Congregation Brewery & Cocina - Long Beach — Restaurant in Long Beach

Before the world collapsed this was home base to me and a group of friends to begin a celebration for the end of a long work week. Despite the fact that it was usually packed, we were able to hear each other and have memorable nights that began here at the Congregation Ale House in Long Beach. My friends and I decided to meet here once again to see what it was like in the midst of this pandemic and I have to say it was a bit lonely. It was also a Wednesday, so that may be a big contributing factor. The food is great. I usually get the sweet potato fries with the curry ketchup and the chipotle mayo. The chicken sandwiches are tasty here and I get em with the tater tots. The selection of beer here is wonderful. There’s something for everyone. Now, I don’t go down the line to try every beer, but I love dark beer/stouts and I can always depend on this place to satisfy my thirst for them. The staff was very nice, attentive, and had great recommendations as to what to try next from their list of beers. Parking was easy to find and it’s really hard to miss if you’re driving by. It wasn’t the congregation that we were used to seeing but the quality hasn’t gone down. Started the night here with beer and conversations to wind down and it felt as though nothing had changed. We had an awesome time here yet again and it put us on track to have another one of those super late, surreal memorable nights that take you to the opposite ends of different cities to keep it going. It all started with this place. Can’t wait to do that again, Midweek or weekend, a great night out is a...

WORST customer service from management staff that I have ever experienced in my life! A manager by the name of Libby seemed annoyed that I sent back my drink and questioned the reasoning behind it. Mind you I took one sip from the glass so there shouldn’t have been any issue past my initial explanation as to why I was sending it back. After explaining to her for a third time why I wanted to exchange the drink for another she told me I would have to pay for both the drink I sent back and the new one. Luckily the bartender was standing by and intervened. I explained why I was returning the drink once again and apologized to her because I didn’t mean to offend her bartending skills by returning the drink. The bartender was understanding and said it’s not a problem to make a new drink for me. Libby then snatch the drink that I returned from counter and proceeded to a back room where I can then hear here bragging and making fun of me and the interaction that we just had at the counter. Literally bragging! I let the bartender know that I can hear that entire conversation and asked her the young lady was. When she responded with “that is Libby the manager” I was completely shocked. The bartender was the only redemption for that day. She apologized for the managers actions and checked on us to insure the new drink was okay and to my liking. My intention was to stay at Congregation for the remainder of the afternoon but after that interaction I finished my drink and went to Agaves to finish...

I would have enjoyed getting this place 5 stars but on a couple occasions the service has been a little slow. I sat at the bar for about 5 minutes before I finally had to get up and walk over and ask the bartender she could take my order. For some reason it's kind of felt like I was being a nuisance by asking if my order could be placed. Anyway, the beer selection is excellent and it's prominently displayed on the wall to include even ABV. They generally have a solid selection to include even stout beer in the summer. The menu is made up of mostly at what you would consider to be bar food,. The quality good, but the huge positive year is how late the kitchens open. If you're looking for a late-night bite this is definitely something to keep in mind. There aren't many kitchens open be on 9 or 10 in this neighborhood. It can get a little bit crowded during happy hour but I guess that's a good thing. As far as seating, there's a large outdoor patio with heat lamps. Parking is in the street and it's metered. Overall the experience is good. I'll be back again and maybe the service will pick up or this establishment can possibly add staff. Maybe the bartender was just having an off day. Busy is one thing, but when you're sitting there talking for 5 minutes as somebody's waiting to order that just doesn't sit well. Still, the beer selection is great and the crowd is good. Definitely worth...