Great atmosphere, decent beer list, and phenomenal service at Growlers Pourhouse on Saturday night. Â Buck took care of us while we sat at the bar and was one of the best bartenders I've ever had. Â I left wanting to be friends with him! Â He offered tasters of any beers we had questions about and obviously knew his stuff. Â And he just seemed like an awesome guy. Â
We snacked on some popcorn and ordered the soft pretzel with beer cheese. Â The soft pretzel was delish (and one order is enough for two) but the beer cheese wasn't anything too special. Â The beer list has some room for improvement but maybe I'm just spoiled. Â
When I'm back in the area, I'll be back at Growlers!
I'm  a frequent visitor here, usually once a week, and on a first name basis with one of the waitresses over there and one of the chefs. Got to meet one of the owners of Growlers a couple of weeks ago too, Paul, who was friendly and came to our table to make sure everything was up to our expectations. He casually informed us that he has a boat that he and another gentleman own, and they harvest they're own oysters which are served at Growlers. This particular oyster hasn't been in stock for a few weeks but I'm on the lookout for them and from what I hear, they usually go pretty quick and and are generally the first kind they run out of. I recommend getting a dozen each of the different varieties of oysters they have to find your own preferred oyster.  They're served on the half shell on ice with lemon slices, cocktail sauce, and another tangy/spicy sauce ( not sure what it is). I recommend the Nelson Bay oysters from North Carolina. They're quite a bit smaller than the East Points from up North, but they've got a lot more flavor and salt.
The Reuban sandwich here is pretty darn good. Â I order it with extra sauerkraut, and purple slaw. It comes on toasted Marble Rye . Very delicious and better than the ones that come from chain restaurants....my only complaint is that all sides are extra.
I've also recently discovered they've got this really tasty, creamy, and very addictive beer-cheese that you can get  when you order either fries or a warm pretzel. I could eat that stuff right out of the cup...no pretzel necessary. :-)
The Beer choices here are pretty good. They've got quite a few on tap and the selection is always changing. That is great for people like me who like to experience a new one every time I visit.
I love this place. I'll keep coming here as long as they're open and the service stays at the level its at, which means, Lindsay & Justin can never leave! HA HA!
Another NODA disappointment. Came here last night with a friend for a drink. It was Easter Sunday and nothing was open so I headed over to NODA. It took light years for the owner/ bartender to serve us and when he did, they were out of the reds I wanted. Friend was mortified by the house white. I'm keeping my butt Uptown 'til NODA business owners get some class.
Review Source:Considering price, this is a great place to start your night off before you become too intoxicated and cannot appreciate the design of this place.
Starting at the entrance with its large wooden door, it's definitely a no thrills bar that has a great feel and a warm environment. Â People aren't going here to show off or be pretentious, they are simply going to a local bar where they can enjoy a good time with friends over beer, wine, and cocktails.
Also, one should take note of their food offering because it is definitely better than what you would expect from bar food.
Great place to start your night.
The concept is awesome, great beer and bar snacks. I particularly love that they have nitro beers which not a lot of places are willing deal with outside of Guiness.
The beer prices are going to be on the higher end so just a heads up.
We always come here while we put in our name at Crepe Celler and it's a great start and transition for the night.
It gets a bit crowded, so I find I have a better time standing up and working the bar than the whole booth / waitress situation.
Fantastic spot in the heart of NoDA.
Pretty awesome door. Lets just start off by saying that. I came here after some time at Salude. We came here to get a beer, and well this bar is well exactly what it is a bar. I really enjoyed the style and the atmosphere as there are a lot of college attendees. It's quite crowded, as I'm not used to being in a packed atmosphere.
This is a good place to go with friends or to go meet new people, but for me it's not the most amazing place that I would go to if I had a night off. So, therefore, my thoughts on this place: Not bad. Not amazing.
