The last time I went to a Karl Strauss was many years ago at the Universal City location. If my memory serves me correctly, I wasn't very impressed. I've come to dislike most brewery-type restaurants, with the exception of BJ's. They just seem to all share similar menus and none of it is ever executed right and their brews always suck.
Well, after a day of shopping at South Coast Plaza, my SO and I made our way across to the Metro side and we were feeling quite peckish and I was jones-ing for a drank. I saw Karl Strauss and even though my first thought was "ugh"; how bad could an app and some drinks be?
We were seated outside since it was a beautiful day and the inside was rather loud. I decided on a Ketel One and club soda and my SO wanted a beer but wasn't really feeling the list of their home brews. Our server was kind enough to bring him a sampling of a few of them to taste (for free). He disliked them all ended up ordering a Tom Collins while I had to send back my vodka. It tasted really strange - like, spoiled?? Can that even be possible? Anyway, our server was more than accommodating and I was feeling bad cuz I felt like we were THAT table, you know, the problem customers?!
Anyway, we decided to get entrees after looking at the menu - everything sounded so appetizing. We ordered the salmon and the shrimp po'boy sandwich. The sandwich was MASSIVE. This was a knife and fork sandwich, for sure. It had a bunch of fried shrimp, fried pickles, and fried jalapenos. It was really good! I didn't try the salmon but I didn't hear any complaints about it.
Overall, aside from the minor drink guffaw, this was a very positive dining experience. Great food and great service... Karl Strauss, you're not so bad after all.
I like going here although its a bit HIGH on my funds! Â The nachos are always great for 2 people. Â I'll usually go for this and some other plate each visit. Â The crab cakes made me feel real baller status when I went with my lady. Â She's like "daaaamn boy! living the HIGH life" Â I was like naw "miller high life!" Â TOAST TO THAT *toke*
Review Source:Karl Strauss
Overall
4 Stars
Gold medal - The Beer Gravy
Silver medal - The Beer
Bronze medal - The Beer Float
Karl Strauss is all about........ The Beer. BEER food, BEER gravy, BEER desserts, BEER take home bottle!! Â So genius! Â There is a $12 HUGE beer judge that you can take home or bring back for a refill. Â Great Deal!
The beer gravy was sooooo good. I got extras and wanted to drink it all.
The beer selection is amazing. Â Karl Strauss gives beer samples too. Â They make it easy to decide on which beer to order.
The beer float tasted just like a root beer float, but with BEER!! Â
HAPPY BEERING!!
I came here for lunch with co-workers and ordered the Farmhouse burger and ceasar wedge. Â I really enjoyed the salad and thought it was good and well prepared. Â The Farmhouse burger was super huge! Â It had grass-fed beef, pork (which I didn't realize until I was two-thirds of the way done with my burger, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and all sort of other stuff. Â I could have done with the pork part, and it was really difficult to eat it was so tall. Â I expected more form the burger, but it made me full, and I finished all of it. Â I would give this place 3 stars, but the service was very good, hence an added star. Â We were on the patio, and our server had served us once before. She was REALLY good about refills,and my cup never went empty. Â The outside patio was nice, and the weather was beautiful. Â The food here is by no means mind-blowing, but it's in a good location, and they have good beer, so if you haven't tried it, I would recommend people go here at least once.
Review Source:Hubby loves craft beers, and they seem to have some great ones. We're coming weekly now. The atmosphere is clean and upscale, yet casual.
The menu is a bit interesting. There's alot of things that are unusual or that I've never seen or heard of before, and I'm not an adventurous eater. The dishes are so creative and unique that I'm a little scared to try many of the items (like pork belly, West African "piri piri" sauce, firecracker sauce, balsamic vinegar chips, brocolli slaw, fig chutney, duck fat-baked pizza dough, strong cheeses, arugula pesto, etc. Foodies will really enjoy the uniqueness of the menu, so I'm not marking them down for that, but I mentioned it as it's something people may want to be aware of.
I LOVE the Piggy Bank Mac and Cheese.
The buffalo wings have the best, creamiest sauce I've ever had. They're made with tenderloins, though, so you have to deal with the nerve running through them. Still a GREAT appetizer.
