Big Sur Taphouse — Restaurant in Gonzales

Came here yesterday for drinks and light food after we had a small elopement at Henry Miller. We had a party of 14 people which arrived in staggered groups (I, as the bride, + the groom arrived an hour and a half later due to taking photos). The bartender made negative comments to everyone. I wish I was exaggerating. I was very disappointed because this spot was recommended by multiple people. It was honestly a perfect day until we decided to come here and that really sucks on your wedding day. Drinks were decent (beer and wine are easy). Food was bar food. He kept making comments saying we should have called if we had a party of over 15 people...which we didn't. It was a last minute after wedding plan and I figured it would be just drinks since we had food at our venue. I came up to order a second round of drinks and some more snacks and he made a comment again saying, "I thought there weren't anymore in the wedding party!!!!" When I tried to explain we were ordering a second round, due in part because there was a mistake on someone's original food order, he walked away from me mid sentence. I've been in the service industry for over a decade. I can understand mild irritation if you're in the weeds, but it's a Saturday night and if staffing wasn't done properly you don't take it out on your customers, especially if they're they're being kind to you. Many of us in the party are industry. We know how to treat a business respectfully. BOH rocked, kitchen was working hard and the food runner was kind. Again, immensely disappointed in the service and I hope this changes for future...

Covid 19 June 2021 review... Food/service: Solid service and good options for a taphouse with limited deliveries. They even have daily specials which were pretty good. We got the Mardi gras beyond burger w/season fries and a BBQ roll with chips. Great sized portions if you are swinging by after a long hike and want to refuel. Pricing isn't too bad when you consider the cost of delivering supplies and labor and compared to other options in the area. Portions are HUGE! Great list of rotating beers on tap.

Ambience: Had been here previously pre covid and LOVED their backyard patio. Very cool and canopy covered so you'd get the Forest bathing experience with your craft beer. During this recent visit it was quite the opposite, a new covered corner plus awkward shelters that blocked the tree cover and blue sky. I understand this is likely due to earlier season winter/evening temperatures and to accommodate customers outside during pandemic regulations but it significantly impacted the experience and vibe of the location. Off the main drag so you can hear the cars whiz by but not too noticeable.

Location: Easy drive from Pfeifer and Julia Pfeifer state parks. Usually enough parking in the mini strip mall area the tap house is located in. Mini market next door if you forgot something for your trip and need to grab it. Might also be a postal service next door too,...

I hate to rate it like this. I have fond memories from coming here in the past.

We ordered our food and a couple of beers from the bar and went to get a table outside. The person behind the bar was really nice, and happy to pour a taster if that helped you decide on a beer. Going outside, we were a little disappointed to find the tarps were covering the beautiful view of the mountains. Oh well, I get it. Probably COVID social distancing rules.

Our food comes out almost immediately, which was probably a good red flag. My wings were cold, soggy, and way too much breading. There's a good chance a microwave was involved. They came with some celery sticks that were honestly better than the wings. My wife's order of nachos were equally depressing. Everything on her plate was cold, meat and cheese included. And you could hardly call it cheese. It was more like cheese flavored lumpy flour queso. She said it had the texture of beans. On the bright side, my wife really liked her beer. And my kids sandwich was decent. My beer was not good, but that could be a personal problem.

Anyway, hopefully it's just some growing pains from recovering from a crazy year. I want to give them another try in the future. This was just such a bummer since we really look forward to eating here when we...