Julian Beer Co. — Restaurant in San Diego Country Estates

My husband and I came to the Julian Beer Company to celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary on the recommendation of my sister, who had a good experience here. I generally give a lot of grace in my restaurant reviews, but it was tougher with this one because we didn't have a great experience, but they have many good reviews and my sister had a good experience. I have to say that some of this was that the food was really not stellar, some of it was poor timing, and some of it is a matter of personal taste. I have gone ahead and given my opinion, but you should take these things into account before deciding to eat here or not. There is no wait staff. You order and pay at the counter then go and pick it up when they page you. There is really no other interaction with any staff member. We briefly were able to ask the young lady filling the ice machine to take a picture of us. We had to wipe down our own table before we sat down because no one was doing that. There are long tables that you share with others in two buildings, lots of outside seating at smaller tables and counter type seating all along the balcony railing. We got 2 half pound orders of brisket, 2 mac & cheese sides, one street corn mix side, one potato salad side and water to drink. It came to $55 with tip. We went about 4:30 to beat the dinner crowd. I was a little leary about going that early, thinking the food may not be as fresh. Turns out I was right. The brisket was not fresh and soaked in grease that was also pooled in the bottom of the serving containers. The slices either had a lot of fat on them, were dry end pieces, and overcooked meat shreds from the bottom of the pan that were soaked in oil. It was Iike they scraped the bottom of older stuff in the lunch pan and divided it up between us. I tried dabbing some of the oil off with napkins and soaked 4 napkins. I transferred my meat to a paper plate to get it out of the grease, and the plate became soaked with it. After cutting out all the fat from the meat, I probably had about 2/3 left. I tasted it, and it was very salty and very dry. I figured I would just put a lot of barbecue sauce on it. I tasted the sauce, and it was like thin tomato sauce with lots of chili powder in it. Not to my taste at all. I ended up mixing some of the ranch dressing they had there with the barbecue sauce to cut the chili powder taste and make it tolerable. On to the mac & cheese, which looked really good, but was luke warm and had very little taste at all, very dry and bland. I could hardly taste cheese at all. There was a crust of toasted cheese on the top and very little anywhere else and not saucy at all, just dry cooked macaroni that was dried out and crusty on the inside bottom and sides of the serving container. The street corn mix with black beans was a cold dish. The corn did not look roasted. It was more like canned corn and beans in ranch dressing with chili powder and cotijo sprinkled on top. It wasn't bad, but lacked that nice roasted corn taste. The potato salad was the best of the batch with large chunks of red potatoes in a creamy dill sauce, but it would have been better if the potatoes were at least bite size. We didn't bother trying to get anyone's attention about the meat and mac & cheese because they had become busy and there really wasn't anyone around to talk to except the order takers with a line of people waiting to order. Overall, it was a very disappointing dinner celebration. The picture is of the 4 grease soaked napkins in the brisket serving containers on the grease soaked paper plate with all the fat and burnt pieces I cut off of what I ate. My husband's serving...

As a traveler passing through Julian en route to Anza Borrego Desert State Park, my companions and I made a pit stop in this charming town for lunch and, of course, to indulge in some of its famous pie. After scouring Yelp for dining options, we settled on Julian Beer Company, enticed by its stellar reviews. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

The first thing that struck us was the inviting atmosphere. With both indoor and outdoor dining areas, we opted for the latter to soak in the post-snowstorm freshness in the air. Despite the chilly weather, we found ourselves comfortably seated and eagerly anticipating our meal.

Our wait for food was pleasantly brief, and when the dishes arrived, they surpassed our expectations. The BBQ meats were the stars of the show – tender, flavorful, and generously slathered in delectable BBQ sauce. The BBQ pork ribs were a standout, boasting meat so succulent it practically fell off the bone. Equally impressive were the pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, both featuring juicy, melt-in-your-mouth meats that left us wanting more.

Of course, no visit to a brewery would be complete without sampling the house beer, and Julian Beer Company delivered on this front as well. I opted for the red plant IPA, and it did not disappoint – crisp, refreshing, and bursting with flavor.

Service was another highlight of our experience. Despite the bustling lunch crowd, the staff remained attentive and accommodating, ensuring that our dining experience was nothing short of enjoyable.

The only minor hiccup was the limited parking in the back lot, which forced us to seek street parking in the hilly terrain. However, this minor inconvenience was quickly forgotten once we tucked into our delicious meal.

In summary, Julian Beer Company exceeded our expectations with its mouthwatering BBQ fare, refreshing house brews, and warm hospitality. Whether you're a local or just passing through, this gem of a restaurant is well...

Good: Incredibly friendly staff Food is top notch Ambiance is awesome: plenty of outside/inside seating There a combo of house brewed and local beers in house Great for families and stroller friendly

Meh: Parking is not the best Lines can be a bit long

The town of Julian is known for apple orchards, Julian apple pie and Julian hard cider. But, Julian Beer Co. has rocketed up to the top of my "must visit" places for food and drinks.

I know it's Julian Beer Co. is a brewery, but the food here is ridiculously good. Pizza here is one of my top 5 in Socal. There are no other sizes other than large ( which i have NO problem with). We ordered the garlic Marty ($21), and smoked chicken wings ($10.5) and I highly recommend both! There is a full menu of food and i would recommend everything. I'll have to try the brisket Sando next time I'm here.

Beer here is your average fair from ales to stouts, but there is a good variety to wash down the food.

If you're in town i would HIGHLY SUGGEST dropping in. Cheers!

(2019)

I know this is a beer company, but first let's talk about the food here.

My family and I ordered a large artichoke and garlic pizza ($20) and 2 orders of smoked BBQ wings ($9 a piece). The food is superb! Pizza dough was exceptional; as were the toppings with fresh chopped garlic and artichoke hearts embedded into the cheese. Pizza lasted about 5 min with 4 adults. For those who are DD's or non-alcoholic drinkers there is also Stubborn soda machine here.

Now, onto the beers. Wife ordered a Port Mongo IPA (8.7%) and I ordered a Moshley brew DIPA (8%). Both medium bodied beers, with the DIPA slightly sweeter and a darker golden color. Not sure if these were Julian brewed beer, but all together still great at $6 a pint. JBC seems to have a rotating beer menu which is great while showcasing other SoCal breweries.

Overall a great place with food, beer, kid and family...