The martinis are strong so it may only take one.
Will update when I've tried more dishes.
Update: I'm pretty hit-and-miss with their food. I've been trying to venture away from the Piggy Bank Mac and Cheese and haven't been as happy with anything else. The burger was dry and tasteless. Their special "Louisiana Fish Fry" was lacking (I'm from Louisiana and have had much better. The grilled fish tacos was mostly bland even though it had alot of stuff on it, although there was some strong flavor every few bites that I couldn't place and didn't care for. The pesto chicken pasta was decent. But we're still coming back for the wings, Piggy Bank, and cask beers.
Great happy hour! Buffalo boneless wings were perfectly spiced, delicious, a large portion, and a great value at only $5. Calamari had good flavor but needed to be crispier. Spinach dip was creamy, rich, and full of flavor but came out almost instantly after ordered. Dip was just warm so possibly it was sitting before getting to my table. Overall I liked the food and the happy hour is a really fun atmosphere. Excellent value for such a nice place. Danielle was a wonderful bartender. Karl Strauss Amber was my favorite beer.
Review Source:I'll keep this as brief as possible.
Came with 5 friends. Haven't been here in years and I was highly looking forward to it.
We asked to sit outside but only if there were heaters. They seated us right under a heater and when we asked the server to turn it on he was just like,"I'm pretty sure its broken but I guess I can try...". Wow guy, thanks. It ended up working, unlike our server. He was ready for his shift to end and didn't care if it affected his tip. So annoying.
Luckily, the food was AWESOME.
Three of us got burgers, and we all three LOVED them. So juicy and big and the flavors go together so wonderfully. And the french fries are good too. The only other plate I remember is the salad my friend got, it had strawberries and it looked and tasted AMAZING. I wish I remembered the name.
Then we decided to share two desserts: cheesecake and brownie fudge thingy with vanilla ice cream. I don't know which was my favorite, but brownies are my favorite and cheesecake is my favorite and both were really really good. And then I had a food baby.
Less than good tip for server.
The end.
This is the spot where you go right after a long day at work. Â We have yet to try the actually menu but we have tried the appetizer menu and some of the great beers. The best is the poutine pork belly which is pretty much fries with some bomb porkbelly poured on top. Bits and pieces are pretty bomb... but anything cooked in duck fat you cant really go wrong. Â The beer any beer is pretty bomb there. Â There first time I went there I wanted a Corona but they brought me a in house beer similar to it and it was really good. I cant remember the name but trust your server they know their ish. Â Have fun and enjoy your food with some great beer.
Review Source:Fuego burger for the win (FTW)! I've been here twice now, and I keep getting the Fuego burger because it's the best looking thing on the menu to me. I have pretty much completely stopped drinking since moving here to California, so drinking beer just makes me feel sleepy, bloated, and burping too much..I've kicked my alcohol addiction I get when i am in Buffalo, Â I guess, haha.
The atmosphere is great here, the folks who work here are friendly, and I have not had a bad experience. My girlfriend hasn't had a bad experience per say, but both times weren't really something in the "WOW!" category for her. Give it a try though, a lot of the things on the menu aren't really my favorites, so it's unfair to say anything other than it's for your taste. The Fuego though...now that's for everyone's taste! That thing is awesome!
My wife and I enjoy going on Thursday night's for cask night. They usually have something a little different and so far every cask they've produced recently I've thoroughly enjoyed. We have two things on the menu that would call a must try. The first is simply their boneless wings. They are, by far, the tastiest wings around. Their buffalo sauce is a strangely creamy and spicy blend. It's a hard to order just one order of this amazing appetizer but if we ordered more we wouldn't be able to finish their Mac & Cheese (Piggy Bank) and that would be just a crime. All in all, we love visiting Karl Strauss.
Review Source:Karl Strauss your Fish and Chips used to be some of the best in town, seriously some of the best. But something changed. Not that they are bad but they are not what they used to be that is for sure. KS is kind of a upscale pub grub restaurant. They are making everything from burgers, sammys and pizzas. They even offer some fancy steaks. But we are at a pub right?
