Alaro Craft Brewery, Restaurant & Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in Sacramento

UPDATE: After the below review was written, we discovered our card was charged twice and neither amount accurate...one charge was wayyy more. So -1 ⭐ for that happening plus the hassle of now having to call and see why that/what happened

We really wanted to like this place. The location is good. Street parking was pretty easy to find. Cute place with front patio, but then a really nice indoor area, and an even nicer BACK PATIO! Staff was very friendly and ambiance was enjoyable. Also the restaurant-made peach habañero hot sauce was TASTY but beware, is def a hot sauce! My hubs loves hot sauces and got surprised by too much of this one on his bread! 🌶🥵

We reserved an outside table online through the link on Google Maps, and specified that we were going to see a show. When we were seated, we were taken to an indoor table but quickly redirected to an outdoor table when clarifying...no big deal. That website perhaps not differentiate as it seemed to from the consumer's end.

However once we were seated and the hostess specified our need to enjoy our food on the quicker aide, the service, while friendly, was not very quick or attentive. Perhaps it was more crowded than we realized but the place seemed fairly empty. We had to ask for water refills 2 different times. Additionally, when ordering my hubs asked about some of the dishes. Now to the server's credit, it was pointed out that "all the dishes from this line and up" (pointing to the menu) were smaller meals stay want to get something else, but of the 3 specialties in the box the "Hogs & Rocks" was the biggest dish"...but that was not entirely true given the context of the conversation since he had already said he was hungry. Based on the SMALL portion that came out with most of the plate being a huge piece of bread (see attached photo), (1) it's a good thing he didn't order the octopus!!, and (2) we instantly knew this wouldn't be enough. But then we try to not be demanding and grateful for things so we're in a dilemma-- knowing the price and seeing the portion, do we just tell the server to take it back knowing it'll be thrown away and waste of food? But it was so disappointing. So we didn't say anything and he ate it, but the price value was so low that he had to order an additional pub burger to not leave hungry. -1 ⭐ for having to, while at the table, look one for additional restaurants on the way to our show and ultimately have to order additional food for us both to split. My fish tacos were amazing, but also not enough of a portion for someone that these foodies. And the other -1 ⭐ unfortunately is the additional burger was ordered at the same time as a draft drink but I specified "as long as it can come out pretty quickly so we can leave in about 25 min" and our waiter smiled and agreed it would take about 10 minutes for the burger. OK, we ordered it. When the burger came out, my draft (not even a mixed drink) still had not come out and I had to ask if it was "almost ready or if not I didn't want it." Obviously wanting the sale, the server went and got it, but we had to share it quickly in order to get out in time.

Would like to encourage our friendly server to please help newcomers familiarize themselves to the menu (at the process Alaro asks, we expected more expert service) and please keep people updated. Even if the restaurant isn't too full, the bar could be backed up...just let me know so I can decide what I want and not feel forced into paying for. After waiting tables myself, I rarely to less than 20% but to do less this time feels strange but that's what tipping is...

So alas, beautiful vibe perhaps if you have tons of time to kill, but don't go in with high expectations. As we don't live in the area, it's not some place we'll ever go back to...shame, because the flavor of those fish tacos was fire!

P.S. I welcome a response to perhaps explain...anyone can make mistakes. But I do like to recommend based on our experiences, and there enough areas of improvement especially at the price point to us to...

We came here for an office Christmas holiday get together on a Friday (12/1) evening. It’s my first time at Alaro. Passed by it hundreds of times between the office and home but never stepped foot inside. Reservations for 13 had to be done over the phone with the manager. Open Table has a limit of I believe 6 seats. Any more requires a phone call. Not a problem. Our reservation was for 3pm. Our table was ready upon arrival with a nice little “reserved” tag. Pretty cool. The place is clean, charming, and inviting and feels like a brewery with a number of tanks behind glass windows that you can see. Very fitting. We started out with drinks; instead of beer, we ordered their holiday special which was essentially their El Corazon Margarita - a drink made with reposado tequila with blood orange, passion fruit, pomegranate, and tajin salted rim. I’m a big fan of margaritas and this one was not too shabby. Pretty yummy… a 4.5/5.. Our server was fantastic. I didn’t get his name but very cool dude. He was tentative to us but not overwhelming and took good care of us. Service was a solid 5/5. Upon placing our order, it took maybe 10-15 minutes for our food to arrive hot from the kitchen. A number of us went with the fish tacos. Others went with the veggie burger, the octopus, and grilled cheese. The presentation of the food was neat and well put together deserving a 5/5. The taste however fell short of expectation. The fish tacos were underwhelming, lacking flavor and taste compared to other fish tacos at other eateries. This one was probably a 3/5 at best. When surveyed, folks said similar of their own dish. The one dish that did turn out very well was the octopus which was amazing. It was absolutely delicious, a 5/5. We stayed there a few hours, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the evening together. The place was never overly crowded as patrons came and went for a Friday evening. The place offered us a good dining experience with a value to price ratio of probably a 4/5. To sum it up, Alaro Craft Brewery offers a unique dining experience a little different from other eateries in the area. Their menu offer items not too common which is neat. The ambiance in the evening is inviting and warm. I would definitely recommend folks give this place a try if you’re in the area. I would just avoid the fish tacos and try some other items on the menu. If you find this review helpful, give the thumbs...

Overall, it was a great experience and we enjoyed the food. The menu has a spanish flare to include some great Tapas. My sister and I had Sangria and several Tapas for dinner (some were so good I forgot to take a picture).

We liked the Sangria, it wasn't too sweet or overstated. We started with the Gazpacho and found the watermelon to be a nice twist. With the Gazpacho we tried the Caramelized Figs & Chevre, the dish was good and small (true tapas) style, my only suggestion would be to serve it on a smaller plate, since it is a tapa it doesn't have a lot (and I don't expect a lot), but the cheese is spread so think on the plate, it's difficult to work with, they could eliminate one of the figs, and use a smaller plate for a better dining experience.

Next we tried the highly recommended Gambas Al Aijillo (shrimp) and the Elotes; these are a must! the Elotes has a yummy basil aoli and the Gambas are made in a true Spanish style with a paprika sauce (heads on). The shrimp were just like the shrimp tapas I've had in both Portugal and Spain.

Last we tried the Papas Bravas and the Fish Tacos. The Tacos were great, it's possible that they make the tortilla's in house, where ever they come from, they are fresh. We had to get the Papas Bravas because they are a staple to any Tappas menu, for me they were a little too salty, the sauce that is drizzled over them is great, I just felt there was too much of the seasoning (for my taste).

We had great service from someone who knew about the dishes we were eating them, and could relate to the nostalgic experience, she was attentive and pleasant. The manager even stopped by the table to make sure we had everything we needed.

The brewery does offer flights and plenty of beer options, but I have no review of those since I was there for Sangria and Tapas. My sister and I got the last 2 available Sangria's, this means they make them fresh and when they are gone, they are gone for the day. We made up for it by ordering a nice Malbec from Argentina.

I would absolutely return to this brewery with friends, a friend, or...