I had read quite a few reviews before I decided to give this place a try, not to mention having to…read morebe in the area of an out of the way location. I went with the Nickel Pickle burger that most seemed to like and I have to say was pretty damn good. Sitting on a bun that fit the burger well (sometimes the burger is too small for the bun an visa versa) built on a layer of pickles and nickel special sauce sits a quality burger patty topped with a slice of cheddar, tomato, and a bed of arugula or what appears to be a spring mix of lettuce. All in all it worked. While savoring each bite I washed it down with a Russian River Blind Pig. I was disappointed they were out of Pliny the Elder but BP is a good second choice. The beer list is legit by the way; local craft beers including Nickel Brewery in Julian well represented. I'll be back, maybe bring the family and give the menu a proper go.

Had lunch at Lake Cuyamaca Restaurant yesterday with my two daughters and came away very impressed…read more-- not only by the food, but especially by the service. The burgers were very tasty, the fries were excellent, and the relaxed atmosphere near the lake made for a really enjoyable stop. What made the visit especially memorable was our server, Will. After placing our order, I realized I had forgotten my wallet, which created a stressful moment as I tried to figure out where I might have left it. When I shared this with Will, he asked if I was married, which I shared that I am unfortunately going through a divorce. He responded with genuine empathy, sharing that he had also gone through difficult times himself. He suggested ways we could work out payment, encouraged me not to worry, and allowed us to continue enjoying our meal while I sorted it out. That level of compassion, kindness, and understanding made a real difference. I was able to arrange payment over the phone, my daughters avoided what could have felt like an embarrassing moment, and by the end what could have been an awkward moment turned into a positive memorable experience. Great food is always appreciated, but great service is what people remember -- and Will absolutely made this visit stand out. Highly appreciated.

We love this place and come here every time were passing through Julian! Friendly staff, good vibes…read moreand great beer selection-- The Stonewall Stout is the bomb! and loved the wet hop IPA selection. Dont know who the brewer is but seems to really love the craft - just look at the description of their Violet IPA: "Brewed with my best friend Brandon Hernandez of SD Beer News in honor of his late Grandmother. Made with Butterfly Pea Flowers with Topaz, Strata, Simoce and Mosaic hops". You wouldn't find this at most larger, non independent breweries!

We've been going here, infrequently, for 10+ years. It's a low key place to grab some tasty beers…read moreat a decent price, and maybe a bite to eat. Most recently, we visited on a Saturday afternoon and were pleased to see Ay Mamma Tacoz ready to serve. Excellent street tacos to wash down the cold beer. So about the beer selection, always plenty of options. Always something new to try. What caught our eye on this visit was the wording on the menu. They had SEVERAL flavors listed as "GR". Turns out that stands for Gluten Reduced. This is huge for us as one of us can't enjoy regular beer due to gluten intolerance. If you happen to be someone with a gluten allergy, but can tolerate some gluten ... Give it a try. Nothing better on a hot day than a cold beer. (They also carry a GF cider or two if beer isn't your thing.) A tip for the fair-skinned is to bring some kind of covering if sitting outside. The sun beats down some days and there is very limited shade. An hour outside in the sun can mean a painful night later. I give it 5 stars because my expectations are realistic. It's not fancy, but it's welcoming, fun and convenient if you're in the area. Worth a try if you've never been.

This is a tough one. This place does good food. And beer. But I went in asking about their…read moreprotocols for gluten allergies. There are limited dinner options in Julian. And with a kid with celiac, who can get sick for days if a crumb of bread is digested, options are even more limited. We were stoked when the woman at the register pointed out that the bbq and salads were mostly GF (without croutons). And while she did mention there's a chance of cross-contamination with the gluten free pizza, as they make pizzas and there's flour around, she mentioned they change gloves and use clean utensils and have had many celiac folks eat there without issue. Bit we went instead for the most basic and least risky options. Half smoked chicken and a wedge salad. Then I saw the house made pickles. My kid loves pickles. I asked if they were GF. Any seasoning or anything that might contain gluten? She asked the cook and he said no. Gluten free. Which makes sense. They're pickles. Took the order back to the house and the kid went straight for the pickles. I don't have the time to explain how awesome it is when this kid, who's whole outlook on food has been shattered because of the celiac, can have some pickles and not have to think about getting sick. But here we are. From pure joy to anxiety and sadness in two seconds flat. I'm posting this not to bag on this establishment or the people that work there. We know it's a kitchen that serves food and drinks containing gluten. But when I've asked about protocols and tried to do my best to get the info, as well as making it clear that we are trying to be very careful about gluten as it's an allergy, not a preference, and then being reassured that the pickles and the bbq is as safe as they can make it, I was pretty bummed to find a whole freakin crouton in the middle of the container of pickles. Half of which the kid had already happily devoured. We The restaurant industry is not set up for people with food allergies. We know this. We try our best to navigate it by asking questions and getting as much info as possible. There are places that don't even know what celiac is. So we leave. There are places that are extremely knowledgeable about it from front of house to the chef. Those places we can put more trust in. It's never 100%. But fortunately we've had more good experiences than bad with restaurants that take it seriously. I'm sure this was a mistake. Not intentional. Pickles too close to the croutons. I can see how it can happen. All I'm asking is to be better about it. Be aware. Especially when I've asked repeatedly if it's all good and the answer given is yes. Or just tell me it's not safe to eat there for people with celiac and we can be on our way. A lot of restaurants are becoming more aware and offering more GF options. This is great. Lots of people eat gluten free to avoid carbs or because of gluten sensitivity. Celiac is another level. And a painful one at that. We appreciate and love going to eat food at places that take it seriously. Hoping for more of those places in the future. Julian Beer Co. we love you, but take note. Croutons don't belong in your pickles.

