HopSide Brewery — Restaurant in Alpena

This was my fourth visit. The first three were excellent. but today…

Up till now I’ve had several of their beers which I enjoyed and pizza and their large pretzel. So far so good. I’ve recommended this restaurant.

Today however things went a little south. The menu has a sandwich they call a BLT with turkey Club. It has BLT and turkey, onion, red pepper, and cheese.I requested They Bring me a BLT. Just a BLT, without all of the extras that they list. Just a BLT! In a sandwich.

I got their style of BLT (club) in a wrap. OK, I thought I was clear but sure I’ll Wait while they prepare what I ordered. Then came THEIR BLT again but at least it was a sandwich this time. So I chose to eat it as came. BLTs do not taste right with onions and cheese and red peppers. Didn’t care for the bread either. So disappointed.

I was with two other individuals and our food took a very long time to come. We were only OK with that.

My suggestion is to rename that sandwich. Call it a CLUB upfront and in the description State that it has bacon and lettuce and tomato on it.

When it came time to pay the bill, there was no suggestion of adjustment to the bill for the fact that We waited so long and I never got What I ordered.

And speaking up the bill coming, you do not get a bill, everything is done on the waitresses tablet. So you can’t look over the bill, Unless you take the tablet from her and read it in front of her. Then you have to do all the process while you’re holding her tablet and she stands waiting. You can get a paper receipt, but most people like to look at their bill, hold it in their hand, check the total and have a moment To consider the tip. The individual paying at our table was uncomfortable with this process. I found it unsettling also.

So three out of four eat bad but it was a pretty significant difference. Now I hesitate to recommend without conditions and I hesitate to return for a meal. I would come back for the atmosphere and the beer and pretzels, but that...

Disappointing. We got a flight and tried 6 beers. Most tasted like artifical flavorings had been added after brewing. Full transparency, a creamy stout is my kinda beer. There were none of those on the menu. The reuben tater tots were over salted, but potatoey, served hot and crispy. The Zachos did not match the photo on the menu. I ordered them because the plate looked fully loaded in the menu photo. The sauces were flavorful. What arrived were 10 corn tortilla chips around a center of lettuce and tomatoes. I did not leave hungry, and they had all the toppings on them as described but none of this was worth their price or the hour and a half wait. Yes, we ordered and then waited over an hour and a half for tots and nachos. Now, again, full transparency, maybe they were doing a huge door dash business or maybe they had a back patio that I could not see, but the inside was not even full. There were a few other people at the bar, one large party of 8 and one large party of 6, and that was it. There were empty tables and booths, so not even at max capacity. I recommend limiting the menu, preprepping more food ahead of time, or expanding the kitchen to reduce the food wait time. I like the round tap and bar. I like the pine booths and tables. There is no real vibe to the decor. It's unadorned and plain. Its like they have not defined thier astetic yet. There are tvs that kept us entertained while we waited for our food. I wish them well and hope they consider making changes for faster...

This was our 3rd time here for food and after this meal, it will be our last unfortunately. This place has a very nice ambiance, good beer, and service. They do have decent food depending on what you order. However this time, we ordered a Philly cheesecake sandwich. It literally had a 1 thin half of slice of meat on one side and one thin slice on the other. When you pay $15 for a Philly, you expect a good balance of meat, onions, peppers, etc. It was very disappointing and we expressed the disappointment to the waitress and she just said sorry your disappointed. I also got the hot wings and a simple salad. Hot wings are good. Do not bother with the simple salad. It was maybe a 1/4 of a cup of iceburg lettuce, 3 croutons, and a couple chopped up onion. It was a Friday evening at 5:00pm and we were the only ones in there. I guess we should have got the clue. I really hope they start paying more attention to their menu and the quality because this place is really nice and has a ton...