Snowshoe Brewing Company — Restaurant in California

It really pains me to write a low review of the Snowshoe Brewery. A family member of mine used to work at Snowshoe when it was still new and popular. In it's heyday Snowshoe was the place to be in Arnold. The beers were top notch and the food was excellent. The staff was also pretty cool too.

On my last trip I witnessed how things have changed. The staff varied in their interest in actually serving us. We were seated and then after quite a while, I had to hunt someone down to take our order. Our food took about 45 minutes to arrive on our table after we ordered and there were only 2 other people in the entire dining area who already had their food. On top of the wait, my wife's order was wrong and they left out our chili fries. My wife refused a correction on her meal due to the fear of having to wait another hour, and when our chili fries arrived, they had no chili. But they did have garlic, so that's a good trade off, isn't it?

Again, we were never checked on again. I had to go grab someone to refill our drinks. We were really disappointed when we left. They even seemed disinterested in giving us the check and I actually considered just walking out in a "dine and dash" furry of attempted discipline, but I don't think the point would've sunk in. They really were that apathetic to our presence.

I'm not sure if the ownership has changed or if they are trying a new "do it yourself" atmosphere, but Snowshoe is NOT the way it once was and my taste buds remember the old Snowshoe, not this new apathetic version.

Unfortunately, there is not much motivation for them to get better since they are practically the only game in town. I mean, you could go to Giant Burger or another place along Highway 4, but they are all substandard. Believe it or not, there is a Taco Truck on the Highway just before you get into Arnold that actually has good food for a much cheaper price. If you don't mind the forest dining room, head over to...

Tons of potential largely unfulfilled. This is actually a 3 Star review but I have to balance out the five star reviews people are leaving to get 10% off their check. Here is the timeline of our visit.

1:08 arrived We were told they just needed to wipe down a table for us. Dope I can see a table being wiped down outside. Then I see the same table get wiped down by the other waitress and then by the bartender 5 minutes after that. restaurant aprox. half full

1:25 We are seated at the well wiped table.

1:33 waitress makes first interaction asks us how we are, my girlfriend says "good, hungry" the waitress says "So is everybody else". We order soft pretzels with beer cheese and two patty melts

1:37 Beers delivered Grizzly Brown=5 Stars 30 minutes to get a beer in a brewery= Baffling

1:57 Patty melts delivered anticipating slow delivery 2nd round of beers ordered.

1:59 appetizer shows up with a skin on the beer cheese from sitting under a heat lamp. Pretzels are lukewarm.

2:11 Live chicken wanders thru outdoor eating area gets in a staring contest with another tables black lab.

2:27 I flag down the bartender who is wiping tables and is the first staff we had seen since the chicken. I inquire about our beers she stops what she's doing to go get them.

2:28 Our waitress brings the check

2:29 Bartender bring beers, finishes cleaning table.

2:32 Got the check with second beers comped

2:33 The other waitress cleans the tables that the bartender just cleaned.

2:49 Waitress comes back for the check

2:53 Card returned.

2:59 Hasty retreat upon the return of the chicken.

This review is for our second 2hr dining experience not the first. Can not recommend if your on a schedule. But if your not particularly hungry, thirsty, or in a hurry the show is better then season 8 of...

I love this place...and despite this mildly-bad review, if you're still reading this I hope you'll give them a shot, AND that maybe Snowshoe will get a bit better. Years ago, we were super-excited to have a brewery and fun pizza place in town.

In the last year or so though, I believe it's under new ownership and we've been disappointed. -Often very long wait times for food. -Often out of beer, including the cool "take-out" fridge which has been empty the last few times I was in there.

We loved this place, and folks who'd used our cabin gave us a gift card. When we went to use it, it was a very awkward encounter. The owner stared at the card when we handed it to her and we waited a good 30 seconds or minute for her to talk. Then she sighed and said she'd take it, but that she doesn't sell gift cards so she wasn't getting any money as it all went to the previous owner. This was after we'd called in an order at 5, showed up at 5:30, and finally paid a bit before 6:30...and no, it wasn't even busy.

I'm happy to see some recently positive positive reviews, I hope the next time I go in I love it, and if you haven't tried Snowshoe I hope you'll give them a try...I just wanted to give you an idea of what you might be in for.

Also, although I rated "service" poorly, I should say that the wait staff and bar staff are and have always been great! So, even if you happen to have a long wait, there are worse ways to wait than hanging out at the bar or on the back patio with dogs and...