SouthEnd Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Boone

I was so excited when I heard that South End would be coming to Boone that I drove down on opening day for the live music and had one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I’ve visited their other location in Greensboro a year or two back and remember having some of the best beer of my life (I got the wild hyena that day and it’s one of my favorite IPAs still.) When we arrived at the new Boone location, my girlfriend and I were immediately greeted at the front by this nice girl with wavy blonde hair, immediately seated, and brought water. Our server’s name was Zoey and she was very kind and entertaining and had us smiling or laughing almost the entire time. We also got the chance to meet and speak with some of the owners Aaron and Megan and they had the cutest little baby girl. We drove about 3 hours there/back and I would drive even further to have that experience again. My girlfriend tried a flight with their stout, pumpkin ale, “goat” IPA, and the one for the Oktoberfest, they were all terrific! It’s hard to come by a place that has consistently good brewed beers, and this is one of those places! Truly a gem in the mountains. My girlfriend loved the maple brisket sandwich and I got the Cuban which was a perfect consistency and even better than some that I tried in Key West when I lived there! We were told they they’re still working on expanding the menu and I cant wait to see what they have in store! I’ll have to come back sometime soon. This was one of the greatest restaurant experiences I’ve ever had, and the girlfriend...

I enjoy the location and they have some super nice staff that are fun to talk to. But on two occasions now I have had a bad experience. First, the bartender bet my roommate and I’s IDs to the point that my roommates was permanently creased. They then proceed to pour the beer with tap submerged in the beer which is gross and spreads bacteria. Second, when they first opened they allowed dogs to come in to the bar while you grab a beer, which I thought was weird so I always made sure to ask and say “I understand if not I can leave her outside, no problem at all”. I asked in the same manner this night to not only one but two employees and both responded with a resounding “yes”, again asking to just grab a beer at the bar and go right outside. To reiterate I have no issue leaving my dog outside as this is the norm and checked by health inspectors, which is why I ask every time. While ordering my beer, the owner raised her voice saying, “ Sir, you cannot have your dog inside, where do you think you are?” I drank my beer (that again was poured with the tap in it) and left, have yet to be back after these two separate experiences. If I didn’t ask and didn’t get confirmation from two employees that my dog could come with me to order, then I would be the one...

First and foremost - our server was out-freakin-standing. She was so attentive and nice. As for the food, it was good but not great and it seemed pretty expensive for what it was. Beer is definitely their niche.

Our family ordered wings and pretzels as appetizers. Both were quickly delivered and were overall good. Wings are ordered by weight (1/2 lb or 1 lb) but in short its six wings or twelve. A couple of different sauce options and the classic blue cheese or ranch with carrots and celery on the side. The pretzels come as order of three with cheese and mustard. The beer cheese was a little watery and simple. It didn't really taste like much more than a liquid nacho cheese.

For entrees we ordered the black bean burger with fries, regular burger and a beer brat. I think the beer brat stole the show. Both the blackbean burger and regular burger were good. Fries were really good but overly salty. But I really enjoyed the brat the most. It was a simple entree but nothing that is commonly available and had the perfect...