The Rake at Admiral Maltings — Restaurant in Alameda

UPDATED:

It's amazing how quickly The Rake made positive changes per below comments (no longer relevant). My wife and I can't wait to come back and enjoy the good people, atmosphere, food and drink. Thanks Rake team!

Well, I really want to like the Rake. The folks that work there are cool and friendly and the have great beer. My wife and I go often to support them as we're sure it's been difficult with covid, then the road construction out front. We also like that the have food and offer wine. But, there are couple key things that seriously bother us, thus only three stars.

Many of the signs are unfriendly with exclamation marks after them. For example, when you walk in the front door, it doesn't say Welcome! it says, "The Rake Food Only!" (see attached). There are so many better ways of saying saying this... (i.e. please, thank you, etc.) Is that really the main point you have for your customers when the walk in the door?

The quality of the audio and sound of music. It sounds like the speaker is from a tiny am radio, really grading. Trust me Rake folks, having good sounding stereo, good music makes a HUGE difference on the quality or experience for your customers. It's better to play nothing then low quality sound, but great music would elevate the entire experience!

I'd love to change this review to five stars, and if we see some positive...

Best place to get beer in the area, if not anywhere. If you love beer, come here. (They also have non-beer and non-alcoholic options.) Why do I love it here so much? (1) they make the malt that goes into all of the beer (and spirits) that they sell. This isn't just a fun novelty, though it is fun. The local malt means that your supporting local producers and that you learn more about the ingredients that go into the beer. (2) because of #1, they get beer that you cannot get anywhere else on tap and same goes for some of off-premise selection as well, unless you go directly to the brewery. (3) related to #2, they have two casks! (4) the staff is amazing! They know beer and like people! Whether you're a beer expert and have a specific question or don't know malt from hops (i.e. don't know much about beer) they are there to answer you questions! (5) very family and pet friendly.

The food is also good. For vegetarians, I recommend the rice and bean bowl, they use heirloom beans and the rice is also top quality. The only thing that makes a visit a little hard at times is the music, which can be played a bit loud. But I am more sensitive to noise than most people, so I always have noise dampening devices (i.e. various types of earplugs) with me. Other notes: they do pitchers and flights. They do tours of Admiral Maltings on Sundays,...

You come for the beer but are knocked out by the food! Of course, they have a great selection of beers, including ones that are made with their special malt. There are a couple of breweries in the area so it might be difficult making your decision on which one to visit. The Rake is definitely worth a stop.

There is plenty of outdoor seating (good for COVID times) and hand sanitizer on each table. The staff wipe it down between every customer too. It's right next to Almanac so it's kind of like a mini beer row.

But let's get to the food. Make sure to get the pretzel. It's warm and delicious and served with cheese AND malt butter. I have never tried malt butter before and now I want it on every carb I can get my hands on. We also tried the mac and cheese (excellent) and salad (meh, but who orders salad at a beer place?)

The staff are also super sweet and entertaining. It's a great place to visit on a...