I give up. No more Hale's for me after yesterday's amazingly bad experience.
First of all, my coffee barely beat the food to the table. I understand brewing a new pot, but it took forever. I'm quite sure she had forgotten as it came immediately after I asked for her to check on it....and I never received a refill.
In our group we had two pizzas, a hamburger and an order of some sort of green bean dish. The pizzas were not cooked properly. I have never eaten a pizza so doughy. The burger was way overcooked and the beans were a little of both. Some were cooked and others were nearly raw (like they dumped them in a pan and didn't bother to mix them up during cooking). Lazy.
The pizza debacle was obvious and they did compensate us for the terrible food. Hey, they even brought out dessert. Great! We might have returned to give them another try if...
...the waitress hadn't come back out to inform us "they" said the beans should be cooked al dente. Wow. She came back out as we're leaving to tell us the customer is wrong. Amazing. However they were supposed to be cooked, I'm quite sure they should have been cooked uniformally throughout the dish. Not the some hot and some cold that made it to the table. The complaint wasn't about al dente beans. The complaint was that some were cooked and some were nearly raw.
They must have known they were having a bad day with the super long wait times and subpar food making it to the table. To jab the customer on the way out the door, after initially making it right, is inexcusable. I felt like I was in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares. That bad.
I had heard some very bad things about Hales from a trusted friend of mine and would have never even tried it had I not bumped into a friend on Christmas eve and needed a place to have dinner, checked Silver City and it was all looked up, so I said "what the hey, I'll try Hales". Â We ended up having a really pleasant evening and I was particularly impressed with the unique food on the menu, friendly speedy service, and lots and lots of food and beer options. Â I had the schnitzel and was very pleased with my meal, as well as the desert which was large enough for two to be satisfied.
If my visit is anywhere near average, then I am a fan. Â However because it was kind of slow at the time I would like to try it again at a more standard time to see if my experience was legitimate.
i won't lie, i was a bit hesitant to go to hale's because it's attached to the mall, and im my experience, mall restaurants are not good! but we had a great meal at silver city the night before, and that's in the mall parking lot, so we just decided to go for it.
i also have to mention, that not only did we just move here, but we have been living out of a suitcase for the past 10 days. that means eating out for every meal, and while that was exciting for the first few days, this was the 9th day, and i was ready to cook dinner in our new home.
so we get to hale's and it is a really beautiful day, so we decided to sit outside. our server was very sweet and fast. for beer, i decided to order something a little different and get a green tea gold. my husband wasn't a fan, but i thought it was delicious :)
we ordered two appetizers; the buffalo french fries, and an avocado eggroll, which was a special for the evening. they were out of the egg roll, which i was kind of bummed about, but we had already ordered plenty of food, so no big deal.
the fries were good, though all of the toppings & sauce were only plated on one side. so half the fries were drenched in buffalo sauce, and the other half were naked. i would prefer my fries not to be swimming in buffalo sauce, but i ate them all the same.
for dinner i ordered a special, the vegas burger and my husband ordered the ribs.
the ribs were dry and not very flavorful. my vegas burger was HUGE, perhaps the largest burger i have seen. intimidated, i noshed on the potato "chips", which were undercooked slices of potato. i deconstructed my burger a little bit so i could actually take a bite out of it, and when i did, something about the texture was off. i looked down and the hamburger was raw. i looked at my husband and said "um, is this safe to eat?". he said no, so we tried to flag down our waitress. she was busy, but we got her attention a few minutes later, she apologized and said she would bring out another one right away, and apologized again and again. mistakes happen, so i wasn't really worried about it.
how long does it take to refire a burger? that is the question, because about 15 minutes go by, still no burger. 20 minutes, still nothing. by now, my husband is done with the ribs and two beers, and i still don't have a burger! i asked the waitress if it would be ok if i could take my replacement burger to go, as it was getting late and i really just wanted to go home. she said of course, and then brought us out a slice of the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
cheesecake for dinner, thanks hale's!
my to go burger finally came out with our check. our waitress apologized again, saying she'd hope we would come back. i told her we would (we probably will). the misses here came from the kitchen, not our waitress, she was gracious and proactive about the situation.
by the way, when i got home, cut into my new burger, it was still really rare. it was borderline for me.