Two breweries and a food truck later, we were fortunate enough to find a parking spot in NoDa and rushed over to get some hyped pretzels with beer cheese from Growlers Pourhouse. Â
When we arrived, the place was packed and not a spot in sight was vacant. Â I did a quick recon of the perimeter and aside from a hipster plagued communal table, there were only a handful of other tables that would hold the group. Â My friends decided to hang by the boss Christmas tree and claim rights to a table in the corner. Â Unfortunately, the sorority chicks holding it hostage would not end their conversation and step off, so we had a bit of a wait while they finally lost their wind. Â While the others counted the number of patrons with mustaches, I decided to get a pint from the bar to tide me over until situated. Â The wait wasn't too long, but when I order a couple measly $2 PBR pints from the bartender, she gave me a very sour face and heady as hell glasses. Â Â
It took about 15 minutes for the gossip girls to take a hint, but when they finally did leave we didn't exactly get immediate service after seating ourselves and clearing the table.  Actually, throughout the night  we never had one specific waitress/server, it consisted of 4 different people swinging by occasionally and they were all synchronized to not wait on anyone very often.  A quick thirty minute adventure turned into a ninety minute excursion from lack of seating and spotty service. Â
Regardless, Jay Z was playing most of the night with a Kanye West song thrown in the mix. Â The atmosphere was laid back and had a few interesting characters creeping around the scene to observe inbetween bowl games on the big screens.
If you're looking for a snack, fo' free, just ask for the complimentary popcorn from their machine behind the bar. Â Straight up movie theater quality! Â When the pretzels arrive, so ended the grueling moments of anticipation. Â The bartender delivered fresh pretzels with great chew and sharp rock salt sprinkled on top. Â The beer cheese is given very generously and their house fresh ground mustard does wonders drizzled salt side up!
Aside from the pretzels and PBR pints, everything else was over priced in my opinion for what they had to offer. Â The craft brews averaged about $6 alone. Â Overall, I would go back just for the pretzels and that joyous beer cheese!
First time at Growler's was on their Beer Education Night that they host on the first Tuesday of every month. Â This was a treat because the chef from The Liberty was also there with an assortment of pickled goodies to pair with our samplers. Â My girlfriend and I had a blast talking about the beer and the pairings with others at the bar and ended up making some new friends. Â Also, LOVED Steven-the bartender- who made the BEST Old Fashioned (the cocktail) I have ever had. Â Steven--the muddled fruit and rye whiskey was PHENOMENAL! Â Thank you! Â I will be returning soon!!!
Review Source:Well hello cute little beer bar you. Â
I have nothing but good memories and thoughts about this place. Â Sunday afternoon....hanging out with great friends....and my new favorite seasonal beer that they offered. Â It was called *tearing up* Punta Pumpkin. Â I wanted to jump in my glass...and do a lazy river float as I sipped on it. And then licked the cinnamon sugary goodness off the rim. Â O.M.G. Â Loved it so much, a friend brought me a little glass of that sugary goodness because I licked the stuff off the rim too soon. Â
So good. Â Such a nice way to spend a sunday afternoon!
Beer and tasty snacks? Â I am there in a heartbeat. Â Growlers has been on my radar for a while now, I had never had an excuse to make it over to NoDa to try it. Â It was early Friday afternoon and we were hoping to make it right after work since it had been a tough week. Â Unfortunately they only open until 5pm, but it was gorgeous outside where we were able to catch up and enjoy the weather and all that is NoDa.
Once inside, we grabbed a booth and started with some seasonal brews. Â Definitely a unique selection here (compared to the usual). Â We also ordered some nachos and eventually dinner. Â I tried the turkey sausage which was gone in 60 seconds... I think consuming good/high gravity beers makes me turn into the cookie monster (except cookies is rather a loose category - it encompasses all food). Â I even asked for a serving of complementary popcorn. Â OH! Â My sausage came with a side, so I went with the mac and cheese. Â I couldn't quite put my finger on it but the cheese was definitely no run-of-the mill cheese mix. Â I appreciated the quality and effort in all the food that was offered here.
The servers were nice and we left the place food of beer and food. Â Great way to start a weekend after a rough week!
I like the bar itself and they have plenty of tv's. Â The booths & tables are nice. Â The popcorn & chips w/beer cheese are delicious.
I had the hot dog and was disappointed. Â It had a great texture, but it was so salty I only ate half of it. Â The bun was nice and soft. Â They only have the stone-ground type mustard.
I love the beer flights you can get and they have a great selection.
I will visit again just because I like the chill atmosphere.
Can't believe it has taken me this long to review Growlers. Though NoDa has added several new watering holes, Growlers is by far my favorite. From the free organic popcorn, beer cheese and array of beers, it's definitely now a NoDa staple.
