Thompson Brewing Company — Restaurant in Riverside

Rarely have I visited such a revered and “award-winning” gastropub that fell so flat on every facet of its offerings. Thompson Brewing Company (“Thompson”) left me incredibly underwhelmed, especially considering what they charge.

To start, how can a brewery offer a Michelada on their drink menu without a “Mexican-style” lager? One key ingredient in a Michelada is a crisp, light, slightly lime-flavored, or “Mexican-inspired” Pilsner lager as the base. So, before ordering the Michelada, I requested a sample of their homebrewed Pilsner Lager. It was bland and underwhelming — the beginning of a recurring theme. I then asked for a sample of their Blonde, only to find that Thompson doesn’t even offer a standard Blonde Ale. I was left with no choice but to try one of their “sour” offerings, which was decent but not great.

The food menu, however, provided some much-needed hope after a disappointing beer selection. I ordered the San Fran, and my fiancée ordered the Brisket BBQ Fries. Look, I understand the vibe Thompson is going for, but again, they fall flat on execution. Party tables in a harshly fluorescent-lit “back-of-house” brewery don’t invoke any sense of hanging out or eating where “the sausage is made”; rather, they give the impression of a poorly executed attempt at the concept. This setting is quickly juxtaposed by a barely lit rear “outdoor patio”—and barely lit is actually too generous. There’s a SINGLE wall pack that’s supposed to illuminate about 6 to 8 tables situated over turf in the rear parking lot. It does its best, but ultimately leaves patrons in the dark. I will say, though, that service is quick and efficient. Despite the dimly lit and haphazard patio, the food did look delicious, presentable, and quite appealing, offering a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, that hope quickly faded after the second bite.

The San Fran’s smashed patty is bland and flavorless. The sourdough bread is toasted to perfection but is let down by its stale, lifeless taste. The grilled onions and house sauce did most of the work for this sandwich; the veggies were fresh and crisp. Overall, the San Fran has the potential to be a great, savory sandwich but is ruined by the underwhelming patty and lackluster sourdough bread.

The Brisket BBQ Fries looked incredible! They had a great balance of fries, protein, and garnishes, but once again, all hope was lost after the second bite. The brisket is incredibly bland and flavorless. You get a smoky taste, but there’s no savory seasoning to back it up. The BBQ sauce is far too sweet to pair with brisket. The cheese is decent, and the fries are well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. The dollop of sour cream, which should have helped carry the BBQ and crispy fry flavors, only gets in the way. The sour cream is unsalted and has a more “dairy creamy” taste, which doesn’t complement the brisket or fries at all. A more traditional salted sour cream would have been a better choice to complement and enhance the cheese and what little BBQ flavor the brisket had. Overall, the Brisket BBQ Fries were a huge disappointment that failed to blend or balance the flavors of its elements and ingredients.

As a Riverside resident, it truly hurts me to write this review. I walked into Thompson full of hope, expecting to add another great gastropub to my Inland Empire rotation. But it fell so flat in every way that I found it hard not to give it a 1-star review. I’m genuinely shocked at how underwhelming both the food and beer selection are, especially considering their great reviews. But alas,...

I came during brunch hours to try their chicken fried steak with gravy and was bummed to find out they were completely out of gravy and not offering the dish I came for. That's okay though, it just tells me that the gravy is so good it sold out and I'll have to come back another time for it.

So, I had the award winning Pub Burger instead with American cheese, garlic aioli, dill pickles, tomato, lettuce, pickled red onion, and smoked bacon on a pretzel bun with fries. The burger stole the show and was the stand out dish from everything I ordered. The garlic aioli was so good and worked with everything on the burger while the meat and pretzel bun flavor combinations resonated in your mouth. Not only was the burger awesome, the fries were great as well. They were hot, fresh, crispy and absolutely fire when dipped in their ranch sauce. I would hands down come back just for this burger and fries.

I can't say as much for the brisket sandwich with white onion, dill pickles and BBQ sauce or the Brisket Mac 'n Cheese.

The brisket sandwich was small for $14.50. I can get an entire pound of brisket at Gram's BBQ for $15, so I was surprised at the very small portion. Not only was it small, it was extremely greasy/oily. When I picked the sandwich up and squeezed it to take a bite about six drops of grease dropped out of it and there was grease all over my fingers.

The brisket mac 'n cheese was okay, but a little confused in my opinion. It was topped with BBQ sauce, green onion and sour cream. Why did it have BBQ sauce and sour cream? I'd expect green onion and sour cream on a potatoe dish, not mac 'n cheese. The sour cream wasn't bad, it just didn't add anything to the brisket or cheese flavor.

To end on a high note, they had an excellent selection of craft beers and my friend highly recommended the tangerine beer. All in all, I'll be back another time to try the pulled pork sandwich and...

I recently visited a brewing restaurant, and let me tell you, finding the place was quite the challenge. There were no signs outside indicating the business name, so I had to drive around the area until I noticed a gathering of people in one spot. That's when I realized I had found it.

Once I walked in, I was pleased to see that the place was clean and well-maintained. The first thing that caught my attention was the wide selection of beers available to try. As a beer lover, this excited me and I couldn't wait to sample some of them.

To start off, I ordered the Mac and cheese. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. On the other hand, the American burger I had was fantastic. It was juicy and flavorful, and I especially enjoyed it with a side of BBQ beans. The onion rings were also a hit, crispy and delicious.

The restaurant offers outdoor seating in the back, which was a nice touch. I appreciated being able to enjoy my meal while also exploring the area where they brew their own beer. It added to the overall experience.

However, there was one aspect of my visit that left a sour taste in my mouth - the customer service. I witnessed a few guys asking for samples of the beers before making a purchase. The lady behind the counter gave the first two individuals samples without any hesitation. However, when the guy waiting behind them asked for a sample, she flat out refused, saying that no samples were available. He then requested a sample of a different beer, only to be denied again. I found this kind of treatment to be disrespectful and disappointing.

Considering this experience, I personally don't think I will be returning to this brewing restaurant...