I think the food is a little overpriced for what you get.
My daughter ordered a steak with a side of steamed vegetables, veggies were pitiful (as in three sprigs of mini broccoli).
I ordered a chicken dish with a side of fried quinoa.
The quinoa was absolutely delicious! My chicken was not something I would ever get again. Â It didn't taste like a great "quality" piece of chicken and it grossed me out.
I am not a beer drinker, so I ordered a margarita. Â It was horrible.
I would return again, only for the quinoa...
We have been using Hales as our Silverdale breakfast spot on saturdays and sundays. We have been in for dinner a few times as well. We really liked it a lot better before they changed their menu. We have noticed that the breakfast can be great one day and really mediocre the next.
The coffee cake is extremely good. As are their omelets. The burgers are Eh... but the bread pudding was also really tasty.
When we go for breakfast we get coffee or mimosas- both decent for the price. For dinner we get a nitrol porter which is better than guinness and I get the angry orchard from the tap. YUM!!!
So three years later, Hale's has listened to their customers and really stepped it up. Â Their menu has changed significantly, and I think it's for the better. Â It's easier to get through, simpler, and comes out faster. Â Their happy hour is pretty damn good for size and cost.
But their beer selection....wow. Â Every local brewery is represented. Â From Silver City and Sound Brewing to Valholl and Rainy Daze, your options are incredible. Â Every time I'm in there's something I've never had before.
There's been a lot of changes folks, so if you wrote this place off before it'd be worth another visit.
You would think planning a last minute 40th B'Day party for a Saturday, the day before Mothers Day would be a nightmare! Well I have to say it ended up being one of the best decisions I've made in a very long time. I was directed towards the coordinator Tiffany, set up a meeting, came up with a menu within our budget, let the party begin....
I arrived very early to start the set up. The restaurant was pretty busy, the staff all chipped in to help me as they could. It really was a great team effort considering I was 5hrs early! We reserved the "PRIVATE ROOM" ( I highly recommend) which included  server, our own music outlet,  HDTV, with all outlets to set up your own slideshow w/ computer, etc... It is a wonderful way to go for a large party.
The food... The food was EXCELLENT! We did beef skewers, salad, fruit/cheese platter, handmade chips with 3 humus platters. Everything was elegantly displayed, absolutely delightful to the pallet and just the perfect amount. Our server was too amazing. He took care of us to its fullest with a smile all night. The restaurant continued to become busier and busier that being said, the staff kindly peaked their head in, continuously checking in on us in a very kind generous way.
Overall our experience was absolutely 10 stars. Everything went smooth the staff was wonderfully professional, the food amazing and the party was a success!
Hale's Ales was bought out and is under new ownership. Â I've been gone for a few months, but this week I went to see what the "new" Hales Ales was like. Â
It was A-OK. Â I'd go back there to eat again. Â
Service was okay. Â They had run out of kids menus. Â While the hostess tried to find some more, the waiter tried to think of what was on the kids' menu to tell us the choices. Â
The regular menu IS DIFFERENT from the previous Hales Ales. Â I was disappointed my favorite - the Caprese Sandwich - is no longer offered. Â I was a little surprised that for a "new" place with a "new" menu, the physical menus were pretty beat-up. Â They had stains from people setting their drinks on them and folds and tears. Â Maybe they're going for the "well-used" look on the menus, but it gave the impression of a lack of cleanliness. Â
We sat at a window seat, and there were three flies buzzing around and bouncing in the window. Â Annoying. Â Commented to our waiter, and he didn't seem to care or show any interest in either (a) moving us or (b) doing something to get rid of the flies.
