I visited the gardner ale house tonight around 6 30 with my boyfriend and his friend. We were seated and the waitress came over a few minutes later. Â She never introduced herself. She asked what we would like to drink, and I said I would like an Arnold Palmer, and my boyfriend ordered something on tap. She then asked for our id's and I pulled mine out and showed it to her. My boyfriend couldn't find his in his wallet, and must have misplaced it, so he decided to just order a soda. Â Our friend ordered the same beer as my boyfriend, and our waitress decided to start to yell at us and told us she would kick us out if we gave my boyfriend any alcohol. Â We are 31 years old. Â We came in to have a nice meal, not sneak my boyfriend booze. Â This was not a warm welcome at all!! Â We decided to leave, and I am highly offended. There was no need for her to lecture us like little children. Â This is no way to run a business!!! Â Treat the customer with some respect.
7/14/13
Had  been giving the place a second chance and had a very good lunch there recently. Then during my last visit had an unpleasant exchange with a surly staff member who must've been having a bad day. I'll spare the details, but it could've been easily handled with a "I'll find someone who can help you" attitude rather than a "I don't know. Stop bothering me" attitude. And to boot the place was half empty at the time. Again, poor service sinks the ship.
Update: Management has gone above and beyond to try and rectify. Kudos to them.
This is a good little place for Gardner to have. The food is decent, prices are OK, and the beer isn't too bad, either. However, every single time I go here, the service is lackluster at best.
It seems like the waitstaff is always at 110% capacity. They are friendly, for sure, but just too busy to provide decent service. Since the place is always busy, you'd think they'd have either more staff, or more competent staff. It's annoying to constantly flag down your waitress for a beer, flatware, the check, and so on.
A great restaurant! Â The decor is beautiful - exposed brick, dark woods, and art or photography from local artists. Â The food is consistently good, and the beer selection is great. Â The pizza is surprisingly good for a restaurant that does not specialize in Italian food. Â The Thai peanut dressing is amazing - I like it on the Thai Chicken Salad, but you can also get it on wings, pizza, etc.
The Sunday brunch is decent, especially for the price, though I am not a brunch-lover. Â My in-laws, who can't resist a good brunch, regularly drive over an hour to eat brunch at the Ale House.
The Gardner Ale House is great! My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner here and it went great. Â Everyone complimented the food and the service was fast for such a large group. Â It was a little loud, but that is because we were too big for the function room. Â If you have less than 28 people, you can have the function room for the event, which would not be as loud.
We also frequent the ale house whenever we are in the area. Â They make a selection of their own beers, which are great! It has a large bar area to enjoy them in as well. Â If you are there for a sit down dinner there is also a large dining area and the menu offers a great selection of tasty dishes.
If you are a fan of chocolate martinis, this place has the best one I have ever had. Â The pumpkin martini is also delicious!
Food: hit or miss. I like their pizza. And their burgers are fine. Beyond that, sometimes the food is good, other times...
Beer: When I first came here I was impressed by the beer, but mostly because of my low expectations of a brew pub in gardner. Now, several years and somewhere between 5 to 10 visits later, I'd call it average.
Overall, probably my favorite place to go out in gardner, but only when I'm stuck in gardner.
I've been a big fan of the Alehouse for some years now. Â I come here often with family and friends. Â
The Sunday brunches are great! Â Monday is Blues Night and Thursday is Ladies' Night. Â
The service is courteous, food is great, portions are good, the brews and drinks are very good. Â Prices are reasonable. Â Live music is enjoyable and makes a nice backdrop for dining. Â I've been here on several dates also and they were impressed with the overall experience. Â
One thing I love is the annual summer Solstice brunch with the live traditional Morris Dancers. Â I have one of the commemorative glasses from each of the years I've gone.
