1631 BurgersBourbon&Brew — Restaurant in Poquoson

Around 7:40 entered 1631. Waitress didn’t know drink specials and couldn’t recommend anything but took drink order. Came back and brought drinks. I asked if they had a GF bun yet because their FB post said possible new menu items. She said no, so I ordered a burger ON a Portobello mushroom OR I said if they couldn’t do that, lettuce. I can’t have the bun due to gluten allergies. Husband ordered same burger with everything. Our burgers arrive and 2 have buns. I look up at her saying I can’t eat this. She asks me if I could literally scrape the bun that was sticking to the burger off. I said no, I have gluten intolerance. I asked for it on a portobello, explained it again or on lettuce. She pointed to the mushrooms and said it had them. I said I know, I need no bun, and I need it on the big portobello, and I have had it here before. She says okay and takes food. She doesn’t come back with napkins, refills or silverware. Husband has food but nothing else, so I take empty drink glasses to the bar. I asked for napkins and silverware and get it from bartender. Owner is at end of bar but says nothing.

I sit down and wait for a long time and husband is done with meal. No waitress. She finally comes back with a portobello mushroom between lettuce for $17. I said no, I asked for the burger, this wasn’t what I ordered. I asked for the burger without the bun on the lettuce OR the portobello, but my husband is done so I can’t wait again. Can you remove this? She goes to the bar where the owner is still sitting.

The place was not crowded, the tables had emptied out, but some people are coming in at that point. I have spoken to him before and waved to him, so I go over and ask about what is going on. He immediately, and with witnesses of bar tender and another gentleman, starts yelling about that being an expensive product and I ordered wrong, so she didn’t understand. He says it was my fault and starts yelling about how he is aware they don’t have GF because it is expensive. I said I knew that, but they had done this for me before. He asks me when and says what month? Was it a F-ing year ago or when I opened? Continues to yell. Not once offers any sort of apology for any of this to me or even acts in any way like they messed up. At this point it is 8:30 or so. I say we are leaving, and I try to leave but my husband didn’t get up and didn’t come outside as the man had made it over to the table. I have to go back for him as he has car keys and at that point, he picks up again saying I didn’t know how to order that I told her wrong. I said no I didn’t I asked for it on a portobello, so he goes to my spot and digs through my lettuce and hold up the portobello going this is a F-ing portobello and waves it around the restaurant in front of a softball team, people in the corner and people at the bar plus the serving staff.

As his behavior was unbefitting of a restaurant owner, I take my phone out to record his lewd behavior and I have him on video slapping my phone across the restaurant.

Once again, if the excuse is that the owner wasn't himself that night, nothing up to this point makes any sense whatsoever. I had been a customer, he recognizes me, and treats me this way. Make of it...

Wife and I decided to try 1631 out, seemed relatively busy from the outside. Greeted at door, was sat and promptly met Brittany, waitress. She asked if we had been here before, and when we told her we hadn't she went over the menu with us. Of note, she clarified that all burgers are cooked medium, or as they say on the menu, "with pink."

Brittany gave us a few minutes to deliberate, and we decided on our order- onion tanglers as an app, the bourbon proof burger, and the chili cheese burger. Each burger comes with handmade potato chips. We asked for the garlic parm chips as a replacement with one of the burgers, but were told that they are appetizer only. Would have happily paid an up-charge, don't know why this wasn't an option.

The onion tanglers came out first, and I have mixed feelings on them. The portion size is very meager- the serving plate, a "hot plate," was more than half empty space. With that said- they are seasoned well and the sauce they come with smoky and creamy. It's a good paring. Only real complaint here is the size.

The burgers came out after a short wait- same plating as the app. We tried the handmade chips first. They are severely inconsistently cooked- they are crunchy in some spots and soft and undercooked in others. The seasoning is a wild ride. Some of the chips are loaded in salt, some are completely void. Pepper was slightly more consistent, but not by much.

The burgers were a disappointment. Clearly overcooked and lacking seasoning (ironic considering the chips). The chili cheese burger was salvageable due to the chili, which has a nice heat and consistency. The Bourbon Barrel Proof didn't really have a saving grace. Onions were bland, Smoky Gouda was basically cooked off it, and without something to save it, it really felt flat. Without Brittany clarifying about the cooking style, or without it being stated on the menu, we would just assume they cook all burgers well done. Definitely a down note.

As for the ambiance- place is designed very well. The ceiling tiles are a very nice touch, the low lighting gives off speakeasy/ dive vibes. This is in stark contrast to the pricing, which seems to go for something much more upscale- and clearly misses that mark. Once 5:30 hit, people started piling in, and the close, comfy vibe gave in to a cluster of loud noise, bumping elbows and little to no personal space. Personally I found the high-top seating with low back chairs to be uncomfortable, but I can get over that.

As for a TL;DR:

Atmosphere (before 530): 7/10 Atmosphere (post 5:30): 2/10 Service: 8.5/10 (Brittany was great!) Apps: 5/10 Burgers: 2/10 Price...

There's a guy named, Local Guide, who gave 1631 1 star. That guy's a complete jerk. He gave Panera's 1 star and Chick-Fil-A 3 stars, but a pot dispensary 5 stars. 'nuff said. He's not a local guide; he's a local jacka. You always have those humans walking around ruining life for the rest of us. FTR, I am in no way associated with 1631. I'm a new regular patron who absolutely loves the establishment, ownership and team members. I'm leaving my review, separately. I just couldn't believe some toad would leave 1631 less than 4 stars. Ignore the 1-3 stars. Give 1631 a try.

Atmosphere is so cool-- old school biker bar meets Millennial fresh vibe. Morning playlist = 70s-80s Top 40. Morning is more mellow feel-- Billy Joel, America, Michael, Stevie, Hall & Oates. Afternoon is more 80s-90s Rock. I'm from KY so the bourbon vibe is very cool esp. the soft leather lounging area. I feel like I'm in a 1970s commercial with Ricardo Montablan and Farrah Faucett. And, that's a good thing!

Food: The bacon jam cheeseburger just may be the best burger on the Peninsula! Their brisket is smoked in-house...get out! The brisket & cheese sandwich, I would take that into battle as my last meal. They even have breakfast burritos. Their coffee bar compares to your cooler coffee shops but half the price! Don't ask me how they do it, but I ain't complaining.

The owners: Career retired Navy man. Smart couple. They mix in with the patrons. Very outgoing with a strong positive vibe. Wait/bar staff: Polite, courteous, fast, energetic, friendly.

Look, this place has it all. Get...