Came in with some friends on a Tuesday night and grabbed a booth. All of which are fashionably adorned with vintage, wooden doors. Started off with the chips and beer cheese. Pure, bar-friendly heaven. How you could say no to this glorious treat escapes me. So good. Followed by Growlers' incredible popcorn, I was a happy camper. I don't know what it is about their popcorn, but goodness gracious it's amazing.
I ordered the beer brat with juniper kraut. Can't say I was in love with it. Pretty salty, bun was really soggy and the kraut was just....kraut with juniper berries. Not a bad combo, just needs some tweaking. My wife tried the pimiento grilled cheese. Not too shabby. A little on the weak side and piled with pimientos and scallions. I'm a fan of subtle pimiento flavor, but it was still sufficient.
The bar also houses a "beer engine" that has been refurbished from 1936. One of the coolest aspects of the establishment, in my opinion. Makes me want to slick my hair back, wear a bowler hat, and wear suspenders. Another fun fact is that Jeff, one of the owners, is a Cicerone. A certified beer guru. One of the few in NC. Pretty much he knows everything there is to know about beer(s). This place: legit.
Best humdinger of a win? $1 PBRs. My hipster counterparts would rejoice with me and joyfully raise their glasses. Cheers for cheap beer, says I. Even if it is hipster champagne. I'm a happy camper at Growlers!
Good beer selection, including taps and casks. I haven't seen cask beer outside London, and was pleasantly suprised. The bartender was chill, knew his beer, and made sure we always had a drink. The place gets busy, so I'd recommend sitting at the bar.
They serve food until midnight on the weekends but realize, this place is a pub and it's kinda a bar scene on the weekends. Little loud, few drunk douches spilling beer, etc.
I'd recommend going during the week. BEER TASTING TUESDAYS!
Disappointment
Disappointment: 1. Â failure, defeat, frustration. (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com&s=cb986ce1d1305975050c9b6fc52d71cb541f85ee64d957c865cfb7a1efc44b71" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.dictionary.com</a>)
Revenge: 1: to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit:
Those are the two words: disappointment and revenge, that describe my current state of mind as I compose this review of Growlers Pourhouse in NODA. Â I feel nothing but utter disappointment with every aspect of my experience at Growlers tonight. Â I came home and instantly began writing this because I feel the need to exact some minor sort of revenge for the disappointment I felt, and paid for tonight at Growlers.
This is one of those rare experiences in which my feelings and rating for this place started high, but dropped the longer I was there. Â I'll say it all started well, we came in, the decor of the place strikes you immediately. Â This place has the feel of a classic English pub. Â Not many television screens. Â Not very big inside - essentially, its nothing more than one big room, with the kitchen being in the back. Â
It took my buddy and I an unusually long time to place our orders. Â He ordered the Cornbeef ruben, I ordered the wings with a side of ranch instead of blu cheese. Â I know, I know, I should have gotten a sausage, but I had a bunch of brats, hot dogs and sausages yesterday on the 4th of July!
The meals arrived soon thereafter. Â The first thing I noticed was that though the wings smelled great, they looked horribly under-sauced. Â You know when you look at the wing and you see entire sides of plain, fried, chicken skin, well that my friends is UNDERSAUCED. Â Problem Two: I was given blu cheese instead of the ranch I asked for. Â Not only that, but it took a long time for one of the bartenders to come check on us and for me to finally receive a ranch. Â Problem THREE: The wings were horribly overcooked or stale, or old or some combination of all three. Â These are unquestionably some of the worst wings I have ever had! Â Overcooked, dry, undersauced, not meaty, etc, etc, etc. Â
I wanted to go tell the cook back there, "Hey! Listen buddy, you can't serve wings in this town that have been sitting under a heat lamp for five hours, NOT properly sauce them, charge $9 and call yourself anything other than a colossal disappointment!"
You want more issues? Â Well, you're in luck, because when we finally got our tabs, I was charged for a $5 Ruby Lager, when I order a $1 PBR! Â Do you see what I mean about it getting worse the longer I stayed there?
This place was a total waste of $19.24 that I will never get back, or otherwise be compensated for. Â I will never have the chance to personally tell the management how disappointing the whole experience was, mainly due to the fact that I will NEVER be back. Â
All I could think as I was leaving was that I will have my revenge on YELP, in this review or the next...and for whatever its worth to you out there, I feel much better having shared my Disappointing experience with you.
