Carson City Pub — Restaurant in Carson City

Quick Review: The steak smash burgers are excellent, the beers were fresh and well-priced, the pub and restaurant is clean and kid friendly, and the service was very pleasant and attentive. We would recommend and will return.

We arrived just before 7 P.M. on a Wednesday, which is commonly a slow night for restaurants and pubs. Parking in the back, we walked in to find a beautiful, classic bar with that iconic mahogany finish, painstakingly restored to remind you of what you always loved about an old pub. The rest of the bar followed suit to a tee: bare brink walls, retrofitted air vents, a large mirror, tall ceilings with tin tiles, and imperial crown molding. And if that wasn't pub enough for you, they had hooks just below the bar and a free popcorn machine along the back wall. Turning away from the bar, you find that the pub also owns the building next door, which was turned into extra seating and a stage for music. Well lit and clean, the space was large and inviting, with a free pool table and a appreciatively quiet electric dart board. "The boys can play, if they like," remarked the bartenderess, who I later learned was the owner.

Sitting down by the stage, we were greeted by our waiter, who was both pleasant and attentive. The food was ready in short order, and quite delicious. Everyone enjoyed the fried mushrooms, which a neighboring restaurant suggested we order. The batter was light and flavorful, and the mushrooms were still moist and firm. The cheese curds were my and my wife's favorite, fresh and lightly breaded with a creamy ranch sauce on the side. My wife also ordered a side of Brussel sprouts in a smokey, sweet sauce. Personally, I prefer my sprouts with more of a bite, but she very much enjoyed them.

Most of us ordered the Bacon Cheddar Deluxe burgers, which were well cooked and juicy. The artisan brioche bun was particularly tasty, with a light toasting and a pat of butter. The bacon was thick and crispy, protruding out of the side of the bun like a small handle. Thankfully, more bacon is a solution not a problem.

Now, I will say something that many won't appreciate, but hear me out. I'm not a french fry guy, and I was happy to see that the side was ala carte. So, if you are a fry guy, it's going to cost you a few bucks, but the rest of the party said it was worth it. However, for me, I enjoyed not paying extra for something I don't want and would likely just leave on the plate.

My wife and I also ordered a beer with our meal. She had the Perrin Black and I had a Bell's Two Hearted, both of which were fresh and poured professionally (Beer Snob Warning: You need some foam on the head of the beer, so you can smell the aromatics.). The only startling part was the price. We are not local, so I was expecting to pay less than in the city. But we opted for the larger 23 ounce pours, which I presumed without be around $10 each, or slightly more. It was $7 and $8 respectively, which means the 16 ounce pours were probably $5 and $6 each. That is inexplicably cheap for a craft beer. Not that I am complaining, but that is an aggressive price for normal hours. I guess every hour is happy hour at Carson City Pub.

Finally, I would like to thank the owner, Patty, for having such a wonderful and welcoming pub. She told us about why she started the pub, and how much of her life she and her husband poured into it. There were some pumps along the way, mixed in with some serious personal, health issues. She's better now, and as we can attest to, so is the pub. This was highlighted when one of the servers came in on her off day, and was greeted with a huge smile and hug from Patty. That is an owner who lives and loves their business, which is a lot to say in the bar/restaurant world. Hospitality is a tough business, but the Carson City Pub has what it takes to make it a successful one. Which is good to know, since I plan to come back the next time we...

The female owner is the rudest person I have ever encountered in the service industry. This is the first time in my life that I have ever had not one, but multiple employees complain their boss/owner to me while eating/drinking at an establishment. The hours state that they are open until 2:00. We arrived on a Saturday around 7:00 and ordered food and drinks. There were a few families there at this time. Around 10:00, our party of 8 were the only ones in the place, we asked if they were closing and our server said “no” and asked if we wanted more drinks. We did, so we ordered our last round. As soon as the server delivered our drinks the owner seemed to be visibly annoyed and turned off all of the tv‘s, music and most of the lights. We asked the server if the music could be turned on until we finished our drinks. The server returned to the bar area and I overheard the female owner say “that will just discourage them from leaving” as she stormed off.

We were trying to be very respectful if they wanted to close early and they assured us that “we were good” (all except the female owner)

The 8 of us all agreed that we have never had such an unwelcome and awkward experience.

We had high hopes, but will...

Had dinner here on Frontier Day Saturday night. The food was only so so, my wife and I both had a burger which could have been better. The service was absolutely terrible. We sat at our table for almost 15 minutes before even getting a notice by the wait staff. The owner was at the table next to us and never said a word. But she was busy getting after her staff in public. Then last Friday we thought we would give it one more try. We sat at our table for 10 minutes before the wait staff came over and asked if we were ready to order. We hadn’t even been offered a menu or drinks. There were two other tables that had been there even longer and hadn’t ordered. We go up and left. I’m from Carson City and come back every year or two for a month and love supporting my home town businesses. But I’ll be damed if I ever set foot in the Carson City Pub again. The owner could care less about the service and treats her employees like crap. What a shame it has the potential to be fantastic. My friends who live in town don’t go there anymore either for the same reason. Bring back Terry and the...