The food was pretty good. Â I had a Hales Special Burger (HSB) which was pretty darn big. Â Fries were pretty good, too. Â My son loved the ribs. Â
Hales is one of the few places in Kitsap you can get fountain Coke products, which is a big plus in my book. Â
We would probably give the "new" Hales Ales another visit.
Ok, I have already had a 5 star review on here for awhile now. I have also been the "Duchess" of check-ins due to the fact that my family and were eating here pretty much weekly! We LOVED it! But, I felt compelled to write a new review based on my past 2 visits. It is not a 5 star restaurant anymore. As a matter if fact, I am not sure if I will return.:( The ownership has changed and so has the menu and food quality. All of my favorite things on their old menu (from previous owners) are gone! (Club sandwich, Teriyaki chicken kabobs, Quesadilla's, and more) I have tried several things from the new menu and didn't really enjoy any of them. My kids used to beg to go eat at Hale's. Yet the last two times we ate there, they didn't even eat their food. They were out of macaroni and cheese (both times) so they tried the pasta and pizza. The pizza came out burnt and the pasta wasn't good. The service has gone down hill as well. We truly are sad about the changes. Guess we will have to find a new restaurant to dine in.
Review Source:We came here when visiting the mall passing through town. Â The place has a nice atmosphere and they are a microbrewery. Â I'm a huge IPA fan and gave the Supergoose a try. Â It was quite tasty! Â It could probably be a little more dry hopped to give an even stronger hop aroma, but I still had two of them and would have had more if we hadn't run out of the food we ordered. :)
I ordered the sirloin steak. Â It was good, but not exceptional. Â It was flavorfull, but perhaps a tad over temperature. Â I'd probably give it another shot if I'm in the area again. Â Overall a good experience, especially if you're required to hit the mall to keep your wife and daughter happy :)
We went to Hales when it first opened and we were not impressed with the food. It was bland and boring. Hearing of their new menu we thought we'd try it again. Their food has improved somewhat bit still isn't great. The service was very slow however. More improvements at needed before we return.
Review Source:It is located in a mall, but does not get overly crowded and you don't feel as if mall patrons are watching you eat. Service was good and fast.
Prices are a bit high and the menu is rather limited and small. The beer menu is a bit confusing on what they have on tap, luckily it is an ale house and the servers don't even have to take a moment to think about what is on tap.
I did enjoy the fresh and quality meats, cheeses and vegetables they use. We had the ploughmans platter and it was loaded with fresh veggies, pickled veggies, meat, cheese and various spreads. Very good. We also shared the philly dip, pretty tasty, enough to feed two people.
My husband and I went for lunch yesterday. Monika was our waitress and she was awesome. She helped me make a bottle for my little one. She was sweet but a little stand off-ish at first. The food was good as usual. Though they use horseradish in there potato salad and I'm not a fan of horseradish so I was a little disappointed it wasn't in the description
Review Source:I wanted to update my one star review to a two, though I do feel like the slight improvement in food doesn't make up for the crap service/rude-ish waitress, etc.
For Christmas - yet again - we were given gift cards to here. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we went in hopes of having an enjoyable meal and tried to choose the easiest menu items that would be impossible to mess up. Mac and cheese and a french dip. The mac and cheese lacked any flavor. Its use of smooth, creamy, light-in-flavor cheese is way off the mark. I want something with taste, not just a pretty facade. The panko breadcrumbs that come with and a bit of pepper made it better, but still... I will say it's the best thing I've had there so far, and I've had some pretty bad meals. The fellow's sandwich was edible. He said he would get it again when we inevitably come back to use the rest of the gift cards. We may also opt to just buy 10 bottles of Tres Fem and call it good...
The very first time we came here, I ordered a diet Coke and it came to me flat. The waitress seemed put out to have to replace it. Any other time, I've ordered water or beer. This time, I ordered a diet Coke again and wouldn't you know it? It came to me flat and the glass had a giant mauve lipstick stain on it. It took me forever to flag down the waitress - and to her credit, it was busy bar seating - and when I pointed it out to her and asked nicely if there was a way she could try to get some carbonation going, she acted disgusted that I would even think to ask. It came back, it was fine, and we ate our dinner undisturbed the rest of the night.