As I mentioned this place would of gotten 4 stars based on their Fish and Chips. The beer here is not the best but its not the worst. They make a decent IPA that is worth a try if you like a good west coast style IPA. Their other beers are pretty much average with nothing to really stand out and grab you. Last time I was there they had their BIg Barrel DIPA, but they didn't have it on tap only in bottles. You are a brewery!!! Come on!!!
In the log run this place isn't a fail its just they really bummed me out with the Fish and Chips. Please bring back the way you used to make them. In the mean time I will keep an eye out on the brews you have on tap. Like your Peanut Butter Cup Porter and your Maltball Stout!! CHEERS!!
Karl Strauss. This San Diego Beer legend has been serving the Costa Mesa area since 2002, but continues to evolve. This place never gets stale.
Their Craft beers are unique and delicious. I am a big fan of their Red Trolley Ale, but decided this time to get their Blackball Belgian IPA (citrus-like while bitter with a clean finish). The Dearest stuck with her traditional Pin Tail Pale Ale. If any beer could taste like summer, this would be it.
KS is also big on their food and beer pairing. With every course during this meal, our server brought free tasters of which beer would go best with the given course. And she was right on, every time.
Appetizer-- Spicy Hummus and Flatbread
Their Hummus is mixed with chopped cilantro and jalapeños for a spicy kick. It was served with warm flatbread, chopped kalamata olives, chopped red onions, and roasted red peppers. This was great, but really big for an appetizer. It was enough for four-six people.
Entree-- Pescado Poblano
KS used a crusted fillet of sole over spaghetti-cut zucchini. Sounds plain? KS adds a poblano cream sauce around the entire plate. This sauce reminds me tremendously of a Pesto sauce only creamier and spicier. The combination of this sauce with the delicate whitefish and the al dente zucchini noodles was simply amazing.
For dessert we had their Caramel Bread pudding. And yes, the server had a beer pairing for this course as well.
Ks continually hits the mark with an exciting menu, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and a sparkling clean restaurant.
**Parking in the adjacent structure or valet available.
It may be located at Metro Point with all the annoying valet parking and can't-fail-location douchiness, but Karl Strauss is really just a great sports bar in disguise.
I came in to Karl Strauss with low expectations (it's an-excuse-to-drink-beer restaurant after all, how could the food be that great?) and was pleasantly surprised: very fresh, quality food with outstanding flavors and efficient, cheerful service. The house amber isn't half bad, either.
The food breakdown:
Ahi Poke starter: 5 stars for the bright, fresh flavors. I loved it!
Cioppino: 4 stars for the good, hearty seafood soup
Brick Chicken: 5 stars for the imaginitve, toothsome treatment of a chicken breast. Now if only the meat portion could have been a bit larger as compared to the beans and rice...
Piggy Bank Mac N Cheese: 5 stars for pure awesomeness.
Burgers in general: 4 stars for their gourmet-style quality and goodness
Fish N Chips: 3 stars. You really don't come to a restaurant like this for Fish N Chips however.
The beer in general: I'm no connoisseur of ale, but the amber seemed very good and my better-heeled friends assure me that in general, the beer here is tops. A plus is that at least some of it is brewed on site, or at other KS locations, so 5 stars it is.
Lunch is never busy, and our visit on Saturday night at 7:30 was likewise a no-wait, pleasant affair. We could actually carry on a conversation inside, despite the televisions and music. You also gotta love the huge booths that can seat eight people! Given a choice however, I'd go with the patio seating.
The one negative which could be mentioned is the sticker shock I suffered when the bill arrived. With tax and tip, our total for two came to about $100. We hadn't eaten/drank *that* much! But yeah, when you add up an appetizer, a beer, and an entree per person, that's about what it costs you at Karl Strauss. Especially a Karl Strauss making up its overhead costs in Costya Mucha.
This place wasn't great to begin with, but passable for happy hour as one of the only options around. Now they cut back happy hour (which we found out after we arrived) to end at 6 instead of 6:30 as it has been for the past 6 years we have been coming. So we tried to order at 6:05 and were informed. There really is little reason to come back again.
