Burning Beard Brewing Co. — Restaurant in El Cajon

So they had pizza on the menu the day I went in addition to the food truck outside which was really the reason I went. I had never been to this brewery before, and the main reason I went was for the lobster food truck. My son who is a marine and his girlfriend were down here from Oceanside and they were also interested in not only trying out the food truck but also the brewery. She is not a big beer drinker, however my son has travelled extensively in Europe Germany and Ireland specifically so he is a good grasp on what beer should really taste like....I decided I wanted to check the place out so when the time came to review it I would have an honest opinion of the whole process not just the food truck...I wanted to be fair so I did order two pieces of pizza from the brewery. The first slice of pizza I ordered was excellent it had green chiles bacon delicious. It actually arrived before we got our food from the food truck. Which was great since I got 4 tasters and really needed to get some food in my stomach.... I did try all of their IPAs they offered which were all good to excellent depending on what you like in IPA. I also tried their German beer, It was a pilsner and it was OK.... I also tried one of their darker beers that was in whisky as well. And what it wound up tasting like was 3 day old Guinness with a shot of Jameson in it.... No one at the table liked it. Also I never actually got my 2nd slice of pizza even though I waited over 40 minutes and someone inquired about it at the counter 4 times. Also the guy did overcharge me one taster. He offered to pour me an extra taster when I informed him of the error. At that point we've been sitting around for over 50 minutes and just wanted to leave. In retrospect giving them the extra $10 was not that big of a deal to help out during the pandemic. I do like to get value for my money and don't like to overpay especially when I order something and never receive it, but they were really busy and it just wasn't worth haggling or trying to get them to give me a refund on my card. Just be aware and check your receipt I understand that errors get made. If the lobster food truck wasn't there would probably only give it 3 stars just from my experiences with the food and the issues with the overcharging. The staff was awesome before it really started to get busy. I did enjoy most...

Not a local, just a brew fan passing through. Place def has a valley punk/metal vibe which is fine. The condescending attitude and lack of help from the 5’4” bearded guy with the high pitched voice was not fine. Not having ciders or anything else available for non-beer drinkers is okay, telling her that “we don’t have ciders, this is a brewery” isn’t and neither is the eye roll look you shot your homie seated at the bar. I asked what was more popular between two menu options with interesting names and was met with “well do you want a burger or chicken”. Awesome dude, I can read, and you answering a question with a question makes you look like you either just don’t know the answer or aren’t looking to be helpful. When I brought my table trash in you asked how things were and I told you The Fang beer was decent and crisp w good flavor but the food was over cooked/fried and didn’t have much taste. You said you’d “note that” and then looked right at one of the guys who was in the food trailer and rolled your eyes again. I just smiled and walked out since there was nothing constructive left to say and I wasn’t sticking around El Cajon to impress upon you the importance of good manners with complete strangers who are really good at being patient to a point. There are other places that make/serve great beers in El Cajon that open at noon. My suggestion is that folks looking for a brewery wait until then. This place could be better but either their staff are having bad days every day or Short Guy’s attitude is embraced by the ownership/management and you can expect this type of experience...

This is my favorite place to be on a Friday night. The staff is always kind and helpful. The music always slaps. And the beer is always delicious. It can be on the pricier side if you're not expecting it. But it's worth it in the end. Generally it's $7 a pint, which is manageable. But a basket of french fries is also $7. That's not stopping me from eating them, though. They also have Hot Sauces they make in house. You can buy bottles of these sauces or get a ramekin for $0.50. I'll never not love this place. Burning Beard is forever my favorite brewery.

Dear Ashley Locke... I'd urge you to try coming back with the kids. I bring my daughters all the time. They play outside every time and always get smiles. I guarantee that kids are allowed and you likely just met a grump the first time.

I've actually seen a few reviews saying this place isn't Kid Friendly. I've had the exact opposite experience. My oldest daughter was trying to put my youngest daughter on her back in line for a beer. I profusely apologized to the owner as he tried to walk behind them performing this stunt. He simply smiled and laughed at their accomplishments. We then went to the back of the brewery near the food truck, and they colored in color books with crayons provided by the brewery.

Come here Bring your kids Drink a beer Stop taking every little thing so seriously in your life, and just try to enjoy yourself...