Okay ... here goes.
I read all of the AWFUL reviews about this restaurant.  I told my husband about them.  He wanted to take me there for din din because of the view.  I told him ... "but darling, the reviews are awful ..."  He said ... "who cares ... we need to check it out for ourselves ..."  So I said.  "Okay ... Let's do it".  So we made reservations for seven o'clock.  We walked into the 'joint' ... no people ... I mean, some people, but not many.  Atmosphere ... AWFUL I thought ... but coming from LA ... kind of a country club sort of mentality ... I 'went for it with an open mind' ... so we were seated ... not hard because the place was pretty much empty (Saturday evening) ... RED FLAG ... but we were seated and kind of looked out at the view which was just OK ... nothing to write home about ... I didn't know what to order ... (we  brought our own vino ... San Giovici from a winery that we had visited ... SUPERIOR) ... anyway, I had checked out their menu beforehand and was loving the idea of POT ROAST ... but when we arrived, the waiter said that the pot roast was just ok... not wonderful ... so my husband ordered a steak with mashed potatoes and green beans (DON'T) ... it was BEYOND awful ... I ordered the crap cakes (DON'T)  disgusting ... of all of the restaurants that I have ever in my lifetime visited, this one was the worst.  I'm sorry.  But if you take your chances, be prepared for a disaster.  The food was pitiful and frankly, I resented paying one penny for what we had.  We came home and had cookies with ice cream ... the best part of the evening ... I didn't DARE TO ORDER DESSERT.  Don't even THINK ABOUT TRYING this place.  AWFUL!!!!  (Our waiter was lovely.)
This Restaurant is wonderful! Â I love going to dinner on a summer evening and enjoying the ambiance. Â The Salmon stir fry is to die for and the bruschetta is the best I have ever had. Â Try their clam chowder when the summer cools off.
Service was great and our waiter was Brandon. Â I go back every chance I get.
Jeanne
A really nice location that overlooks the water--a really beautiful view. We had a party of 7 so we instantly were considered a pain in the ass, or so it seemed that way by our server's attitude. We wanted a little more information about the beer, which she didn't seem to have a clue about. Â We ordered several drinks, an appetizer and a beer sampler to start with. The drinks were decent, the appetizer was ok and the beer sampler was not the greatest.
When our meals came, everyone was a little disappointed with them. It was edible but definitely not as exciting as their location. My sandwich had a piece of bread on it that was about 2" thick per side and was impossible to get my teeth through on one side. Sometimes the bread makes the sandwich but definitely not in this case.
Mediocre at best. Would come for the view and drinks when I'm out in the area.
This resturant is filthy. How difficult is it to clean the carpet or use a clean cloth to wipe down tables? It smells musty. The food was just ok but the waitress was great. The entire experience was such a disappointment especially because the view is lovely, one of a kind in the area. Too bad overall as our expectations were sadly not at all fulfilling.
Review Source:Not too impressed with Sudwerk's. The boyfriend and I had our first experience a couple weeks ago. Upon entering, I asked to view a menu before being seated, which earned me a weird look from the host. After takin' a gander, we decided to dine in and were seated in the corner. Aside from one large party outside, the entire restaurant was vacant. The boyfriend and I ordered a couple drinks and the mini crab cakes appetizer, which was soggy, greasy, and not seasoned well. Afraid that this was a foreshadowing of what was to come, we decided to close out our tab and go elsewhere for dinner. Our server (who wasn't too friendly to begin with) seemed annoyed and remarked, "That's all you want? You must have tiny stomachs." Needless to say, we won't return any time soon.
Positive note: Sudwerk's offers a nice outside view.
World Class Location, Fantastic Micro-Brewery craft Beer, the best Happy Hour menu in the area, Highly motivated staff!
Just pulling into the parking lot, you know you are in for an event. Â There's not a better view or ambiance for over a hundred miles in any direction. Â You would have to drive to San Francisco or Lake Tahoe to even match it. Â I would highly recommend it for dates and special events.
I've enjoyed the restaurant, the bar, and the patio. Â By reading some previous reviews, I think Yelp gives people the empowerment to be overly critical and nasty while hiding behind a keyboard. Â I frequent most of the restaurants in the area on par with Sudwerks Riverside, and I keep coming back. Â The menu has plenty of variety, I never have to worry about bringing friends, there's something on the menu for everyone. Â I love the addition of their monthly theme (Asian, Mexican, BBQ) insert to their menu!