I want to like Hale's, I do. But they're not giving us much to work with here and it's so much easier to go across the parking lot to Silver City. Much better service, better food for pretty much the same price (I'd pay a bit more for a better overall experience), better beer, and did I mention much much better food?
Owners: Â Mike and Kathleen. Â Absolutely wonderful people!! Â
Bartenders: Â (the guys) Â Fabulous. Â They know their beers and are always helpful to find one I like.
Food: Â Delicious! Â We cannot speak for many items on their menu cuz we are not that adventurous. Â Their bacon-blue Cheeseburger is so good, its what we order every time. Â Their chili is very good, as is their BLT. Â
Beer: Â Nitroll Porter, Supergoose, and their anniversary blend are favorites. Â Enjoy their guest taps too.
Waitresses in 'bar area': Â TERRIBLE!!! Â Slow, inattentive, and not very friendly (don't expect them to smile... please... they are not that happy to have guests to serve... Â maybe their base pay is too high and they don't need tips?) Â Every time we go, we sigh and wish their was a way to get the 'FRIENDLY' service of Silvercity's staff mixed with Hale's food and more affordable prices.
Laura served us last time (12.20), and acted offended that we finally went up to the bar to get a refill on our beer. Â No apologies for not checking on our food, or asking whether we wanted another beer, just this shocked look, like how dare we not wait for her to return. Â Come on... Â when you're sitting in the bar area, its nice to have beer 'with' your food. Â This type of service is similar of our overall experience with the 'female' wait staff in the bar area.
I must say, Sam, in the 'restaurant area', is GREAT!!! Â Can she come over to the bar area, please?
Bleh. Â
Hales beers vs. Silver City across the parking lot...? Â I always go to Silver City. Â
I have been here though, and the service is meh, their beer is okay, their gust taps are often FAR more interesting than the Hale's brews, and the food- frankly is the biggest downfall. Â
This place is in a mall (so sometimes there is a funny smell) and it is family oriented. Â The menu really leaves me wanting though- all very meat-heavy. Â Also, what I have eaten here, has always been really mediocre. Â I don't really understand why, because the food at the Hale's over in Ballard isn't bad, but I guess there is just no uniformity. Â
Also, the staff is okay, but unimpressive and the atmosphere is really off putting. Â I am not sure why exactly. Â The "patio" dining faces into the mall (think yelling teenagers and the like) and features cheap plastic chairs that stick into the flooring. Â There is other patio dining, outside, but its always raining... so whats the point? Â To get a good view of Silver City across the way serving up better beer? Â
Inside is chaotic, I always feel like I have to walk through somebodies dinner, or some group event to get to a table or to the restroom. Â Its just not worth it.
Great place!
Of course we had to try one of their brews....so, tried out the "Troll Porter". Great stuff, if you enjoy a nice dark beer. The bartender was friendly & knowledgeable about other local brews to try out [now that we call Silverdale our home!]
We enjoyed a delicious lunch....salmon chowder for me & a panko fish sandwich for my son.
We definitely will be returning....I know for a fact they serve a mean breakfast with the BEST coffee cake around.
I have always loved Hale's Ale beer but this was my first visit to their brewpub. Nothing too exciting of different about the interior. However the bartender was very quick to greet me even though he was managing several groups at once. I ordered an El Jefe which is my favorite and ordered a grilled Teriyaki Chicken burger with JoJo's . The good was very good and solid and the beer was excellent. My main point is that the bartender was very efficient with his managing multiple people and being very friendly. I will return if I am in Silverdale again!
Review Source:I wanted to try some local beers and grab some lunch while out in Washington recently, and my buddy suggested Hale's. Â Located in the Silverdale Mall, I was slightly leery, as "mall" restaurants tend to be quite hit or miss. Â My worries soon subsided, as this place was fantastic! Â I had the rockfish sandwich with fries, and a schooner (10 oz. glass) of the El Jefe and the Pike Saison Houblon.