Review Source:I haven't  tried the food yet.I'm a big food critic I'm not a big drinker,but some of their mix drinks are good.Not too hard not too light just right....
The place is big and it's clean....
Everyone is friendly...
The time I went there was a beautiful crowd by that I mean women...
Around the are you have other restaurants and a movie theater.The whole area is nice...
Here is a link to check the hours and menu....
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmetropointe.com%2Fatthepointe%2F26&s=fd72110fa8c49f6459e67b12da05d8fd3c33e27b0f92db5c5782b79f25ebd976" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://metropointe.com/a…</a>
Another AWESOME breweries company in OC. I came here on a sat night with friends. We had some beers and sweet potato fries to check this place out. As you enter the building, they have a long bar where you can sit at or you can choose to sit at the tables.
The inside of the restaurant is clean and has a great vibe. I was surprise that it was not pack on a Saturday night. My drink of choice that night was Wrech Alley Imperial Stout. I love stout so I had to give this a try. It had a fantastic flavor of a chocolate espresso. It is brewed with darkly kilned malts, cocoa nibs, and Ethiopian coffee beans. This beer comes in either a 10oz or 22oz bottle and has 9.5% alcohol content. A must try beer.
My friends got the Blackball Belgian IPA which was also good. You can get this beer on tap or a 22oz bottle. This Belgian IPA is brewed with coriander and Curaçao for a robust fruity and spicy character. The  Pacifica and Cascade hops adds a citrus hop bitterness and it's 8.5% alcohol content. Most of their beers are above 7% alcohol content.
Since we all ate dinner before we got here, we just ordered sweet potato fries. It might be one of the best sweet fries I have ever had and it comes with a dipping sauce that complement it very well. Overall I would come back to try their other beers and more of their food. Great place to kick it.
Randomly aside from their fantastic beer selection, they have one of the best chicken ceasar salads I've had.
Their Avocado Cojita Turkey burger with Sweet potato fries are always pretty bomb.
Service is always so slow. I don't understand why, because it's never been super packed.
Would I still come  here? YES! but don't expect fast and good service.
I came here late at night because I was craving some beer. It was alright, the beer were interesting and i believe got a red ale one. The food came and it was okay.
I think since i came so late at night, that it wasnt a great experience. Service was slow. Crowd was semi-loud. The atmosphere was chill but it was pretty dark in there.
Overall, i just think this place is alright.
Came here for late happy hour. Service was rather slow; entire experience left me underwhelmed.
The whole restaurant was very dark, I could barely see my food and drinks. Food is very typical but, of course, you come for the beer.
Depending on your server, you can try every single beer they offer or just a few. The beer list does not contain ALL of the beers they have, so you have to ask. Some of my favorites are Red Trolley, Imperial Stout and Windansea hef. If you buy that huge jug, you can come by and fill it up when you're done! Prices to refill vary by selection, of course, but it's a pretty cool system.
I would give them 6 stars if I could!
I had been here before, maybe a year ago, with my girlfriend, and we enjoyed some good beer and garlic fries at happy hour. Anytime I can bring her to a happy hour and she can find beer and bar food she enjoys, a place has earned its 5 stars from me.
A few weeks ago, my parents were visiting from Ohio, and we came to KS on Thursday March 21 for cask night. We arrived just before 5:00, when they tap the cask. As we were being seated, one of the servers was asking if anyone wanted to be the honorary keg-tapper. I immediately volunteered my Dad, who is an all time beer lover, and had been looking forward to cask night almost as much as he was looking forward to seeing me.
So at 5:00, they called for my Dad to go back behind the bar, and they made a big deal about how he was visiting from Ohio, they handed him a big wooden mallet, the whole bar did a countdown, he hammered the tap into the keg, and was handed the first pint of the cask conditioned Tower 10 IPA. He had the biggest smile on his face, and it was absolutely the best way my parents could have hoped to start their vacation.
Needless to say, after that there was no way this place could disappoint, and it didn't! We had a happy hour appetizer (although not the garlic fries, which they replaced with chili lime fries. Booo), and we all enjoyed our meals and various beers.
Service continued to impress as well, and I want to thank everyone working that night for giving us such a great memory.