The Julian Beer Company was amazing!…read more We have a 2 year old and he gets antsy quickly, especially when it comes to restaurants and sitting for a long time. so, being able to call ahead and order and pick up our food was so convenient! That being said, our food was so good and tasty, we love the Kabasa sausage and also the half chicken was amazing! I recommend the mac & cheese as well for a side, as it's super tasty and the cheese on top was amazing! If you do go inside the restaurant, they have plenty of seating, the vibe and ambience makes it better! Definitely recommend as the staff is super friendly and the prices were amazing!

Fried Cauliflower: interesting take on it, they do the Buffalo sauce underneath the breading then…read moreit's served in a little metal basket with a side of aioli. 5/5 Mountaineer steak: really delicious, huge portion. The bone marrow butter really did taste like bone marrow! It comes with the side and you can get the chili as your side. 5/5 Green lentil soup: This was just OK. It tasted exactly like it looked, healthy. 3/5 Drinks were also great. I had the strawberry smash. It was excellent. It's served on ice and with real smashed strawberries inside. I also had the Elderflower drink which is served up. Both were great and we definitely order each of them again, and they were quite strong for only $15! Vibe is excellent, they have a lot counter seating, where you look out on the Forest (but also the parking lot below a bit). There's some TVs with spots going and they allowed dogs on the patio. The patio is nicely shaded and has a beautiful breeze, and also all different kinds of groups of people. They were groups of 20 Some things, groups of older folks, families with babies, one guy who's there, just with his dog. Service was so kind considering our group included a slightly fussy baby. We will definitely be back.

Came to this spot for dinner while visiting Idyllwild. Super cute spot! The outdoor seating has a…read moreton of tables and heaters. The indoor doesn't have too many tables but there's a bar you can sit at. They have a cute fireplace as well on a lower level outside. I got to try their crispy sprouts which was delicious, but not crispy. I liked the flavor and the tomato balanced well. I'm not too big on burgers, but I tried the angry mule burger and wow! I was not disappointed. That might've been the best burger I've had. There's a jalepeno jam on the burger that really brought the flavor together. They were generous with the guacamole as well. Their beers were refreshing and good. I got the IPA. I was here celebrating my birthday weekend and they gave complimentary vanilla ice cream. I wish I got our servers name because she was so sweet and attentive. She had the cutest cat glasses.

I had to leave a review right away bc I was so impressed by this place. First of all, they are…read moreextremely dog friendly. The inside is gorgeous and there's a spot especially for dogs outside. Their outdoor seating with patio is beautiful! This place is absolutely divine! At this point, I dont really care about how the food tastes. Lol! Let's start off with the one problem i had with this place. The parking!!! It took me 20m to find parking and im not about to park my car on the street. I have precious dogs! Lol kidding. I just couldn't find any parking on the street or in the block! I suppose i came during lunch which is probably really busy. When I left, there were quite a few opened parking spots. This place is connected to an apartment complex surrounding retail stores. The leasing building is right next to Gravity Heights. I used to rent a 4k+ a month apartment in a retail area and let me tell you, its a hassle to find parking and not take a retail parking spot without having your complex email you everyday about your car potentially being towed lol! I understand this pain. Now that we are past that, let's get to why this place deserves 5 stars. The service is excellent! My server came around at the perfect times and they seem to really care if I enjoyed my meal! The stellar atmosphere with attentive service is enough for me! I got a gravity burger protein style which I dont think did the burger justice. I was going to eat with my husband later at a Vietnamese restaurant and I can only choose one carb for the day. My diabetic life is tough! Lol. I chose the Cesar salad to go with my burger. My burger was delicious bc of the caramelized onions. I didn't really taste a sauce in the burger but the excellent bacon with the much needed caramelized onions made the burger fantastic! The IPA hazy beer i had with my meal was also light and mellow. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and meal. My babies also enjoyed their burger! The weather was perfect today and it was a nice time and to think I was not going to eat here bc the parking definitely was a huge deterrent. Next time ill bring human company!

