Nepenthe Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Baltimore

First stop in. Great space---well thought out, open, enjoyable to sit and relax, even with a lot of people. Ordered across the menu with my partner and, all in all, the food was just mediocre. Underwhelming burgers, but solid fries. The best thing we had was beer cheese fritters...unfortunately they were $10 for four fritters. A theme with the food is that everything seems to be overpriced by a dollar or two relative to quality and size, especially given all of the great options nearby on the avenue.

With all of that said, the beers were just disappointing. Tasting across the menu, the recurring theme was a lack of body and structure. One note, lacking aromatics (especially for the IPAs), and immediately vanishing from the palate. None were offensive, and none were memorable. I laud them for trying to have a "fizzy yellow beer" and an ESB, but both fell way short. Multiple IPAs built in the trendy style with trendy hops...but there are many better Baltimore options.

Hoping this is the "work out the kinks" phase with respect to their menu, pricing, and brew system. They were out of three beers and two food items on a Saturday afternoon, so this speaks to that point. Will revisit in a couple of months and hope...

Came yesterday for drinks and some food, so this is only a review of the restaurant. I know they just opened and are probably working out some kinks, but I was pretty disappointed overall. The cocktail I got was very good (Aperita) and the beer was fine (nothing spectacular, but fine). The food was the real bummer, though - it was overpriced and bland. I was very excited about the Bangkok Dog based on the description, but none of the exciting flavors came through and it honestly just tasted like a regular old hot dog. But a $10 regular old hot dog. It didn't even come with fries or chips, just 4 or 5 small, flavorless pickle chips.Not worth it. My boyfriend got the chicken sandwich, and it was soggy in the middle and equally as bland; the spicy honey was really just...honey - and the only purpose it seemed to serve was to make your hands sticky. Again, it was overpriced at $12; it was relatively small and came with no fries or chips. I will end on a good note, though! It wasn't all bad: Yummy cocktails, good sandwich buns, the garage fries were pretty tasty, great location, spacious, and nice vibe. I would maybe try the food there one more time in a few months to see if it's improved, but don't...

Stopped in because I heard the fries were great and was extremely happy with what I found!

Upon arrival I went right to the bar to grab a seat. The bartender immediately greeted me and told me he'd be right with me. He asked me what type of beer I liked and made a great suggestion to try the Strange Beast. This is a Rice Lager with hint of ginger peach green tea and it was the perfect thing to sip on a summer day!

Next up was the food, as I mentioned, I had a taste for some good friend and I'd heard that theirs were really good. I ended up ordering the smash burger with a side of fries. I couldn't settle on the sauce that I wanted for my fries and the bartender gave his recommendations. I ended up choosing the porcini, but porcine, bartender put in an extra so that I could try the tigersauce and I'm glad he did! The tigersauce trumped my original decision and I couldn't get enough.

The burger also hit the spot! The fresh toppings and the old bay aioli is just the right hint of flavor for this burger. Often times I old bay is overdone here in Maryland, but it was very subtle in this sauce and it was perfect! I...