Positives:
-Our waitress was extremely helpful, especially pointing out good beers to try for someone not from the Seattle area
-Rockfish sandwich was very good and quite filling
-Fantastic beer and glass size selection
-Plenty of parking
-Outdoor patio seating
Negatives:
-Mall location? (Not a big deal to me, but might be for some)
-Some more seafood options would be nice
I was very impressed with Hale's...wish we had them out here in the midwest, specifically for their beer selection and glass options. Â It's nice to have the option to just try a 5 or 10 oz. glass of beer, rather than spend $5+ on a pint of something you don't even end up enjoying.
Thumbs up! Our professional organization had a lunch meeting today at Hale's Ale's, the service was absolutely perfect, we had quite a large party, about 28. Brandon & Candis did a fabulous job of taking care of our large group. Everyone was pleased with the menu  that Candis put together for our group. I did not hear a single complaint about anything. I look forward to having more lunch meetings in the future.
Review Source:I've been to Hale's in Seattle, and have been a fan of their beers (esp. the Supergoose) for a while. Â Saw this place while traveling out toward the Olympic Peninsula, and thought we'd give it a shot. Â We had the brunch: biscuits and gravy and a scramble. Â
The bartender took care of us, customizing our order, making sure we had good beers (one keg quit right after my wife's beer was poured; the bartender took back her beer so that my wife wouldn't get the dregs and gave my wife a fresh one). Â Watched the servers deal with two difficult naval officers. Â
The egg scramble and the biscuits and gravy were good. Â Beers remain a strength for Hales, although I am weirded out that Mongoose and Supergoose taste remarkably different each time I've gotten pulls from different kegs. Â They really are batch beers. Â
We'll be back. Â Heard good things about the burgers.
I'm reading a beginner's tutorial on CSS. Â It's horrible, mind boggling porridge. Â I'd rather be finishing my Truffle Burger and writing SO HERE I AM!
Yep, I write this review from within the bowels (back corner of the bar) of Hale's itself. Â The super handy and spunky staff helped me connect to the wi-fi when I threatened to leave without a second beer. Â
I'm liking their beer for the most part. Â I've tried two today, they're both seasonal so I can't say that you'll get them when you visit but if you see it on the menu try the Tres Fem if you like a crisp and tart ale. Â The Pikop Andropov, while named after a joke on one of my favorite NPR weeklies, is, in my humble opinion, just so-so. Â It's a bit to sharp for a porter IMO - but it is a hefty Abv so that could be why.
Now then, back to that TRUFFLE burger. Â I was recently born into the cult of truffle oil, can I recruit you? DO you need to be SAVED from a truffle-oilless Life? Â This burger may not be THE thing to do it, but it IS a good burger. Â And cooked perfectly, I might add. Â Just a sec, the burger, back the dang burger. Â It came with mushrooms, bacon and, truffle oil doused organic mixed greens and...hold on to your butts...a square slab of BUTTER I'm pretty sure. Â WOAH OY VEY AMEN and HELLO!
I kept bun off and graced my jo-jos (wedge potatoes) with it. Â I'm trying to save half to bring home to my hubs, but, it's getting harder with every keystroke. Â Yum.
This is one of my boyfriend and my favorite places to eat out in in Silverdale. We love their food and we have always had relatively good service. I am really not sure why people haven't given this place the best reviews, but considering some of the other places that we have been to in Silverdale, I think that this one is absolutely one of the best.
We really enjoy their steaks, fish and chips, NACHOS! and salads. Their beer fleets are also good, you get to choose which beers you want and how many you would like.
They also have comfy couches and a fireplace which is a comfy place to cuddle up on, have drinks and relax!
Well, it was not bad at all. I saw the reviews on yelp and wondered why this place received 2.5 stars.
The husband had an omelet and I had the biscuits and gravy. My food was actually very good considering I'm extremely picky about biscuits and gravy. The other half enjoyed his omelet... even though he couldn't chew.... but he has graduated to start eating eggs.