I am constantly asking questions about the menu as I love trying new (to me) things. Â The staff is always knowledgeable about what they're serving and truly help guide me to something I enjoy. Â I've never had a bad meal there. Â The happy hour is the best around, hands down, no need to even elaborate. Â
The staff is a strong team and take pride in their store . Â They are friendly, courteous and make it apparent they want you to have an excellent experience. Â I've seen their manager motivating the staff, and ensuring every patron is being treated as VIP's. Â She takes an active role in making sure the food is served hot and everyone's drinks are always fresh. Â I wish she would train some of the other restaurant/pubs in the area!!!
To the owner(s): The experience begins when you pull into the parking lot. Â Fix the potholes, re-seal the asphalt, and re-paint the lines. Â The parking lot looks decrepit, which gives a false impression of the dining experience you'll enjoy inside. Â It can set a negative tone before you even walk in the door. Â Also, update the interior, yes the building is aged, but is the jewel of the Sacramento area, and needs to be presented as the best in Folsom. Â THAT coupled with the excellent staff and management will fill your dining room. Â
As I said in my title: World Class Location, Fantastic Micro-Brewery craft Beer, the best Happy Hour menu in the area, Highly motivated staff! Â I'll be back again and again.
I am very surprised at some of the fair to poor reviews given this place. Went there a couple of nights ago and had a really exceptional experience. The food was very good. Sitting outside, the scenery was quite spectacular. And our waiter was very great! I really wish I had gotten his name so I could post it and thank him publicly. He made the meal. Very funny, made a point of being unobtrusive but available, and made the evening go so smoothly.
I just had a BBQ burger but it was definitely more than a cut above your average burger meat. Our waiter explained that for the burger meat they use the trimmings of their better steak meats. Tasted that way as well. Everything on the burger was excellent as well. My lady had a chicken pasta dish that she loved. There was enough for her to  love it again for lunch the nest day.
I just moved to Folsom and have been trying several eateries. This dinner experience has been the best so far. Will definitely be back soon.
Food okay. Â Service kind of odd. Â When you ask for something, it seems you were being offensive. Â I asked for a grilled salmon and told them it's just plain grilled with nothing on it and it arrived with a cream sauce-which I cannot eat do to dietary issues. Â When I asked to send it back, I was told it was going to take a long time and the waitress seemed super disturbed. Â When it finally came out, it was quite tasty. Â Location is great and view is second to none. Â Service not so great-heance the 2 stars.
Review Source:I'm not sure why Sudwerk Folsom only has 3 stars... I've been to Sudwerk Folsom & Davis a bunch of times (both very different atmospheres) but both very good! My husband is a fan of the Marzen - he's been known to have a pint at dinner and order a case to take home... The view at the Folsom location is absolutely SECOND TO NONE! Whether you are enjoying the outdoor seating in the bar area or dining in the outdoor restaurant area you will have an amazing sunset view of the American River. Their lemon-drops are delicious; as are their burgers. They have a regular menu as well as 'rotating' page - one week its Italian... the next its Mexican... I'm a creature of habit and always order a burger or a BLT... :) The Folsom location NEVER has a wait (and I almost hate to write this because I'm afraid I won't be able to get a table once the secret gets out). They serve pasta, pizza, burgers, steak, sausage platter... you should definitely check it out.
Review Source:We went for Sunday brunch, which starts at 11am. Â They also have the lunch menu available. Â Service was completely indifferent. Â The waiter seemed insulted when I asked about menu items. Â That said, my eggs Benedict were very good, although serving them on "foccacia" (that must be Italian for stale white toast) is not the same as having them on a good English muffin. Â My SO had an omelet, which was OK. Â However, you can't beat the location. Â It's gorgeous.
I used to come here when it was the Cliff House: Â it was always jam-packed with Sunday brunchers. Â We were there from 11-1230, and the restaurant was not even 25% full. Â What does that tell you?