I was here last night with a friend. We sat at a cocktail booth chit chatting. We had several different brews here. The waitresses gave my friend a sampler pack which we ended up drinking together. I loved the buffalo wings though overpriced but they tasted good especially when in the midst of having the beer munchies. I was thoroughly sauced. Lakers won too but I could only tell because by the cheering every few minutes.
Review Source:Came here for the first time with some coworkers, a group of 12. They allowed us to order over the phone in advance which is great since our lunch is only one hour.
We were greeted, seated and served our food all within 5 minutes! Awesome! I shared the cheddar burger and pastrami sandwich, nothing special about the burger but the pastrami was sOo good! also had a bite of the shrimp and avocado pizza and that was delicious! First time having pizza with shrimp.
The servers were very attentive and friendly.
Great place, will def be back.
It's getting to a point of "why do we even try"?  Well, because it's basically across the street!  We walked in this afternoon to fill a growler with their Imperial Stout.  But the bar maid says, NO!  It seems that the tap has "Barrel Aged" Imperial Stout, and they can't sell it by the growler because they have so little of it!  Odd!  I'm  sure we could have sat there and drank a growler equivalent with no questions, but there was no way we could fill a growler!
Â
Is this what happens to cool places when they get too corporate? Â It sure seems! Â Why not sell me a growler at a premium price? Â We would have gladly paid! Â We were BBQing at home and wanted a Karl Strauss Imperial Stout to start off the festivities. Â Alas, we walked out empty handed but left them with less receipts than they could have had for the day! Â There was ONE customer there when we walked in and he wasn't even drinking beer! Â What's going on here? Â
Close to writing the place off even though it's convenient!
I come here fairly often for a political meeting. Â Absolutely love that they allow us to meet here, Â great community-minded company. Â My complaint is that once the servers bring your order, they rarely come back. Â Too bad if you want a 2nd beer or a cup of coffee after dinner. Â They could make more money off of us if they were a little more attentive! Â I have to keep telling myself it's good to save the money and the extra calories, but it's just not good customer service.
Review Source:Not old enough to drink yet, but I like hanging out here with my older cousins and my parents. Karl Strauss gives out multiple samples of their beer before you order what you want. My mom doesn't drink much, so she was good after just drinking the samples! Haha!!
Anyways, for their food...I don't know about their burgers, I'm more of a Red Robin fan, but I do like their Tres Queso pizza and I add chicken to it! I'm a meat eater, for goodness sake. Also, get the Sweet & Stinky Fries! Don't let the name scare you. They're sweet potato fries with melted gorgonzola cheese.
I also tried my aunt's Cioppino--OH MY, IT'S DELICIOUS. It tasted like it had coconut milk in it or something (kinda like Thai Tom Ka soup), which I love!
Anyways, nice atmosphere, servers get pretty occupied on busy Friday and Saturday nights, but it's understandable.
Good times at Karl Strauss. Even better when they got taps of DIPA, imperial stout, anniversary sour, holiday ale, triple, and good old traditional hefe, clove and banana yeasty tastiness!!! Classic..
The rest of the core beer selection seem to run on the sweeter side.
The food is always spot on. The fact you can substitute cow for turkey or chicken for pig and even a overgrown marinated crimini is a nice choice. 5 buck double H rules.
The staff are educated and attentive. They all love beer too.
Overall I got nothing bad to say, except my glass is empty.
I came here on my lunch with some co-workers and the place was practically empty. I'd like to come back for happy hour or dinner to get a feel for the restaurant during busy "peaks" and try some of the craft beers!
As for the food? The BEST sweet potatoe fries I have ever eaten. I enjoyed my portabello burger and the service was A-OK.
Legit brewery, so go here if you  LOVE BEER!
I can't say more than what I said above, except perhaps the service is bad here when they are busy, which is the same almost anywhere!
The list of sepcialty beers they have each month and each day, is amazing and rivals that other micro-breweries like Dogfish Head and Brooklyn Brewery, to name a few.
I think a larger bar area would make this place more like a real pub than your usual neighborhood restaurant...love their flight of 4 beers! Its a must if its your 1st time there!!!
