Elicit Brewing Co - Danbury — Local services in Danbury

Rolled into Danbury like a lone rider at high noon, engine hot and stomach growlin’. Left Yonkers on two wheels and a questionable sense of direction — figured I’d let the wind and Google Maps do the talkin’. First stop? ELICIT Brewing. Place caught my eye like a mirage with good Yelp reviews.

Strolled in, helmet in hand, hair a mess, sweat in places I don’t care to name — and a thirst that only good beer could cure. This wasn’t some grimy roadside dive. No sir. This was clean, poppin’, and blessedly air-conditioned. God bless whoever invented central cooling.

Made a beeline for the beer bar, where a goddess of suds stood behind the counter. Can’t remember her name — blame the heat or the haze or the fact that I was too busy admiring her beer-choosing intuition. I told her what I liked, what I hated, and she nodded like she’d read my beer soul. Whipped me up a flight like she’d been training for this moment her whole life.

Every. Damn. Beer. Slapped.

Seriously — she nailed it. Hoppy, but not like chewing on a pine tree. Smooth, but not snooze-worthy. Each one was a little personality in a glass, and somehow, I vibed with all of them. If I didn’t have rubber to burn and more road to ride, I’d have ordered a pint of each and settled in like a woman who found her beer church.

I also ordered some empanadas because let’s be honest — motorcycles run on fuel, and so do women who ride them. They came out fast and hot, just like I like my meals and my motorcycles. Only downside? There weren’t enough. They were good — like “maybe I’ll turn around and order six more” good — but gone way too fast.

Fed, buzzed (responsibly), and feelin’ like the queen of the road, I tipped my imaginary cowgirl hat, fired up the bike, and rode off into the afternoon with a belly full of beer and regret that I couldn’t stay longer.

Verdict: Ladies, gents, and anyone with taste buds — if you find yourself blowin’ through Danbury and need a spot to cool down, chow down, and sip something cold and perfect, ELICIT Brewing’s your oasis. The beer’s on point, the staff’s a damn delight, and the empanadas are small but mighty. I’ll be back. Next time, I’m bringing backup — and...

Food was good (even if just a reheat of purchased frozen food), but service was non-existent; not a family place at all. No hostess, no waiters. I thought this would be more like a restaurant based on location and the food menu, but it's not at all.

You have to order through an app with a complicated interface, retrieve your own food (which I didn't find out until after tipping 20% through the app), and get your own drinks from the bar. Who exactly did I tip?

We ordered apps and two meals off of the kids menus. The kids meals were inexpensive but sized for a 2 year old (~6 small popcorn bites or a small grilled cheese and a few fries). Not a great menu for kids. Otherwise, the food my wife and I ate was good.

Bar experience was good. I like the large TV menus (my wife prefers printed menus) and the bartender was friendly and offered us samples before buying. Wasn't crowded and I was served very quickly. Beer selection was very good, and the two Elicit beers that I tried were good, if not amazing.

You'd think that with no wait staff (except those standing around staring at their phones and literally doing nothing), you'd save some money, but this meal of apps, kids meals, and a couple beers cost me almost $200 for me, my wife, and our three kids.

Atmosphere was fine, what you'd expect from a strip mall restaurant. They advertise "arcade", which means two pinball machines that you have to pay for and a claw game. Games in a brewery should be free to play...do you really need the $.25, and who carries quarters with them?

Good food but not a good dining experience. I go out knowing I'm going to spend money these days, but expect I'm going to at least be waited on. Instead I was waiting on my family and paying to do it. I was have expecting to have to clean our own dishes. Probably a better place for friends grabbing some beers than for a family to go out for dinner.

Will not...

First of all, this place is loud. We walked into the vestibule and heard a roar and I thought to myself “uh-oh”. Sure enough, we opened the door and found what I believe to be the loudest restaurant I’ve experienced. And it wasn’t from loud music — it was the customers. I agree with a previous reviewer, an acoustical architect needs to be brought in asap because here’s the kicker — the place was only about 1/4 filled when we visited.

The draft beer selection is very impressive (love that they had beers other than their own excellent brews) and the people behind the bar were very nice. But the food menu was only meh — what is with this recent obsession with smashburgers?!? I had the chicken Caesar wrap. The chicken was battered and fried instead of grilled and the bacon was undercooked and not crumbled. My wife had the empanadas and she said they had too many onions. Neither of us would get those dishes again. The buffalo chicken dip, on the other hand, was outstanding even with chips that were too oily and broke too easily.

Why are most of the tables high-tops? And why so few tables for two?

I’m fine with the self-service thing (though I do think it would be awkward for a patron dining alone) but if that’s going to be the game plan, it has to be combined with a clearly-stated and strongly promoted no-tipping policy. Prices are certainly high enough to pay the staff at least minimum wage. Being asked to tip after doing all of your own legwork is preposterous and, frankly, a lost opportunity to be on the forefront of an overdue rethinking of the American restaurant...