The bartender was very attentive and helpful. She had a lot of patience dealing with the two jackasses sitting next to us.
I will return... I want to try one of their sandwiches.
Massive Improvement!
I first visited Hale's within 2 weeks of their opening and had a pretty lackluster experience with less than stellar service. I chose not to return based on this experience until a friend suggested it for lunch in the Fall of 2011.
In the intervening time they had improved the menu and the servers were much more knowledgeable (obviously) and provided personable and prompt service.
The improvement was so vast that it's become a weekly hangout for a friend and I. Having visited more or less weekly for several months now I find my experiences eating here have been consistent and reflect  the "usual" experience of dining at Hale's, food and service are consistently good to excellent.
My favorite menu items are the pizzas and the caesar salad. The brisket is quite good as is the macaroni and cheese (homemade baked style). Honestly I'm so hooked on the pizzas I rarely order anything else! They make their own mustard which is served with several menu items and is quite excellent.
I am not a beer drinker but friends I visit with seem to enjoy the beer and they change featured beers fairly often.
We tried the brunch once and it was acceptable but not anything special.
I enjoy the laid-back and friendly atmosphere and never feel rushed by staff who even have been known to continue to refill my drink after we've paid.
Hales gets two thumbs up from me [if I had three thumbs... that would also happen]!
The service was great; my server was super attentive to my needs and gave me suggestions that changed my mind ultimately for the better.
I wanted dessert, and I'd heard they had a beer float to die for, so I asked about that. As it turns out, they have not one, but TWO, completely different ones... so, yeah, I got both [hey, no judgement]. They were amazing.
My choices were Vanilla Bean ice-cream in the Nitroll Porter, as well as Hales Cream Ale finding its rightful home in... wait for it... Chocolate ice-cream! All I know is, they came with sides of warm brownie triangles, and love... especially love.
I liked the atmosphere, the fireplace, the smiling service, and the beer. Did I mention I wanted some beer after my floats... yeah, that happened... and since I couldn't decide what exactly I felt like [two beer floats and a double brownie portion occasionally have that effect on a person], the bar tender let me try mostly everything. Wow, the flavors. Just... wow.
I've been to Hales twice now, and might move in if they let me. A futon in the middle of the bar area perhaps?
If you're in the area, check this place out. Do it.
Okay, so I have been her 3 times. The most recent was yesterday. The service was good until yesterday and it was terrible. But this was one individual server so I don't think you can base anything on that. The food was pretty good. I had the salmon BLT. The salmon was delicious but the bacon was really fatty (I picked it off). The house salad is very good. I also really like the pork sandwich.
They had $4 mimosas (but ran out of OJ) and $4 Bloody Marys (but ran out of pickled beans). Both were good but was sad when they ran out of the ingredients for both!
Sheesh, Hale's just ain't gettin' no respect! Â And yrs truly won't give them much either. First, the highlight - the decor is nice. Panelled walls and a sort of ersatz pub feel - if you crave lights & excitement I suggest you wet your finger and stick it in a live electrical outlet.
I arrived both times around 4PM - to the bar which had one of the "hat backward set" blithering on his mobile. Well, they lose 50 points there, and the prat in the hat goes minus 100 on his IQ. Barkeep eventually appeared & took my order. First time I had bangers & mash and when I got home it looked like it had already been through someone. The take-away box is just a ..... box - not segmented like King's Wok has. What I saw was a mish-mosh that was apparently dropped in there from 50 feet up. But y'know, it was good! Quite tasty. Just looked like a big plop-plop.
Today I tried the fish & chips. Same slowish service, another hat backwards idiot at the bar, and I must say the fish & chips were waaaaay overpriced. The fish appeared to be breaded with panko chips (good), the chips were mini wedges, and there was a small container of some tastless grass-like substance I think was cole slaw. 14 bob for this? Naaaaah. Will I be back? Probably Naaaaat!
My husband and I went to Hale's with a gift card, we had been there once before right after it opened and both hated it.
