Hell 'n Blazes Brewing Company — Restaurant in Melbourne

Hell n Blazes Brewing Co.- Melbourne, FL- 3 Stars

Located in a building on New Haven that dates back to 1898, and most recently housed a small boutique catering to the Christmas season and tourists, one finds our destination of the day, Hell n Blazes Brewing Co. After being dry for 241 days and with nary a mention of grub in the name, I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive about my next meal.

Upon entering it was obvious that, name notwithstanding, this place was built as a brewery first, food service joint as an afterthought. Even with the emphasis put on the brewing aspect, the whole came off as a very friendly design and the place was stocked with an extremely outgoing and charming staff. With a full bar and at least nine freshly brewed beers on tap, my mouth was watering. Foregoing the inviting libations, I turned my attention to the job at hand. Perusing the menu, it came off as your typical pub fare with enough creativity thrown in to make it interesting. My waitress introduced herself as Sara, and while she had the appearance of a headliner at Lilith Fair, she is super knowledgeable on the menu and spot-on to the point of being a 4-star server all day long. I asked Sara for one Goat Burger (medium rare) and an order of their Mac and Cheese.

Counting the minutes as I tried in vain to divert my eyes from the whispering beer taps, I soon saw Sara approaching with my order. As soon as she placed my food on the table, I graciously waved her off, snapped the obligatory pictures and dug in. The bun the burger was served on a perfectly toasted delicious Kaiser bun. The meat itself was hand-formed and cooked as ordered, the sad part was that the mushrooms were obviously pre-sliced. That doesn't mean they weren't fresh, just that they appeared to perfectly sliced to be sliced to order. I could be wrong, maybe the chef is that good. The onions were sauteed to a delightful caramelization and the accompanying Arugula added a nice bite to the aftertaste. All in all it was your average pub burger.

The Mac and Cheese was an appealing spiral Mueller pasta, however, the dish itself came off as being melted in the microwave. The taste was fine, again, nothing spectacular, but far from the bottom of the barrel. As the items sampled were ordinary, I would be wary of venturing away from your typical burgers and brew here.

The Big Boy says, “For a wide variety of freshly brewed beer and good burgers, this historic building is a good destination to keep in mind!”...

We recently celebrated our engagement at Hell N Blazes, and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience! From start to finish, the team made us feel incredibly special and took care of every detail to ensure our event was perfect.

Drew, the chef, and her amazing team crafted a delicious spread that had everyone raving about the food. Each dish was perfectly prepared, and the flavors were exceptional. Julie, the front-end manager, went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. She coordinated every detail and ensured we had everything we needed throughout the event. Nick, our server, was friendly, professional, and attentive—making sure our guests were always taken care of.

Don, the owner, truly made us feel like family and was hands-on, ensuring everything was to our liking. He even came into the event to say hello and make sure we were happy with everything. Todd, the brew master, impressed us with an incredible selection of beers that perfectly complemented any meal. He even let us see part of the brewery and take a few photos for our memory.

We had the Vault room reserved for our party, and it was set up beautifully. It was cozy, elegant, and private—everything we wanted for this special occasion. The communication with the team leading up to the event was always quick and efficient, and they were so accommodating—no request was ever met with a "no."

We wholeheartedly recommend Hell N Blazes Brewery to anyone looking to host an event or just enjoy great food and drinks. The combination of excellent service, delicious food, and fantastic beer makes it the perfect place to celebrate any special occasion. Thank you to everyone at Hell N Blazes for making our engagement party...

The bad. What they call a large fry for $6.50, is small cup. It should be a platter of fries for that price. Their candy bacon is $12, for 4 pieces. That's $3 a piece, wow! No straight barbeque sauce. We got a little ramekin of Carolina barbeque sauce, which is mustard based. That was a $1 upcharge. Not only was it an upcharge, but we weren't even informed about it. Wow wow wow. Really nickel and dimed us. Not going back.

The good. Beer. Service checks on you and is pleasant.

In response to your response: I don't need a break down of your company as a defense to my claims. It's not a defense. It's not going to solve the reality of your challenges. I completely understand the premise and ownership of your company. I am very close to the service industry, and I am fully aware of the cost increases that are out of your hands. I voted against the minimum wage increase for these exact reasons. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place. You are going to have to find a way to have more reasonable pricing on food, IF you are going to serve food. What person paying two-thirds of their income as rent is going to afford $3-a-piece bacon and $1 ramekins of barbecue sauce. You will not survive continuing challenges at that rate, and with the response you gave to my review. Reasons, no matter how true, don't breed success. And I do wish for your continued success.

And hey, if you're actually sustaining profit at those prices, more power to you. I was fair and realistic in my review, including the pros I mentioned. I'll definitely be in for more beer. It's priced right and made well. But you won't get my money for food. I just can't afford that. My understand is that most...