I really,really want to give a 4 star but the acoustics are deafening... and they weren't helped by the annoying cackle of a "joyzee" girl... I really don't mind loud places but WOW! Sound waves crash and ricochet...
The food is excellent bar food with healthy choices and great brews...
I'm addicted. Â It's safe to say.
Growlers has the best beer selection in NoDa and is now on my leaderboard! Â I must admit, I wasn't a huge fan the first couple times I went, but the beer always kept me visiting. Â I then learned of their 'Best Sandwich' per Charlotte's March Madness Sandwich bracket with their Reuben. Â It beat out one of my favorites (Beef On Weck at Lebowski's) so I just had to try it. Â Now, it's my go-to. Â This sandwich is incredible. Â I took my wife and buddy last night and they concur. Â The way this one blends together is magic. Â I also highly recommend the pretzel. Â These are the only two things I eat when I go now. Â Start out with a nice stout beer and the salty pretzel, and end with the sandwich. Â
Try it, even if you aren't a huge Reuben fan. Â I wasn't and this one has me visiting at least once a month.
Came here recently on a Monday night.  It wasn't packed but it wasn't empty either; this was part of the allure as we walked through NoDa deciding on a drinking establishment.  Sat at one of the big family style high tables in the middle, and sampled some regional beers.  The bartender was very nice and brought us out several beers for us to try before deciding, and also gave us a basket of  complimentary organic popcorn.
I tried to order a food item of whose name I cannot recall at this time; but I was sad to learn that the oven was broken, oh, it was a pretzel! Â I couldn't have a pretzel because the oven was broken. Â This was sad.
All in all, nice vibe, laid-back place with a good beer list and reasonable prices.
It's hard to believe Growlers Pourhouse used to be Niche Mkt.! It's really neat how they transformed it from a retail space into the local watering hole.
The outside & inside is really nice, full of hardwood & earth tones. Â
As others have noted, it does get pretty busy, between folks hanging out long term & those just in for a quick drink.
While I haven't tried the food or beer, my boyfriend seems pretty happy with the beer selections.
I have been to Growlers Pourhouse a few times for appetizers and beer before heading next door to the Crepe Cellar. There is a great beer selection, something for everyone. They post their daily features and specials on the chalkboard by the bar.
The bartenders and servers are great, not only giving excellent service but good recommendations as well.
The atmosphere is really cool, almost like an inn or pub from the middle ages. It does get busy and crowded on weekend nights so you might have to stand and drink instead of sitting at a table or bar.
We have had the pretzel with the beer cheese, and also some of the house made chips with dip. I would recommend them all.
Growlers pourhouse is a great place to hang out and meet up with friends before heading out to other bars or restaurants in Noda. We will be back soon.
I stopped by this past Tuesday for the monthly beer tasting. Â My 1st visit and the place is tiny. Â I think they have room for maybe another table if they like to... but space is definitely premium. Â I sat at the bar and had a glass of the pumpkin beer (came highly recommended by the 2 guys next to me). Â I'm no beer expert and I'm one of those people who can actually drink a domestic light beer with glee, but I have to say it was one yummy beer. Â The best part is the cinnamon sugar rim... Â I was literally licking the heck out of the glass. Â
I didn't eat here, but checked out the menu. Â Not the widest selection but I guess it is a pub. Â I got a taste of the sausage they were passing around and it was very good. Â Next time I'll have to try out their hot dogs. Â They also have pretty serious oyster offering. Â
I was impressed overall. Â It's a niche place for NoDa (which is hard to have a niche in this area). Â And their 1st Tuesday of the month free beer tasting is also easy on the budget and a great social event with a friend or 2.
I have to say- I love Growlers.
I especially enjoy Growlers on a rainy Sunday after brunch. It is the right setting for bad weather. It is the sort of place that you want to have a few pints and sit there for hours while discussing current events- or how much you hate the Fat City condos.
The food is absolutely delicious. My personal favorites: The beer cheese and pretzel appetizer and the homemade french onion dip. OMG. To die for.
The beers change on a regular basis- so you never get bored. By far the best beer selection in NoDa.
They have TV's- but the TV's don't feel intrusive. A touch of class.
The only negatives:
Not impressed by their fancy popcorn.
One time (out of many) we had very bad service. It was SO COLD inside- yet the waitress insisted on keeping the door open. People kept closing it and commenting how cold they were- but the waitress didn't care. Horrible costumer service. Mind you, this is one time out of many that were fantastic.
