The new waitress and the margarita are the reason I gave it a star. Â Service was poor, Â but the food was horrible. . Â I ordered a Calistoga Margarita and it was amazing. Â Get one and LEAVE! Â Please don't order food here. Â The menu is limited and aweful. Â Dont order the pasta, Â or the burger. Â All bad. Â As I write this, Â I'm so tipsy from the drink, Â I totally understand why most reviews are fair. Â I beg of you, please do t eat here.
Review Source:I am giving the restaurant 1star for the food and service..  Tonight's experience was dreadful.  We got a waiter that was more interested in totaling the evening totals and flirting with a girl  than taking care of customers.  I ordered a wedge with chicken wings.  Wings were sweet and good but wedge was nasty.  Came with blue cheese dressing that was watery.  Had them return the plate and I ordered a turkey burger and fries.  I waited a long time for the food to be delivered to my table and when I got it it was cold as it had been sitting too long .   The music was good.  Won't go back.
Review Source:Nothing in particular to rave about for lunch. I imagine this place is much better at night with live music. While the food was dressed nicely and presented well, it was still, well---bar & grill tier. Combine this with a bit slow and absent service, then you must resort to the drinks. They have a decent selection of beers and you can't go wrong with 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat. In the end, I'd try the night scene.
Review Source:A little different twist on the Hydro...We were looking for a place to have breakfast in Calistoga on a recent Saturday and many of the usual morning eateries were pretty full. I happened to notice that the Hydro was serving breakfast so we went in. To come to the point, it was outstanding...very much a welcome surprise. The hash/vegetables was off the chart good. If you're looking for breakfast in or near Calistoga, stop by the Hydro. The food and service were excellent.
Review Source:While they seemed to be out of certain ingredients for their specials the food was quite good for a bar. Our waitress was practically nonexistent after she took our order. The bartender gave us our drinks and someone else brought our food. There was a girl that seemed quite unhappy that would bring water and silverware to tables. I wouldn't go here for the service but the food is good.
Review Source:Meh!!!!!! Don't bother. A rare day to eat lunch alone in Calistoga. The one time I didn't read the reviews and listen to my fellow Yelpers bit me in the butt. My take is the same as all of the one star reviews. Very average to below average food. Disappearing servers. Tables looking around wondering where the food is. Lower than poor service. Lower than poor hospitality. Didn't get half of my food. I was ignored!!!!!!! Too bad. I wanted to like this place. If I sat at the bar my experience might have been better.
TaDa!!!!!!! You win. You get my very first one star. Congratulations, you earned it!!!!
Great Food in a surprising place at great prices!
I went here while on my trip in Calistoga and I have to admit, the minute I saw Garlic fries on the menu I was interested.
The seating is seal-seating, so if you have a larger group it may be difficult to find a seating area big enough (a couple in a small corner booth were literally rude enough to pull the EXTRA table next to them - which would have allowed us adequate seating - next to their table so that we could not sit in that area).
It's a small place with a nice atmosphere for what looks to be all ages. Everyone in our group enjoyed the food, and the staff was very nice and helpful - and I must say very accommodating! They have a wide variety of food and alcohol, and it's located in the cute little downtown area with shops and interesting places to see.
Our first time in Calistoga and there are no fast food restaurants. This place was recommended by hotel staff, and it sounded good so we went there for burgers. The gentleman who took our order didn't write anything down, and as such, completely forgot our appetizer. Once the burgers came, I figured it was too late for the appetizer now and didn't bother to remind him during the brief moment he was at our table. When he took our drink order, someone else came back with the drinks and obviously didn't know who each drink belonged to (because he wasn't the one who took the order.) Then a female showed up with the food, same situation, because she didn't take the order, she had no idea who ordered what. The other guy, in the meantime, decides he's going to sit and have a chat with patrons in the booth next to us and block the path way other patrons need to get by him. Not until a third patron taps him on the shoulder and waits for him to move his chair out of the pathway. The soda drinks are served in glasses way too small. This means you run out of soda fairly quickly during your meal and have to wait for the hidden waiter to appear, notice and offer to refill it. We he finally does, once again someone else brings the drinks back, not the same guy who took them. The 'professional menu' offers something called 'Menphis style ribs.' Is this a typo or some inside joke? if its a typo how lazy do you have to be to not correct it? I asked for my burger to be cooked medium-well, and I got served an over-clock piece of meat that was dry as a bone. But I was starving and I ate it anyway. I ran out of soda again and stopped eating until I could get a waiters attention and have it filled again. Why such small glasses? Why make the waiters work so hard for something so simple? A smart waiter would have brought me two (one for now, one ready for the next one) and save me the anxiety and him the trip. The price was way too high for what you get. Maybe this is just a California thing, because we've never experienced anything like this in Arizona, where we're from.
