Oh Brookside, where do I start.... Since new management took over, we checked this out a few times and left feeling unsatisfied each time. I normally wouldn't give a place like this a 2nd or 3rd chance, but I'm a local and just wanted this to be a good spot to stop in for a bite. Unfortunately this will always just be a place to sit at the bar, grab a quick domestic draft, and an app. The food is absolutely nothing to write home about. Classic pub fare, just with more grease and less flavor. You might even get something that's not room temp, if you're lucky. We gave this spot multiple chances, but they just seem to not be able to deliver. read more

Amazing,,if I'm being honest. I'm a bit of a food snob and would usually never eat in a strip mall bar. Circumstances led me to this bar with a typical bar menu of burger fries etc. The Latina bartender sat my wife and I with a smile and mentioned the specials. All of them were Mexican. We ordered off of the specials menu and received what may be the best authentic Mexican food I have had. I have read here the reviews and can only assume that something drastic has recently happened to this quiet, clean, delicious gem of a bar. Whatever happened I am grateful and shall return read more

Definitely an all-out fun hangout Service is above and beyond This is one of those hole in the wall places read more

Truth be told, I wouldn't choose to dine here on my own time. The only reason I've visited a couple times is that Brookside Bar & Grill is just a hop away from the office and ends up being the "go-to" for group lunches. I've visited twice: Club Sandwich (3/5): As far as club sandwiches go, this one was pretty standard. Three layers of bread with bacon, lettuce & tomato in between. It's not a very hard thing to do. The bread was toasted which was nice, but I really wish I'd had an option other than white bread. I was also not a fan of the excessive mayo that I ended up scraping off. Fries here are of the steak-variety, toasty golden in color and taste fairly fresh, but are bland (unsalted). Pepper Swiss chicken Sandwich (2/5): The rolls they use for their sandwiches are huge! Again, this too, was toasted. Everything else about the sandwich was mediocre. The chicken was likely something they'd purchased frozen, microwaved and left unseasoned. The 2-3 pieces of roasted pepper hardly added anything to the sandwich. I omitted cheese and outside of the lettuce, tomato (2 slices), and onion (2 slices), this sandwich was dry and also bland. I stuck with the fries again to check for consistency. I can confirm that they have their fry down, but they really should work on introducing some salt into their kitchen. read more

Really dirty place, worked there can honestly attest the tables and floors are always sticky- they will sometimes go hours without being wiped down, "chefs" touch their noses and don't wash hands after the bathroom and continue to cook. Silverware always has spots, plates are always dirty and the cleaning system is extremely ineffective. They use rotting limes and lemons for their drinks. They allow the garbage and dirty towels to be in very close proximity to the food being made. The bar usually has a pile of moldy, wet towels in the corner near the fridge (I think it's to soak up the condensation of the fridge but towels rarely if ever get changed out) The customer service is okay as long as the owner is fighting with you (feel free to read Facebook reviews on that) and the bartender isn't extremely intoxicated (which very rarely happens and is very illegal.) None of these accusations are false and your first 15 minutes of visiting Brookside will show you that. read more

We're new to the area and found Brookside to be a really great place. Food is always good and consistent. Wait staff is friendly and always happy to please. Just a real good place for a reasonably priced good meal! This is our new go to. read more

The food was solid as always. Service has definitely improved! Tonight I kept it simple-a burger and fries. Cooked the way I wanted it. Only complaint is I was waiting for a knife to cut it in half since it was so big. I used the bathrooms for the first time. I am not a fan of public bathrooms and this one explains why. The sink was dirty. It did not look like it was cleaned in a few days. The floor-needs to be scrubbed along with the walls. It was shabby to say the least. I wanted to take a star away for the bathroom but couldn't figure it out. Oh well! I will still come here, I will avoid the bathrooms. read more

Used to frequent this bar. If you don't sit at the bar you will NOT get service - we have walked over to AJs on numerous occasions after waiting over 15 minutes to be acknowledged at a table. Food is priced well and decent for bar food. Good portions and lunches are cheap. However, there is little attention paid to the front of the house or cleanliness. Have not gone back since I noticed black specs of mold in their ice. This place needs a bar rescue. read more

Best prim rib around. Great service and friendly staff. Drinks are amazing....If you enjoy steak I recommend this restaurant...