My husband and I have lived in Folsom for over a year and we have wanted to try this place for a long time, so the perfect opportunity arose when my parents moved up here from So Cal and wanted to try something new. We stopped in on a Thursday night when the place had a few of the tables in use but could certainly not be considered full. Our waitress was extremely rude right from the get-go, bringing us tiny glasses and letting us know she was out of the regular water glasses but would be able to get us some within ten minutes. These never came. Every time we needed a refill it took forever and we just gave up near the end. We went to make our order but she said she wasn't ready to take it just yet....we had to wait over fifteen minutes for her to return to even take our first drink order. Since I'm pregnant I couldn't try any of the beers but my father tried the Munich style Lager and said it was mediocre at best. I have previously tried Sudwerk's bottled beers and I have to say I have never been impressed, and I am a serious beer enthusiast. After waiting for our drink orders we were finally allowed to order our appetizers but not our main meals. Our appetizers came out and we were still awkwardly holding on to our menus waiting to order our dinner food. Finally, while we were munching through our food she came out to take our order. It seemed quite rude to me that she expected us to order while we were trying to eat our food while it was still hot. Anyway, she was superbly rude the entire time we were ordering, making it seem like she was pissed at us for asking questions about particular dishes. Our food came out quite late (no wonder, since we had only ordered halfway through our appetizers) and it left a lot to be desired.
For appetizers we ordered the roasted artichokes, the avocado egg rolls, the breadsticks with dips, and the mussels. Overall the appetizers were good and I really enjoyed the artichokes. The tarragon dip was delicious and I would certainly order these again.
For dinner I ordered the Santa Fe Chicken sandwich. It appeared like the chicken patty was something that could have possibly been previously frozen and just zapped in the microwave, and there was so much breading and so little chicken. There was waaaay too much cheese and (I can't believe I'm saying this) bacon and the peppers were tasty but overwhelming - they covered the sandwich. The avocado was minimal and all of the slices were dumped on top of each other, covering only like 1/4 of the sandwich. I had to attempt to peel them apart to spread them around. The focaccia was very bland despite being covered in some kind of herb that literally covered your hands whenever you tried to pick up the sandwich (I ended up trying to eat it with a knife and fork). I gave up about 1/4 way through and would definitely not order this again.
My husband got the paella and he said it was pretty good. My mother got the chicken quesadilla and there were perhaps ten tiny pieces of chicken in it...she ended up picking the chicken out because there was so much tortilla and it was so flavorless. My father got the chicken cordon bleu and according to him it "sucked."
All in all the food was not nearly good enough to make me want to come back and suffer through such awful service and sit in the terrible dark, dim and dingy room. Unless you are there when the sun is up forget about being able to see anything other than the people in front of you. Also, the music was on ridiculously loud and we could barely hear each other over the sound, not to mention they sat us right next to the kitchen and we could hear the servers complaining loudly. The bathroom was pretty unclean too. My mother calls it "Skunkworks" and I think it is a pretty appropriate title.
One of the places that Stormy and I liked to hang out, oh... say 20 years ago, was Sudwerk in Davis. We liked the idea of a brewpub locally that made great brew.
Fast forward.
I'm wandering around Folsom the other day and lo! what do I see but a Sudwerk perched on a cliff overlooking lake Natoma just across from old town. I'm jazzed. Further research showed it is the old Cliffhouse.
So last night Stormy and I decided it was brew time and headed over. As usual, we wanted to share a burger in the bar. We are just that way. Two people with one appetite between us.
Plunked ourselves down and glanced at the beer list. There was a stout and when the lady behind the bar asked what we wanted Stormy (she likes the dark beers) ordered it. My goodness... The scowl and glare we got would have done a basilisk praise. They were out. Fortunately, our bartender for the evening Greg, saw what was going down and defused everything in a flash. I don't know if he owns this location but he is sure making money for someone. Everyone loved him and he did a great job of making us feel welcome and valued.
Food:
Got a guac & bacon burger. It was good if a little overdone for what I asked for (medium is my first time fallback because rare like I like them is dicey anywhere until you see what the chef is like.) We like it. We had it paired with an apple coleslaw that was a perfect foil for the beer and burger.
We got a blackberry cobbler for dessert that was tasty but a little pathetic. Cobbler is one of the easiest of American desserts to make and putting it in a small tart pan (to make individual servings easier I'm guessing) dried the whole affair out. Guys! Cook it in a big pan like its supposed to be made! No one is going to fault you for spooning it on a plate if it doesn't taste like fruit leather. On the whole, the desserts were uninspired and looked like afterthoughts.
