Oscar's Alehouse East — Restaurant in Maryland

After hearing all the buzz and seeing several photos of plated food, we decided to try Oscar's Alehouse in Pasadena for the fist time last evening.

We arrived around 5:30 and were seated immediately. They have a large space so despite numerous cars parked out front, there were plenty of available tables. It was a warm evening and the garage doors were open, which was nice. Despite being seated immediately and not appearing to be especially busy, it took some time for a server to arrive at our table. While not typically ideal, this allowed us more than ample time to read through the food and drink menus so we were able to order everything when our server ultimately arrived. We were also able to look around at signage to see all the specials on drinks and apps during happy hour and also learned that we lucked into a BOGO 50% off food items Tuesday special. (Our friendly server did not mention any of the specials - but all of them were properly applied to our receipt.)

Being an Alehouse, the menu boasts something like 36 different beers on tap, which could be a big draw if you're a beer person. We're pretty basic when it comes to alcohol, so we just ordered an orange crush and a Coors Light. The crush was very good. The beer, which was only available in a bottle, was not very cold, which is always disappointing, but the drinks did arrive quickly after the order was placed.

For dinner we ordered the cheese steak sandwich, with a side salad instead of fries, and the ribs, with fries and cole slaw. The side salad came out first. It's a pretty basic salad piled into a too small bowl. There was no way to eat it without much of it ending up on the table, so I decided to wait until the sandwich arrived and was eaten so I could dump the salad onto the plate and property distribute the dressing over it. Salad dressings are house made. I decided to try the blue cheese vinaigrette. It was fine, but I would opt for something else in the future. The cheese steak was good. The sliced steak was tender and juicy, not greasy. I opted to have it as it was on the menu with peppers, onions, mushrooms and queso cheese. We both thought it was a good sandwich. The ribs and fries looked and smelled amazing. It was a lot of food. Rave reviews for the fries - if vinegar and Old Bay were available to put on them (we didn't ask) I'd have felt like I was at the beach having Thrasher's fries. The ribs were awesome! Meaty and tender - not fatty- and well sauced but not sloppy. The more we ate them, the more the heat from the seasoning in the sauce builds. I thought the ribs were perfect. Though he really enjoyed them, my husband is a bit more sensitive to spices and prefers a sweeter sauce. Still, he said they were the best ribs he's had around town in a long time. (One note - ribs are messy and usually served with a wet nap or extra napkins. That would have been helpful) The coleslaw looked good. I found it to be slightly dry and boring. It really need some flavor. That said, it was a good portion, cold all the way through (always important!) and had nice crunch. The hubs agreed it needed some flavor, but still enjoyed it. All in all, a decent meal, but the ribs and fries were the stars for sure.

Food aside, the experience was fine. It may just be due to the hour and the day of the week we were there. The place just didn't seem to have the atmosphere and the energy of similar local spots. I'd give it another go to sample more of the menu and to enjoy more of the orange crushes. The hubs said he's "good". Men. LOL.

Four stars for the ribs, fries...

Tdlr: we went to the soft opening, it was a crowd pleaser. Can't wait to go hack. Highly recommend.

The food is good and they are fast with refills. We got calamari and egg rolls for an appetizer and I got the fried chicken salad with a slice of cheesecake for dessert. The food is excellent and the service was top notch.

We were invited to the soft opening, of course they have some things they are working out, but honestly as is they are on par with other restaurants.

Food: everything was well made and everyone at the table was more than satisfied. The egg rolls were very delicious, and the avocado cream dip was good. At firt we thought is was guacamole and the chef himself came out to explain what was in it. My salad was delicious, the chicken was tender and crispy and the salad was a very healthy portion. I will say, this is a place that loves banana peppers. Unfortunately, I do not. This is nothing against the restaurant at all, I understand why they put them in, and it is probably a lovely addition to the meal, I just cannot appreciate it. The calamari comes with it, as does the steak salad. Since it is just a soft open, there are no modifications while the kitchen is learning. This is not a big deal at all, which is why I just got the fried chicken salad. Which I'm glad I got, because it was so tasty! The chef here is not afraid of seasoning, and that's why the food here is so amazing. If you like bland food, stay away!

Service: Our server Brittany was very wonderful. We were checked on frequently by staff members as well as the manager everyone was very accommodating and friendly. Brittany especially because if I'm being honest we were probably the worst customers to have. We are the chatty type that likes to take up a lot of time and we have people at our table who like to call the server by name and make several unnecessary comments and tell stories. We got lots of refils and napkins, all of our stuff came on time and she addressed any needs we had. We notices afterwards that we never got any ketchup or mustard, but we also didn't ask for it, so that's on us. Overall a fantastic and friendly staff, including the head chef who came out to humor us.

The team I went with works in the office next door. We will be frequent fliersfor their upcoming happy hour. Can't...

I am a local resident of Pasadena and have been in this restaurant numerous times over the past few years. The service has been average over my past few visits, however, I wanted to share my latest experience on Saturday 8/2. I arrived in the evening around 7 P.M after getting off from work for dinner and a beverage. After sitting at the bar for 10 minutes and not being acknowledged, I had to ask the male Bartender (who was on the other side of the bar talking to other patrons) for a menu. He gave me a dirty look and then proceeded to give me a menu a couple minutes later. He then rudely and abruptly asked "What do I want to drink". I told him to give me a few minutes since he just handed me the Menu and he belligerently stated that I had plenty of time to "look at the board" implying that I should of looked at the chalkboard with the beer menu on it instead of asking him for service. In a few minutes, I ordered a drink and asked the Bartender to speak with the Manager who was in the back of the Restaurant somewhere. I informed the Manager that this Bartender and his attitude was unacceptable. It is a Bartender's job to help patrons and be somewhat friendly and not snap at customers who are spending hard earned money at this establishment for simply requesting a menu. I also informed the Manger that I would leave a review and that this Bartender should not be working in a customer service role. I left the restaurant minutes later without ordering dinner. I have a huge network and will be sure to let everyone I know about how I was treated at this establishment. The Bartender who worked here on 8/2 should not be an employee that is customer facing. He will surely cost this business more in lost revenue than whatever so called value...