Denizens Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Riverdale Park

My wife and I tried the OG location in Silver Spring a few weeks ago before they closed. We only stopped by to try a flight and got a 6 pack of the Animal hazy to go (I am a huge beer lover and this is one of the best hazies I’ve ever had). My impression was the beer was great.

My wife and I then were in the Riverdale Park area a few weeks later and I had to come try this location as it is Denizens main and only location now.

The location is in a nice walkable shopping and business area with residential nearby. The surrounding area is historically high in crime but this particular area has been gentrified. There is also a free parking garage which in this area is huge and rare. The University of Maryland is right down the street in College Park so I can see this being a nice spot for students with disposable income or parents and family visiting to stop by while in town.

There is a decent amount of outdoor table and bench seating outside on the sidewalk. There is a huge indoor seating area including tables, high tops and bar seating. It is a full service bar with beer, wine, cocktails and mocktails.

We visited between 3-6 pm on a weekday which fell in their happy hour. All year round beers are $5 for a 16 ounce pour which in today’s market is a great deal. They had I believe 4 year round beers. They also had 10 seasonal beers on tap to try.

They have a kitchen attached called Catalyst Hot Dogs. The menu is large with hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, fries ect. I tried a Hanks dog (chili and cheese sauce) which was exceptional. It was a little pricey ($10) but I enjoyed it. My wife got the disco fries which is essentially poutine and the portion was HUGE and well worth the $10.

I of course had to have a pint of the Animal. The Animal is so crushable and clean and juicy! I also tried to Bohemian Pilsner which was hoppy and clean. My wife got the hibiscus punch since she’s pregnant and it was delicious!

The service was EXCELLENT. What I really like about this place is there is not a certain server assigned to you. There were at least 6 people working and just rotated through inside and outside attending to everyone. I like this style of serving as you do not have to wait on one person and this place obviously trains their staff to be very attentive. I never had to ask for a refill as they would ask when they saw you were about to finish. You pay at your table as they have a handheld card reader.

They also have a large cooler of to go beer and apparel. The stickers are free too which is cool. I get a sticker at every brewery I go to.

This place is awesome and I highly recommend for anyone who loves beer and food. Family friendly and staff is...

I’ve been a regular at this brewery for quite some time, usually coming in at least once a week with a friend and spending a good amount each visit. Up until recently, I’ve really enjoyed the atmosphere and the selection.

However, during my last visit, I was taken aback by how I was treated by a staff member. While having a friendly conversation with another patron at the bar, an older woman who works there approached and told me not to speak to other guests. When I politely asked for clarification, she told me to keep quiet, which I found both surprising and disappointing. She then proceeded to ask the other patron if i was bothering them and apologizes on my behalf, which he replied with a confused no. The woman was very rude . This is not the level of hospitality I’ve come to expect, especially as a loyal customer who brings friends and supports the business regularly.

I hope management takes this feedback seriously, as experiences like this can really impact a customer’s decision to return. I’d love to see the welcoming, community-oriented atmosphere restored for everyone who enjoys spending time here.

EDIT IN RESPONSE TO DENIZENS REPLY: Thank you for your detailed response. I want to sincerely apologize if my behavior during my last visit caused any disruption or discomfort to your staff or other patrons. That was never my intention, and I appreciate the challenges your team faces in managing situations involving intoxicated guests.

I want to emphasize that my disappointment is not with the brewery as a whole—I have always enjoyed the atmosphere, the selection, and the overall experience at Denizens. My concern was specifically about how one staff member treated me during that visit. I felt that her approach was unnecessarily rude and dismissive, which was surprising given my history as a loyal customer.

I value Denizens and hope we can move forward positively. Thank you again for your hospitality, and I look forward to returning under better...

I am giving this 1 star because of the taste of the food, otherwise the service experience was horrible. The place was overcrowded and the servers were overwhelmed with what table they are taking care of. It took 15 min are sitting at the table to finally call someone and put the order in for the drinks ourselves rather than someone asking for the order. Took another 15min to get our iced tea and soda to the table but did not get the water we had asked for. The servers kept apologizing that the place is very busy and they will get the stuff when they get a chance. I understand their perspective but if I am a paying customer, I do not have to wait for “when they get a chance”. Third time was a charm to finally get some water after a long wait. Fast forward, it was finally time for the food to start coming to the table. We had several orders that were either wrong or did not come. Some kids for onion rings instead of fries, someone did not get their fries or someone did not get cheese on their cheese burgers. At the second turn, some got their orders correct but some did not still get theirs. After waiting for another 10-15 min, we were told that the fires keep being sent to other tables instead. What kind of service is that? Two old ladies sitting at the table behind us had to send one of their orders back because it was not correct. I have to say that in all this mess, it’s probably the management who is at fault. The serves were nice and apologetic. They were over worked with the place being jam packed. Should that even be allowed? (should have checked the number or people allowed sign). May be the management needs to have a better training and organization so the customers don’t have to wait a long for every small thing and get the correct orders. I don’t think I will be going back to this place after the experience we had but hope things...