Crooked Handle Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Springboro

I wanted to love this place so much, but at every turn, I was let down.

Last night, my wife and I finally had an opportunity to try this place. We started off with each of us getting a tasting flight of beers. The best of the three I got was the Peanut Butter Porter - Hands Down. The other two were... Okay.

We also shared an appetizer of Cauliflower Bites with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. That was also just okay. It wasn't what I was expecting, but the cauliflower was mushy, so that didn't help matters.

We each got an entree - My wife got the Greek salad, and I got the Cuban sandwich. The salad, according to my wife, was fine - The chickpeas tasted a bit weird, though. It wasn't overly large for a salad, but it got the job done. My cuban was nothing special. It was okay - Certainly not awful, but far from the best one I've ever had.

Here's the bottom line: All of the food was edible, and certainly something I'd eat again. I might avoid the cauliflower bites in favor of something else, but that's a personal thing. What bothers me about the entire experience is that after a 20% tip, we left there spending $75. That is what bothers me - Our meal was in no way reflective of such a high bill. We did the math and figured we could have had a decent meal at a place like Cooper's Hawk for about the same price - Maybe for an extra $10. However, the two restaurants do not even compare, both in atmosphere, and food quality.

So, if we would have gotten out of there in under $50 (including our tip), I'd probably have a different impression of this place. As it is, way overpriced for the quality/quantity you get.

The reason I gave it three stars instead of two? The Peanut Butter Porter. That was DELICIOUS!! Because that beer rocked it, I am more forgiving of the other things. But at the end of the day, $75 for what we ordered? Inexcusable (and my family works in the food industry, so I understand a little bit about food costs). No food costs to the Crooked Handle would justify what they are charging their customers. That salad was an $8-value salad - At best. We paid $12. My sandwich was a $10-value sandwich at best - But we paid $15 for it. The cauliflower bites? I think they were $8 - But no way would I price that at more than $6. No idea what our beer flights cost, but if my math is right, then two 3-beer tasting flights was maybe $12-13 each (I'm guessing, but I think I'm in the ballpark).

None of this is okay. Look, I'm rooting for the Crooked Handle to succeed, but it's not for me. Not at those prices.

Will I be back - Honestly, I'll give it a shot again, but the stars need to align - And even then, I won't be ordering more than an appetizer and their Peanut...

Would give 4 1/2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Went for a date night to try something different at a local establishment. Food was really good, but they do have a limited menu. Husband had wings and I had a hamburger. 🍗🍔

What was a little odd about the restaurant set up, and could be because of the current Covid issue, was that we had ended up sitting outside. (They had some of the parking area in front of their establishment set up as a patio to help with the 6 foot distancing rule.)

A server came out to take our drink order, which you gave your credit card in advance for. (If I was the owner, i can understand why for this. As someone could order and walk away while outside.) What I didn't understand was that you had to get up from your table and go inside and order your food. You pay here and can provide a tip. Then someone takes it out to you. Why the server that took out drink order couldn't get our order, i didn't understand this part of it. Why couldn't she take our full order if she already had our credit card? (Also, they had a card for you to use to scan a QR code for drinks and another for a menu that you read and decide what you want before you go into the facility to order your food. ) once you were done with your drinks, you would cash out and yet provide another tip. (As a note, I typically tip pretty well for servers, as i know it is a good chunk of their income. )

It was kind of loud when we went as there was a party of about 10 sitting next to us. I could hear my husband who was less than an arms length away from me. That is NOT an issue with the business. Just stating this as if you were to have a quiet night out, know you are close enough to heqr everything that could be going on at nearby tables. 😅😂)

Otherwise, food was great, drinks were good, service was good and had a...

We got there at 7:30 and walked in to see if we could sit outside. Finally after a little while a waitress said she would grab some menus and be out a minute. We sat down at the bigger table, which was not bussed, and waited until 7:45 to even have anyone come up to us. I made eye contact with one of the waitresses several times, but were never helped or acknowledged. When our waitress came over, we never even got an apology for the wait, just "Can I get you some drinks?" So we ordered drinks which we didn't get until 7:58, but still no food order. Finally the waitress came back 10 minutes later and we asked to cash out. Not sure why we needed a tab open for dinner and drinks...we would have left sooner if we didnt have to wait on the drinks since the tab was open. We were tired of waiting for the drinks and service. Only a fraction of the menu looked appetizing. We will not be back and I am very displeased with the poor service (rather lack thereof)...