This place is fantastic! Â We sought this out after doing some pre-trip research on a weekend in the Pendleton area, and wound up eating there twice and getting a growler to go. Â The beers we tried were all fantastic, the service was great, and the food was way above expectations. Â House made potato chips or fries, house-made sauerkraut and corned beef on the reuben, and - for my wife the vegetarian - a house-made veggie patty that was really tasty. Â She highly recommends the Minotaur (olive spread, feta, and sun dried tomatoes on a patty of your choice). Â We wish we lived closer to this place....we'd be here all the time.
Review Source:I really liked this place. I had never been to Pendleton and decided to do a day trip down there and then go play in the snow. The staff were really nice the food was decent and worth the price and the beer was great. The location kind of reminds me of an old saloon/antique store. I've been twice now and I will definitely go back.
Review Source:Wow! thanks for a great meal! Pork is especially noteworthy since it is raise nearby and cooked to perfection.
I got stuck in Pendleton due to Highway I-84 being shut down for weather for 5 hours. I was told by a restauranteur in SLC that I should head over to Prodigal Son while I waited out the highway delay back in November. Now I intentionally plan my trips so that I can reach Pendleton for lunch or dinner.
You will not go wrong by heading off I-84 to eat here. Promise!
Btw, this is written primarily for those traveling through town since all the locals should already know what a gem they have in town.
Prodigal Son has a book room, a kid's play room, and two rooms for relaxing and watching the game on T.V. as well as a bar and restaurant. Come in and relax. Our waitress was knowledgeable and helpful. Tried several tastes, they were all good. Settled on the Oatmeal Pale since it was a seasonal. Yummy. Don't remember the name of my sandwich- which is too bad since it was delicious. Easy to find location. What's not to love?
Review Source:We've tried the Prodigal Son twice, disappointing both times. The first time a few months ago, we tried the sampler of cheese and meats. Overpriced and minimal. We weren't very hungry but thought we should eat something with the beer. The beer was at room temperature it seemed after a long wait to have our order delivered. (A Beer Named Sue) It was loud although not very busy. Can't imagine what it'd be like when they were busy.
Then again recently, while stopping overnight again in town, we thought we'd give it another try. My husband ordered the burger, which our waitress said was the biggest seller, it tasted like a warmed over, burger king type hamburger patty, with cold, mushy fries. I ordered the hot wings, they were undercooked, still cold in some. The waitress never came back to check on us and we had to ask another waitress to find our waitress for us to get our check (she was nowhere to be found). She never did ask if we wanted to take our food home with us....didn't ask how our food was....we left it there. You'd think that perhaps after twenty minutes and our food is basically untouched, that the waitress would ask if there was a problem. She did ask us if we wanted dessert....hmmmm....
Oh, the idea of a kid's room to play is great. However, when there is still a child in there playing, I don't think the lights in that room should be turned off...the worker was aware there was a young one playing in there and turned them off anyhow. She was reading a book....doesn't make sense.
My wife said the Reuben was the worst she ever had. Not only small for $12 but the corned beef had fat from the untrimmed brisket. The bread was toasted and dry like it had not been grilled. I had a pulled pork with kim chee which was zippy and tasty. My IPA was very average and seemed to be bland. Gave it a 2 star for my sandwich and okay ale. Otherwise, would have been less.
Review Source:This place sucks. Terrible food. Our waitress did not even bring our meals out together. She served two of us and then asked the other two people what they ordered. What was she writing in her pad? Obviously not our order. Then she came back and told us the chicken had to be cooked more and that is the reason for the delay. How stupid does she think we are? Took 15 minutes to get a beer from a bar 20 feet away. If a real brew pub ever opens in this town....Prodigal Son will be a ghost. Could not happen fast enough for me!
Review Source:Hard cider, fish-n-ships, onion rings and a burger - Holy. F*cking. Sh*t.
Thank you for rocking our socks off. We'll be back.
It is a very elegantly decorated restaurant with a western flair. Everything feels well-loved. The food was so good, my mom and I ate the leftovers cold that night. Cold!? It didn't even matter, they were so delicious.
We were driving back to Portland, and hit Pendleton around lunch time. Our past several Pendleton meal stops have involved Rooster's (which is worth visiting), but we felt like trying something different today. To our surprise, as we were driving down Court Avenue we spotted this microbrewery. We circled around, perused the menu, and decided to give it a chance. I'm glad that we did!
The hand-cut fries were great, though next time we will try the sweet potato fries and/or the onion rings. The black bean veggie patty was a delicious surprise in the heart of carnivore country, though it was a bit structurally unstable. However, sometimes messy is completely acceptable.
I enjoyed my pint of Splendor in the Glass. Double Dribble (8.9% ABV, 100+ IBU) intrigued me, but I dared not order it because I had post-lunch driving duties. Our server brought me a small sample, and it sufficed to convince me that I should order it on my next visit.
