticket nor did any of the nearby homeless crack addicts try to rob me. Sigh!
********* Patio is dog friendly. ********
Being that it was a beautiful sunny May afternoon, the four of us decided to sit outside which was kinda irritating at first with all the dogs barking and growling at each other and at one point being bombarded by a very large, shaggy lab/golden retriever trying to sniff our balls but this was short lived and we ended up having a good time. Oddly enough the group next to us was taking pictures of their tiny shih tzu puppy sitting on their table. I believe it has something to do with the Pasadena Humane Society across the street. Either way the outside is definitely a great hang out spot. *Note: I saw some people with laptops. I'm assuming they have wifi here. Good to know so next time I can drink AND watch porn. Life just keeps getting better and better.
Aside from the hard-to-read handwritten wall menus, the caked-up-too-much-makeup covered waitress/cashier with the very steamy school girl skirt and stockings was a nice little touch and definitely gave our whole gang of art nerds a significant boner as we gawked and caught a glimpse of her undercarriage as she bent over to pick up a napkin. I attempted to dial "it" back by complimenting her on her outfit as she walked by but that resulted in a somewhat sour smile and a lack luster "thank you." It did not and never will phase my undying lust to ravage her in the back alley near the dumpster.
********* Free Refills on Soft Drinks ********
Can't really comment on the service here since you order your food and pay before you sit down. Since it was lunch time I am assuming they didn't have a full staff as the inside was not full by any means and the outside was comfortably busy. No server came and checked up on us. We had to flag down the bus boy to request a refill.
********* $7 Lunch Specials ********
We all ordered the rib eye burger with white cheddar and sweet potato fries. I chose the Sriracha Ketchup as my dipping sauce. ONO! With a Coke it came out to just under 10 bucks with no tip which, too me, is a good price as most Gastropubs like Father's Office or Umami Burger will require at least $15-20 for the same or similar combo. I agree with all the other Yelp reviews stating the burger is too small. I could of easily devoured two of these. I realized with the lunch special, since the price is so low, you're not getting the full amount of fries. I suggest ordering everything separate and paying full price if you want the full size servings that a large appetite is going to require.
The food was delish and the overall vibe was chill. I will have to come back for happy hour to try all the recommended beers and eats like the brats and pretzels. I hear Sunday they do Bingo where you can win prizes while you wait for your food.
In Jesus' name and juice we pray... Amen!
This place is very pratical...you order first, get a number and wait.
The people here are very nice and helpful...and made all sorts of recommendations which ws nice since we looked a little confused.
The tomato basil pizza was delicious, though it seemed like a plain pizza...it was packed with flavor. It's a thin crust, so it may look like it's not enough....but don't be fooled.
The sweet potato fries were awesome! I'll be back to try their burgers the next time around.
For just the beer board and prices of the beers alone, it gets 4 stars, then you add the whimsical theme, easy going atmosphere of large shared tables, and a pretty good menu of eats, and this is definitely the spot to come visit when you are in this area. Â Or if you enjoy this type of thing make a special trip up if you want. Â Either way you're gonna have a great time. Â Let's face it people, a bar with a church theme is kinda funny. Â I'm Catholic and no one likes a good drink more than a Catholic. Â But that's for another review all together.
They have themed beer weeks. Â So it goes from featured IPA's to Hef's, etc. Â Which is really cool because you get to try all these very small labels. Â Honestly, some beer boards are pretty amazing, and some are just good. Â The one is amazing. Â There are labels I never even heard of and can't even say. Â The only other spot with that type of mind blowing beer goodness is Blind Lady Ale House (BLAH's board is a tad bigger, so inherently its better!).
The food is also good, with a a really good rib-eye burger (proper gastropubs should always have a killer burger imho), nice sausage plate (yea I said it, giggle all you want). Â And the fries are tasty. Â Make sure you order extra food if you are super starved because potions are European sized (that means it's small for those of you that don't travel much). Â I also of interests is the duck sausage on "sandwich". Â Two of my very discerning co-diners really enjoy this "hot dog". Â
So to sum it up, good beer, whacky theme, tasty food, and a fun atmosphere. Â LA's east side is putting the west side on notice. Â "Step yo game up", because the battle of good eatries have begun, and the winners will be us the diners! Â As a great Indian man once said "We are winning"-Russel Peters.
What a great place outside of old town Pasadena! After seeing many of my Yelp friends checking in here, I just had to try this place for myself. It is located on the corner of Del mar and Raymond. There is a large parking lot, but there are also street parking.
When you walk in, there will most likely be a line to your left. You order your food and drinks there, then you grab a seat anywhere. Make sure you guys keep your tab open, because afterwards you can just grab one of the waiters (dressed like school boy uniform) or waitresses (dressed like school girls) and order through them. That way, you dont have to keep getting up to get more beer or food.
Best part is that on mondays, its all day happy hour. Everything on the menu is a dollar off, except certain things like desserts and the platters.
What I ordered for myself:
* PEPPERONI & SAUSAGE PIZZA: It is a thin personal sized pizza. There was barely any meat and the sausage was literally paper thin. Not worth getting if you want that meaty type pizza. It was good, but not worth getting again for me.
* SWEET POTATO FRIES: Literally this is big enough for 2 people. This comes with 2 dips, and i got the seracha ketchup and beer musturd. Both was gross. Dont they just have regular ketchup!??! I got this, but my gf took it and ate it all. Anyway, back to the fries, the sweet potato fries was good. Wasnt sweet or had the syrup like most sweet potato fries. It was a bit salty, so I would suggest that you tell them to put light salt so that way you can always add later.
