Roe Jan Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Town of Hillsdale

This new restaurant/brewery is a welcome addition to our neighborhood. The transformation of this historic building was done very tastefully and thoughtfully. The snazzy bar is the centerpiece of the space, and there’s a counter where you can dine and watch the chefs cook in the open kitchen. The restaurant has an upbeat vibe and I look forward to warm weather socializing on the deck. The service was excellent from the hostess who seated us to the wait staff. Water was replenished often and we received our food in appropriate increments. The beer flight was delicious!!! Great choices and we were told they would be rotated regularly...so a good reason to return often. Loved the breadsticks served with the beer. Nice touch! Everything is a la carte, so salad and veggies are extra, but they are not your run of the mill preparations so understandable. The shishito pepper appetizer was perfect with our beer and the sweet potato with cashews could have been dessert...delicious. I was very happy to see vegetarian options...choices we don’t often see in this area. The cauliflower and lentils at the next table looked scrumptious. Our halibut and steak were perfect, but my tuna was overcooked...thus the four stars. It was more poached than grilled. It was served on a bed of fragrant and well seasoned veggie rice, but perhaps it sat too long before being served. I imagine the heat of the rice overcooked it. The sundae with coffee and chocolate syrup was a sweet ending, but it was underwhelming and could have used a cookie or something crunchy. I look forward to returning so that I can eat my way through the menu. Thank you to the owners and staff for giving us another reason to cherish our time in...

If possible I'd rate Roe Jan 3.5. We went on a Friday night...around 6pm. The atmosphere is fun. Some of the staff were outgoing and friendly; but some were not. Not sure if this was because of how busy they were. I had the Smokey Elote and the Bird in the Hand. The sandwich was great. The chicken was flavorful and hot. It came with a generous portion of fries. The elote, unfortunately, was disappointing. Not hot, relatively bland. We'd be willing to give it another try.

PS - I must confess we were disappointed by the owner's response. He took no responsibility for the issues or made any statements about taking steps to remedy the problems. That's not acceptable. I grew up working in hospitality, so I'm tolerant, understanding, and knowledgeable when mistakes happen.. Being busy, however, is not an excuse or justification for cold food or unfriendly staff. And it wasn't that large a rehearsal dinner crowd. Further, we picked up our food within 3 seconds of the beeper going off because we happened to be at the bar ordering another drink...so there is no way the elote should have been cold. Mistakes happen...no one is perfect. It's how they are addressed; how the restaurant responds to the problem that matters. You want to see management take responsibility and say how they will fix it. None of that happened here. It has made our impression of the restaurant...

We got word that Roe Jan Brewing opened- they announced it literally hours before opening the same day. We had been watching and waiting for this place to open for a long time so we dropped all evening plans and went to check it out instead.

I was almost a little nervous, there’s nothing worse than getting something all hyped up in your mind only to be disappointed when the thing actually happens. I am happy to report that was not the case here at all. It was fantastic! And they had a packed house and were handling things with grace and expertise on day one.

The food menu was very vegetable forward which I love. All you vegetarians out there this place is a gold mine. The chef has quite the resume (I read everyone’s bios on RJBC’s website before going). It was all delicious. The pricing is up there but on par with the quality of what you get. The beer - outstanding. We were blown away. I can’t wait to see what else they come up with. Their IPA and porter were my standouts but every single one was balanced, complex, and delightful.

The atmosphere was stunning too with exposed beams and open floor plan; very inviting. This place will be added to our regular...