Brookside Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Marine on Saint Croix

I have written dozens of Google reviews, some have gotten tens of thousands of views. I’ve only written maybe 3 or 4 negative reviews among them. This is going to be one. We came in to this restaurant while on a drive up the St Croix. We were excited as all the reviews seem positive and talk about how welcoming and friendly the service is. That was absolutely not our experience. Upon entry we sat at a table near the bar. There’s only about 5-6 tables inside and there’s several outside in back. There was one table with guests and one man at the bar. There were two bartenders who looked over at us multiple times. There was also a server who looked at us multiple times but never came over. The two bartenders talked amongst eachother for about 15 minutes before one of them told the server she should help us. The server was friendly enough when she eventually came over. Throughout our time sitting there (it was quite a while as we weren’t checked up on after getting our sodas and food) we saw 8 service employees. None of them acknowledged us being there or seemed at all engaged with anything other than eachother and the regular at the bar. I eventually flagged down the server for our tab.

The food was ok - I’d say it was cafeteria quality; and not a good cafeteria. The smash burger had two standard patties that weren’t smashed. The Thai burger was messy and had a lot of sauce - but was still bland and unseasoned. The side of thai slaw tasted old and musty - not pickled, just old. The kettle chips were the type you get at the gas station.

There were twice as many service staff as there were customers yet we felt unnoticed. We didn’t even feel like an inconvenience, as that would imply they cared that anyone was there. It was a really bizarre experience that I won’t be repeating and that I don’t recommend to anyone who reads this. It’s unfortunate as we had actually been talking about wanting to move to Marine on St Croix - this was a harsh reminder that not all small towns...

We haven't been to the brookside since the new owner took over. The music was great, the patio full, but they now require you wait to be seated to dine. Which is understandable. The problem I had was people were occupying tables that weren't dining. Just drinking and watching the band. So there was 2 full pages of people waiting to dine and only about 6-8 tables actually had people eating at them. Something needs to change there. Tables for dining only?? We turned in our pager after finding a table inside. Then if you've been a long time customer of the brookside and haven't been for a while, be aware the menu and portions have changed. We ordered nachos to share thinking of the old brookside Nacho's and waited, and waited. The server came and apologized they were taking so long but there was a mix up in the kitchen. So we waited and waited some more. When the nachos finally came the plate was disappointing. They were a quarter size? maybe of what they used to be. They were also cold enough that the cheese was hard and the nachos congealed into one big mess. Pulling them apart was not happening. Breaking them apart was the only option. The server who was a long time employee knew how they used to be and apologized " yeah things have had to downsize" The bill came and we were surprised to see they charge for jalapenos...for Nacho's. Won't be doing that again. The burgers and pizza looked good, but I suggest if you're going there for a bite to eat, don't go when they have music on the patio. Oh and bring...

Their food kind of took a hit with the COVID-19 pandemic. Used to be they had the best pulled pork sandwich around, folded in the most delicious house BBQ sauce. Then they shut down for a spell, opened back up with a limited menu, and eventually reintroduced the pulled pork, but after three tries I'm just not overly impressed. The meat is still cooked well and moist, but there's barely if any of that orange BBQ goodness that made me come to the pub twice a month, sometimes more. (Pretty sure the sauce they use is different now and there's very little of it.) They used to also have MinneSoda brand craft soda on tap, and the cola and root beer were amazing; now I'm pretty sure they just serve bland, old, boring Coke products.

My wife usually switches things up (I stick to what I like), but she has also noticed a dip in quality in the sandwiches she gets. It's not bad, it's just not great like it once was. We haven't had the pizza since they reopened, so maybe that's still good.

The atmosphere, service, and indoor seating are still really nice, and it's a fun place to visit—and there's usually a lot of people seated outside on warm weekends, so obviously plenty of people like this place. I do, too, but I'm not a regular anymore; and until the menu items get back to the same taste and quality that I love, I won't visit more than maybe once or...