Decided to stop by here to try out their happy hour and was not disappointed. Parking was fairly…read moreeasy and got a spot right outside the restaurant. We got sat right away in the happy hour area. As we were walking in I noticed the decor looked really nice and the ambience of the restaurant felt clean and modern. We ordered some happy hour cocktails to start and they were really strong (but tasty) in my opinion. Maybe I'm just lightweight though. We also ordered some oysters, the shrimp aguachile, and the smashburger to share which were all tasty. Service was good, our waitress was friendly and checked up on us. Overall a successful happy hour visit and would visit again as they seem to have a rotating menu.

Food was kinda mid. View was good. Service was good. I got the Thai chicken sandwich and it was…read morejust ok. The person I was with got the fish tacos and they were pretty good

Viewpoint Brewing Company is a spacious brewery and restaurant in Del Mar with great views, strong…read morefood portions, and a relaxed, upscale-casual vibe. Pros: This place is a really solid all-around dining and brewery experience. The food was genuinely impressive, both in quality and portion size. I started with the shrimp ceviche, which was creamy, well-seasoned, and a great portion for a starter. For the main, I got the mushroom burger, which was huge, juicy, and had really good-quality meat. I also upgraded to the truffle fries for $3, and that was definitely worth it--crispy, flavorful, and a great side to pair with the burger. The beer selection was also strong with a lot of variety since it's a brewery, and the samples made it easy to try different options before committing. The overall space is large, open, and really well-designed, with a nice view of the area and a fireplace that adds to the atmosphere, especially in the evening. Service was also great--friendly staff and quick seating even with a reservation at 7:00pm. Cons: Parking is the main downside. It's $6 valet per car, which is honestly the easiest option. Otherwise, you're looking at street parking or an Uber, but the walk from street parking can be a bit far and inconvenient. Verdict: Really great spot in Del Mar if you want good food, good beer, and a nice atmosphere. The portions are big, the quality is solid, and the experience overall is very smooth. I'd definitely come back, especially for a relaxed dinner or drinks with a view.

Had such a great dinner tonight at Mediterraneo in Alpine!…read more We started with a few appetizers and honestly...they were the highlight. The MELENZANE RIPIENE (eggplant stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, and cherry tomatoes) was incredible: rich, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The calamari fritti was crispy and delicious, and the TONNO ASIATICO (seared ahi tuna with sweet chili glaze, ginger, teriyaki, and wasabi) was a huge hit at the table. We also had to try their house-made mozzarella sticks, don't skip these...the cheese pull alone is worth it For the mains, we had the CAPELLINI ALLA CHECCA and the RIGATONI ALLA NORMA, and both were fantastic. You can really taste the difference, the pasta is imported from Italy, and it shows in the texture and flavor. My husband also ordered the margherita pizza and said it's the best he's ever had, which says a lot! The space itself is big, welcoming, and super versatile. There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, plus a large bar with a full menu. We tried a couple drinks from their spring menu: the pistachio espresso martini and the berry margarita both were so fun and tasty. The staff was also incredibly friendly and attentive, which really made the whole experience even better. Bonus: they have a great family-friendly area with arcade games and a pool table, which makes it perfect whether you're going out as a couple or with a group. Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to!

Amazing every time friendly staff delicious food great atmosphere love this place I highly…read morerecommend it to everyone

our first time through fallbrook and this place was a gem to find open on Easter! no wait to be sat…read moreand our food only took 15 mins for two well done burgers on a busy afternoon. our waitress Maddie was on top of any questions we had and even took time to recommend some local hiking spots for our future visits. we will definitely be back!

love 127 West Social House!! Gavin always takes the best care of everyone, he actually gives the…read morebest recommendations. Because of him, I've literally driven from Temecula multiple times just to come back for the 127 burger and that lavender cocktail SO good!!

Novo Brazil Brewery on Lane (the original location) is such a fun, low-key spot. I actually had my…read morebirthday here years ago, so it was cool to pop back in recently with my son while my daughter was at dance class down the street. They've got plenty of outdoor seating, rotating food vendors, and they even added a playground for the kids which is a huge plus for parents. The vibe here is relaxed and not overcrowded, which is why I really like this location. If you're looking to avoid the crowds, this is the move. If you're an extrovert and want the packed, high-energy scene, hit their other location instead. Either way, Novo Brazil does it right and their kombucha is always a hit!

Right when we got in, we got sat on a couch and it was just an amazing experience once we got our…read morefood. It was amazing. Drinks are on point and the service is perfect. And the ambience/vibe was amazing. It felt very at home. I would definitely recommend.