Bottom line:
We had a good time. Greg is amazing. Good burger and I won't be afraid to order them rarer in future. My middle can do without dessert anyhow. We will be back.
Pros: Nice scenery, the view of the water is amazing. Good fish, as far as I could tell from the salmon. Good creme brulee. The second star is for these things.
Cons: Atmosphere inside the restaurant is rather dim and gloomy. Our waitress smelled like cigarettes and shame and rarely came to check on us, which would be understandable if the restaurant was busy, but it was not. All of the food other than the salmon was average or slightly below average. Nothing that would make you sick but nothing that great either. Simple dishes like green beans were overcooked which shouldn't happen in a kitchen that isn't that busy. Lastly, they started to close the restaurant as we were still finishing our dessert. At 8:30. When the restaurant closes at 9. As we left almost all the lights were off and the employees were eating at the bar.
I would love to rate Sudwerks food or drinks. We never got the chance to try anything, Â we waited 25 minutes to be told someone had called off and they were short handed. We ended up leaving after being ignored. No bread, no water, no acknowledgement that we were there to eat. We had even called ahead for a balcony table, they were dirty so we were seated inside.
I felt bad for the six parties waiting to be seated as the dining room was empty except for one couple and I am sure they thought they would actually get to eat within an hour. In the half hour we sat there, the waitress took one couples drink order and took one tables bill for payment. That was it. The smart customers ended up being the 5 or 6 that waited for a few minutes and then left before being seated.
Several groups ended up at a nearby pizza restaurant. I wonder if our waiter knows his tip was extra generous because of our experience at Sudwerks.
I visited Sudwerk as part of a large group celebrating a birthday. There were mumbles of Yelp reviews while we were at the table so everyone was pretty clear on what to expect. The restaurant was surprisingly empty for a Saturday night. I concur with the other reviewers, the place needs a little love.
That said, our server did good a job as one could expect with a party as large as ours. Our food came out fast and hot, our glasses were generally full and the beer was cold. I ordered the BBQ burger, requested it medium but it was well done. No big deal, I had a couple beers and scarfed it down just as well. Most everyone around me, having had their expectations set earlier, seemed reasonably satisfied with their meals.
For a moment, I took pity on Sudwerk and thought the Yelp reviews were too hard on the place, it's just pub food after all. That changed when we were getting up to leave and a silverfish scurried across the table and ran off with my benefit of the doubt.
A sliverfish. On the table. What else is there to say?
I can make this very short and for the most part ditto Aric R. .
We recently tried to enjoy a nice bite on the deck over looking what should be one of, if not this best scenic views in the area, but the so so staff and the run down deck and paint job on the outside of the building looks like a one star dump.
I've had the burgers in the past and they were 4 star, the salads are 3.5 stars.
But combo grilled seafood was a joke, however all the prices on the menu are great.
The beer, considering I'm a craft beer connoisseur, Sudwerk has fallen behind the curve in beers but it good, that's charitable.
The Sudwerk in Folsom needs less that 20K in aesthetics improvements, lets start with a good power washing of the deck, building siding and nice paint job perhaps a blue / green shade w/ white trim - 5 k done.
The owners of this place should be horsewhipped for letting this be a so-so restaurant in one of the top locations in the entire county.
This SHOULD be a must-go to spot for every out of town guest, as it's location cannot be compared by any except Rio City or a couple of the other river restaurants 20 miles away. Â So WHY do the owners just sit and let their investment peeter away??? Â As a local, it's insulting to us all.
But, they got three stars and here's why.
First, they have a great menu, great prices, and the food is very good. Â I hosted a party there for 25 people, gave them a list of 5 different things from the menu to order, and everyone was very satisfied (I tried everyones :). Â The burger was solid. Â The cioppino was top notch, new york with blue cheese was cooked right and the cheese was generously portioned. Â Sudwerk beer - very tasty. Â All in all, a solid 4 stars.
But - the entire room is drab. And even though they have a wall of windows overlooking Lake Natoma, the bridge and old Folsom, they're table layout just doesn't do justice to the scenery. Â Tablecloths would help quite a bit, replacing burnt-out light bulbs would make it look like the owners care. Â And painting the repaired woodwork would keep it from looking like, well, junky.
Service needs an overhaul. Â Everyone friendly enough, but they don't step up to restaurant status. Â Beer joint, coffee shop, - sure. Â But not a restaurant. Â Again - what do the owners want to achieve here? Â If it's mediocrity, they've succeeded.