* BELGIUM FRIES: Still big enough for 2 people. I got this with garlic mayo and chipotle mayo. Both are amazing so i highly suggest getting these two dips. I LOVED these fries. I ate pretty much all of it....I never had fries coma but it was awesome!
* RIB EYE & WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE BURGER: It was an amazing burger. Besides the turkey burger, this is the only other burger choice. It came with toasted tomato...need I say more!? It was soooo good, but i will admit that it was small. So for me, having all those fries was much needed.
I didnt have anything to drink here, but they have a great selection of beer. They dont have a full bar, but have a few selection of wine and a few cocktails. The waitrers in the costumes are awesome but yet creepy. Also, girls in school girl outfits made my guy friend happy.
I been in many food comas before but never had one actually at a restaurant. I ate half of the pizza, all of the belgium fries, and the burger. The best value are the fries and the beer of the day. Next time....the challenge is set on my next food coma, and I will win!!!!
Stopped in yesterday for sandwich and beer.
The place has a church-like ambiance, which is OK. Â Waitress is dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl (I think) in keeping with the theme, but kinda strange. Â TV's showing sporting events.
Odd ordering-- place order at register, go to table, server brings food, and later closes out check. Â There was some confusion at the register as the guy who took our order forgot to order or ring up the food-- he just rang up the drinks.
Communal seating for the most part inside, with nice patio tables outside overlooking the parking lot.
Sandwich and beer were quite good. Tons of craft beers-- they let us sample a couple before buying. Prices are moderate. Â Good happy hour pricing. Â We'll be back--
Great place, nice beer selection lovely food - odd service.
The Ale House offers some great lunch specials and even better drink specials on the weekends. The burgers are great - the grilled artichoke is amazing and the sausages are nicely served on a flat bread.
There is plenty of community style seating inside and out. You place your order at the bar and can close out your tab with a server. I guess in theory it works - just never for me - I've received the wrong bill, and experienced mass confusion from the server when trying to order another round of beer.
I say the experience is best when you can order directly from  the same person from the beginning to the end of your meal!
Good food. Good deals. Good beer.
This place is pretty darn cool!
The setup is kind of weird though. Very much like The Father's Office...which I didn't like. Seat yourself, order yourself..alla that.
I got me the turkey burger, bf got the grilled rib eye and white cheddar burger, and I think his friend got the same thang.
It doesn't come with fries..so he ordered us the garlic fries. MM.
Not too sure which beers they got..but the ones in the menu are the ones they always have, and if you look at the chalkboard, those are the specials!
During our wait, they were playing bingo! How fun! Haha..felt like a grandma..but it was something cool to keep the customers occupied. They gave away some beer glasses of Chimay, and some other brand. It was interesting indeed.
Our food came out quickly..and with the fries, you can choose two different side dressings. Bf got the curry ketchup, and the garlic mayo. Garlic mayo=BOMB!
I asked one of the waiters if they had Ranch. Both my bf and his friend said, "no they don't", but the waiter said yes and he went to the kitchen..? Hrm..
He came out with the "Ranch", and asked me, "Did you want Ranch..or Ranch dressing?" I was like.....,"Uh....I don't get it..what's the difference?" I didn't even get to finish talking..because I was going to still try it, and the dude walked away. -_- !!!
What's Ranch?!
Anyway...the burgers itself were DELICIOUS. Small..but very good. Flavorful, juicy, and tastayyy.
A friend and I were in Pasadena visiting the Huntington Library and Gardens when I suddenly had this immense craving for artichokes... Yelped the nearest grilled artichokes and Congregation popped up! Man, whatever salt and spice they grill on these are AMAZING. I'm a huge artichoke addict (I eat around 300/year) and this place is now #1 on my list for the best grilled artichoke.
Also, Vegan Apple Sage sausage in a warm homemade flatbread with sweet peppers, onions and super delicious mustard?! GET OUT. My friend and I pretty much had foodgasms all over this place...so much so, that we went back to the Congregation in Long Beach later that night!
Keep doin what you do, and bring your business to Portland!
I have to admit... This is a great place to get burgers and sweet potato fries IF you are willing to splurge. It's a casual atmosphere with ehh prices. You order at the counter, grab a number, find a seat, and they'll deliver the food.
I ordered the RIB EYE WHITE CHEDDAR burger, which costed me about $8. And no, it doesn't come with fries or a drink. So I ordered sweet potato fries which were roughly $4-5. Given it was a basket of it, which was ok. And it did come with two dipping sauces of our choice. I chose chipotle mayo and the garlic one. Both I liked.
The sweet potato fries were seasoned well and probably one of the best I've had. The burger was pretty good, but I couldn't help but think WOW.. It's so small. It's equivalent to the size of a big mac burger. Don't get me wrong. It's a great burger. The bun was perfectly soft and toasted. The meat was tender and cooked exactly the way I asked for it. I could taste the cheddar... everything was a really good mesh. So why am I only giving it 3 stars? I was STILL HUNGRY. Spending $13 on a burger, fries, and no drink was pretty expensive if you ask me.
I can't say that I won't be back because their burgers are pretty good. I would hesitate to go back because of prices and the fact that there is only one entrance into their lot and I had to circle around a couple of times because it wouldn't permit a left turn. If I was really craving a delicious burger and was in the area, maybe I will stop by.
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