We got nachos as an appetizer and they were great!!! We both ordered burgers and we both agreed that the meat was not good. It was clearly one of those frozen burgers with grill marks already on it. The meat had zero taste. The toppings and bun were great. Honestly I am happy we had a gift card and I'm not sure I would ever go without one.
Ok, so this place could have more starts but the service was TERRIBLE! Â I was seated in the bar area for 15 minutes before anyone approached our table. Â The woman seemed to be a manager of some sort and I flagged her down. Â She apologized and took our drink order, 10 min later the bartender brought out our beer and walked away. Â 10 min after that I had to find that lady again and she said sorry again and took our food order. Â Finally a waitress came to the table and asked us if we were ready to order. Laughable, right?
Anyway, the food came, it was decent, generic pub food, nothing unique or spectacular about it. Â Then we were offered a free dessert for the poor service, the manager recommended the bread pudding. Â Now in general I do not care for bread pudding but hey, it was already a mediocre meal and if she was saying it was the best, I figured I would give it a whirl.
The bread pudding arrived and I took one bite and OOOHHHH MY GOD!!! Â It was friggin AMAZING! Â I wanted more, and more and more! Â It was moist and sweet and creamy and FANTASTIC! Â If I return to eat here I will only have beer and bread pudding!!!! Â 100% worth being ignored.
First of all, we came at 2pm on a Monday, so the place was not exactly packed. Â We were greeted and shown to a nice, comfy booth. Â Our server was friendly but didn't hover. Â She even apologized when my iced tea ran out for a brief moment (and I am pretty quick when it comes to drinking tea). Â
On the subject of tea, the iced tea was freshly brewed and not fruity in any way. Â No tropical mango blend here, just the standard orange-pekoe iced tea everyone should serve. Â Oh and the house cola is coke, not pepsi.
The food was okay. Â I ordered the fish and chips. Â Kinda flat on flavor but hey it's fish and chips. Â It did come with panko breading so it was not as thickly encrusted as some places. Â The fish was very flat however. Â Frankly I wish I had gone for the burger or reuben, but for fish and chips, not a bad rendition. Â The club sandwich was good, not mind blowing but worth another go.
All said, good experience. Â I look forward to returning for dinner sometime to try the beer.
Four stars for the promise, and the lack of good dining options in the area which this could help to fill.
I came here with my Mom when she was visiting. Â She doesn't drink but we were at the mall and I had been wanting to try this place so we stopped in on a slow, weekday afternoon.
The service was pretty attentive even though we were sitting in the "outside" area. Â They have a seating area which isn't quite inside the restaurant but outside in the mall. Â For a weekday afternoon it was ok, but I could see how it would be pretty awful to sit out there when the mall is busy. Â I didn't mind and was happy to have a friendly waitress who never let drinks on the table go empty and stopped by to check up on us a few times.
They have ok beer. Â If you like Hale's beers, then stop in here. Â They also have a pretty decent selection of beers on tap that aren't theres. Â
My real disappointment here was the food. Â I had the french dip and it was ok. Â My real problem was with the bread. Â Though it sounds picky, when a large portion of your menu is sandwiches the bread is important. Â All the options come on a grainy type bread. Â It would be a nice option to have, but it just doesn't go with all the food options. Â The bread overpowered my entire sandwich and even dipping it in the au jus all I could taste was the grain in the bread. Â It was awful. Â I think I would have enjoyed my meal 10 times more if I had a choice in the bread that was used. Â On a somewhat better note, the potato salad was delicious. Â
Maybe next time I'll just stick to some potato salad and beers and skip the rest of the food. Â I had hoped this would prove a viable option to the other nearby brew pub, but alas, the food is lacking to make it much of an option.
Alright. Â This place is a direct competitor to Silver City, which is located maybe 500 feet away. Â I'm going to have to break it down into 3 sections.
1. Â Food. Â The burger I had at Hale's Alehouse was better than the burgers at Silver City. Â The potato wedges are similar, but for the fact that Silver City fries their potatoes, and the Hales wedges are baked. Â I only have the one dish to compare between the two (so far), but the two restaurants are pretty close.