I highly recommend it. Ohhhh- and the brats and oysters are also tasty!
FYI- I have seen a lot of children there during the day. This is nice because it gives a pub-like atmosphere to it. This is negative because you have to be cautious of not using curse words.
Growlers Pourhouse Round Deux:
I swear that I didn't mean to spend 6 hours at Growlers today. Â It just happened...but I'm glad it did. Â After my last experience at Growlers I wrote a snarky and somewhat scathing review of my time there. Â I don't know if all restaurant/bar owners (or employees) read Yelp reviews of their establishments but Growlers certainly did. Â I promised Jeff that I'd visit the bar again and I did much sooner than he probably expected. Â Here are the changes from then until now:
1) Upon first visit the beer menu board was nearly impossible to read. Â First, the writing was much clearer on the board today. Â The best addition is that there are beer menus printed out that list the tap number and the corresponding beer. Â I noticed that one tap in particular had both the beer that was on tap and the beer that was in the on-deck circle. Â Pretty cool. Â
2) Â The waitress that I had during my first visit was surly, unconcerned and unknowledgeable about the product she was selling. Â When I bellied up to the bar today MacKenzie was right on top of things. Â She definitely knew her stuff and offered suggestions. Â At shift change I was lucky enough to have Drew behind the bar. Â Gotta say that he was considerably less attractive than MacKenzie but definitely spoke my language when it came to beer. Â Both were the type of bartenders that should work selling craft brews. Â Top notch all around. Â I didn't see the server from my original visit during my long stay today. Â
3) Â The beer was skunky and metallic tasting during my first visit. Â In an effort to perform an experiment properly I drank 7 different beers (6 from the regular taps and 1 cask) to make sure that a good cross section of the lines were tested (a good excuse to drink more). Â Absolutely no taste issues today. Â I let Drew know that I was the jerk who wrote a sarcastic review of the place, etc and he told me that they were having some problems with the lines at one point. Â Perhaps my first visit was during that time. Â
4) Â OK, so maybe the homemade pretzels looked and tasted like Super Pretzels, but let me tell you that the hot dog at Growlers pretty much kills every other hot dog on earth. Â Have you ever seen real meat juice come out of a hot dog before? Â Right. Â You haven't. Â That's because you haven't had this dog. Â I think it has 3 different meats in it (all real meats people--no snouts or holes in this sausage), which means that there's one meat for each meal. Â That's right--this is the food for all occasions. Â I'm not kidding. Â
If you read my first review you're probably wondering:  holy @%$#, man!! How could things change so quickly?  Maybe they didn't.  Maybe  Growlers had an off day.  Maybe my first server really was a teenaged Claire Danes.  Maybe the beer lines were having a bad day.  Who the hell knows.  All I know is that I spent 6 hours in a bar today when I had other things to do and I loved every minute of it.  Well, except the part where I saw how poorly Bobby Hurley has aged....  Jeff, Drew, MacKenzie, et al I loved my Saturday at your bar.  I'll do it again soon.
I went to Growlers today to watch the disappointment that was the Bears game, it was pretty dead in there except for a few randoms at the bar and a big party smack dab in the middle of the place. Exposed brick wall with a small bar area and four to five booths, for some reason I thought it was going to be larger than it was (that's what she said) but it was a pleasant atmosphere. We were automatically greeted by our server who asked if we've ever been there then continued to tell us about their beer, food, etc. I thought it was really interesting that they make their own sausage there-you don't see that too often and I am intrigued by the process.
They have a nice selection of beers on taps varying from IPAs to pilsners to stouts plus some with high alcohol content (7 and 10.3% I believe). I have a Living Social deal for there for $30 worth of food and drink, which is awesome. I love bargain booze!
We got the dip platter to start out with. Â They have a dip platter for $13 and you get to pick three dips off of their menu, we picked the pimento cheese, real french onion dip and roasted vegetable.
*Pimento Cheese dip. It tasted good but it wasn't the traditional creamy pimento cheese dip that I'm used to. Plus the tortilla chips didn't hold too well when you scooped it up.
*Real French Onion Dip. I am still wondering what makes it "real", this was my favorite dip. I love the minced onions in it and the chips served with it were perfect.
