The Casual Pint of Rivergate — Restaurant in Charlotte

don't get me wrong the atmosphere of this restaurant is amazing and it seemed to have a fantastic and vast craft beer selection. but the food lacked very strongly i ordered a drunken master brat and their ONE burger choice(at a pub i know right) brat was close to a microwaved hot dog, beef tasted frozen and old almost as if it was left out all night long was overall a nauseating experience. would not recommend to anyone besides a pretentious alcoholic without taste buds. Edit in response to: Hi Dylan,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Our food menu is designed to accommodate a variety of palates and to pair perfectly with our extensive craft beer selection. You ordered two items off of our extensive menu, complimented us on the atmosphere as "AMAZING" "Fantastic and vast craft beer selection" but yet only rated us a 1 star...does that seem accurate or fair?

I remember you perfectly, you ordered a brat and a burger as you stated. I cooked your food and am also the owner, Nikki was your waitress. I commented to Nikki as she took the food out, "Wow, that looks good!"

Our Brats are marinated, typically in a local IPA, they are in fact 1/4 pound Johnsonville Brats that are served on a toasted Bavarian Pretzel roll and are by far a customer favorite! We receive many compliments on our Brats including many customer from Germany or who have lived in Germany. You mentioned we had one style of Burger, that's not accurate. You can get a plain burger, cheese burger or a bacon cheese burger. We are not a burger bar, we are a craft beer market.

The Brat nor the burger are microwaved as you stated. They are cooked in a state of the art high temp convection oven that cost's $10,000, nothing is fried either for the best health option for our wide array of customers.

I also recall my server trying to make things acceptable to you, by offering you something else. We have a great lunch flatbread special from 11-2 that people really enjoy along with fantastic salads, wraps, wings, etc. There were many other options for you to pick from, instead you took one bite, then spit it out in a napkin and showed my server (disgusting) and then walked out declining any offer for us to make it right.

I'm a firm believer that there are two sides to every story and reviews are very significant for a small business trying to find it's way, so fair and accurate reviews are very important.

We would appreciate the opportunity to make it up to your on your next visit, hopefully you will enjoy one of our 300+ craft beer options as well.

Cheers,

Bruce... Extensive menu? I've haven't seen a smaller menu and frankly i find it laughable that everything has to be frozen that's just a bs excuse for laziness. Why would i review a location any more than one star if the food is damned disgusting i'd rate zero if i could? I didn't even order any beer since that seems to be the only item you can profit off of for overpricing flashy alcohol(pathetic). "They are cooked in a state of the art high temp convection oven that cost's $10,000" so you think that the price of kitchen equipment justifies awful food? that's funny as heck. " also recall my server trying to make things acceptable to you, by offering you something else. We have a great lunch flatbread special from 11-2 that people really enjoy along with fantastic salads, wraps, wings, etc. There were many other options for you to pick from, instead you took one bite, then spit it out in a napkin and showed my server (disgusting) and then walked out declining any offer for us to make it right." frankly i'm offended that you say i "showed my waitress spit out food in a napkin" that never happened.... our server never offered us anything and no one else was around when this took place so saying you remember me is a bold faced lie, server did not look surprised when we said the food was disgusting she just responded with a simple "yeah." So, in the end of your response you're asking a MINOR to buy alcohol. I...

A stout lover’s dream!!!

Went for a store run with the kiddos and was craving a good stout to take home. Haven’t been able to find one lately since it’s warmer weather and IPA is the king of the sun. Decided to try this place since they were close by and mentioned they had a few stouts in stock. I figured they would have the same, typical small selection of stouts that I am very familiar with, but what the heck? I’ll go investigate anyways.

As soon as I walked in, I was warmly greeted by the beertender I spoke with on the phone. She immediately stopped what she was doing to show me their selection of stouts. I was in complete shock at how many there were to chose from! Even more, I couldn’t believe the variety they had; most of the selections were stouts I’ve never even heard of! Even though I knew she was busy tending to the bar, she stayed with me a good while and explained to me which ones she thought I would like based on my personal preference I discussed with her. She was very easy-going and very patient with me; she took the time to actually listen, which made it feel like a pleasantly personal experience for me.

