I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! Fairfax definitely needed a casual cool drinking hole like this one. As a craft beer lover, I'm always getting something new here and I love the atmosphere. The food is also pretty good! I got the Taiwanese fried chicken and I hope to come back to try more~ read more

High Side sits in a small historic building, on a cute corner in downtown Fairfax, but the atmosphere inside High Side is very modern and cool, with minimal black and white decor and almost a sci-fi vibe with the surrounding neon lights in the main entrance. Although their Taiwanese food is great, the main draw is definitely the beer. Almost everything on the list is seasonal, rare, unique, or special in some way with new releases every week, covering a wide range of styles for any palate. The owner is a craft beer expert and carefully selects the 20 draft beers, with many additional cans and bottles, from top local and national craft breweries. For anyone who's not into beer, they also have 4 dedicated craft cider taps and a variety of specialty sodas. The menu was developed to go well with beer, mostly small plates, and based on Taiwanese street food (known as xiaochi). The mala pickled cucumbers were refreshing and spicy, and the sour plum sweet potato fries were perfectly fried to a light crisp with a soft inside and sprinkled with a delicious tangy seasoning. I also loved the wings, which were smothered with a spicy garlic sauce that had a lot of fresh garlic chopped into it. The Taiwanese sausage with bun is unique and full of flavor with the pickled veggies and Sriracha mayo, and the garlic noodle with grilled shrimp is good for a more filling meal. The staff and owner were so friendly and welcoming, and I really appreciated their knowledge of beer and cider. I had the chance to check this place out during their soft opening week, and I've already been back again now that they're officially open. Fairfax is fairly out of the way for me, but High Side is worth the trip. read more

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This is probably one of my new favorite beer spots! I came across it when I started yelping for breweries in the DMV. Not to my surprise, it was amazing. The wide selection of beers, great service and nice atmosphere gave it such a great vibe to be in. We went a little crazy & tried almost all of their taps. I will be going back for sure! read more

High Side - Beer Bar Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I went here last Saturday with some friends for the first time. It was pretty poppin'. All the tables were taken so we settled at the bar to get our drinks. The bartender was super nice and helpful in drinks recommendations. He even let us sample a few. Eventually a table opened up and we sat down to order some plates to share. We ordered the beef scallion pancakes, pop corn chicken, fried tofu and beef skewers. Everything was tasty and on point! Def have to come back and try the sweet potato fries next time as they were sold out that night! All in all, I will be back! read more

Got takeout from here earlier today. Ordered the Tofu DanDan Noodles, not very good. Super super oily and had a strange flavor. Also made my stomach hurt and that never happens. Noodles were too mushy. I was also not provided utensils and had to go back in which was annoying. Don't think I'll go back. read more

Authentic Taiwanese taste with a contemporary twist. Love it.

A little pricy for "street food" and the portions, but so good (also worth it since there seems to be very few Taiwanese style restaurants around). Huge beer selection that I looked at but didn't consume. The outdoor area is nice w heaters and they also give you disposal dishes & cutlery. Bao sliders are on the smaller side but really tasty. read more

This place is really good, haven't had any beers yet but stopped in for lunch with my wife and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the grilled chicken sandwich and tornado fries. The sandwich was unique and amazing, only complaint is I wish I ordered two. Finally got to try that crazy spiral fried potato I've seen everywhere and it was pretty awesome with the sriracha mayo and little Parmesan, definitely a nice side. Probably going today to order takeout and try some new things, will update soon! UPDATE #1 Tamarind Shrimp wooooooooooooo fire fire so good, shrimp cooked perfect, rice a lil sweetness so delicious and a lil spice, love it. Cucumbers to balance the spice, just a delicious dish. POPCORN CHICKEN IS FIIIIIIIIIIIRE Comes with some sweet Thai chili sauce of some sort oh my, this place rocks!! read more

I've never had food here, but I'm a big fan of their stouts. The service is great! I ordered at the bar and the person taking orders was always so quick. read more

This place is a great addition to Old Town Fairfax! We were there on a Saturday around 4pm and it wasn't crowded, although I have heard from friends who were there later on week days and they said it was packed. The space is a little small. We all got 2-3 4oz tasters each and they were all good. They have an extensive list of beers, some of them sound very fun and unique. My husband enjoyed all the stouts he got. We also ordered popcorn chicken, chicken satay skewers, pot stickers, cucumber salad and they were all delicious! Great spot to hang out with family and friends. read more

Pretty awesome place, whether you want a great selection of beers or the Asian street food. The beer selection in particular is great, they had many selections which I had never heard of and ended up enjoying. The food selection is also diverse and very creative. Just note that there was a lot of raw garlic on the side for many of the dishes, such as the sausage and I think the popcorn chicken had it as well. So if you don't like garlic, then ask them not to put that on the side at all. Service was excellent, they try to bring the food quick though it can take a bit during their peak times. Two cons with this place: one is it gets crowded with no seats available. Unfortunately, it is a place where you go up to the counter to order and then try to find someplace to sit. It makes sense for a neighborhood bar type of place, but can be annoying if you order food then hope a seat opens soon. The second con is that they don't give a number or any sort of sign/flag to find you when they deliver food, and as a result they may accidentally give your food to someone else. We saw this happen a few times, so my suggestion to the owner is to get some of those number tents or something to make it easier to find customers. But overall, I definitely intend to make repeat trips to High Side. read more