*Roasted Vegetable Salsa. This was second runner-up and packed a lot of different flavors. We asked the server what it included because we couldn't tell what the distinct flavor was and she said it was probably the variety of peppers used in it (poblano, jalapeno, bell) and coriander. My mouth wasn't on fire but I sure did enjoy the flavor
We had a Turkey Apple sausage to split afterwards along with a side of purple slaw (I dare you not to sing Purple Slaw to the tune of Purple Rain if you order this) and mac n cheese (thanks Melissa B for the suggestion!!)
Alright, lets talk sausage (that's what she said-ZING-again!). So it's homemade and it tasted that way consistency wise. It had more water or whatever juice is in the sausage casing  (please don't tell me what it is if you do know what said juice is) than I cared for. Plus when you took a bite into it, you couldn't separate it with a simple bite, you had to gnaw at it and shake your head a bit. Very Neanderthal like. Thank god I wasn't with a gentleman caller b/c it was not a pretty sight. Regardless, it was tasty just a little difficult to break up.
Purple slaw was good--more vinegar based than mayo but could have used more herbs or spice.
Mac N Cheese----ooey, gooey delicious. I added some black pepper to mine but it was the perfect combination of cheesy goodness and cooked pasta,
All in all, I will be coming back to Growlers for sure. We had all of that plus a couple of beers for $30. You can't beat a value like that!
Really like this place--a good place to go with a group or 4 or 5 if you can snag a booth. Â
Due to recent "bun in the oven" issues, I can't comment on their beers, but I can say that they have an excellent cask root beer on draft (Yes, on draft!!) Â I actually thought I didn't like root beer, but gave it a shot one night at Growlers when I decided I couldn't drink anymore ginger ale. Â Turns out, I just hadn't enjoyed a premium root beer product before, so Growler's really changed many years of thinking for me on that beverage. Â Kudos for that.
I had their chips with cheese sauce one night, and it was just "meh." Â However, the first time I visited, I fell in LOVE with their banana pudding, and now I order it every time. It is large, heated and perfect for winter days.
Stopped in here for lunch and a cold one on a Sunday afternoon with the wife. I think NoDa has the makings for another gem in this corner spot.
Started off with the pretzel and (on the recommendations  of other Yelpers) went with light salt.  What came out was hot and tasty- soft on the inside, just enough salt on the outside.  The side of stone-ground mustard was right tasty too.  $3 may be a bit high for just one, but then most of the brews from the tap will run about twice that.
The stars here, from what I can tell, are their house-made sausages. Â The wife and I tried the two-sausage meal with 2 sides. Â We went with the sweet italian and the turkey apple. Â Both were tremendous. Â Moist inside and we got these wonderful chunks of spice and crumbly ground pork in the Italian. Â I could have had several. Â This particular meal didn't come with buns for the links, so no comment there, but you can pay extra for adds ons such as chili and slaw.
For sides we had the bourbon baked beans and the broccoli salad. Â Both were tremendous- beans had just enough flavor to keep them from being drab and broccoli salad was moist and flavorful throughout. Â This was always one of my grandmother's side dishes for family dinner and the Pourhouse did a nice job making me remember it- little bits of broccoli with raisins, red onion, and bacon, all mixed in a sweet mayo dressing. Â Yum...
We also tried a side of the house-made chips. Â These disappointed. Â Cold (as though made a day earlier) and they came with no dipping sauce at all- we asked and the bartender said he have to check next door. Â If anyone is listening, I recommend they be fried fresh to order and served with ranch or bleu cheese. Â
Now I realize it was NFL play-off weekend, and the big screens had the games going everywhere, but there was only the bar keeper to serve the entire dining room. Â The poor guy ran his tail off without a moment to catch his breath. Â We were patient, but this was unacceptable. Â They could easily have used a server for the booths and large center table (which were filled) to keep the masses beered-up and full. Â We would have tried dessert but for fear of the wait for the bar tender to get back around to us. Â Seems like others were frustrated too.
Beer selection on tap is plentiful and seasonal, but there are some standards you can count on, like PBR drafts for $1 during the week (Mon - Thurs). Â They also have a bike-in on Sunday with $2.50 Fat Tires. Â I could easily throw a few back here on any given night.
I don't know that I would call this place a gastro-pub, but they will definitely fit the spot for a quality casual bar meal with a cold one to wash it down. Â I just hope they get some more help to keep up with the crowds!
A five-star bar, a two-star restaurant.