Who knew there was a good late-night food and drink option in Gardner?! Â I visit my family in this area each summer (I'm from Texas) and was surprised to see a place like Gardner Ale House hoppin' on a Friday night. Â My husband and I stopped in and each had a hamburger. Â The burgers were large and flavorful and the fries were cooked to a perfect crisp. Â My husband was able to try a beer before he purchased one, which is always an added bonus.
It was quite loud in the restaurant, so we felt like we were shouting for the other one to hear us. Â They did have an acoustic duet performing, and they were amazing. Â I really enjoyed their music. Â Even without the music it would have been incredibly loud in there. Â Service was a little slow, but like I said, it was really busy.
I'm so glad to see that Gardner doesn't shut down super early as it has in the past (in my experience). Â I can see my family hanging out there while on our annual pilgrimages to Queen Lake nearby.
This is one of those places that visually looks great. Â But once you've finished admiring the pretty exposed brick walls it slips a bit. Â
There has been live music each time I've been here. Â It's a lousy place for music, Â the acoustics stink (the pretty brick a big part of that problem), Â and given the layout, with the wall dividing the bar and main dining room, the sight lines aren't good either. Â The musicians themselves aren't bad. Â Every time I've been in here the bar side has been filled, so to be fair, maybe the sound is better in there.
The beer has been hit or miss. Â I liked the Vienna Lager very much. Â A couple of the others were mediocre. I see from their website that they used to do cask conditioned ales. I hope they bring them back, Â I love me some cask conditioned ale!
Speaking of their website, Â that is one fugly piece of work. Â They have the pieces to make something nice, but they need to reorganize it. Â At the moment it's a train wreck. Â
The food was okay, typical pub grub. The burgers and sides have been decent. Â Everyone raves about the pizza. Â It's okay, I can't get much more excited than that about it. Â The service has always been fine. Â I probably do need to belly up to the bar to get the full experience, and maybe then I'll appreciate this joint a little more.
I have been to the Gardner Ale House many times since 2009. Â I first got wind of the ale house when co-workers suggested that my husband and I join them for one of the seasonal beer dinners. Â After the beer dinner my husband and I were hooked! Â I had been apprehensive about trying beer for the first time and this was the perfect place for an experienced beer connoisseur or a beginner.
I have since become an adventurous beer drinker and have a great appreciation for micro-brews. Â The "brewmaster" along with the owner will gladly explain to you each beer on their menu and are very helpful.
I go back to the ale house frequently for family dinners, date nights with my husband, or just to watch a Red Sox game at the bar. Â The live music varies and adds to the atmosphere at night if you're looking for something extra fun.
The decor hits the spot for a brew pub in a traditional New England town. Â The wait staff is very friendly and works hard to get you your food and drinks quickly. Â The cooks are phenomenal! Â Their dinner menu has wonderful meat entrees and great brick oven pizza. Â Their bar menu is perfect for having a beer at the bar during a game.
Good food, great beer and outstanding service compliment a really nice decor.
Very friendly and helpful staff, food came quickly without feeling rushed. Â If you like craft beers and are traveling through north central MA, I highly recommend this be a stop on your itinerary. Â They reportedly use local sources wherever possible and feature desserts that are made fresh locally as well.
Only 10-15 minutes from route 2.
Good honest brew pub, large portions served hot and tasty and very reasonable. I ordered the thick crust spinach and tomato pizza which was $10.99 figuring I'd get a personal size pie. A huge frickin pizza comes out that I had to take most of home! It was good but would not win any prizes in Boston or Providence. The Facelift IPA was also good but not as hoppy as most IPAs I like.
The decor is cozy brick and dark woods with the brew kettles at the back of the house.
This reminded me of the Pour House in Boston only half the price.
I was searching online for a nice place to eat for my boyfriend and I on our way to Boston from Greenfield. I was drawn to this place because of their well put together website with menu and pricing, and the fact that I don't think I have ever been to eat at a brewery, even the one near my hometown.
I loved the decoration of the place, the lights on the walls, there was plenty of space to sit and move around, and the waitress Rebecca was super nice, really fast, and we really appreciated that.