Good Asian inspired food and 20 good beers on tap! Will definitely be back. Yelp wants more text in a review, so here it is. read more

Exceeded my expectations! I'm always skeptical of any place trying to do both beer and Asian food (especially Taiwanese) but this place is legit. Im Asian and I live to eat. My husband is German and he lives to drink. This place was made for us. It was sunny when we arrived at noon and 32 degrees, but we were very comfy in the full sun and under the heaters. Perfect to enjoy time with friends and still be socially distant. Wait staff was exceedingly nice and attentive, and cleaned our table super thoroughly. Favorites were Taiwanese fried chicken, pork belly over rice, garlic noodles, sausage Banh mi, and scallion pancake with beef. Washed it down with a wheat beer - delish. Dogs are welcome here too, wait staff brought out water for our pup. Will def come back even though we're a 45 min drive away. Highly recommend. read more

Lots of unique and hard to find beers here. Very friendly service. I didn't have any food but it looked delicious. Asian inspired small plates and snacks. read more

Loved the lu rou fan and the Taiwanese popcorn in particular. I also tried tornado fries for the first time here and was blown away (pun fully intended). The deep-fried pork belly had skin that was a bit too tough, but I liked the flavor. Sometimes it can be hard finding food my middle-aged immigrant parents like but both of my parents adored the food. Kind of pricey for the portions, but good overall. read more

High Side - Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Braised Pork Belly over Rice (Lu Rou Fan) Deep Fried Pork belly, tornado fries - Beer Bar Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Craft beer and Taiwanese street food. I love it. This place was made for me. The staff were friendly and responsive. The food was tasty, and the draft selections were excellent. My one bit of feedback for the owner: Decorate the walls please! They're so bare! read more

First of all, as some reviews has mentioned, this place is more of a bar than a restaurant. We brought our 5 yr and 18 months kids there for some asian food. But this place doesn't have high chair and is not very kid-friendly. (The staffs are super nice and very friendly though). The food was okay but was over priced. The pork cutlet was fired right but didn't have any flavor. We did try two different beers and they were good and reasonably priced. I would recommend this place for happy hour and some appetizers. Not a great place for a meal though. read more

The decor and vibe is on point. Very hipster feel with a beer selection that's bar none to any bars/breweries in the area. But the food... It sucked. Big time. Taiwanese food is probably my favorite cuisine, so it was very disappointing to have come here and paid the amount that we paid. Everything was way overpriced and tasted mediocre. We ordered the edemame, cucumbers, popcorn chicken, Taiwanese sausage, pork chop rice and shrimp garlic noodles. All the portions were tiny and the flavor was not great. This place had so much potential to be great, but sadly, it fell short read more

Pretty cool place. Went in with a group on a Saturday night. Very small for the area but overall atmosphere was great. All the beer was really good. They offer 4oz pours for half the price of an 8oz pour. No traditional flights but the 4oz option is pretty cool. Didn't try the food but will next time! read more

The customer service is terrible. When I asked the man at the counter why my pour looked low he retaliated with "what do you mean your pour is low", aggressively. Can't believe I was experiencing an antagonistic reaction from a staff member! The beer is good but expensive. The food needs some major improvements and is expensive as well. Only other good thing besides the expensive beer are the chairs outside. That's it. There are better breweries around here--Chubby Squirrel, Ornery. Check them out first. read more

This place is more of a bar than a restaurant. The only thing I would recommend is the Flan, but even that breaks your bank. It will be a while before I come back here, if I even do. The restaurant offers Taiwanese dishes but the taste is totally Americanized and cooked with American seasonings. read more

This is a great spot for some awesome craft beer, chill ambience and friendly staff. The menu selection for food is great to compliment the real reason you come here: For a plentiful selection of locally made craft beer. If a case of made for the masses beer is good enough for you then you may not like this place. If you like beer that has been made with passion and a purpose by someone who loves beer and wants to share thier skillfully made product, then you may just love this place. Check it out. Great place. Great peeps. Amazing beer. read more

Visited on a Sunday afternoon and had lunch and a few beers. Visited two other spots in walking distance they were both letdowns. This has a small, upscale, hipster, beer taproom vibe. Great beer selection. Food was asian themed and very creative. Bartender was knowledgeable and engaging. Only downside is that the parking is limited and the place is small (ex. 3 bar stools, maybe 8 fourtops) so not the best place for a large groups. Enjoyed the visit and will be back. Best place I've found in old town Fairfax. read more

Great selection of local beer, delicious food and friendly staff!! We will be coming back! read more

High Side - Beer Bar Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Visited based on the great reviews. Food was mediocre for the price. Come here for the social aspect, not the food.