As a place to hang out and drink great beers, this is the place to go. It's got great atmosphere with fantastic, difficult-to-find microbrews on tap. There's always something new to try and I don't think there's anywhere else to find growlers and cask ales in Charlotte. It has a great neighborhood vibe I love.
But as a restaurant, it just falls short. Sharing an owner and (I've heard) kitchen with Crepe Cellar, you'd think the food would be tops, but it falls short, not just of its sister restaurant, but of bar food in general. Service is slow and just not on top of things. The last time I went, we ordered the hummus and two paninis. We sat there for more than half an hour before the food showed up -- the hummus along with one of our two sandwiches. We sat there for another 15 minutes before the second sandwich showed up, missing the bacon I had requested. The server offered to get me a new sandwich, but by that time I was starving and ate it anyway. The food is decent, but nothing special, and served in paper baskets instead of on plates, which detracts from the atmosphere and is wasteful, as well.
Next time I want to grab a drink with some friends, Growlers will be on the top of my list. But when I just want to grab a bite in NoDa, sorry, but it isn't going to be here.
And back up to five stars. Â Someone from the management wrote me on Yelp to address the cask ale situation, and to let me know that the situation I raised in my last update had been solved.
My only complaint addressed, I give back a star.
I do not fool myself into thinking that our reviews on Yelp are powerful or even that anybody pays attention to them, but when you raise a concern and the management gets back to you . . . that's almost a magical situation. Â I think it works to everyone's benefit.
I had really high hopes for this place, but really was just not impressed at all. Came in around 6 on Sunday and sat at the bar, it was very quiet. After a few minutes the bartender came by, we started w/some beers. We then decided to try the pretzel and beer cheese and chips. The pretzel was nothing I haven't had before, if it was served warm that might have helped, the mustard was good though and not spicy like advertised. The house made chips and beer cheese were decent.
We then tried the PBR shrimp, ick. I was excited at the size of the shrimp, but that soon faded when I tried them. Not fresh, mealy tasting, and some of them were so slimy that I stopped peeling and passed on eating anymore.
We decided to try a sausage. We went for the Italian sausage with peppers and onions and a side of the broccoli salad. I kept waiting for the intense flavor I usually get from Italian sausage, but it never came. It was really blah and the only saving grace was the flavor from the peppers and onions. Broccoli salad wasn't bad. We had thought about getting smores but saw them served to another table and it didn't look great so we passed.
There were 3 people working and at one point we saw our food just sitting in the window while all 3 employees walked by it, seemed strange considering there was only about 5 of us in there.
Definitely a disappointment, we would have loved for a new favorite in the neighborhood, but it really was just meh. I'd probably go back for the beer only.
When I was reading the Yelp! reviews for Growlers before we went I got the impression that they must serve really amazing sausages and oysters because everyone was saying that's what they got. What I found our band of merrymakers got there was that the reason everyone had ordered these items is that they make up at least half of the Growlers Menu. There is a munchies section and a dessert section, but if you are looking for dinner (as we were) you are pretty much getting a salad, a sausage or oysters...or some combination thereof.
Luckily, they DO serve really amazing sausages. I had the beer brat with juniper kraut and, with the addition of a touch of spicy mustard which they brought out with our food, it was absolutely delicious. My roommate had the turkey apple sausage which came with relish and I am told was also tasty. One of our friends got the Italian sausage and peppers as well as 6 oysters on the half shell (I couldn't hear when he ordered so I cant tell you what variety). He's not much of a talker but I think the fact that none of his food survived speaks well. The fourth member of our party had the hummus and seemed to enjoy it.
But you aren't just going to a place called Growlers Pourhouse for the food. You are going there for the beer, and I doubt you will be disappointed. The back of the menu lists what they have on each of their nine taps, each representing a different style of brew. Oh and they tell you what that type is, so if you aren't familiar with the particular selection you at least know what to expect. Draft brews are all fairly reasonably priced, coming in at between 4 and 6 bucks each.
The atmosphere is classy, but not so much so that you feel out of place digging in with your fingers. Our waitress was an adorable combination of enthusiasm and information. Growlers is a must try, and if you love beer, sausages and oysters a must frequent.
I was expecting more testosterone, for some reason - maybe ze German influences had clouded my hopes. But the massive door giving way to raw materials and polished concrete, the sausage party menu, the pulls meant to be grasped by some village-conquering Viking with a serious thirst, it all blended into comfy, impressive, trust us to serve you top notch beer-chic.