WIN: Draw.
2. Â Beer. Â
Silver City's Ridgetop Red vs. Hale's Red Menace. Â BeerAdvocate rates Ridgetop Red as a B+, and the Red Menace as a "B-". Â I have to agree. Â I like the Ridgetop Red better. Â I also know that Silver City's IPA and "Fat" are simply Outstanding, award-winning beers.
WIN: Silver City
3. Â Atmosphere.
Hale's is brand-new and it shows it. Â It is nice and you almost forget you're eating in a mall. Â Almost. Â Silver City's been here for a while.. at least 10 years (as long as I've been here), and it manages to hold it's own against the money Hale's obviously put into the new restaurant.
Win: Silver City
So, in conclusion.. while it's not bad in and of itself, in my opinion you should walk 400 feet across the mall parking lot to Silver City.
First visit to Hale's for me. I was looking forward to this place to open for quite awhile. Silvercity has just gotten too damned crowded to even think about going in (an I don't, it's usually at the bottom of a list of other restaurants in the area, with Applebees) and there aren't any other brewpubs in Silverdale (Der blokken in Manette, The Alehouse in Port Orchard and Tizleys in Poulsbo come to mind).
Walking up to the place from the parking lot, I remarked on the effort that they put into redesigning this portion of the Kitsap Mall. I had a hard time visualizing how this would work in that corner and seeing it in action impressed me. The place is cleeeeean. Much like you'd expect with a new business. We were sat out in the mall area, at a plastic table with an umbrella. It was kind of weird, at first, but then we forgot that we were even near mall denizens.
Our server, Adam, was very friendly and the best part of our experience. Probably the reason we'll return.
We looked at the online menu and noticed the vegetarian options, so we were pretty excited about going in and trying them out. Turns out the menu online is for the Seattle location and this menu didn't have much in the way of vegetarian options. So we ordered a burger with a veggie patty. It was pretty uninspired. JoJo's were good and kinda neat that they weren't fried and greasy. The pizza had good flavor, but the crust was DISMAL. Cole slaw was bland.
So, it appears right now that Silvercity has little to fear from Hale's. I prefer the beer selection at Hale's, however, and the pricing for food and beer are fitting for the area (Silvercity overprices their menu). I will return because Adam was such a delight as a server, and I'd like to check out the revolving(?) selection of beers here. And I have faith that within a year this would be a different review. I mean, Silvercity wasn't always the hype that it is now (1997-2003).
The one thing that really knocked my socks off about this place was the fact that on their guest tap list they had Russian River Damnation. I was really incredibly impressed by this.
Next, our server was really exceptional. I mean REALLY exceptional, he noted a crack in my glass that I didn't even notice, and got me a new beer without me having to complain at all. The beer list was exceptional. 30 beers on tap in Silverdale? That just blows Silver City out of the water. I really also like the idea of the two places being so close together, it makes me want to go have a few at Hales, then walk over to Silver City and have a few, it could be like a tiny little silverdale pub crawl. Also with the fact that they are in such an area where they are together I can pair that with a movie, and a cab ride back to the place we would be staying.
In total, there are a lot of things I like about this place, the beer, the service, the food was good too, the location. I would highly recommend this place.
Walked right in, found seats at the bar. Â Noticed that the place was very spacious, you definitely don't feel crowded or cramped in this place. Â We were very well taken care of, there was a great friendly staff ready to take care of us & partake in great conversation.
SuperGoose! SuperGoose! Â SuperGoose! Â - YUMMMMMMMM!
SuperGoose Cask - MMMMMM!
Nachos with BBQ Pork - YUM!
Spinach & Pear Salad - BLAH
Margarita Pizza - Alright
French Dip - Alright
The brewers are zymurgically crafty and offer an affluent selection beers on tap for even the most savvy of palates. Â
I think if we give the kitchen a little more time to really perfect the menu, possibly even make a few tweaks... the food will catch up to the quality of the beer.
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