The clam chowder was one of the best I've ever had and the sandwich I got was good as well. My boyfriend loved the bacon. He was disappointed that the wing special wasn't for boneless wings, so he had to pay full price for boneless wings that were just okay. If it wasn't for that everything would have been perfect. I LOVED the temperature of the beer (I like mine cold and most places serve it too warm) and we left very happy!
I have been back a few times since my last review. And I think I figured out the "trick" if you sit in the "dining room" and not the bar area, you get better service if you are not part of the mug club. They treat you like a normal customer in a regular restaurant. As I find this is not the case when in the bar area. you are treated as an outsider and they dont care about your business since your not part of the mug club.
Food is good. However they are like most restaurants that cant cook a burger right. If i order a burger med rare i expect a warm red center. not no pink cooked thro. If your cooks cant eye and feel a correct temp for a burger its time to get some thermometer and get the temp reading for every one.
I wish they had some "girly-er" beer choices. And by that i mean maybe a raspberry wheat or a peachor  blueberry something different than the same 7 or so beers they carry all the time. I feel that the beers never really change there.
After procrastinating about trying this restaurant for years (literally!), my husband and I recently ate at the Ale house. Â We were impressed! Â Seating is a little tight, but if they cut down the amount of tables, it would only add to the wait time. Â The food was very tasting, and the service was quick and uber-friendly. Â 2 thumbs up!
Review Source:Even though this place is in Gardner I'm still going to give it 4 stars. I think the fact that you have to go to Gardner may be the only bad part about it. A nice little brew pub with descent pub style food.
Went here the other day with some family members for some dinner and was pleasantly surprised. Being a lover of all beers I love going to places that make their own beer, the only bad part is that the beers are listed on chalk boards and you have to get up to see them from most parts of the dining room. Although I get it, if you change your beers seasonally it makes no sense to print out beer menus, waste of money. Tried the IPA, Double IPA, Summer Ale, and the Double Bock (Yes I had the sampler and yes I got a little hammered) and was impressed. The IPA was nice and hoppy, the double was smooth, the summer a little too light for my taste but I get it.
Lets talk about some food now. Usually I don't like places like this that try to make a little of everything, because they make everything descent and nothing good. The food here however is good and they give you big portions. They do all your typical pub style foods like burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, pasta dishes, and a few others mixed in. Although this might not be my first choice for dinner, the combination of food and locally crafted beer is a good one
The nachos and buffalo chicken pizza were both very good. Â The double IPA and smokehouse pizza on the other hand, were straight up beautiful. Â Inspiring really. Â Not just food and beer, but works of art.
The beer quality seemed to range a bit - their 4% abv stout had too thin a mouthfeel, and a one dimensional flavor. Â The wheat beer had nothing special going on. Â But the great beers - the black IPA, and especially the face-off double - lock this pub in at a solid five stars. Â There aren't many places in Massachusetts where you can buy a better beer than that.
Been coming here for several years now. A fantastic, but small local brewhouse. Â The staff and owners are super-friendly. Â Dave, the brewmaster, is frequently walking around and chatting with the patrons, spreading his knowledge and love of beer. Â
Quick ratings:
Drinks - 5
Food - 3
Entertainment - 5
Atmosphere - 5
Some of the food is really excellent. Â The pizzas, salads, soups and sandwiches are all quite good. Â Some of the entrees are hit-and-miss. Â Not necessarily "bad", but if you want good pasta, go to an italian restaurant, for example. Â The specials are usually worth trying. Â
I would not recommend the desserts.
Back to the good stuff - the BEER. Â There is always a constantly rotating variety of locally-made beer (literally brewed at the back of the restaurant). Â They have won multiple awards and the brewmaster is always tweaking and trying new things. Â There is also usually a cask beer on tap, especially in the cooler months. Â
The Ale House has a great selection of regional live music, starting around 8 or 9 most nights.