I frequent South Coast Plaza, Crystal Court, and Metro Pointe a lot and I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this place until I got a notice from work telling me our holiday party was going to be held here. Considering it's tucked behind everything, I'm not really surprised. I don't notice things unless they're right in front me and I hardly pay attention to signs not that there's much leading to this place so whatever. Now I know and I'm happy that I do. It's actually a fun, cool place for some great beer and eats in a casual somewhat upscale atmosphere.
Our work gathering was held on their patio and the entire time the staff was very attentive about drink and lunch orders. Our crowd got really rowdy but they kept up with us which was impressive.
I tried two beers - wind and sea and the wreck alley. The wind and sea is similar to a heif but I think my taste has really changed and I'm now more of a dark beer, imperial stout person so the wreck alley was a hit for me that day. Also it was very strong and I had to walk off the buzz.
I split an order of the barbecue/crispy chicken salad and chicken sandwich and liked them both although I think I liked the salad a little more. It was really good. Bathrooms are posh and very clean. Also I love that there are plenty of booths inside. I love booth dining. I'll be back to dine again.
I'm sure most people who drink IPAs know about Karl Strauss will tell you its a solid brewery and to try the Red Trolley ale for starters. I'm just going to go ahead and tell you to stick with the beer and don't come here for food unless you like eating mediocrity.
Stilton quesadilla comes with fair warning that you must really enjoy blue cheese to like it and they'd be on the spot if the quesadilla wasn't so sad looking and tasting. This item needs to pack more punch.
Also ordered the big beer burger. How can a guy say no to heart attack? Burger was lacking in flavor, bacon overcooked, IPA mushrooms tasted like nothing, and the grilled onions also lacked flavor. What, why?
Service was fine and accommodating for a large party for last minute planning, but I'd just drink here & move on.
Was on the fence between 2 and 3 stars, but "Meh. I've experienced better." Fits better than A-OK.
Happy hour here is ok. I would prefer it go a little later because I find myself rushing to get there before the happy hour last call. The beer selection is ok. I can't say there is a beer there that has really impressed me, but they're on the good side of average.
They have cask night on Thursdays. $4 pints until they run out. Sounds interesting. Tonight was their tower 10 IPA with ginger spice (was she the hot one? Can't remember). Anyway, IPAs aren't my thing. I pass. We had to flag down a waitress to get our happy hour order in because they were calling last call. The wings were ok. The calamari was terrible.
The dinners are expensive. Especially considering the quality. Everything is at least $3 overpriced and many seem more like $5 over priced. I had a $12 chicken sandwich. It wasn't good. My girlfriend had fish tacos. I forget the price but they were bad too. She only ate 1 of them. The final bill left us wishing we went elsewhere.
I'll probably go back for happy hour. A few beers and then get some food at a better, cheaper place.
Happy hour: M-F from 3-6pm. Beers/wines $4. Select apps $5.
Not good. Not good at all.
Came for happy hour because of the specials on beer and appetizers. Their beer was... not good - flat and no body. We ordered fried calamari, boneless wings, and sweet and stinky fries. The calamari had the consistency of freshly clipped fingernails. The boneless wings were cold. And the sweet and stinky fries were just stinky (and soggy).
You may be tempted by happy hour pricing but avoid, avoid avoid! Try Charlie Palmer next to Bloomingdale's for hh instead (every day from 4-7pm and again from 9-midnight) or the Yard House at Triangle Square (M-F, 3-6pm).
Decent place to come by and grab a drink - aim for happy hour. I don't recall the specifics of the HH pricing, but I would say to check their website.
The bar can get really packed. Okay selection. I got a beer flight and had some good ones in there. Otherwise i was a little disappointed in the beer selection. But it will do.
I had a good time here. They have decent food, decent drinks. It's a good place to meet up with people and get to hang out for a while. I will be back.
Pretty good happy hour and I appreciated the fact they had 4 different lagers on draft when I was there (I can't drink ale due to some allergy). I often come across many places with just one or two, or even no lagers and it gets pretty annoying.
Friendly service and good atmosphere, I wouldn't mind coming here again
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