Several visitors/reviewers have commented unfavorably upon the service. For what it is worth, our service was perfectly acceptable. We will definitely revisit when passing through the area in the future. If I am not driving, and if it is still on tap, a pint of Double Dribble awaits me.
A welcome oasis in a sea of... well, sage brush and endless prairie. Stopped for lunch on the last day of our three day trip from Santa Fe, NM to Soggytown, WA. Wife and I each had only one beer (the Ella IPA and Splendor V Pale) and I instantly regretted not being able to spend the night in Pendleton and have a few more. The food was remarkably good: a fried green tomato sandwich w/ melted Swiss and giant slabs of local bacon that was completely off the hook and the best burger in a long line of summer vacation burgers from at least five states. Everything was fresh and seemingly made from scratch, even the pickles were a notch above what you usually get at brewpub or burger joint. The space itself is practically a template for what every brewpub should aspire to look like: large open space in an old, renovated industrial-type building w/ funky furniture, antique lighting fixtures, smaller rooms for quietly chilling and even what appeared to be a movie-viewing room!
Pendleton is a cool little town that just got cooler on account of this great place. Can't wait to go back!
We were passing through Pendleton on our way home to Portland after vacation and wanted a good place to eat lunch. We passed by this place, saw it was open, and gave it a try. They have a decent beer list, plus the beers have great names like A Beer Named Sue and Splendor in the Glass.
The menu is interesting and diverse and includes salads, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, fish and chips, quesadillas, and more. A bonus for vegetarians: you can order any of the burgers and substitute a veggie patty, which is what I did with the Pit Boss burger. Tasty! Also, the hand-cut fries that came with our burgers were very delicious.
I would have given this place five stars but I'm subtracting a star because my burger was advertised as coming with BBQ sauce but instead it came with mayonnaise. YUCK! Also, my companion's burger was not advertised as coming with mayo but there was mayo slathered on the bun. He decided just to eat his, but for my burger I brought the mistake to the attention of the waitress, who apologized and brought me a side of BBQ sauce. Just be aware that this is place is mayo-happy even though it's not on the menu.
We were just passing through Pendleton and needed a lunch stop for our road trip when we stumbled upon the Prodigal Son. I was surprised to find such a nice place to eat and drink in Pendleton. This place will definitely be in our travel plans in the future.
In response to others, I did not find the service to be an issue, even though we sat on the patio and would expect bad service to be worse, we were served in a timely and helpful manner.... But I did find their sweet potato fries to be amazing!
Prodigal Son is a lot of things. Â
For instance, its a family friendly gastro pub with good food and a giant dining room, in a setting that feels like an early 1900's saloon meets modern day pub. Â They have great beer (our favorite was the double IPA served up in a Belgian glass) and good food (highlights included the pub and caesar salad, the grilled portobello burger with grilled jalapenos, and the sweet potato fries.) Â Prodigal Son boasts a kids menu with some good offerings like grilled chicken breast, mac and cheese and hot dogs served beside apples, carrots and celery and with homemade chocolate pudding and a from scratch chocolate cookie for dessert., along with a kids play area for the very little ones. Â They have a low key vibe and a relaxed NW atmosphere. Â
If you are on an Oregon beer tour, this place is likely already on your itinerary, and if not, it should be.
Then there are some things Prodigal Son is not. Â
Its is not too fast.  Service is friendly, but slow, so hunker down with a beer and enjoy this stop on your road to or from Portland, Seattle, or wherever you are headed.  Its not too fancy, with an authentic, old timey saloon feel.  Its feels friendly, and cavernous, like a giant beer hall in Europe..  Apparently, the space used to house a Packard dealership at one time, back in the day.  You could potentially say Prodigal Son is not healthy  --there is a lot of fried food coming out of the kitchen, which can be off-putting (we like to eat light, at least hypothetically.) Despite what people seem to be ordering, their menu choices really do run the gamut, salads and pastas in addition to burgers, and some veggie food to boot.  Anyway, who can resist a pub sweet potato fry (these are 100% sweet potato, from what I tasted, yum!) or onion ring this well executed?  Even the fish and chips looked good.
I feel like I should give this place 5 yelp stars, just to offset the naysayers, since Prodigal Son is a fun stop in Pendleton, Oregon and its absolutely worth an hour or so delay in your travel plans.
Don't let the naysayers deter you. Â If you have the time, and you like craft beer, do drop in.
Nice place to step into... looks nice... smells good... Not enough waitresses for as many people in the place... I had the Prodigal Ruben with homemade sourkraut. well i had way more not so sourkraut on not so much of corned beef... My girlfriend had the fish and chips... and i tasted alot of grease and not so much fish.. we waited along time to get our drinks refilled and I think our food sat under the heat lamps for a little while... we waited along time for our food... I will prolly not go back again.... but who knows I always almost am willing to give a place a second chance. So next time i am in that neck of the woods who knows...
