State 48 Brewery - DTPHX — Restaurant in Phoenix

Short version: Be patient, expect delays. I’ll come back though, hoping things improve by then. Long version: I want to start by saying that this negative experience is one of those scenarios where there's really not anyone to blame, but more an accumulation of several factors. The wait to be seated wasn’t too bad considering it was a Friday night before a big event at the AZ Fed Theater next door. We were lucky to have our names put on the list pretty quickly. We did, however, notice the hostess station was vacant for long stretches, and as a result watched several couples and groups enter and leave without while we waited. The waitress was wonderful and very attentive. The negative experiences were wait times for food and drinks and the subsequent dip in food quality. It's pretty clear that either the kitchen and bar are understaffed, or they’ve built this place to seat more than they can realistically accommodate. Drinks took a very long time to come out and food service took a long longer than we hoped for. We came here an hour and a half before our show at the AZ Fed Theater, knowing that we should expect some delays. However, with how slow things were here, we ended up being late to the show. The food wasn’t all that great either. We ordered a burger and a hot chicken sandwich: the burger was overcooked (asked for mid well and got a patty that was dry and past well done), and my first chicken sandwich was burned and honestly looked like someone took a single chicken strip and put it in a bun. They re-made it and the second one wasn’t much better, but at this point we were already running late (we received our food an hour and a half after arriving) and didn’t have any more time to wait for a third attempt, so we just ate what we had. The manager apologized and offered to take an item off our bill, but that didn’t happen either. Since we were running late we just paid, left the waitress a generous tip knowing this wasn’t her fault, and left. It’s clear this location is suffering from several issues, which is a shame since I’ve been to two other locations and they were both okay. I don’t come downtown very often but next time I do I’ll likely be back. I hope things can improve by then and I can update this review to...

Decent place, I guess, but the barman who worked in the early evening on 9/17 and 9/19 seemed to have a real issue. (Who knows, the service industry in this country is pretty tough from what I hear.) I've been there three times in the last week, just for one pint each, but it's always been the same guy and he's always had a bit of an issue. The first time, I ordered a pilsner that I wouldn't really call a pilsner, and he took offence to that despite my stating that it was a pretty decent lager.

The second time I went was a week later. When I settled up, I paid in cash and expected my change, which he didn't initially give. I had to ask him for my change, which he made a stink about, and it took him three times to get me the correct change.

When I went in two days later, the same fellow made a few snide remarks here and there, but I wasn't so concerned with it. When it was time to settle up, I paid by card but took the exact change from the time before, plus a few bills as a tip. He came over and said to me in front of a bunch of other patrons, "You're the 20 cents guy from the other night, right? I remember you." I decided to remove the bills and leave the change because he made it awkward and then he took offence to that, getting in my face about it with several more confrontational exchanges that the patrons sitting near me asked about--we ended up having a good laugh about it.

Also, the woman at the door last night was super bubbly and friendly, but I had a feeling the evening would be a bit awkward when she asked what was wrong with me because I came there alone.

Overall 2/5 rating. The beers were ok but I haven't had the food so I cannot really rate it. Atmosphere is ok, I guess, if a bit dull. I'd rate the service lower, but that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the staff there. As for the fellow at the bar, hopefully whatever you're going through improves; just try to be a bit more honest and less confrontational with patrons in the...

Hostess was really snotty, when we arrived she asked how many, we replied 2. She asked if we wanted the table by the door or a high top, we opted for the high top. When we got to what they were calling a high top it was more like a bar than a table. I went to the host stand and asked for a proper table, she was really short and animated but moved us to a table in the end.

Our waitress was really kind and quick although maybe a little newer and not real knowledgeable about the menu. The food was excellent! Although the menu description was confusing. I ordered what was listed as a wedge salad with chicken. When the salad came it was green leaf and not iceberg like I expected. The blue cheese was not too strong and creamy, the ranch was made with dill, the chicken was juicy and flavorful, the flavors blended really well together. My husband ordered the the royale with cheese (burger) and had no complaints. The beer battered fries were good enough that I wanted to order more and would have if I hadn't been so full.

We also ordered several beers off their list of beers made in house. I ordered a cherry sour, which was more sour than it was cherry flavored but on par with other cherry sours I've had. My husband ordered a kolsch which was a smooth drink with a slight kick of hops at the finish. Got my follow up drink I ordered the orange cream ale which was spot on but finished with a medicinal taste, I certainly didn't want to drink the whole pint. The hefeweizen was citrusy and refreshing by far the best beer we had and went down very easily.

I'd say that I'd go back for the food for sure! Overall this was a...