We made another stop in a couple weeks later for a beer in the bar. Â Saturday late afternoon - sunset. Â These are some of the best seats in any restaurant in Sacramento at sunset, and there were 6 others in the place. Â Very sad. Â The appetizer menu didn't look engaging, especially after we overheard one other couple send theirs back. Â Again - good beer.
Can anybody tell that I'm MAD - this place should be buzzing! Â The chef is solid, menu varied, good beer, affordably priced and a 5-Star location. Â Just a little bit of effort is needed here, and not much investment to overcome the reputation they have worked hard to get down to. Â I hope the owners will take steps so we can have pride in our local spot and they can make some money here.
I went for the first time. Â For appetizer we had the lettuce wrap with chicken. Â My hubby really liked it. Â I thought the two sauces were fantastic but alittle messy to eat. Â The hubby had the Sudwerk Taster set and really enjoyed that, generous potion size for sampler. Â Then we had the steak and jumjumbalaya, both dishes were great. Â
Had the best view, attentive waitress and good food. Â Can't beat that. Â I'd go again and I'd recommend it to my friends also.
I hardly ever give out 1 star reviews, but holy hell in a handbasket, this place DESERVES IT.
Came here for a birthday celebration, there was probably say ummm 20 of us. We were the biggest party in the place, and the rest of it was pretty much empty (besides the old fogies gettin down in the bar!)
Our service was slow. No, wait, SLOWER THAN FREAKING SLOW. Our waitress, bless her heart, was ready to give birth, and the only one serving us. WTF? Since when does ONE server serve such a huge party? Anyway- drinks came out slow ($30 for a bottle of CHANDON? REALLY?)....
My prawn ceviche was ok, and my clam chowder acceptable. But, my $23 filet mignon was GROSS. How hard is it to add some salt and pepper to a slab of meat? The only saving grace on my place was the mashed potatoes. The consensus from the table was that everyone's food was gross, and the service SUCKED.
I miss the glory days of The Cliff House.
I will NEVER come back here again.
Not sure why this place has such poor reviews.
The space is huge (great for groups!), the food was phenomenal, $10-15 range lunch prices, and the view unbeatable. We went for lunch on a Monday afternoon and sat right next to the window.
The bbq tri tip sandwich and the fish chips were both delicious. We didn't have beer (something we'll need to come back and try). Also, they have a nice bar area if you want to come in and watch a game.
Overall very positive experience; it's walking distance from the bike trail and Old Folsom. I highly recommend it and can't wait to go back.
This venue is mostly focused on the food and the view, but Sudwerk is ultimately a brewing company, and I came for the beer :)
This location sits nicely atop a ridge overlooking old town Folsom and the American River. This space is vast and has a dated feel to it, albeit not in a good way.
The service was very friendly and the food okay. We had some chicken lettuce wraps and other snacks.
I tried the beer sampler and was happy with the majority of brews they make. The Hefeweizen is very similar to the German style, which I acquire a taste for sporadically. The brews were all fresh and lively, and I can tell quality ingredients are used here to make the batches.
Overall this was a good experience. I will be back!
Have been here a couple times, but won't go back after the lousy Sunday brunch we had.
We wanted to sit on the patio to enjoy the nice weather we had at the beginning of May, figuring we could have a nice brunch under the umbrellas. Â Wrong.
The waiter was sarcastic and borderline rude. Â Although I don't blame him because he was by himself, serving at least 8 tables that we counted. Â Poor guy.
The food took forever to come out, and we started to get really hot because the sun was beating down and the patio umbrellas weren't open. Â Being fair skinned and unprepared to wait in the sun for over 35 minutes for my food, I opened the umbrella at our table to get in the shade.
The waiter came over about 5 minutes later and interrogated my table about who opened the umbrella until I fessed up. Â He closed the umbrella and said it couldn't be used because they fly away due to being improperly fastened on the patio. Â They were totally rigged.
I ended up getting sunburned since our brunch took over an hour. Â No apology, no offer to reseat me inside, bad service, mediocre food...
Never going again.
Stopped in for some beer and some appetizers this weekend... Ehhh....
The place has a good atmosphere, nice view of the river... It's probably really nice during the summer.
The food is not great for what it costs. Kind of like food you get at a sporting event.