Oh, you wanted a nibble too?
Have a (CLT's first!!!) beer/cheese pairing party. We have 5 varieties to sample, a beer for each delicious slice. Served with crackers, honey and a comb, this could be din-din if you lean more toward a liquid diet.
Yeah, we have pretzels and mustard. The 'zel isn't homemade, and you need to order it salt-light, but tastes straight off a best-case-scenario corner cart in NYC, slightly sweet, charred, soft and chewy. The mustard, ground in back, impressive.
It's a bummer they felt a lack of confidence in the crowd this place is built to serve - we don't need the thrill of a game to coax us into dropping cashwads on really good beer. But there they are, the bet-hedgers - TVs every 5 feet.
Beer cheese needed a kick of mustard, tabasco, something. Chips came out a tad cold.
Who cares. Prost!
i absolutely love the feel of this place. It's not all that big unless i missed a section hiding in back, but everything just felt right. It's the kind of place that i would almost like to see without any televisions and totally embrace an old school whistle-wetting, watering hole feel with the sole mission to drink and socialize. That being said, the tvs seemed to be nicely situated throughout. Â
i was very pleased to see their beer list had a nice little variety (like 14 on tap and the cask selection). They had a choice for brown, belgian, IPA, stout, pilsner, seasonal, etc. but also included a single representative from the basic American beer family. A go-to cheap beer choice in the PBR ($1 weekdays, $2 on the weekends) It's nice to have that option in case you drink beyond the need for a good tasting beer (no offense, i am old friends with PBR) or are just in one of those moods where it seems downright foolish to pass up any beer that could literally be found on a dollar menu!
As Mrs. P. stated, Â the toppings on the sausages were very tasty and were in fact better than the Italian sausage itself. The mustard was pretty good also.
Our server who we will call Bethany (not her real name) was fantastic and we shall return.
Cask beer, you say? Indeed I'll have a pint! While I'm no ale aficionado, I was really excited to hear about this sweet new pourhouse (with cask beers and 1930s growlers) in NoDa. Naturally, hubs and I dropped in for a quick pint and bite to check out Growlers.
I love love love the feel of Growlers, with the exposed brick on one side, cask ales, laid back approach and teeny space, it's definitely a place you want to keep coming back to. Service was friendly and knowledgeable and the bartender helped me choose my ale of the day - the Orange Blossom Pilsner.
As previously mentioned, I'm not a big beer drinker but I really enjoyed my pint. I dug the orange essence and the smooth finish. As for the food, I only tried the beer cheese dip - which had great flavor, I just wish it was a bit thicker. Being that I went to school in Madison, WI I'm pretty picky about my cheese...especially beer cheese!
Overall, I'm really excited to come back to Growlers. It's a great neighborhood bar with a super cool concept and interesting menu. Looking forward to my next trip...word on the street is that the bread pudding is amazing!
In the ever evolving NoDa neighborhood, the space that used to be Niche and was Mamalu's before that, Jeff and Paul bring you Growlers Pourhouse. Â On the corner and next to their other incarnation, the Crepe Cellar, GPH is a guy's bar that is girl friendly.
The old world charm starts as soon as you walk through the huge antique Chinese estate door and it continues as you belly up to the bar next to the 1936 beer engine tapping cellar temperature craft beers.
The chalkboard menu next to the bar lists the craft drafts by genre and it is hard to ignore the local staple, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Â Especially with it being $1 on weekdays and $2 on Friday and Saturday. Â That beer special alone should keep the lights on.
The other chalkboard on the wall boasts the origin of their oysters on the half shell. Â When you order food, they bring you an old spice (not the afters shave) box that houses your hot sauces, napkins, and crackers.
The menu starts with the lighter fare such as chips and dips, truffle popcorn, and a few salads and then takes a turn with the oysters and peel and eat PBR shrimp. Â The meat of the business seems to be the sausages and brats though. Â From the potentially gut ripping chili cheese dog with peppers and onions to the Veganator option there is something for everyone. Â I had the turkey apple sausage with the house mustard and it was quite tasty.
The dessert portion of the menu is just as fun with marshmallows made in house for smores and nanner puddin'.
The place is peppered with flat panel televisions and has the potential to be the place in NoDa to watch football on Sundays. Â If only Jeff weren't a Cleveland Browns fan...
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