A fine little place for alcohol but the food is hard to recommend. With the exception of the pork (lu rou fan - 11/10), all the protein options were rock hard. That could be good when describing popcorn chicken, but the tofu could have pierced my mouth. Tofu... read more

Amazing food. From the lemongrass chicken, potstickers to the dan-Dan noodles. Chased it down with a good variety of craft beers. We'll be back for sure. Keep up the good work Jason. read more

You have to try their taiwanese popcorn chicken! Great assortment of drink, tasty food and a unique experience!

Amazing selection of craft beers, both on tap and in bottles, and waiters who know the beers well and can help you pick one. (Kind of a beer sommelier service.) The one they helped me pick was very tasty (Imperial Biscotti Break, by Evil Twin), but do be aware of your limits and check the listing; 16oz of 11.5% ABV is enough to make me not want to drive for a while. :-) They mentioned bourbon as well, so I'll have to go back and check that out. As for food, we had the pickled cucumbers, potstickers, and cumin lamb skewers. I had expected more lamb for the price, but at least it was very good. There isn't much parking in the lot in back, but Old Town Fairfax City has plenty of free parking, on-street or in lots or garages. On an amusing note, they still have out back the old sign from when it was Le Tire Bouchon, which was at least two owners ago! For the techno-geeks, I noticed that there was good WiFi, and power receptacles (with what I think were USB charging ports too!) near our seats. :-) On a related note, they said that the online beer menu and the TV above the counter generally reflects quite accurately what beer they have in stock, while of course the paper menus won't say what they've run out of. We will definitely be back, if not to try the "big plate" food, then at the very least to explore more craft beers! read more

Sampling the High Side beer menu was a delightful way to spend the evening. They have a great selection of craft beers ranging from sours to Scotch ales. They also have a nice selection of scotch and bourbons to sample though I wouldn't recommend pairing scotch and beer. The Taiwanese snack menu is fun too. I love the sweet potato fries! Everything was very tasty and the service was excellent. read more

I've been enjoying this place for a couple of years and recently tried their takeout options. First off the website works really well for ordering. Everything clearly organized and easy to find. The beer/alcohol list seems like it's updated constantly and has tons of options. The food is practically identical to when we eat in, which is a huge relief as we've been disappointed with takeout from other places we frequent in person. We got the chicken bao sliders with hot sauce, potstickers, popcorn chicken, tamarind shrimp and spicy tofu Dan Dan noodles. The noodles were incredibly flavorful and rich. The Bao sliders were a perfect appetizer snack. Also picked up some beer, really great selection of local stuff and out of town breweries that rarely show up around here. Keep up the great work and we'll see you when your rocking and rolling again! read more

Food was excellent. Ordered the crispy tofu sandwich and it was absolutely to die for! Definitely a hidden gem I. Fairfax City!

I ordered from High Side for the first time using the Starship app. The tofu dandan noodles were delicious, but definitely on the spicy side. The robot spilled some sauce along the way, but everything else was fine. Next time I'll try the craft beer! read more

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One of my favorites for excellent craft beer and asian street food. I'll be moving out of the area soon and High Side will be missed for sure. The new chicken sandwich is bangin'! read more

I genuinely enjoyed everything I've tasted: tornado fries, garlic shrimp noodles, fried chicken bao, lemongrass chicken, dumplings, steak wrap, sweet potato fries. This place is a gem! read more

Be aware folks! Dishonest staff! Always check your bill. This is my first visit to High Side and I can't believe I had such a bad experience. I placed a take-out order over phone and I didn't leave a tip. However they added 20% tip automatically. I notice that the owner said they don't charge tip automatically in previous review but they still did this time! Totally liars. I just went dispute my bill with my bank. read more

Great spot, great staff, great beer, great food. Easily the best place to get a drink in old town, and worth a trip to visit.

Looking for a quick bite and a beer on a beautiful Spring afternoon I pulled out my Yelp app to point me somewhere accommodating. High Side came up so headed over . It was around 12 pm on Saturday , due to covid it doesn't appear they are seating inside but they had a few picnic tables set up in the back which was perfect to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. We ordered the scallion pancake with stir fried beef ( good but a bit too greasy ) . We also ordered the garlic noodles with shrimp . I loved how the parm cheese gave the noodles a really great texture . Lastly we ordered the potstickers which were tasty but wasn't a stand out for me . The stand out was the huge beer selection ! They have a huge selection of on tap local beers! This is a great concept when you wanna try local beers but don't necessarily have time to hit all the local breweries! Overall my boyfriend and I had a great lunch at High Side and we will definitely be back . read more

The food was very greasy as well as whitewashed. I was expecting something a little more authentic food wise. The wait was also extremely long and the seating is cramped. read more

One of my favorite places to visit. It took over an old brewery called backcountry brewery A few years ago and it has been nothing but positive changes. The beer is great. The food is great (sandwiches can be requested warm.). Always recommend the dos mas or the farmhouse. Anyways, great service and beautiful views of peak one! Highly recommended for tourists. : ) read more