Had the pleasure of meeting George & his staff yesterday! The experience was great as well as the food! The prices & portions are both reasonable & more than anyone can expect especially during this time of uncertainty for his business & guests. I would definitely return for the atmosphere & yummy food! Hidden treasure read more

Awful. I came here based on the mostly positive reviews. This place is mostly a local bar hangout, whose regulars most likely are posting the inflated reviews. Came in with my family including two younger kids. We were seated in an empty dining room adjacent to the bar. It was around noon and already the bar was busy. The language coming from the bar was loud and totally inappropriate. The waitress didn't seem to care. We ordered burgers and some nuggets for the kids. It was awful. The burgers were hockey pucks on stale bread. The lettuce was wilted. The fries were cold. The kids tenders were chewy. Pretty much the worst lunch we've had in a long time. Won't be back. We never got refills and had to go find the waitress to get the check. read more

Our server/bartender Amanda was superb! She made menu recommendations and was able to accommodate sharing entrees with ease. The food itself was extremely tasty - very well prepared and cooked. The chicken parm was made with thick chicken breasts that were juicy and tender. The Caesar salad had the exact right amount of dressing - not too much and not too little. Even the grilled cheese was great. It was a perfect stop on our summer roadtrip! read more

I love the atmosphere in this little bar. I've been coming here every Thursday for the music the last few weeks and find it very laid back and relaxing. The patio is nice and the inside is just cozy. I always have a nice time talking with the regulars and the bartenders, Anne, and Brenda. I haven't ever not liked the food I've gotten here. Just a nice place to relax in the area. read more

Horrible!!! Sticky tables, smells like industrial cleaner. Ordered the T babe steak came with salad and 2 sides so I ordered baked and veg. I was served my T bone (sad example of a piece of beef) thinest steak ever with what tasted like canned gravy, anyway never got my potato but asked for it then I had an extra 3.50$ charge and when I tried to speak with somebody the owner said he didn't give an F about his customers or whether they were right or not!!! Stay out of there he barley spoke English does he really deserve to have a restaurant in Higganum with that attitude towards patrons????? Trump!!!! Less than one star read more

I've been going to Brookside every Thursday for 9 months. The food is just "ok" but it was easy for me to bring my child and mother in law to. The waitresses are great, the wait is long. Today I received the worst treatment from someone who I believe to be the owner. My son is 15 months old and doesn't always make food into his mouth. The owner made a point to tell us it is disgraceful and now he's going to have to vacuum because "it looks bad for customers". The waitress was extremely apologetic for his "actions/words" but I will NEVER step foot in that place again. If children aren't allowed in the restaurant than make it known. Don't supply high chairs and don't let us sit down in the first place. I wish I could express my disgust with this place more. read more

The lunches are so good and the prices are absolutely perfect for what you get. Almost to the point where it's worth going there for lunch every day. LeAnne is so nice and was very helpful and always kept checking up on us. I had the Reuben with turkey and I will say it's one of the best Reubens I've had in a long time, I'm surprised this place isn't packed to the brim every day! read more

Simple cozy tavern, easy to get to from my house in Durham... fair prices, waitress was friendly and even lent my mom her reading glasses! Pulled pork sliders were delicious!! Definitely will be going back. read more

This place is a home town bar with friendly service and reasonable prices. The food is good and moderately priced, portions are plenty. Worth a stop. read more

Their Luncheon specials are SPECIAL! $6.95 for Salad and an entree from a varied Menu is a steal when you consider what u get for the same price at a Fast Food place. This place should be overflowing at lunch. Additionally, their Luncheon Menu is good 'til 4 p.m. read more