The beer wasn't that good either. The glasses weren't chilled.. The beer wasn't cold. Nothing to write home about.
Compared to other breweries in the area, this isn't one of the best.
I had lunch here recently, and it was...so-so. Â I've added an extra star for the view, which was great. Â There were lots of seabirds playing outside in the water, which gave us something to look at while we waited. Â
Food here was pretty average. Â The breadsticks were pretty good, but the crabcakes were not exactly fresh-tasting. Â They were greasier than most I've had, and the crab taste was very subtle. Â If I were to guess, I'd think they might have been frozen/pre-made. Â The clam chowder was positively awful, and tasted more like onion and bacon soup. Â The person I ate with had a veggie burger that was great and fries that were dripping with grease. Â Overall, very hit or miss.
Service was extremely friendly, but not especially attentive. Â Drinks were left empty for 10+ minutes after food arrived, and the server disappeared for about 15 or 20 minutes where it wasn't even possible to flag her (or any other server) down to request butter, the check, or a refill. Â By the time we actually saw someone, the butter and refill were irrelevant.
As far as the clientele is concerned, this place definitely skews a bit older. Â In fact, we were the only people in the dining room who appeared to be younger than 50. Â Of course, this was also a lunch at 2pm, so that does tend to be a time favored by older folks. Â I eavesdropped a bit and overheard a couple of old veterans ranting about the TSA's new policies, which was another entertaining way to spend the time when we couldn't find the waitress.
I don't know if I would come back or not, but I would definitely try different menu items if I did. Â The view was good enough that I might be willing to give it another shot.
Ok, let's start with the food. My friend and I shared three appetizers: calamari, shrimp ceviche and the avocado rolls. Calamari and avocado rolls were great, though the sweet chili sauce dip for the rolls was definitely out of a jar. Oh well, it is so delicious I didn't really care about its origins. The ceviche was meh as the shrimp were just too shrimpy.
Next we journey over to the other side (we were the only ones sitting on the restaurant at around 8 on Saturday night ... hmmm). We arrived just in time to help move the tables to the edge of the room to clear the dance floor.
Here's where things get good. You've never seen so many old folks gettin' down in your life. Mom jeans, flat bottoms, handle bar mustaches, sequence tops, feathered hair and even some ratted bangs action all conspired to make this one of the most entertaining nights I've had in a while. We counted about 30 white man overbites. Oh yeah. We couldn't beat 'em, so we joined em.
The music was not nearly as old as the clientele ... and trust me when I say there is nothing more awesome or amusing than watching this set of folks getting down to Bringing Sexy Back. It makes me giddy just remembering it all.
Hands down this is the uncoolest place in all of Sacramento and beyond ... making it the COOLEST place evah.
Food is not memorable, service is average, view is nice.
Our party of four wanted to sit by the river. Â The view is quite nice but the staff was slow to clean up the outside table for us.
The chicken buffalo wings were dry. Â The tri-tip in the tri-tip salad was overcooked, chewy, and not flavorful at all. Â The clam chowder is okay. Â The grilled sauage sandwich was pretty good but I was pretty hungry by then.
The beer is good. Â
I've had better. Â For a better experience, I think we'll go to Manderes instead.
Lousy food and service.
So bad, I dumped the chick who insisted on meeting me here for appetizers.
I hear it's a pick up joint on Thursdays, Friday and Saturday if you are into to older folks.
This place sucks as much as the one in Davis, CA. I know because I have been to both locations in the last year.
I don't know why they are still open. It must be because there are very few decent places to eat in Folsom, CA.
Despite the previous reviews of this place as kind of being old fogey, I decided to give it a go.
My first impression went like this:
Me: Hi, I'd like to get a table for two on the patio.
Hostess: Okay.
Me: Oh, I'm here for appetizers and drinks (don't ask me why I specified this!).
Hostess: In that case, you will have to sit in the back area.
Me: Okaaay....
Hostess: (Motions to waitress) Seat them on the patio (mumbling going on)
So my friend & I follow her outside and lo and behold, we are not on the outside fringe area where the railing is, but more in the covered area.
Funny thing is, we ordered a pizza and appetizer plate. This came to the same price as their dinner entrees. I scrutinized people who were seated in the more "preferred" seating area to see if they had indeed ordered meals versus appetizers. To be honest, I couldn't tell.
