Cape Charles Brewing Company — Restaurant in Cape Charles

Awful. Just awful. We have heard very mixed reviews but as locals- and craft beer lovers- knew we had to try it out. (I have 10 years of industry experience- including a local brewery in Virginia Beach.)

Arrival time 2:45PM. Our party of 8 was seated quickly with what we later found out were “the old menus.” Our waitress, Ellie, immediately asked what we wanted to drink with the directions of who would be ordering in a specific way. No welcome, no explanation of the beers. We are local, so yes we understand the local concept, but something would have been nice- especially as we had out of town family with us. I asked about the flights and we decided to order a few. Ellie did not have any flight cards available and left to get two. A third person in our party wanted to order a flight. Ellie then needed to go get another card. Why do waitresses not have these readily available? We ordered our drinks and my 1 year olds food- Mac&Cheese and “seasonal vegetables.”

3:05PM- Drinks arrive. Not a terribly long wait. Our flights were definitely misplaced but we were able to fix that ourselves by process of elimination. No biggie. The beer was alright. I don’t know that I would buy a growler but I did enjoy the Shipwreck Stout and the 2 Brothers DIPA.

By 3:30PM, my son was getting hungry and we were getting very agitated. We spoke up after being unable to locate Ellie and were told that the Mac&Cheese was coming. Eventually, my father finally told Ellie that we needed the food in 5 minutes or we were leaving.

3:45PM Mac&Cheese arrives. Great. Finally. An hour later. Seasonal Vegetables? Nope, just a side of guilt trip from Ellie. “I ended up taking somebody else’s Mac&Cheese!” I don’t care how you got it, who you got it from or what it took to get it. It should have never taken an hour for a small bowl of extremely greasy Mac&Cheese.

By 4:05PM, the rest of our food arrived. Shrimp was over cooked and cold?! Shrimp did not come with the “signature cocktail sauce” listed on the menu. Ellie must have heard me say something about this and later said “The shrimp doesn’t come with the cocktail sauce because of the seasoning. I could have brought you some.” Regardless, if listed on the menu- it should have come with the shrimp. Fish & Chips? Not technically. It was fried Flounder. Typically, F&C is Cod. Whatever. Back to my son’s “Seasonal Vegetables” (as listed on the menu) that was ordered at 2:45PM- I had to remind Ellie to bring these. She informed me that “we are just waiting on the kitchen.” About 10 minutes later, we were served corn on the cob. I guess that is technically A “seasonal vegetable” but not quite what I had in mind for a 1 year old. Originally, I wanted to order the Ahi Burger but hate when Tuna is over cooked- in hindsight, I probably made the right choice.

Bathrooms had no changing table- not a huge issue but in this day in age, come on now. Plenty of families are coming into the brewery so that should be on the list of updates. I will assume no high chairs- we did not ask for one but also were not offered one. Again, not a huge issue for us but possibly for others. I think at one point we had 3 different menus on our table. I very much understand that this is a new establishment and there are still kinks to be worked out but this entire experience was absolutely unacceptable.

I am glad to say we have planned for the Chatham Hall Winery and an always favorite Yuk Yuk’s or Shanty tomorrow. They will “survive” the summer but with this kind of customer service, I would be interested to see if they make it through the off season. We are local so will we come back? Possibly but maybe during the off season- not that treating locals well is...

We had a wonderful afternoon in Cape Charles. My boys had played on the beach all afternoon and we had a long drive home. We saw that this place was still open on our way out and decided to stop and try it out. Due to covid things were done a bit differently and this was all totally fine. I wore my mask and went inside to order our food/drinks. They gave a buzzer so we would know when to come get our food. While we waited for our food we explored the cool trains sitting on the nearby train tracks which my son really enjoyed. We got our food fairly quickly.... the pretzels and beer cheese was everyone’s fav of all we ordered. My oldest enjoyed his burger, my youngest had the chicken fingers which were very hard/crispy, the fish and chips my mom and I found to be too “fishy” tasting which to some won’t make sense. Once I removed the breading I was able to eat most of the fish inside, but it was just ok. The real problem came when my mom and kids decided they wanted more of the pretzels with beer cheese so my mom placed two more orders for pretzels and beer cheese and I had enjoyed my 1st glass of wine so ordered another of those as well. Well when the buzzer went off she picked up her order which was packaged in to go boxes. When she got back to the picnic table we were sitting at and opened the boxes there was NO cheese dip. She went back inside to ask about the cheese dip and was simply told they didn’t have anymore! No offer for refund just an offer of a different sauce she did not care for which was served with the onion rings. I found this to be completely unacceptable. We would have never ordered additional pretzels had we known there was no cheese dip. The employee taking orders did come out to our table to let us know he was unaware there was no cheese dip and said he took the wine off?? The wine had absolutely nothing to do with the pretzels we now had with no cheese dip. I enjoyed my wine 🤷‍♀️ I appreciate the fact that they took off anything at all but there most definitely should have been a refund for the pretzels that were served with NO cheese dip. We would have been happy to hand them back over especially since we paid $14 (I think) for two pieces of a braided pretzel with no cheese dip times two... $28 for 4 pieces of a pretzel.... Crazy! This is not good business! We collectively spent over $100 total. There was an automatic 20% gratuity which typically I would not mind at all, but considering what took place, and the fact that we ordered and picked up our food ourselves this was all around super disappointing. Coming from someone who used to work in the restaurant business this is unacceptable. We will definitely be back to visit Cape Charles, but will Never make the mistake of...

A Solid Brew with Room to Grow: Four Stars for Cape Charles Brewing Co. Cape Charles Brewing Company is a fantastic addition to the charming town of Cape Charles, offering a much-needed local spot for craft beer enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. The atmosphere is consistently lively and welcoming, with a spacious taproom and a great outdoor seating area that's perfect for enjoying the Eastern Shore air. It’s definitely a go-to spot for locals and tourists, especially after a day exploring the area. Their beer selection is diverse, offering a good range of styles from crisp lagers and refreshing IPAs to darker stouts and seasonal specials. I've always found their brews to be well-crafted and enjoyable, and it's clear they put effort into their recipes. I particularly appreciate their commitment to showcasing local flavors when possible. The staff are generally friendly and efficient, handling busy crowds with a good attitude. The food menu, while not extensive, offers solid choices that pair well with the beer, like delicious pizzas and other pub-style bites. It's good quality comfort food that hits the spot. What keeps it from a full five stars for me is just a touch of consistency in the beer quality. While most of their offerings are excellent, occasionally a batch might not quite hit the mark of perfection I've come to expect from top-tier breweries. Additionally, while the food is good, an expansion of the menu or a few more standout dishes could truly elevate the experience. That said, Cape Charles Brewing Company is an absolute must-visit when you're in town. It's a vibrant, community-focused spot with genuinely good beer and a great vibe. They've built something special here, and I look forward to seeing them continue to refine and grow their craft. Definitely worth a stop (or several!) for a...