SAAL Brewing Company — Restaurant in Stanwood

UPDATE: Initially, we had a not-so-great experience here, but my goodness what a turnaround. The manager/owner responded with kindness and professionalism and really made it up to us. Now that’s good business and customer service!

ORIGINAL REVIEW: It’s taken me a few days to process the utter nonsense that I experienced at this place. What it comes down to is this: my mom, who is gluten-free, was refused gluten-free bread at a restaurant that offers gluten-free bread. Just let that sink in for a second.

And reason for this refusal? We never quite understood. Something about “inventory.” In the end, we offered to pay an up-charge for a gluten-free bun. But we were told no.

This really sucked for my mom. She was looking forward to some pulled pork sliders. But our server—who seemed to almost enjoy delivering the bad news—said they couldn’t do gluten-free sliders because they only had full sized GF buns. Okay. So could my mom get a full-sized pulled pork sandwich on the GF bun? No. We asked about some other options. The answer kept coming back “No, she won’t do that.” (“She,” we assume, is the chef/owner.)

Eventually, the server convinced my mom to order the sliders with no bread. Not a great solution, but by this point my mom felt pressured to order and was tired of all the back-and-forth. SO…in this situation, could we perhaps order the bun-less sliders and the pay an up-charge for a GF bun on the side? “No, she won’t do that.”

This is such terrible business, I don’t even know where to begin. And it’s a shame because SAAL has decent food, beer, and ambiance. But when your business offers gluten-free substitutions, you are making a commitment to accommodate people. If you offer GF alternatives, but you only do it on YOUR terms, this goes against the whole purpose of what you’re supposedly doing: providing options for people with serious allergies, conditions, and dietary restrictions. People who have a tough enough time ordering at restaurants. Why are you making it more difficult?

Frankly, for a $3 up-charge, the chef could have cut the GF bun into slider-shaped buns and made my mom the menu item that she actually wanted. Now THAT would have been excellent, above-and-beyond customer service. That would have been a solution based upon KINDNESS.

After the meal, when my husband questioned the bill, the server grew increasingly unpleasant. Eventually, she totally lost it. She angrily flailed her arms at my husband, saying, “I’m done with this. I’m not going to engage” and she stalked off.

And that’s when a woman at the bar chimed in and said that she was going to call the police on my husband. The POLICE. Umm, what?? Apparently this woman was a friend of the server. Sounds like this lady must have been pretty dang day-drunk if she thought that questioning a restaurant policy was an...

Let's make this simple.

Want to eat at a place that takes a ton of pride in their food?

Want to enjoy a wide selection of craft beers that reflect the owner/brewmasters years of industry expertise, passion and skill?

Simple, go enjoy SAAL. Truly the perfect combination of pride, hospitality, perfection, customer focus and positive energy.

I love and appreciate that as a two barrel brewery, Matt (owner/brewmaster) is constantly focused on the job at hand. From hand selecting the ingredients, to understanding the season, ensuring his beers align with the menu.....its stellar and changing. If you want the same beer every time with no changes, this may not be your place. BUT....if you don't mind or look forward to seeing/trying and tasting what's fresh, seasonal and really, really good, then it doesn't take much bravery to go enjoy.

Now...let's talk about the food. Kristine (owner, chef) is not only highly skilled and takes pride in her menu and presentation, she has a deep artistic, creative and personal approach to her food. I loved her burger. Perfectly cooked, brioche bun, home made pickles (to die for), etc. My wife raved about her Chicken Quesadilla (one of the many specials of the day). Combined with the beer, the gorgeous patio, the perfect weather, and a really nice group of customers, it was a bit of heaven on earth.

Add the outstanding rest of the team....and you have a great location, excellent food and beverage, just waiting to exceed your expectations.

So...take the time to get off of I-5 and wander into Stanwood and grab a bite and brew at SAAL's. No regrets. Oh yeah...they are...

Came here 40 mins before closing and ordered bbq pork sliders, grilled cheese with tomato soup, fish tacos, steak tacos, and spicy smoked pork. Also ordered hazy, amber, scotch ales, and stout. Every single item on our order was AMAZING. The service was very friendly as well. I read the reviews before coming here and saw how ppl were raving about the food being the best brewery food they've ever had, and yep, I'll happily get on that wagon! Everything we had was made from scratch, and the harmony of flavors of the ingredients is phenomenal. It's NOT your typical brewery pub food, y'all. Let's talk about beer. I am a beer snob, and I haven't been to a brewery where if I ordered 4 different drinks, I liked them all. This is the first. Every single one was SO SO good. The amber and scotch were similar but different in their own way and both made me go, "wow!" after the first sip. Hazy was fruity and even my husband who doesn't typically care about hazy said he really liked it. The stout was very very special. I could taste the berries and the rich taste after being kept in the barrel for 2 yrs. We met the owners too, which was a treat! Turns out the wife, who is the chef, is actually a welder by train who turned chef during covid. She is obviously very talented in her culinaryendeavors, so is her husband who is the brewer. Hope they expand south to...