Tip: Â It can get quite crowded in here, especially on the weekend nights and/or if there is a popular band playing. Â The entire front bar area, including the little tables on the side is first-come/first-serve seating. Â Also, there is a free public lot directly across the street.
Delicious food, great brews! Only real negative here is that if they're having an event of any kind, the quality of service goes down the toilet. Also, the menu is mostly full of hits, but for a pub, you'd expect much better fries than the ones they serve; floppy, unusually brown, and quite flavorless. Other than that, great place!!!
Review Source:The Gardner Ale House snagged a 4-Star from me almost solely based on A.) THE CRAFT-BEER THEY BREW! They have a great line-up of hand-crafted brews, a few which have been awarded medals at the Great International Beerfest. B.) The location of this beer is relatively close to my domain.
The menu is pretty decent, and they seem to offer frequent events for the patrons. Everyone else that reviewed pretty much covered how crap-ass the service can be. The girls at the bar approach you with an attitude that let's you know that they expect to be hit on by you and your bar-mates, and are already unimpressed! Lucky for them, the beer totally overshadows their bitchy attitudes. The beer.
I should have just wrote "The beer."
The Ale House has both a decent-sized bar and a dining area. Â I've only gone there for dinner, so I'll only comment on that half.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beer selection (check it out on their website, but be warned, you can't really trust what the website says will be on tap) and fell in LOVE with their Chocolate Porter.
The menu has your typical American-style family offerings; I went with the fish and chips. Â For $15 bucks I got two decent sized portions of deep fried fish and a heapin' pile of fries. Â
The waitress was very attentive and patient, so very very patient. Â She had to keep coming back to us as we couldn't even decide what beer to start with, never mind what entree to order.
There is free parking right across the street, how can you not love that?
My only gripe about the place is the lighting. Â There are lamps hanging over the tables along the walls that toast your forehead and make you feel like you're being interrogated. However, it's nothing that a cold glass of chocolate porter won't fix.
If you're looking for a quiet night out with a good beer selection and decent prices, check out the Ale House!
First impressions were it was dark and loud. Â The staff was very attentive and helpful with the menu items.
Large flat screen abound and plenty of interesting art on the exposed brick and post walls, for a nice pub type atmosphere.
All meals were great at our table, I had Mediterrean Plate, Awesome!. Â Try to get Jessica for a server.
You will serve me beer-battered fried pickle spears after 10pm - YES PLEASE. Â Seriously. Â I've been here twice so far, once for regular dinner and once where I could only order off the late night menu. Â The hostess said this like it was a bad thing. Â Um, NO. Â I would argue that the late night menu is better than the regular menu. Â
I'm from the South and swear by fried pickle slices, but entire spears had me more than excited. Â Pair them with an amazing honey mustard sauce and I'm sold. Â I also strongly recommend the spinach and artichoke rangoons. Â Melty goodness at its best. Â
I know that I will be returning to the Ale House many, many, many times. Â The only reason for four stars instead of five is the piss-poor live music I've had to endure while trying to enjoy my yummy food.
I have to say this place really has done a good job improving itself from when they first opened. Â Our first visit was not the greatest, but we gave it a chance and it progressed in a better direction. Â
I'm not a beer/lager/ale drinker BUT man they are awesome with the martini's had just about every one and they are all awesome! Â The swedish fish martini is delightful, the key-lime martini refreshing! Â
We've been for dinner, lunch and brunch. Â The crab dip is great. Â The Asian salad was wonderful. Â Lobster pie...yummy! Â The brunch is incredible (not your average dried up scrambled eggs)...must have nap after. For a little town of Gardner they do a fantastic job with brunch. Â
We've been on Friday nights for dinner, although extremely busy, the service has for the most part pretty good. Â
The atmosphere is the best you'll find in Gardner. Â Love the display of local art which is rotated and displayed against exposed brick. Â
The only down side is if you are going for entertainment, they could use a larger area, but overall I give them a thumbs up!