Review Source:Hmmmmm, I dunno about this place. I was only there once, and would like to give it another chance. The ambiance is, well, just okay.
I had a pasta dish, which was supposed to have a pesto sauce on it. The sauce barely qualified as pesto sauce (was very dry), and was not all that tasty.
I had their house specialty chocolate torte for desert, and, man-o-man, that was quite good.
So I should probably wait until tomorrow to write this. Â Just as you shouldn't drunk-text, so should you not yelp-angry. Â Okay, irate. Â But I have a stomachache and I don't know if its the food or the ire, so here I go.
My husband just said to me, regretting our evening along with me, "Whose idea was that again?" Â When I sit down to yelp, he says, "I just had to live it, why would I want to re-live it? Â Can't we just let it go?" Â Yelp he does not.
Sadly, we both came up with the idea to go to Prodigal Son independently, so here is where we ended up.
YES, I know it's a huge sports tourney weekend in Pendleton and YES, I know it's Friday night in PENDLETON. Â Yes, it's a brewery, for God's sake. Â I know these things! Â And YES, it's my own fault. Â I should have known from the "Please seat yourself" sign by the door. Â Couldn't you TELL when you had to hover for a seat, just like at Costco in Kennewick on a Saturday like some mad vulture, when all you want is to eat your $1.50 Polish Sausage combo in peace before you drive 70 miles back to Pendleton? Â HOWEVER... Â
When you walk in at 6:20 pm and at 7:38 pm have to ask where your food is and are THEN told they are cooking it right that very minute and it will just be another 10 minutes, wrath doesn't begin to cover it. Â It was at this moment, well over an hour into the debacle, that we were told they were "understaffed and overloaded". Â Her exact words. Â I'm fine with that. Â I just wish that restaurants had the balls to actually TELL you this when you sat down. Â
I would LOVE it if someone told me, "We're really slammed tonight, just to let you know, so you may have to wait." Â Fine. Â Perfect! Â Bring me another beer! Â But no one does have the cajones or presence of mind to tell you this, even though 90% of people would respect them more in the morning for having done so.
I honestly considered, after hearing it would be another 10 minutes, leaving to hit the Taco Bell that gave me the screamin'-backdoor-dirties the last time I ate there. Â But I stuck it out. Â Praying it would be worth the wait.
It wasn't. Â I asked how my husband's burger was. Â He said, "I don't know. Â I'm so hungry I'm not even tasting it." Â My first bite of fish and chips was good, only because I was famished. Â Then on my second, the grease oozed out of the fish and dripped down my hand. Â The tarragon overwhelmed the tartar sauce. Â Then the fish itself starting coming away from the coating, making me realize the batter wasn't actually cooked, leaving a gooey mush between the fish and the exterior crunch. Â Then I got a bite that had a weird chemical flavor and I just stopped. Â I had a premonition of being ill the next day. Â My husband told me it served me right to order fish in a landlocked state. Â
"IT'S NOT A LANDLOCKED STATE!" I cry. Â
"Eastern Oregon is," he says. Â Touche.
The fries are a soggy mess, not a crunchy one to be had in the bunch, surprising as dark as they do them here. Â Redeeming quality? Â The fry sauce is great. Â So I ate them anyways. Â Way too much cheese in the quesadilla, too. Â Ick. Â A coagulated mess of cold cheese 2 minutes in. Â Gross. Â I had one bite of sad, flaccid coleslaw at the last minute. Â Bad idea. Â
Good thing I started with the Taster Tray of their beers. Â Eight cute little shot glasses of every beer they have on a precious little tray, Roman numeral marked with where to start and make your way around. Â I couldn't get them down fast enough.
Sad thing is, our server was really nice. Â God help her. Â But I can't really use my favorite word in the world to describe the evening as a whole. Â What a s***show. Â My husband came once when it was dead and told me he had a lovely lamb shank. Â I'll take his word for it.
Great Ambiance and Decor. Â A great place to go for a couple beers. Â Selection is really good. Â Food overall is just average, although Onion Rings are fantastic. Â Food seems a bit overpriced for what you get, and the Mac & Cheese was not very good. Â I like that everything is priced in round numbers, ie.- $8.00. Â Nothing ends in a .99 or a .95. Â Staff is friendly, and service is good. Â I've gone there 4-5 times for a beer, and I'll definitely go back. Â This would not be my first choice for lunch or dinner.
Review Source:THIS PLACE HAS IT ALL! Â Â I have been here about 5 times, and each time, it fit the circumstances of my patronage. Whether you arrive to party, dine casually, dine formally, drown your sorrows, or read a book in the coffee area, or use the Wi Fi, this place will accomodate you.
