Gilman Brewing Company — Restaurant in Berkeley

Substance over style – i.e., amazing beer! (4/5 green stars) I think I’ve tried a good percentage of the breweries in the Berkeley-Oakland area. Gilman is now a firm favorite (along with Hoi Polloi and the Torpedo room). While nearby Fieldwork has a pretty seating area, Gilman definitely ranks significantly higher in my book for the beer itself (and friendliness). There’s an emphasis on saisons, farmhouse ales, stouts and the use of fruit, chili, chocolate and some alternative yeasts (like Brettanomyces and saison yeast). Food trucks on weekends, restaurant in the works, and outside food welcome. I liked everything we tried, but especially the Cheval de Fer (dry-hopped Belgian saison) and the Champ Rochaux (saison with nectarines). Going back soon – there’s a Groupon available now too!

I’m also giving them 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons: • Beer is brewed on site, reducing the carbon and material footprints (transportation and packaging). • I believe they’ll fill growlers and crowlers to-go, again reducing packaging. • You can bring your own food (Whole Foods is across the street), thereby accommodating all diets. • Close to public transport. • They have (or had) a promotion where for every pint of Cheval de Fer bought, $1 is donated to ALS research. • I didn’t find out that much about their ingredients yet – will...

We come to Gilman often to hang out and love it, but we recently had our wedding at Gilman's 920 space in August and it was absolutely perfect. We were looking for something casual but nice for ~80 guests and the space was more than enough for all of us, a dance floor, a photobooth and more.

Extra shoutout to Micheal who coordinated with us for probably over a year as we navigated the challenges of COVID, coordinated vendor requests (e.g number of tables, arrival times, feasibility of different arrangements). They were so responsive and kind and helpful. The day-of was all we hoped it would be. We had come by earlier to pick out the beers which was the best kind of tasting. And then we brought in wine, had a caterer for food, had a DJ, and brought in a couple extra tables to supplement the ones they had. There was fridge space so we could store the cake. Bathrooms easily accessible. We were able to lift the doors to provide a larger direct entrance to the space and for the extra airflow.

We received so much help and support from ("Can we have a churro truck?" to "Can we hang decorative umbrellas?") All of our questions were always answered quickly and empathetically. Pricing was always super transparent and fair. We really could not have asked for a better venue experience. If you're considering having your event at Gilman, this is your...

2023 Edit: There's another spectacularly pathetic reply from the management. "A disappointment to his friends and country." So, funny... You are really going to resort to baseless slander? Do you have any integrity or decency? And what's that I see in recent photos? Pizza? Glassware? It's almost like you do care about customer service. Or are you just money grubbing tools? In 2021 I was out supporting small businesses. What were you doing besides laying people off and cutting service? Would have considered coming back if you weren't such jags. Can't wait to see your next childish response.

Edit: Classy response from management below.. Really showing your true colors.

Boycott these chumps. Heard great things, but very disappointed. Food menu decimated to chips n things. Forced to order online through tedious menu and put in all your information, and have to do it again every time you order. Drinks served in plastic cups for dine in, which is unacceptable on many levels. They've minimized their service to essentially no service, but still try to force a 20% tip for this...