Harry's Alehouse — Restaurant in Virginia

Harry's in West Fred is very unassuming as it's located in a strip mall in between a random dentist and a great clips location. I was super hesitant when we rolled up and saw the establishment hours printed in comic sans on the front window - to me, that's never a good sign.

I hope you're a dog lover, because once you step in here, the walls are decorated by the cutest pictures of dogs on so many walls, even in the booths. I thought this was a really cute touch and made up for the comic sans.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I just moved to Virginia and this area is full of chain restaurants, but it was a cool vibe with neat lighting. It was relatively busy in the dining area, but the bar was POPPING! Our waiter was attentive and super personable and made dining a breeze.

The appetizer list was full of goodies and we got the chili nachos. These were actually great as the chili had a perfect flavor to it. I wish there were more chips, but that's always the problem with a nacho appetizer. I would absolutely order this again.

My husband ordered the Savannah Burger and was super happy with it, however I did try the fries and they seemed pretty bland and a little soggy. His burger looked super juicy though and I would be tempted to try a burger in the future and hope the fries come out better. I also wasn't expecting him to get fries since nothing on the menu indicates you would get fries as a side.

I got the Korean BBQ wings. As a former Buffalonian, my expectations for wings are quite high, so I feel like I have to break this down into a few bits. First off, I really wish they would note how many wings are included in the entree on the menu. I feel like that's an oversight to understand what you're actually getting. For 14 dollars, you only get 8 wings, which is honestly highway robbery.

That being said, the way the wing was fried was perfect. A lot of places don't go enough or end up overfrying. Harry's got this right to a tee. I love that they offered ranch (ew) and the classic blue cheese with their wings.

When it came to the sauce, since I got Korean BBQ, I was expecting sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy. Something I'd expect getting a meat from a KBBQ spot. Instead, it just tasted like a watered down gochujang sauce that was hot. There wasn't really enough flavors blended to make this hit the spot if you wanted the taste of KBBQ.

That being said, I would absolutely try other flavors of wings from them. Even being tossed in the sauce, they had a good bite and were fried to perfection, which will always let a good sauce shine.

I will definitely be back to try out something else...

I want to like Harry's more than my actual experiences warrant. After several visits, I've determined they are trying too hard to be trendy with their food and mixing flavors that don't really work or in proportions that don't blend. The issue in our third visit was basic customer service in the form of paying attention and understanding the menu as it relates to eating gluten free.

Our first visit we ordered the fried green tomatoes. This is actually a stack that includes goat cheese, sauce and thinnly sliced corn meal breaded tomatoes. Unfortunately, in complicating this classic, the proportions of goat cheese to tomatoes creates a goat cheese appetizer rather than fried green tomatoes. The appetizer wasn't marked as gluten free so assume it includes flour in the breading.

On our second visit, the kitchen was so backed up we waited more than 45 minutes for our food. In this case, the server was attentive but kept telling us it was on the way when it wasn't. The noise level of a busy, high ceiling industrial decor, makes it challenging to pass the excessive time by chatting with the person next to you that you can't hear. My beer was good, the food was good but nothing to gush over.

We were back in the area and, as I said, I want to like this place but, the third time was not the charm. I asked about gluten free options other than what is listed as GF on the menu like, "do you have a gluten-free bun option for sandwiches or burgers?" The answer was no except to order the burger w/o the bun. This is fine, so I ordered the burger without the bun. The burger came with fried apples, bacon, blue cheese and bacon jam. Again, a little restraint rather than smothering should be used when serving their blue cheese spread or don't bother with the other ingredients. But I digress. It turns out, the apples are battered and fried and the chef's idea of medium is that raw red-pink. The waiter did his best to fix it but should have keyed into my order which followed my question about gluten-free. I also suggest, that they mark which burgers are NOT gluten-free, even without the bun. I know anything with onion straws is battered but just fried onions does not imply fried. Despite the trendiness of eating a gluten-free diet, this is serious for people with celiac. The good news is that they are used to managing their own health and know that restaurants are a big minefield...

Mediocre. I had very high hopes for this restaurant and that may be my own mistake. Walking in, the restaurant had a very nice appearance. They were very busy on a Saturday night but despite the table arrangements, it didn't feel cluttered. Our hostess was kind and welcoming us as she brought us to our table. Thereafter, our server Lori came out to greet us and get our drunk order. She explained the beers excellently and seemed well knowledged all and all of exactly what the restaurant offers. There's not a large menu, but the options do vary. I ordered a tea. Truthfully, I don't like really sweet tea, but the tea I received was quite the opposite. Bland, old tea. I was very tolerant but asked for another politely. She ensured that she made the tea and it was perfect and the morning staff makes worse tea. Same story. Not sure if it's the way they brew. We looked for recommendations towards the appetizers or small plates as they call it. We got the tostadas and they were thoroughly enjoyed, perfect for two. Weary of certain menu options not allowing for substitutions, we went with burgers and fries. The Whiskey or Harry's burger... I don't recall the name but it has fried onions, bacon, cheese and a BBQ flavored sauce that was great. However, I asked for mine well done and received a charred burger with pink on the inside. Now I've worked food service for 6 years now so I understand what a cook hears when you ask for a well done meat. Burnt. So that may be my own fault in saying just no pink. My boyfriends was supposed to be medium rare but he was tolerable of his medium well. Other than that, the burgers and fries paired very well! I'd definitely come back for that burger sauce and fries. For dessert, she named several options. I am a fan of chocolate and so she reccomended a mint cheesecake. The top was great. I believe it was ganache with a mint green cheesecake and an equivalent to eating chocolate covered dirt for the base/crust. I believe these are pre-made which may be why it lacked the flavor and moisture. Overall, my experience was equivalent to going to an Applebee's, Chilis, or Friday's. It's a very laid back feel of a restaurant so if that's what you're into, go! See Lori, she was a great server. As for myself, I may not return but I wish this restaurant the best and hope some of my words of my experience help you have...