This place is just a wart on the beautiful city of Calistoga, California, in my opinion. If I was a college kid looking to spend a lot of money to get drink, I could see the appeal of this place. But, since I am not that kid, it had no appeal to me what-so-ever. And rotating all wait stuff to handle every customer is one of the most annoying an impersonal things you can do to a customer. Needless to say, next time we're in Calistoga, we won't be going back.
Thank you for being open late and being a good place to stop for drinks and snacks after Bottlerock in Napa. And providing an entertaining atmosphere.
The first night we went there, a group of locals were celebrating a wedding party most of them were lit and pretty funny. The owner was feeling no pain and also just got back from Bottlerock. He gave us some free chips since they were no longer serving food. Â Margaritas were fine. So was the Syrah.
Second night they had a sort of swing jazz type band. Lots of people dancing. Ordered the calamari which was fine not great. Had a glass of Chardonnay. It was good. Owner there again and sampling all their wines again. Bartender friendly and quick.
Note: They have one uni-sex bathroom. Some of the local guys do not bother to shut the door after they stagger in there. So do not be surprised if you are there late.
Overall good time. Would go back for drinks and snacks.
.
Had a good burger here, and a couple of very good martini's. Just a spontaneous drop in on a Saturday afternoon for a quick meal. Good service, nice atmosphere, and decent food. Calistoga is not the dining capital of the world, but a good place to eat on short, or not so short notice!
Review Source:Kid loved the Mac n cheese- twice. Â Half roasted chicken was an awesome value, although the "risotto" on the side is not risotto, but tasty white rice drenched in butter. Good salads. Â Burger good but obviously had been cooked on grill with fish (or else the bun had) - shouldn't taste fish on my beef!
Great beers on tap, and distillate list looked good too.
Service was +
My friend and I took a girls trip up to Calistoga to get wild and have fun. Needless to say, it was mission accomplished! Our bartender Jason was VERY helpfull and accomidating when I mentioned it was my friends birthday. He recomended a shot so good, my friend and I are STILL talking about it! We came back the next night after massages and had delicious cosmos with dinner. What a good time!! Thanks hydro, glad I know where to find you!
Review Source:Got the award winning burger and it was delicious. 2 stars for service. Staff was watching oscars on tv and did not serve us other than bring our food. Asked for a water refill and waiter filled it to the top overflowing on the table then walked away. Asked for a to go box and he went back to watching the oscars. We had to ask someone else for a box. Poor service here. Â Never coming here again.
Review Source:I'd skip it unless you just want drinks.
Been here a few times and it's been decent, nothing to jump up and down about but nothing to warn about either.
This most recent visit last weeked was a fumble - we ended up here because most other places required reservations. We intentionally missed ours elsewhere to enjoy the Reserve tastings at Sterling (delicious) and ended up here thinking it would suffice.
Food was good overall, both apps and entrees, but the lack of service was embarassing for them. Â Hire more servers, Management. Â Our guy was running the entire room until the slow Manager tried to help, which wasn't much help.
Waters were empty, no follow up to see if we wanted another drink and the only time dude resurfaced was bill time.
Next time, back to the restaurants at the lovely Mount View Hotel a block down.
Would loved to have eaten here, but after being ignored for 15 minutes we went over to Busters.
Note to owner: Â yes, i understand being busy, Â greet customers with "i am sorry we are slammed due to xxxxx, we ask for your patience and we will make sure you have a pleasurable dining experience". Â Or you can choose to ignore potential customers until you have none left.
Really great food, great atmosphere, great location.
I liked going there :D
I got the bruschetta. That was great,
and then I shared a creme brulee with my brother in law and sister.
That was superb.
I like that they served Ace Pear hard cider there.
And their beer or ale or whatever you call it is good too.
My brother in law got the beer with the tangerine flavor in it, and it was really a good taste.
The decorations and the way that they place was set up was really chill and reminded me of like... a French cafe meets a Russian River brewery or something. It was relaxed but at the same time, it was classy.