We drove an hour to check this place out. Â When we walked in I was surprised at how big and nice it was. Â They had a nice list of beers up on the chalk board (about 6 house brewed beers and some guest beers). Â When we sat down and ordered drinks we were informed that they only had 2 house beers on tap, Major bummer. Â A brew house with only 2 house brewed beers on tap come on now... Â Â good thing for the guest brews...
The Menu had lots to choose from and everything sounded good. Â We ordered the pulled pork sandwich, a steak sandwich, and boneless wings. Â Portions were big, but they seem to nickle and dime ya... Â a buck for sweet potato fries, a buck for cheese, ect. Â The sandwiches were very good, the wings were overcooked and dry, it was a workout to chew them... Â Go here hungry! Â Would I go back? Yes.
The charm and energy at the ale house is undeniable. They are without a doubt the front runners in a downtown that you can see is just a few years away from turning a really positive corner.
The food is good, the beer is great and the staff is phenomenal (If you come during a special event you may even see some of them in German beer maid outfits.) You can tell that the folks that run the ale house really care about the town they're in and for that Gardner should be thankful.
If you find yourself in central mass drop a few shekels at the ale house and enjoy an evening at a great small town establishment.
My mom is always trying to get me to come here when I visit her in Hubbardston, she loves this place.
I've been a few times now and enjoyed the buffalo wings, chicken club and some rib tenders once. We also got some pumpkin dessert that was amazing. My mom raves about the desserts, so save room!
Overall, the food was pretty good, but it's bar so look out for the very busy and loud atmosphere that happens later on in the evening.
This place is awesome and much needed for the area! Â
I grew up between Fitchburg & Gardner. Â North Central Mass has always been a hub of food mediocrity. Â Hard to get much besides soggy pizza, soggy grinders, soggy Chinese Food (exception of Gardner's own Yen Yen, which is awesome!), donut shops, and pubs built on menus of prime rib/potatoes/Anheuser-Busch products.
Gardner Ale House comes along and builds
A) a fine beer establishment. Â Even bigger cities Worcester and Fitch/Leominster don't have brewpubs for some reason. Â Hey brewers - come to these places and fill the market gap!! Â
B) takes the simple but rare-round-those-parts step of using fresh, non-canned ingredients. Â Puts these into a hearty pub plus steaks & pizza menu that still manages to be vegetarian-friendly.
D) Keeps the prices reasonable! Â Mostly $10-20 entrees, under $10 for sandwiches. Â Filet mignon is the only thing over $20 here. Â
D) A non-dive space for local bands to play in.
Way to take a big step toward pulling G-Vegas and the general North Central area out of its culinary voidness.
Gardner Ale House is proof that good beer and a true quality semi-upscale restaurant can succeed even in the land of half-dead Central Mass mill towns. Â Â Â Â
Favorites on recent visit in early February were Dave's Double (strong ale 8.5%!), FaceLift IPA, and guest beer BBC Holidale on draft. Â Sweet potato fries and a damn good Smokehouse pizza (BBQ sauce, bacon, smoked gouda cheese, ham, caramelized onions).
Lets face it, when eating in Gardener you have to lower your standards, but not at the The Gardener Ale House, thats part of what makes eating there so refreshing and delightful.
The food is high quality and served in fairly generous portions. Â Every time I've eaten here we have been seated quickly and treated well.
A great place to go after a hike up Mt. Monadnock, this little brewery in the middle of nowhere serves up delicious pub fare and beer made on the premises! Â What a find!
Happy hour specials like 25 cent wings and half price nachos don't disappoint- for $4 we got a huge plate of nachos that  6 people couldn't finish.
The food was all excellent, burgers actually cooked the way requested, veggie burgers not dry, awesome fries.
But it's really about the beer. Â These guys know what they are doing! Â Especially of note was the Facelift IPA. Â Simply delicious and just what a group of thirsty hikers needed!
Service was great- we even came in right during a shift change and were totally taken care of.
They seem to have a lot of theme nights and live music too.
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