Hops N Shine — Restaurant in Alexandria

ALWAYS fantastic customer service, extensive beer and whiskey selection, and great food!! The wings are large and always crispy with a large selection of sauces, the grilled cheese is delicious no matter which you get, and the avocado salad is full of flavor. If you are lucky enough to get there when they have the Chalkboard menu, the brussel sprouts are one of my favorites if it's on that week and the meat is always delicious!

There's some inside seating and heaters or fire pits out back if you want to hang out, the tv's always have the big games on. If you prefer to-go, the packaging is always well done. And you can get beer, whiskey, and cocktails to-go!! If you are into beer, I highly suggest joining a Thursday night online tasting... just pick up your 4-pack and jump on Facebook or Zoom to listen to a brewer, owner, rep, etc from 2 different breweries talk about the beers you are tasting, it's always educational and tons of fun! Sometimes they also do whiskey tastings, if that's more your thing. Check out Facebook for the events.

But the best part of HNS... they VALUE their employees and community! During the pandemic, they have done multiple fundraisers for their own employees and community, plus have a donate a meal option. So even if times are tough, they never forget about...

Went here on a Sunday when they were between the soft and grand opening phase. Place is in a shady spot but very nice inside. Bartender got us our drinks right away. Have a big selection of beers and most imports are German or Belgian. Local beer is mostly Port City. Good variety of beer too with a chance to try 4 oz samples for cheap. Bar scene is solid. Gave the bartender our food order and got the build- your- own grilled cheese with tomato soup while my husband got the same with added chicken and side of fries. Food order took about 30-45 min but ended up being delicious! Pretty sure my cheese preferences weren’t honored but it tasted good anyway. We could tell the bartender was getting frustrated with the cooks and we understand things aren’t going to be perfect. When we asked for the bill, bartender comped our drink order which was totally not necessary and we are grateful for. All in all this place has potential and we’ll most likely return once a good rhythm is established.

Also side note, pretty sure the same guitar instrumental song was on repeat and we were there like an hour and a half. Hahaha. Hope they get a...

Let’s face it, friends: It’s been a long pandemic, and we all want to get out. What better reason than comfort food and moonshine? 😅 HopsnShine is a cool and kitschy place with lots of grilled cheese specialty sandwiches and … wait for it… Tater tots. That’s right, friends. I haven’t outgrown them, and neither have you. And they’re DELICIOUS. Crispy and perfect, they’re a taste of carefree childhood. Try the totchos. You won’t regret it. I also tried the Let’s Shroom grilled cheese sandwich, which was not as melty as it should have been, but the half I took home was perfection after a few minutes in the air fryer. Now let’s talk booze. The Ruby Red Grapefruit moonshine had just the right combination of infused flavor and a little bit of burn in the throat. It also was fantastic in the Sunrise Over Del Ray cocktail. The location in a strip mall belies the wonders of food and drink in this place. It has plenty of outdoor space and is both kid- and dog-friendly. Check...