Grains of Wrath (GOW) Brewery & Restaurant — Restaurant in Camas

This place is so far beyond across town from my house, but I knew I had to try it. My wife and I made the trip to Camas, expecting greatness, and WERE. NOT. DISAPPOINTED.

GoW, from an outside glance, is picture perfect. The exterior is so incredibly clean, and the patio is just gorgeous, with its black stone fire pits and stump seating. The way the metal and wood flow so well together, the way the patio is fenced in, providing a secure place for kids (yes, it’s kid friendly) so they cannot run off into the Camas streets, the metal “GoW” lettering; it’s all just so picturesque. And that’s just the outside.

Inside, the wood texture of the tables is rugged, lending to a masculine appearance. The decor on the walls is fantastic; the barrel slats that adorn the wall and provide a wild, almost brick-like pattern with a rounded wood texture, the giant skull/star logo on the wall by the bar, and even the black brick-patterned tiles with the super white grout in the bathroom... they all make for a unique appearance that you will find literally nowhere else. The light bulbs above each table have an antique feel to them, while providing a perfect balance of light. Speaking of light, let’s talk for a second about the massive garage doors that lead to the patio. They deliver SO MUCH natural light to the inside. Three of the four roll up to provide access to the patio, and I must say, it’s an excellent use of the existing building. It hearkens nicely to the automotive shop that occupied that building before GoW, like a tip of the hat, acknowledging the history of downtown Camas. One final touch that did not go unnoticed, was the church pew. It was both subtle and hilarious to see, and I thought it completed the uniqueness of the interior.

The food and beverages were absolutely amazing. Ordered a medium rare burger, received a medium rare burger. The zucchini pickles were outstanding, as was the onion jam. The order of Chips N’ Dips was perfectly portioned, and the Sikil Pa’k dip that came with the homemade chips stole the show for me, almost peanuty in taste. Let’s assume for a second that you’re anything like me, and have never tried bone marrow as a delicacy. Fear not. It’s delicious. And the beer. Oh my sweet lord, the beer. Tried four. The EGA (oorah), Overkill, and Pandemic are spectacular IPAs, and worth the extra cost. The Lionheart is after my own heart, being a big fan of ambers. I actually cannot wait to get back and try the rest. Nothing seemed outrageously priced. The portions were perfect and the flavor was worth every penny.

OH! Before I forget; there is some sweet merch up at the front counter worth taking a look at!

Bottom line; will I be back? 11/10, YES. MOST DEFINITELY. Keep up the...

2nd UPDATED REVIEW 8/23/24 Food here is kinda lacking lately. The menu was relatively recently updated, which is a good thing to do, but the food is just kinda missing the mark. Seems like they could benefit from better ideas and better quality ingredients. Knocked off a star. I still like their beer and believe in the place, but the salad isn’t great with bitter salad greens and the menu items all kinda taste mediocre. Just use lettuce. I say this after coming here fairly often and trying different items around the menu.

UPDATED REVIEW: Changed my review from 3 to 5 stars. Got a courteous note from the owner about the music and seems like they got the sound system sorted out. Thanks for the response. I’ve been back a dozen or so times since and this place is now one of my favorites. The menu is great and the atmosphere is awesome. Come to Camas and give them a try. They even have friendly wait staff! Unlike a lot of the hipster wannabe restaurants in downtown Vancouver who make people queue at the bar to order their food.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Seems like a cool place. Like the decor and the beer and food are pretty tasty.

Three stars only because the music selection is so loud and obnoxious. I get that they’re trying to establish an identity, but I’d caution the owners not to alienate/chase off future paying customers who don’t want their ears drums pounded constantly at dinner.

In fact, I didn’t buy a second beer and opted to leave after one because I was seated directly under a speaker. It might sway me from coming here with friends/family to have dinner and drinks in the future just because it’s so hard to talk and hear each other. Kind of a shame because it’s so close to my house, but it’s a new place and I’m sure this will get worked out. Not giving...

We've been visiting Grains of Wrath somewhat frequently for the last few years. I rarely bother leaving reviews, but finally feel prompted to do so. The downturn in quality and value has really affected our recent trips, and I hope management takes the recent feedback into consideration.

Firstly, staff is great and the environment is everything you'd want/expect of a brewpub. Their beer is good and their beer prices are on par with most. The bummer is that it seems we've been slowly getting less food, of lower quality, for the same or increased prices.

For example, the attached photos are that of an $18 sandwich that was comically small. We used to get an amazing Italian sandwich here that was at least twice this size in volume and didn't cost that much. The insult to injury is that now you also get less fries than before (a small handful in a cup, many of which are little end pieces and consistently dry and sad). We've gotten chicken tenders here for the almost three years we've visited (kids, amirite?).. except what used to be solid quality and sized tenders are now sad, thin pieces that remind you of what's on sale in the freezer section. We thought it must be a fluke (maybe they ran out that day and had to resort to the D-list tendies in the freezer?). After ordering the adult/full size order on another trip and receiving the same sad tendies, we quickly realized this was their new standard.

I know this is a tale told too often nowadays, but it's so disappointing to see quality plummet firsthand. It's not really the prices, it's the lack of value you're getting for them that's hard to ignore. We'll probably pop in occasionally for a beer and maybe an appetizer, but we'll likely never eat a...