I don't say this often, but I feel like nearly everyone should experience Brew House - it is anything but boring/typical. I don't review every restaurant I visit, but within a few minutes of stepping through the doors I knew that I have to share this experience.
My wife recently discovered the "Impossible Burger", which admittedly tastes almost exactly like beef, but is not. Through a little research I discovered that several restaurants in the tri-state area offer this burger - one being Brew House. This last Friday we were starved, and my wife was craving an Impossible Burger. I didn't read any of the reviews on Brew House, but saw the 4/5 star Yelp rating, knew they offered the burger, and assumed (oh boy) that Brew House would be the kind of trendy, slightly upscale, restaurant you'd find in OTR. I. Was. Wrong. So very wrong.
Within one block of Brew House, we noticed some unsavory looking characters who appeared to be up to no good. Saw one guy pushing a shopping cart that was filled with cans. The side of the street we were on had trash everywhere - have I painted a picture of this Walnut Hills neighborhood? While most Brew House patrons are likely safe, it goes without saying, this is a sketchy area.
It was a little difficult finding a parking spot in the private lot even at this early hour of about 5:30 p.m. Once inside, I realized that my assumptions were incorrect, and I had just entered the doors of a dive bar. When you walk in there is no sign telling you to seat yourself, or wait to be seated. There was also no one to greet you and tell you what to do. We seat ourselves and a couple of minutes later were "kind of" greeted by our waitress, Amy. It was quickly apparent that she was not your typical waitress. We ask for a couple of waters, and about ten minutes later I think she realized she had forgotten about us. After receiving our drinks we are ready to order. My wife goes with sweet potato fries and an Impossible Burger. I try the fish and chips (beer battered cod) and, to be a weirdo, also try a BBQ chicken taco. I asked what comes on the taco and am told "whatever you want". I said I would just go with BBQ chicken and cheese. Our food comes out at about the fifteen minute mark and the taco has lettuce on it, as well as the chicken and cheese. The taco goes back for remake and is not to be seen again for another 15 minutes. I start to eat my fish and realize we didn't have silverware. This is quickly addressed and the verdicts are in: my wife's sweet potato fries and Impossible Burger are good - damn good. My wife said the burger was an 8/10. My three large pieces of fish are delicate inside and are fried perfectly. Thankfully the beer batter was not overwhelming, which I appreciated. The fish could really have used some lemon, but for some reason was not served with it. My fries were about average - just your normal frozen fries you'd get anywhere, but weren't bad. My BBQ chicken taco finally makes an appearance sans lettuce, and is not good. It was actually embarrassingly bad. The BBQ sauce did not taste like BBQ at all, but rather tasted like some kind of unidentified red sauce. The chicken appeared to be boiled, cubed, and then the BBQish sauce was added immediately prior to serving. I would pull this item from the menu, or completely revamp the recipe. Upon taking my first bite, I heard the tacos from Bakersfield say "what the hell are you doing?".
The food was mostly very good, but the real star of the show was the atmosphere, diversity, and uniqueness of Brew House - a few examples:
-Lots of classic rock and alternative music playing just loud enough that you could enjoy it, but could still have a conversation.
-A 50ish lady at the bar who probably had one glass of wine too many, was dancing in her seat, and was laughing nearly uncontrollably at times.
-People coming in and hugging people at the bar that they knew by name.
-Lots of playful banter with the bartender, but unfortunately some F-Bombs being dropped by said bartender with little kids in the restaurant.
-A very interesting mix of Brew House patrons. A group of older women who could have been teachers at nearby Saint Ursula. A group of trouble-maker looking twenty somethings. A women sat behind us, by herself, and was likely approaching 90 years of age.
-Our waitress stopped by a couple of times and instead of sharing typical waitressy type questions/comments instead talked about whatever song was currently playing. I actually really appreciated having a waitress who was authentic and was just being herself - very refreshing.
-Star Wars artwork adorns the walls, nearly everywhere, and is for sale. Some, of which, was very good and very expensive.
Price was about $32, which wasn't bad. Brew House is quite an experience. If you are looking for an out of the norm meal, Brew House will not let you down. Will return.