In complete agreement with Christopher, Hamden, and Karen. Friday night and the bar area was half full with weekend drinkers, and we sat in a booth in there because the dining room was completely empty at 7:30 on a Friday night. This space's previous incarnation used to be packed for dinners on the weekend. Anyway, 4-5 booths, 3 filled, two waitresses. My family (4) walks in through dining area entrance and no one greets you. Look into wait service area and employee on phone. Tells us to sit wherever. Quick on menus and drinks. Table is sticky and table top lacquer is peeling. Get drinks, place order. No napkin/flatware setup.....had to ask and then wait approx 5 minutes to get, after food already arrived. Most of the food was fine to the non-discerning teens and mine was mediocre at best. My youngest ordered a cheeseburger off the kids menu. Halfway through she drops the burger and says 'Mold'. I looked at her cheeseburger and was sickened to see 2/3 remainder of a circle (the size of a caulk tube base) of mold on the underside of the top bun. How could a professional kitchen not see mold of this size as they are placing a burger on a bun??? I worked in the restaurant/bar industry for 15 years and never witnessed this type of negligence. Had to find waitress, again on her phone, and show her. She was horrified as well. Asked what I wanted and I said 'certainly, not to pay for this' and she apologized and asked if she could get something else to eat for my child. I said no, returned to table and she came out to apologize again. Talked my daughter into mac n cheese. Now we waited 15 minutes for that to come out. I'll say...it was good tasting and not Kraft, but she then goes on and on about how busy they are and that's why the kitchen didn't see it. She's young and trying, but in my opinion, someone from that kitchen should have come out to apologize to my daughter. I requested the bill and they took off the one meal, but left everything else including the drinks (sodas). This is just a decency thing. I'm fine with paying for the food we ate, although if I were managing that restaurant, the entire bill would have been lifted and the child given a scoop of ice cream or something. The place, management, and staff needs a serious uplift. read more

So I've been to this bar/restaurant about 5 times. I have to say the food is great and the waitress I had a few times was also good. But the last 2 times have been not so great. I went with my service dog and the first time I'll take the blame and say I forgot his is card. My fault it happens so we left. Then we went again and I didn't forget his card. The same girl who asked me last time asked for it again which I presented to her. I also pulled his profile up online showing her. She then say to us I'll be right back. A few minutes later a guy walks out of the kitchen and then starts with that he trained service animals for more than 10 years. I was annoyed from the beginning due to the fact that he had his sunglasses on inside at 10:30 pm. He then explained to me that he needed a vest. He also said he doesn't want any problems due to the fact that he can get shut down without him having said vest. So I said I don't want them to get in any trouble either and left. Mind you that my dog is I guess kinda scary to some people because he is a 140 lb Rottweiler. But he is also well trained and kind. But back to the issue. Well the facts are the ADA does not require a vest. How would I know said information. Well I have trained 4 different service animals. Then all my animals go to another trainer who then evaluated them to make sure they are up to par. But little does this guy know you don't even have to take those steps of having a certified trainer check them out. Why because ever dog is trained differently. Why is ever animal trained differently you might ask. This is because ever persons issues are different and I have trained my dogs to my issues. So the last thing I will say is that I will eventually go there again with my dogs vest that he actually doesn't need have a beer and leave and never go back due to the fact that I and my dog were missed treated there. read more

Bad restaurant. Food product is cheap and handled improperly by a man who has almost no clue how to cook. Welled up with so much pride he refuses to try and learn to improve. Bad waitresses don't make up for it lol. Stay away! Put this place out of business so a real restaurant can take its place read more

Had to wait over an hour for our food. Apparently the party in the other room was more important

Food and prices were ok but we had to wait over an hour from the time we put in our order until the food arrived and then my order wasn't right. Had to find my own fork. The wait was the worst. There was a birthday party in the other room and apparently they were more important. Our server, Stacy, was very sweet and I don't really blame her for the wait, maybe the fork, but that happens! Won't be going back soon. read more

The prices are really cheap, like 1985 cheap. But cheap doesn't make the food any good. Really poor quality. I would be embarrassed to serve the food they do. Owner is a total jerk too read more

We went to Brookside on a Thursday Night for dinner it was Prime Rib Night. We ordered a Prime Rib Dinner and another meal. The service was very bad. People at the bar and other tables where getting their Prime Rib before us even after asking the Bar Tender what is taking so long. Then a 10 order take out for Prime Rib came in and they got theirs before us as well. After an hour of waiting and complaining about our food taking so long it finally came after waiting over an hour but we ended up leaving. The owner had only 2 waitresses for the whole bar and dinning room on a night that they had their usual Prime Rib Special. Higganum is in need of restaurants in the area. Many neighbors talk about this and we are hoping this will change. We ended up leaving and going to Dino's up the street and the service was great and the food was good as well. The owner of Brookside might want to have more servers on a night they know it is very busy. Also don't let the take outs be a priority over the people in the bar and restaurant. It was very obvious to everyone and people where making comments about that. People (Locals) even sat at the bar and ordered take out and got it before we did even after we sat down and waited over an hour. It is too bad since there aren't many places to go to in this area. The community is pleading for more restaurants to come and compete with Brookside. They know they are the only game in town. read more