I would go there again :D
Wow. Where to start? The last time I was at Hydro, it was eleven years ago and it was good. I'm assuming it must have changed owners because the experience I had this past weekend was terrible. We came in on a Saturday morning for breakfast (our hotel was around the corner) and there were only 5 tables seated with 3 servers. It took 10 minutes to get anyone to say hello to us, let alone ask for a drink or food order. The food wasn't anything to remember but it was okay. However, the worst problem was that the place was swarming with flies. When we started eating, a man who I can only assume was the owner, came around with a fly swatter and started swatting flies...AROUND SEATED TABLES. It was disgusting. I almost lost my appetite, and if I wasn't starving, I would have walked right out without paying. As you can guess, I won't be returning.
Review Source:First off, I love the decor, although I;m not a big fan of their tridents instead of forks but it wasn't a complete deal breaker for me.
The mac and cheese was fantastic as well as the steak I got which was juicy and succulent.
I took a bite of my boyfriend's burger, I wouldn't say "best burger" but it was pretty good. Â Their fries were fantastic as well.
My favorite part though was their Thai Mojito which was so much more than a mojito, it was a delicate dance of flavor across my tongue, lightly bubbled and absolutely tasty.
The service was so-so.
This place has moderately decent people in it that do not make me want to go postal. Â The owners are very cool people. Â One owner, Alex, a rabid republican, would do well to quit publicly supporting Mitt Romney's positions in such a liberal town. Â Besides that he is good people.
The bartender, who sometimes bears a passing resemblance to Glenn Beck owing to his glasses, is so well loved in the town of Calistoga that the locals have been encouraging him to run for Mayor. Â The town would be lucky to be run as efficiently as Franco runs Hydro - indeed, the trains would always run on time under his administration. Â The wait staff and bus boys are gentle creatures that do not get too bogged down worrying about supporting General Franco. They help in their own ways...and their hair is always on point (literally). Â
The soap in the bathroom has recently improved in quality, or at least the bottle it is dispensed from is much nicer. There is a table in the bathroom that allows for setting belongings or small children down on. This is helpful because some people bring kids to bars.
The bar patrons are good quality for the most part. Everyone is very friendly. Frank is a lively and convivial host who knows how and when to toss the wrong kind of patron. I have enjoyed watching him eject the unruly on lucky occasions.
The hamburger was rated most highly in a provincial competition. It is very satisfying and can be procured with expensive Irish cheese that was handcrafted by leprechauns.
All in all, I have rated this facility four instead of five points for the simple reason that I do not ever want to show up and not have a seat at the bar. Â Seriously, if you are in my seat I will cut you.
Average food, average service, average prices........ just average.
The place has a cool look and decor, but the vibe just isn't very welcoming... at least not the night we were there.
For some reason it was really warm and stuffy in the place too. They needed to turn on the A/C.
Their mac n cheese is totally average. Not great, not bad.
I liked the wedge salad I had. Their blue cheese dressing was really good but it was the most boring wedge salad I've ever had anywhere... just lettuce and dressing?!
WTF?
Nice selection of beers on tap.
It did the trick but it's nothing special.
Hydro is an amazing bar and restaurant! Frank the bar tender was funny, attentive, and knew how to make a mean drink. Definitely ask for him if you go in. He is entertaining and just delightful! He is someone that leaves you wanting to tip big.
Overall, this place was great and I will definitely be back!!!
Good enough when you're hungry and in between wineries.
Of the 8 of us, I think at least 5 ordered what the restaurant labels as their "famous" burger, and I think all five inhaled every last bit on the plate.
Since I was planning on indulging for dinner not too much later, I kept it light and split a grilled artichoke, some oysters on the half shell and a salad with my husband. I was pleasantly surprised with it all.
Atmosphere is low-key. There's a TV, in case you're in search of a game.
We went to Hydro Grill for dinner after a day of soaking in mud baths and spring water and generally relaxing. We had an amazing lunch at Mustard's on the way up from the city, so we wanted something light for dinner -- we did salads, shrimp cocktail, and a berry crumble thing for dessert. It was a little pricey for what we got, but considering the area, not too unreasonable.
The highlight was all the beers on tap, including a few from Napa Smith (one of my favorite Norther California breweries!!) that I hadn't seen before -- a pilsner and a red ale.
The bartender also was a total badass and refused to serve (in a very friendly way) two suuuuper drunk dudes who stumbled in, giving them free Coke instead. I've never seen a bartender exercise their public responsibility before and I was impressed.
