Iron Key Brewing Company — Restaurant in Columbus

My husband & I decided to stop in for dinner tonight after getting to try their fabulous chili at the Parker Binns Empty Bowl Benefit and had high expectations.

The building is super cool and they have kept the uniqueness of it being a formal jail.

We were seated right away but told it would be a 45 minute wait for food (which was understandable as it was a Saturday night, it was packed, and football was on). It was 640pm. Our drinks came out within 10 minutes and were great (I had the beer flight and my husband had the English cider). All the beers I sampled were perfect and the brown ale was my favorite with its chocolate/coffee notes.

Our appetizer of cheese curds came our with 10 minutes or so of ordering (about 7pm)and we're very tasty with the ranch dipping sauce. We placed our order for our meals at that point.

This is where the "the train went off the tracks" a bit for us. We finished with our apps and drinks by 730 and figured our meal would be out shortly as we were closing in on 45 minutes from ordering AND the place had emptied out with the end of the football game around 730. Twice our waitress stopped over to apologize for the wait and assured us it was coming. Our meal finally came out at 815pm just as we were ready to wave her down to say we were done waiting and would make do with our drinks and app. The frustrating thing as well was seeing two other groups get seated, order, and get their food (with one group finishing and leaving) as we sat having finished our app and waiting for our dinner after the game left out.

I had the shrimp plate with Brussel sprouts & Mac and cheese and my husband had the warden burger medium rare with Mac & cheese. My blackened shrimp were perfect, Brussel sprouts were tasty, burger was ok (though well done), and Mac & cheese was on the mushy side and could have done with some crispy butter crumbs on top to change up the texture.

Overall, it has a neat atmosphere and a great place to grab a beer with an appetizer or chili with friends. I think a little tweaks with food and more mindfulness with the flow out of kitchen would bump the overall rating for us from 3 to a 4. We will keep in mind to come back for a beer/cider and chili...

Here is my honest review.

Atmosphere is awesome. Super clean inside. Our server was friendly and allowed my wife to try a few beer choices.

Beer. I ordered the Lager and it was pretty good. I would suggest the owners take a look at the temperature because my beer was a bit warmer than a lager should be. I am very knowledgeable on craft beers and temperature and know the Lager should have been colder.

Food. We ordered the Onion Petals and they came out hot. Onions were nice and tender and enjoyed them. Main course was a Cuban sandwich with French fries. Sandwich was pretty good however the pork was very tough. So tough I only ate half the sandwich. My wife ordered the wings. Very rubbery. Huge disappointment because my wife loves wings. Its all about how you cook them. Asked for extra crispy which wasn't done.

Check. One thing that kinda struck us off guard was being asked for credit card upfront. Haven't ever seen this in a restaurant but recall it at a bar years ago. With that being said they Do Not give you a printed check they give you a handheld machine. Our bill was $68 and after she left the table we did the math and called her back. They had overcharged us $25.00. She corrected it but still this shows where you need to pay attention to your total.

Overall nice place. Being a Polk County resident we try to stay within our county to do business. I think the owners could step up a little and address a few issues and it could be a strong restaurant.

We might try again in a month or so and will update any changed...

The atmosphere, the food, the owners, the brewers, the wait staff... THE BEER!!! It is all phenomenal! This gem opened about a year ago in the small town of Columbus, NC and has continued to surprise and impress me with every visit! Let's start with the food. Above average isn't even accurate. Comfort food mixed with bar food, throw in some elegance and sophistication and top it off with new and exciting flavors! The fried green tomatoes are served warm with homemade pimento cheese and a balsamic drizzle...um they are delicious!!!! Pimento cheese is homemade and to die for! The burgers! 🤤 Oh and don't forget the fried cheese curds! Heaven is the only way to describe them. But better than the food is their amazing craft beers! If you're a dark beer lover then the solitary stout and the penitentiary Porter will definitely be on your top favorite list. Saluda road has become my go-to as it is light, crisp, and refreshing. I have truly fell in love with their seltzer! They tried a lemon seltzer first, which I fell in love with but then they did the unthinkable and made it even better by making an orange seltzer served with a fresh orange slice. This may be the best thing I've ever drank. This diamond in the rough is located right off I-26 so do yourself a favor, when driving through the mountains and you pass the little town of saluda on the way to landrum, get off the exit at Columbus, North Carolina go right down the road and visit iron Key...