Breakside Brewery - DEKUM — Restaurant in Portland

Even though Breakside is not convenient, my wife and I have been going to Breakside for quite awhile now. If I wrote this review yesterday I would have given them 5 stars and I'm the type of person where a 5 star review means I really do LOVE the place... 5 stars means more than just a good product or service as it means that I have had more than a couple lovely and/or important shared experiences at a place with people I love.

Breakside isn't close to our home, or work, or any of our friends places, so we always have to choose to go there. We've both worked in the service industry and feel pretty in tune with customer service so I believe our expectations aren't outlandish. We're good tippers (15% means I've had a terrible time but I respect that people have off days) and usually pleasant no matter life circumstances. My wife says the nachos are her favorite in town and I love Breakside's beers and their carnivore mac n cheese - and this is coming from somehow who grew up on mac n cheese in the Dairyland.

So, earlier tonight my wife had a pregnancy craving for Breakside nachos. Pregnancy cravings can be serious business so I cancelled plans with a good friend and we drove past a few places with good nachos and places with cheaper nachos in order to get Breakside nachos. We justified the visit even though we're over in our Eating Out budget (trying to prepare for our first kid). Knowing that it was a Thursday night, we also expected a wait but none of these were deterrents as we headed to a place where we've had multiple great meals/beers/experiences at.

Even at 19 weeks pregnant, we're a pretty even keel couple and not much can get us riled up but by the time we got our food, we had already felt ignored and under-appreciated. The beer, of course, was great and the food was just what we wanted but the only reason tonight wasn't a terrible experience was because the guy who checked us in was great. (seriously, thank you for being sweet, genuine and engaging!)

Without the host's saving grace, this would have been one of the worst restaurant experiences we've had in awhile here in Portland. The service was mediocre enough to make us think back on past experiences with a different mindset - was the service ever that good? Did we ever feel listened to? Or was I distracted by good beer and mac n cheese? Or that one random time the guy behind the bar asked me if I was from Wisconsin and gave me an Aaron Rogers magnet?

In a place like Portland where good food and beer is plentiful, the product is not the main reason why you go out somewhere. We choose to go out somewhere because of the service or the environment or the occasion, just as much as the food.

To be frank, we have had great service at Breakside but, overall, the service is typically okay. The waitresses (I don't think we've ever had a waiter there) are acceptably accommodating and timely but there's rarely much interaction or connection. The beer has always been some of my favorite, but never the reason we go there.

Tonight, we felt ignored, under-appreciated, and saw people around us, who came in later and ordered later, get their nachos and mac n cheese before us. As a modern American male non-emotional robot, I was trying to figure out why I felt an emotional response to this experience. We talked about the experience almost the whole way home and then it dawned on me what had happened - Breakside just went from a place I've Loved to a place I now just Like.

The saying about customer service does seem true - it takes more than one good experience to make up for a bad customer service experience. I am bummed as I write this review because I'm realizing this might have been our last Breakside visit in awhile. I doubt my wife will want to go back to Breakside for the remaining 5 months of her pregnancy and, from how bummed she was tongith, I probably won't want to, either. With some big life changes coming up, I don't know when we'll be able to go back again and it's a sad...

Outstanding location, libations, cuisine and customer service! Craft beers at their best in a very airy, open semi-industrial, yet still very modern setting.

Stopped in right at opening, welcomed in with a smile, seated at the bar and promptly greeted. The bartender/manager Vinny was conversational, knowledgeable, doled out samples like a mind reader, and added immensely to the personable experience we had. Started out with the More Friends, More Memories, a somewhat tart and deliciously sweet wood barrel aged brew with a raspberry overtone. We punctuated our beverages with a couple appetizers, although the entire menu of elevated pub fare looked really appetizing! (Burgers, sandwiches, burritos, etc).

Had the fried pickles spheres, which are thoroughly dipped in a thick cornbread crust, served with ranch and a spicy aioli... Best fried pickles I've ever had, no lie... and I'm not even a huge fan in general. Other app was the Jalepeño Poppers, halved and full of gooey cheese with chunks of chorizo... Mmm mmm mm! This doesn't even do them justice. Sufficiently full with room for one more beer.

Ended the event with the seasonal Fall Apple Ale, spiced and slightly sweetened with the flavors of fall. I enjoyed it almost as much as the first. We also tried multiple IPAs, all of which I was very impressed with, comprised of complex flavors not overwhelmed by screaming hops. The Coming Out Party and What Rough Beast IPAs were two noteworthy beers with great profiles and subtle bites that still let the other unique traits stand out. Thanks again to Vinny for gladly sharing all the tastes and telling us about Breakside. Can't wait to...

Bartender was an absolute (for lack of a better word) douche but the beer was excellent so 3 stars sounds about right. Had been here before about a year ago and recalled their IPA's were delicious, so while in Portland on business I seeked this place out and drove 12 miles from our hotel as my mouth watered for a hoppy, complex end to my day. Ordered 2 beers from the bar upon arrival and casually asked the bartender the difference between the Breakside and Wanderlust IPA. Being an avid IPA lover and connoisseur I was hoping for at least a courteous response. Citra and Chinook in the Breakside, and 5 different hops in the Wanderlust (upon my own research) would've been 100x better than his snarky "just about everything" response. Leaving me hanging and feeling like an idiot as he pretty much disregarded my question, turned up his nose and moved on to the next customer. Fast forward to the second instance with Mr. Pleasant... We were seated outside and I returned to the bar to order our second round. I ordered the same as before, a Breakside IPA for myself and their west coast IPA for my husband who stayed outside. He asked "you're buying his beer?" I replied with inquisitiveness "yes?", thinking he was referring to the beer I was buying for my husband but apparently he meant the guy standing behind me. So when my total was $15 instead of $10 and I asked about it I got another snarky response of "That's what I just asked you". Thanks for the delicious IPA Breakside, but I don't think I'll be returning to this location. I'll seek your beer out on tap somewhere else. Sorry to sound rude, but I'd probably get better service...