Shortly after she left me to look over the choices, another very helpful employee must have noticed that I was having a hard time trying to pick out my stouts while my toddler boys were bouncing off the walls. She immediately came up to me and offered to give them lemonades. I just thought that was the sweetest thing! It not only gave me time to read over most of the stouts and porters before making a selection, but it also gave me a bit of relief. A lot of the higher-end looking restaurants and cafes you go to with small children give you the vibe that the children shouldn’t be there or that they’re not tolerated much, thus making you feel like buying your food/beverage and hitting the door as quick as possible, or just buying elsewhere. But this place is different. The vibe is different. I felt like both myself and my children were welcomed and not an annoyance. That says a lot about a business in my opinion!

The same employee who gave the kids drinks further helped me with making my stout selections. There was one in particular “You Gotta Horchata” by Prairie Artisan Ales that she referred me to, and, let me just say… absolutely DELICIOUS!! It definitely made my top 10 stout/porter list! I decided to research it online to see if I could buy a case of it elsewhere, and I couldn’t find it anywhere for sale within 200 miles! Again, the quality and diversity of the selections offered at this establishment are truly superb to all the rest!

The café-like atmosphere was so pleasant and my kids were enjoying the mini arcade game in the corner so much, that I decided to stay and order food and more drinks. Neither of which disappointed! To add the cherry on top, the beertender had a box of donuts leftover from National Donut Day and was sweet enough to offer some of them to my boys. I mean seriously, was she trying to make this tired mama’s day a little less stressful or what? Lol.

To conclude, my overall experience was VERY positive. The employees/beertenders, atmosphere, kid-friendliness, beer knowledge, cleanliness and organization, attention to the customers needs, different options for indoor and outdoor seating, variety of beer selections, coziness, vibe, etc., were truly exceptional. Even the most minuscule details (e.g., the cute little serving glasses, the inclusive signs on the entrance to the bathrooms, and Red Hot Chili Peppers playing on the sound system), were all tastefully and thoughtfully implemented. From the time I called for directions ‘til the time I walked out the door, everything was amazing. What was meant to be a quick, mid-day Target run, turned into a very informative and pleasantly...

Updated 12/09/2020- sounds like i didn't leave enough details in my review based on the owners comments and question.

I visited this location without a doubt (I will post a photo of my Google maps timeline to further debunk the owners theory that I didn't come to this place) on Friday Dec. 4th at 3:22 p.m. the location has signage mandating face coverings as required. When I arrived there was roughly 6 patrons between tables and bar. I walked in and started selecting my beers. The owner (as identified by himself to me from previous interactions) came over and offered to assist me (AGAIN, very friendly) and another lady. I said "no" and moved away to give them space. The gentleman was not wearing a mask. I grabbed 12 beers and headed to bar to pay. The lady that assisted me, was also not wearing a mask; based on the owners comments, it sounds like she has an excusable reason for not wearing one. I doubt that prevents her from catching or spreading the virus. While she (very pleasant) rang me up, a tall thin gentleman came from the back room and poured a taster beer and returned to the office/kitchen.

According to Google I was gone by 3:35pm. So I was there 13 minutes and spent $80.07 (this should help verify my transaction and timestamp) for a 12 pack.

To answer your question about expecting me to wear a mask while I was seated- I was never seated. I was there 13 minutes at most to buy a 12-pack for $80. I also never mentioned anything about the patrons. I expected them not to be wearing masks.

Previously, I called it a premium product, it's craft beer, the only premium is the price. Forgive me. What I meant by expecting more, is simply that if I'm paying $80 for a 12pack, that you offer the basics for those that aren't willing to stay and drink at the bar, even tho we're dying to do so.

The point of these reviews is to hear from your customers and improve your service. I would've told you in-person (while I was there) about your employees being maskless but.....you weren't wearing a mask also.

Updated 12/05/2020- Beer selection (canned/draught) continues to be excellent. Staff is helpful and friendly. Highly disappointed that NONE of the employees were wearing masks. Safety is priority #1 for me and for that I'm revising my rating. You don't have to respect the virus, but respect your patrons. I get it, its a bar, maybe I shouldn't have high expectations but I expect more when paying for premium product. Great beer selection. Food...