Clarion River Brewing Company — Restaurant in Clarion

Well, I took my gf there this very evening. And I left somewhat disappointed, I'm afraid. Let's begin with the beer. I got a hazy ipa that was nice and hazy. However, it barely tasted like an ipa to me. Not nearly enough hoppy bite to it. Now let's go onto the appetizer. We got the spinach artichoke dip. It was good but the prevailing flavor was nothing more than that of melted cream cheese. It had big chunks of artichoke, which helped break up how over the top creamy it was. Some more spinach in it would have helped as well. The pita served with it was good but would have been better much more crisp as to, again, break up the heavy creaminess of it overall. For my entrée, I had my go-to salmon Oscar. It's what I've been ordering since I first ever went here because it has always been delicious. The salmon was on point tonight, same as always. A delicious white wine sauce and some nice shrimp on top of a perfectly prepared piece of salmon. But my favorite side, the red skinned mashed potatoes, were no longer fantastic. Having always been so decadent and amazing before, I found myself a bit upset that they seemed as it they could have been yesterday's leftovers. They seemed more reheated than fresh and that was a serious issue for me. The cost of this less than previous experience was a noticeable amount less than my last visit. My gfs chicken Oscar was awful. The sauce was good but the meat was way too dry and overdone and she got the same lackluster potatoes that I did. At a mere .50 less than the cost of my salmon, I expected more. Cost was a noticeable amount less this time too. Last time I was here, it cost me 100$ for two entrées, two drinks and a generous tip. This time was about 40% less total damage, but the overall quality of the food definitely reflects this reduction, sadly. I'm not saying I won't go back, but...

Horrible customer service.

My young daughter and I had traveled (very slowly) through severe weather from NYC to Cleveland and stopped at Clarion River Brewing because Google claimed it was the best restaurant in the area. It was 8:30pm on a Saturday night, and at first we had a hard time finding any hostess. Once we did, she said she was told not to accept any new diners because they were so busy. I informed her that the restaurant was half empty. She said her manager told her that the kitchen refused any more orders, and she said that while we can take a seat, she's not allowed to give us a menu for at least 15 minutes.

She then got the manager, and he also said they would not accept us, and he suggested the McDonald's or Wendy's nearby. I realize I had a 7 year old with me, but there were a couple of other tables with families with kids. Yes, I'm only one drinker, but even after I explained that we just wanted to eat quickly and go, the manager refused our service. We wanted a nicer meal than McDonald's.

I saw that google listed Toby Hill Bar as a nice place too, so after first asking them if a child was allowed, Toby Hill welcomed us. The pleasure of our experience at Toby Hill Bar versus Clarion River Brewing was a massive difference.

Toby Hill treated us with the utmost kindness despite the fact it was a busy night for singles ordering alcohol. I still cannot comprehend why Clarion River refused to serve what would have been a pretty easy order. But after a very stressful day of driving (with 2 more hours left), it was refreshing that Toby Hill was so much kinder. Note that Clarion River sells their own t-shirts and seemed to think pretty highly of themselves. Even if their food may be good, they should improve customer service to at least be compassionate and...

The first few times we went here it was great, the last few times however have been embarrassingly mediocre. For whatever reason, they eliminated some of their strongest menu items. The fish tacos were so good! It seems like their kitchen has no idea what they are doing and just making it up and throwing ingredients together as they go. It's obvious they've never had real falafel, whatever that sauce is is absolutely nothing resembling tahini. The pulled pork sandwich is so weird. The almonds add nothing but an awkward texture and whatever chintzy greens (I think it was kale) were on it definitely isn't what one would expect when the menu says "slaw". The Caesar Salad was made with field greens instead of Romaine...the Caprese sandwich had unripe tomatoes, an unnoticeable amount of pesto (I mean like barely a smear) and no balsamic. We want to support local small businesses, but it's hard when they are so inconsistent and disappointing. We have given multiple chances thinking maybe last time was a fluke and it will be better this time, but that hasn't been the case. I'm not sure we'll be back. All that being said, the service was great. The servers are kind and quick. My husband and I worked in the food service industry both front and back house for nearly 20 years, so our expectations are not unreasonable. The kitchen needs to get it together. Finding out what an actual falafel and caesar salad are before putting them on the menu would be a good...