HQ Gastropub - Huntington Beach — Restaurant in Huntington Beach

I don't think any of the employees want to be here!

First impression from the outside is ... looks like a cool place to stop in for a few appetizers and a couple drinks. Boy my husband and I were wrong!

When we first walked in, there was no greeting from the hostess or the gentleman that were standing at the hostess podium/desk. Almost as if they didn't want to be bothered by customers. Even my husband said he started to question if we were allowed to be there. The lack of customer service - greetings, smiles, etc showed that this gastro pub was not staffed by people who wanted to work.

We figured we would still give it shot. After the hostess acknowledged us and rolled her eyes (for whatever reason) we were seated at a booth that looked out to the beach. The view was nice.

We were not overly hungry, so we decided to order just a few appetizers and a couple drinks. When the waitress arrived, and asked if we had decided, we had made our selections of appetizers. When we were giving her our order she was looking at the passers by on the sidewalk, at the table next to us but never directly at us or giving us the attention that a waitress should. It gives the impression that she is not listening and definitely not interested in serving you.

We ordered the deviled eggs, fried pickles, and the chicken lollipops (chicken wings with the bone showing). My husband ordered a Mai Thai and I ordered a Bloody Mary.

Now, I don't know if they ran out of salt/seasoning in the kitchen, but the food was tasteless, absolutely no flavor in itself. The dips for the lollipops and the fried pickles were the only thing that had any flavor. The deviled eggs, even with the bacon on top, looked good but were bland and chewy the consistency was not enjoyable. Please, learn to salt/season your food and make sure the bartender can make a mixed drink! You are a restaurant.

All we can say about the drinks is "thanks for the pineapple juice and the watered down tomato juice". The drinks were terrible.

I find it funny at restaurants that have a lack of customer service that when it comes time for the check and tip the waiter/waitress think that making small talk will increase their tip. Trust me, it did not. If you can't give your attention to your customer(s) while you are taking their orders and at that particular table, small talk at the end is not going to ensure that you get a bigger tip.

As far as the lack of customer service goes, if the employees can't stand being there (that is definitely what was portrayed) then find somewhere else to work. But if you do find another job, you are gonna have to work nonetheless. Those of us who come to the establishment should not have to put up with the attitudes that we dealt with while dining at the HQ Gastropub.

Needless to say, my husband and I would definitely not recommend this restaurant. We will not be back even...

HQ was a blast! The food was excellent, and the service was top-notch! Plus the ambiance is great - plenty of TVs if you want to hang out and watch sports, gaming tables, spacious, cool music, great vibe. And you can still have a conversation, it’s not that noisy.

My wife and I ate at the bar and Frankie was our server. He was outstanding. We were obviously tourists, and not exactly young, and this place has a hip vibe. Frankie treated us really well, made us feel very welcomed and appreciated. He attended to us quickly, checked on us periodically (at just the right times), he was friendly and helpful with the menu, and bartenders like Frankie are the reason we prefer the interaction of eating at the bar. But he was far from the only friendly staff member. Just about everyone we interacted with - food delivery, other servers, etc. - everyone was pleasant and actually greeted us (a really pleasant blonde server comes to mind here).

And the food was truly excellent. Man, I’m still thinking about that awesome pretzel! Absolutely perfect. My wife has a gluten allergy and said screw it, this thing looks too good to pass up. And she was right. Soft and fluffy on the inside, perfectly done outside, a little glaze, and both cheese and syrup (yes, syrup) to dip it in. I was hesitant about the syrup at first but wow, that combination is a big winner!

The burger was delicious, great flavor, cooked to (for me, medium well) the perfect temperature, soft bun, fresh lettuce, tomato and onion, and accompanying fries hot and tasty. Very nice.

A lot of locals enjoy this place and it was great to feel comfortable and welcome. This was actually our 32nd wedding anniversary and had planned originally to eat at a high end steak and seafood restaurant, changed our minds, and are incredibly happy we did. We’ll remember this really fun experience for...

My two friends and I came here a few weeks ago, we wanted to give this place a try due to its great atmosphere and punk rock theme.

As always parking is an issue in HB. Luckily we took a Lyft, but for those of you who are driving, you can park at the structure underneath the CVS and they will validate your ticket for you, or you can park in the neighborhood adjacent to the restaurant for free. You have to plan to circle around the neighborhood if you are visiting on the weekends.

LOCATION: I feel that this Gastropub is located in a really great location off PCH. It's facing West towards the ocean which makes for a beautiful view of the sunset.

ATMOSPHERE: Very cool décor, quite spacious too. A couple of tables facing PCH, which we were lucky enough to grab one, our window was open to let some of the ocean breeze in. We came around sunset, which was the perfect time.

MENU: They had a large selection of cocktails, beers, and some bar bites. They were a bit priced ranging from $10-$15 for small bites and more for bigger entrees. Here is what I ordered

Black and Bleu Burger (9/10) Freshly Ground Gourmet Beef Patty served with Port Caramelized Onions, Arugula, Black Mission Fig Spread, Bleu Cheese, Garlic Aioli and Savory Port Sauce on Toasted Brioche With a side of shoestring fries.

Moscow Mule (10/10) Was absolutely delicious and packed quite the punch

Amber Ale (5/5): Pretty good beer, nothing to complain about. The amber ale is always a safe choice wherever I go, and HQ's didn't disappoint.

Overall experience here was good. The ambiance was great and so was the service. Our servers were very attentive, refilling our waters and constantly checking up on us. The food was pretty good but definitely a bit priced. I wouldn't mind coming...