Definitely wouldn't make a special trip to go here, but if you're in the area and have maxed yourself out on the fancy places, this is a solid option.
LUNCH STOP during a Wine Country trip is a MUST!
Hydro Bar & Grill is a convenient spot for a break to get a meal in before continuing on with wine tasting. My friends & I stopped here after doing a bit of wine tasting in Napa. Tucked in Downtown Calistoga, this restaurant is hard to miss in this small, Western town.
I ordered their macaroni & cheese with bacon. Yum, yum, YUM! If you are a mac & cheese fan, you'll love this dish. My friend ordered one of their pastas and the other ordered an Asian salad.
Overall, this is a nice place to take a break for lunch while touring Napa Valley. The food is pretty good (and affordable), they have a full bar and its in a convenient location in Downtown Calistoga!
Do I want my change? I gave you $40 and the bill was $32! Â Yes please. Every penny, just because you ASKED.
You didn't even check on me. Ask how my underdone burger was. Never offered to refill my coke. And the fries, while crisp and delicious, we're cold. Not warm. Burger was great, I should have ordered it medium... Guess the cook knew better than to serve me what I actually ordered...
Anyhow just kidding. I'll give you $2.50 because I feel sorry for you.
Stopped in looking for lunch as my husband and I were driving through to Napa. Â
I have to be the number one Macaroni and Cheese snob in the world and I can't believe how amazing it was at Hydro. Shazam! cheesy and so flavorful. I ordered mine with prosciutto.
I had a skinny margharita which was yummy as well. I can't even remember what my husband ordered...um oh yeah a basil burger that I hear was very good.
What this place will give you is small town charm, a great place to watch the game (2 tvs), 20 different beers on tap, some awesome locals and amazing food.
Gluten free-ears, this is the place to go. Get this - chile relleno that is gluten free! Seriously!
Okay, back to my story about how two gals from the peninsula ended up at this place...we needed a place to watch the sharks game last night. It was the girls birthday and that's how she wanted to spend it. Well, watching the game and drinking. So we did. Both.
Andrea, the bartender was amazing. She never steered us wrong when it came to drinks, and the cute specials on the wall made it oh so easy to keep going to the next one.
Food. When asked what we should order, the owner (gayle) from across the bar said the chile relleno. Gluten free, even. Yes, you read that correctly. (and yes I realize I've already said this. The gal had the same, and literally licked her plate. The grilled artichoke was spectacular, the aioli was killer. Second night we had the burger (her) and the wedge salad, also yum. Homemade blue cheese dressing and bacon make this girl wild!
So, in short, go here. Ask Andrea or gayle to help you decide,because everything is the good and the company is great. And remember the great words of all dads: go where the locals go.
DIVE IN.
 It's a dive bar and grill.  For Calistoga, you don't get a lot of choices especially after 8 or 9 pm.  So,  consider yourself lucky to get the cool lighting fixtures, the waitresses who actually try to do a good job, and some decent inexpensive food.   Mac and cheese is OK;  artichoke is good if they don't  burn it;  and they have some daily specials.   It does the job.
Really? People actually liked this place?
Me, not so much.
First we sat at a table and waited, and waited, and waited. After 15 minutes we moved to the bar.
I ordered the champagne supernova. It was written on the chalkboard, next to it was a pretty drawing of a champagne glass with fireworks coming out of it, what can I say, I was sucked in by the advertising. God, this was one bad drink. Â My husband ordered a Dewar's, rocks, water, twist. The bartender had to be walked through how to make it.
The drunk but charming woman next to us (going through a rough divorce that we got to hear all about) also sent her rmartini back, saying it tasted awful.
We took a chance and ordered the fondue. For those that don't know, this girl (pointing at me) LOVES cheese. I have never met cheese I didn't like, in any form. Until now (dum, dum. dum).
The "fondue" was a pile of cheddar and swiss that had been microwaved in a bowl. There was at least an inch-deep pool of grease sitting on top. My husband actually tipped it over and poured about a cup full onto the plate. We sent it back, and to her credit, the bartender took it off our bill.
We chatted some more with our new friend, finished our drinks and listened to the band, which was pretty good. Then the musicians took their break and came to the bar with their tip jar, hassling people for money. We took that as our cue to get out. We threw a dollar in the jar and left for the pub at the Calistoga Inn.
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