In any case, the view we had was lovely (see photo) and I enjoyed my beer sampler! Five different types in elegant mini beer steins.
On the flip side, I don't think servers should discriminate by seating who is allowed to sit by the railing (better view) area by what you order. Someone who orders a salad and water would obviously be paying less than someone like myself ordering copious amounts of alcohol and different plates of appetizers. Just a principle thing.
My stomach was not happy with me after the appetizer platter. I think it had something to do with their avocado rolls, which I dissected to find no visible avocado. Also their crab cakes are to be avoided. I must admit that the calamari was exceptionally tasty - not chewy. The pizza was good too! Even after they forgot the artichokes that I requested on half of the pizza, it was still tasty.
Ha Ha!
I guess I never thought of this place much in the way of food. Stupid of me, since I've seen the outdoor seating and the restaurant on the other side of the bar.
Decent drink prices and an adequate dance space. It's been getting a little crowded lately, though. It also smells funny.
Every time I have visited friends in the area, we've come here. The guys our age call it "the Cougar Bar" and the women that frequent it will dub it "the Old Man Bar" and walk around pretending to lug oxygen tanks behind them; which is totally unfair since I only saw one guy with an oxygen tank in the several times that I've been there.
Sure, Sudwerks has it's regular crowd of Auburnites in their twilight years, but it isn't all together creepy, like you would expect.
Ok, I lied. It really is.
The only redeeming thing about Sudwerks late-night dance party is that the DJ doesn't mix the music. He plays a song in it's entirety, making perfect pauses for the obligatory "thanks for the dance," to the 60-year-old that busted his ass over the Pussycat Dolls for you.
The look on his face that basically says, "You made my night" was totally worth it, though.
Sudwerk is the new Cliff House. Great view, but not much German food. Maybe it should be named "Sud Work"?
Other than that, I had a good lunch here. I ordered the grilled brautwurst sandwich, which was the only thing Deutsch I could find on the menu. It was actually surprisingly good, with mozarella and red peppers on a soft ciabatta roll. I usually find ciabatta rolls to be hard (jack in the crack?) but this one was awesome. I picked the apple infused cole slaw over fries to help offset the kill factor in the brauts, and was also pleasantly surprised by how good it was. KFC look out!
The other members of my party were also very happy with their food. The prices are a bit high for lunch, so this would be a special occasion place for me. Remember my optimum price for lunch is $5. Entrees run from $9-11 so you would get out for about $15 with a soft drink.
Service was good but a bit slow at the end, which made us a bit late getting back to work.
There was a crowd of seniors at the bar, so this looks like a happening place for the 50+!
Sudwerk's in Folsom is my kind of place. First of all, the food is good and reasonably priced- has a good variety of everything from seafood, steaks ro pasta and burgers.
Second, its got a great location- pretty views of Lake Natoma.
Most importantly is the dance floor which is HOPPING on the weekends. And not hopping with drunk touchy feely guys that you find in most dance clubs. Its hopping with an older crowd (as in, not many just-turned-21 folks) and let me tell you- they can dance!
The DJ is great- plays a good mix of old school R&B, current dance hits and some oldies for good measure.
Went on a Thursday night around 10:30pm, karaoke night but people danced to the better singers. Â Got to dance WCS to some of the songs.
Plenty of parking, no cover. Â Easy parking in the lot. Â Crowd age was 30-60yo. Â Not too crowded on the dance floor. Â There are still a lot of short dresses, big hair, wrinkles and throw backs from the 80's, dancing around. Â Still see the same singles bar dynamics at this age as you do at 20something clubs. Â The popular, pretty girls ignoring or being mean to the guys. Â The drunk, hoochie women dancing. Â The nerdy guys standing on the sides watching and getting the nerve ask a woman to dance let alone talk to them.
The plasma TV's are on during the singing and dancing, a bit distracting.
This poor place has so much potential. Â I hope someday they realize it. Â
The former Cliff House is now a brewpub. The brew gets imported all the way from Davis. Â And instead of the German food of the Sudwerks of yesterday, this place has standard American grub, similar to an Applebees or TGIFs.
The view is fantastic, they repainted (half) the building (don't look at the sides or back, lol). Â New floors, new menus, the place got a facelift for sure, but from a discount plastic surgeon. Â It's not awful by any means, but its nothing special (yet) either.
