Hillman Beer Old Fort — Restaurant in Old Fort

My significant other really, REALLY wanted to get me out to Hillman to try the food and beer. She'd never been there before, but wants to see if Old Fort can be one of those special places we visit from time to time.

Well, the food was pretty great and the beer was good, too. The table ordered a Cuban, a couple burgers, and fried chicken. Now, as far as I'm concerned, there's no difference between good and bad fried chicken, but the consensus of the table was that this was very good fried chicken.

The Cuban was ruled excellent and the burgers were very nice. Though they were prepared in that "smash" way, which is NOT my jam, since the meat can't seem to ever be cooked to medium rare in that condition.

If you don't want to eat chips, you're looking at a $2 upcharge on the bill for fries (I don't like chips). The bill for four of us ordering food, a single appetizer, a couple beers and sodas was about $100, which I wasn't really expecting from a restaurant in such a small town.

The beers were all pretty good, I don't know if they have anything that I'd call a favorite after our visit, but the Uranus stood out for us.

From what I could tell when we arrived, there was no dedicated parking for Hillman. Just four spots on the street out front. The building is so large (repurposed warehouse on the main street) that we felt like there was no way a patron would be expected to drive around back, it's quite a long, unmarked, barren walk. Sat map shows what appears to be a gravel lot around back, so maybe there's an entrance in the back. We used the visitor center** across the street for parking.

If we're in the area we'll be back, but also a bit more strategic about keeping the bill down, as a casual lunch for $100 is something I'd expect maybe in Charlotte, not in such a small town.

**Bit of a bonus, the visitor center has two tesla chargers, the one we used was 48A (the highest AC that you can get), so we were able to charge up about 11kW...

We frequent Hillmans in Asheville and when we heard about the new location opening up in Old Fort it only made sense to go check it out. The brewery is located smack dab right in town on a small river. It’s got plenty of unique outside seating by the river and indoor seating with smaller tables and larger family options. Pet friendly and family friendly as well. Patrons mainly wore masks when up and about and we felt reasonably safe with plenty of good options given our Covid era normalcy. (Masks are required as of this moment when entering ordering and until you sit down at your table.) The views of the river are great the building has an old majestic feeling and they have added quite a bit of money to freshen up the space and bring it to the present day. Behind the main bar is a plethora of large garage door with windows allowing fresh air and fans scattered throughout the place to boot. The beer is as expected well crafted and they have a great menu for food. We decided on the grilled cheese Sandwhich with chips on one side and upgraded to home made fries on the other. We love the Hazy Half Back IPA and tried both the standby Kolsch and Funky Cold Medusa. Everything was well done. Bravo on the new spot and opening in an area that needs more places just...

Met a couple friends from out-of-state here for a catch-up meal on a Sunday evening. There is a lot of parking behind the building accessed via Commerce Street. Inside is clean with ample room for the brewery and pub/restaurant. We sat on the rear deck with a view of Mill Creek. This space is open to the outdoors but heated. Open a tab and order food and beverages at the bar; they deliver to your table. They only serve Hillman beers, ciders and wine but there are a variety beers to choose from. You can order a flight of (4) 5 oz beers for $10 and I recommend you do so to find your favorites. I did not try the cider or wine. The soft pretzel appetizer is a tasty start with your sample flight but just a bit of nosh, about the size of a lime with cheese and coarse mustard. For our meal everyone got a burger which was a properly cooked as requested medium-well. The sides were enough but not copious. That was fine with me. It was nice to feel comfortably full and not walk out with a bunch of leftovers in styrofoam that I'd likely end up throwing away later. Some closing comments: The wait staff was friendly and helpful. They do have some of their beers in pint cans to take out. They also have swag...