Great Beer, good service, a fun wait/bar staff, good music, enough people to make you feel like you picked a popular place to be, and good food.
If you go here, try to find the dollar bill I left in one of the books in the book area. Not sure what book it is in now, but its one of the travel books with lots of pics about areas  EX-- Great wonders.   PLEASE SIGN IT.... One night I was in there chilling, and for some reason, pulled a dollar out of my wallett and signed it, then stuck it in the book. I honestly forgot about it, until I took a friend down there several months later, and it hit me that I should check for it. It was still there, and signed by several awesome people.  Check it out, sign it, keep it going.
Prodigal- Awesome place
Will
Best onion rings EVER! Great food, locally grown, raised and homemade. Something to look forward to on the long trips to Portland, Seattle, and the Gorge. Recommend any burger, Rueben, fried green tomatoes, and any dessert. Â Please. please, please, open one in Boise. I will do what I can to spread the word so you guys never close the doors.
Just bummed I was traveling for work, I would have loved to have hung around and sampled all the brews.
I'll start with the only complaint. The place is loud so if you are looking for a place for conversation, this is not it. However, the food and drink are outstanding. Although the waitress felt the need to explain that the portabella burger had no meat, that is exactly what I was looking for. It was very good. My favorite beer is an IPA, and the Prodigal Son may have the best I have ever tasted. All in all, it made for a very enjoyable evening.
Review Source:On a recent trip through NE Oregon that focused on visiting various breweries, I happened upon this place. Â What a find! Â Located in what appears to be a converted warehouse in downtown Pendleton, Prodigal Son's facility is just what you expect from a classic brewpub. Â An old brick building with very spacious seating, 20 foot ceilings, and ancient wood framework and trim. Â A wall of windows on the front of the building allow in ample light and let patrons people watch as they sip away.
The selection of beers is impressive for such a young business. Â Fortunately, the selection was also quite varied. Â I thought the Belgian strong ale was the best but the IPA and nitro stout were also excellent. Â I later learned that their porter is supposed to be their flagship brew. Â Unfortunately, getting a pint of that would have put me on thin ice with my wife as I had already worked my way through the rest of the selections.
The food was your standard pub fare. Â I had their take on a quesadilla (called simply "Q) while my wife had their burger with bleu cheese crumbles. Â I never thought I would go for asparagus in a quesadilla but it worked for me. Â The fries were good sized without being overly greasy. Â The quality of the food was very good.
Service was prompt and informative (the waitresses could offer details about the beers for those unfamiliar with Prodigal's offerings).
Finally, one side tip if you're coming from out of town. Â Check out the Rugged Country Lodge. Â The prices are dirt cheap (we paid about $65 for our room), the construction of the rooms was very good (e.g. nothing falling apart), the included breakfast is nice for a continental, and best of all, it is an easy walk to Prodigal Son (even on the return with a few pints in you).
We went back to Prodigal Son with some out of town family who were treating us to dinner. Our experience was pretty much the same. They are consistent LOL. My only complaint if you will was that there was some pink to my burger this time, and I don't like that at all. I probably should have mentioned to the waitress when I ordered that I wanted mine very well done. If we have opportunity to go back, I will be sure to do that.
One thing we didn't anticipate (though probably should have) was that the band started playing around, oh, 6:30, maybe? And it.was.loud. LOUD. There was no carrying on a conversation when they played. So if you go there expecting to chat at all, go for lunch!
We were visiting Pendleton for an art show and were happy we stumbled upon the Prodigal Son! The staff was super friendly, accomodating our 4 yr old and splitting the checks three ways.
The food was super delicious "fresh" pub fare. I'm on a temporary vegan diet and was able to find a really good quality arugula salad that hit the spot. The onion rings rocked and we all left full and happy! Very glad to find this place.
I cannot comment on the food here, as when we arrived they had closed their kitchen for the evening. Â That was a bummer and unexpected since it wasn't even 10 pm on a Saturday night, but it was ok.
The beers we had were decent. Â My hefeweizen was not a typical hefe and was heavier than expected. Â I didn't mind, however, and enjoyed them through the evening.
What really makes this place is the atmosphere. Â The place is quite spacious and has a really cool feel. Â The front room has a lot of tables and such. Â The bar area has some tables and then a little nook with a TV and some more couch-style seating. Â Then there is a side room with a whole bunch of various styles of chairs and couches facing what seemed to be a movie area. Â
I'd definitely stop back by here if I was in Pendleton again and would love try out some of their food.
Went for dinner with friends and was pleasantly surprised because I had heard it wasn't that good. Â Very refreshing to find a place you can just walk in and sit anywhere and have a look at the menu. Â Wait staff is friendly and service is quick. Â The beers are outstanding along with the fish 'n chips! Â This is a place I will go back to next time I am in Pendleton.
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