The elder Cliff House crowd still seems to come, but the new  emphasis is on a younger clubby type crowd now.  I have not been to the "bar" on a weekend night yet, but I have heard not so great things about how the owner is treating the bartenders, DJs, and parking attendants...  Even if the rumors aren't completely true, there is always a grain of truth to them.
So, if you want a beer and a bite to eat before/after a walk along the river, by all means stop in. Â If you want a romantic meal, or a hip happening night scene, you might want to keep looking.
First to give it four stars... here is why:
- You simply cannot beat the view. Â If you like views, this is one of the best in Nor Cal. Â It's an ideal restaurant when you are looking for that special and/or romantic locale. Â This is the main reason I gave this place a four star rating.
- The Sudwerk folks gave the old Cliff House a much needed face lift. Â The place is clean and swanky (did I just say "swanky?!). Â
- The beer is delicious.
- My wife got the Butter Lettuce with Apples salad and I had the Clam Chowder... we agreed both were delicions.
- Here's the area for improvement. Â The restaurant fell a bit flat on our entrees. Â I had the Cajun Jambalaya and it was just OK. My wife had the Petrale Sole Dore and it was, to her suprise, fried, and, as she said, could have been easily made by her at home. Â She was not impressed. Â However, this is a brewery... we should have known better and ordered a fried appetizer, burgers, and/or a specialty sandwich... my guess is they do these well.
- We had the Triple Chocoloate Mouse dessert becasuse it sounded stellar. Â It was, in my wife's words, "gummy." Â And not "light and fluffy" as it should be. Â A bummer since the desserts are all house-made. Â However, *without us asking,* our waitress removed it from our bill when she noticed we only had a few bites. Â Unexpected and cool.
- Other reviewers have complained about the service. While my reservation call could have gone better (she went out of her way to stress that she could not guarantee a window seat... on a Monday!?), the hostesses were friendly and ready to seat us when we walked in and our waitress was top notch -- prompt, friendly, and she seemed to know and explain the menu well. Â The kitchen was fast too.
- Price for a couple good beers, soup/salad,entrees, and desert was $53. Â Not great. Â Not bad.
- Oh, I imagine the bar might rage after hours. We definitely plan to check it out soon.
- Bottom Line: You should give this place a shot.
I'll start by saying the food was very good and our table was ready for us when we arrived. The new remodel is very well done and the place looks a lot better.
Parking is still a nightmare. Lot was full with cars circling and on the inside it was only half full of people. So if you do go, definitely carpool and be prepared to walk from one of the lots across the street.
With the Sudwerk name, this band of mostly UCD alums was expecting, well, something much more German. They sell the Sudwerk beer, and have a few beer posters on the wall, but that's where the German-ness ends.
What was missing? The liter mugs for one. Nothing like a huge glass of beer. No cider available (the girls really like cider). Very few (like one) German food offering. Where's the brats? Sauerkraut? Where's the caddy of hot & spicy beaver mustard?
Why call yourself Sudwerk if all you're bringing to the table is some signature suds? I'd hate to think they're just using the name to fill seats. Sure the food is tasty, but there are a lot of places to get a nummy pizza or burger in this town.
Time to break out the lederhosen, fools.
At this time I am only reviewing the nighclub portion of this business, not the dining part.
After almost 30 years as Cliffhouse, a new owner purchased the business and re-opened it as Sudwerk, the same beer based format as another busines they own in the college town of Davis.
I have been going to the Cliffhouse dancing for about 3 years and wanted to review the changes thus far.
The good:
Stripped out the old nasty carpet and replaced with hard wood floors.
Took out all of the old decor
Put in high tables and chairs
The not so good:
The new decor is  5 TV screens, that's it! Making a very sterile look.
The changed the start time for the music from 9pm to 9:30pm
Remove most regular beer selections for their own beer.
It's too much of a sports bar theme.
Lights are way too bright behind the bar. Need to take it down for more of a "Mood" lighting that nightclubs have.
No colored lights for the dance floor.
They leave the TVs on after the dancing starts...BIG MISTAKE as it is very distracting. No one cares about sports on 3 screens and "America's funniest home videos" on the other two.
Drink prices have gone up!
This format is great for a college town like Davis, but Folsom is NOT a college town, we are adults who don't think sports on TV and dancing do not go together.
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