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    McIlhenney Brewing

    4.9 (44 reviews)
    ModerateBrewpubs
    Closed • 12:00 pm - 7:00 PM

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    Hidden pigeon
    Lora B.

    I loved this spot when it was alpine, and I'm still loving it as McIlhenney. Delicious IPAs are my fave- especially a good, clean west coast, and theirs were so good we barely noticed as we were gulping it down. Had to slow down on the next one! Staff is so friendly and creates fun vibes with all the throwback music playing. The only negative about this spot is how far it is off the beaten path. But I will find reasons to keep making it out here

    Lisa T.

    Friendly staff and outstanding beer. My go-to beer is always the Muntz IPA but all of the beers are clean and delicious. Do yourself a favor and go spend some time in Alpine. You won't regret it! Cheers!!

    Outdoor seating area.
    Martha W.

    Still one of the best breweries! Love wizards wand ipa! Service is great! Love the feeling here of being in the country here in Alpine! It is rustic and laid back.

    To go beers
    Mackenzi L.

    Absolutely loved our visit here, Nikki and Kyle were wonderful. We enjoyed tasters and the sunshine on the back patio. We picked up mexican food down the street and it was the perfect pairing. The tasting room is bright with a good layout, but I think the thing we enjoyed the most was the merch and the take home beer. And Im happy to have a new favorite tee.

    The Apricot Bells Bluff

    Great local spot to grab a cold beer! The staff is nice, kind and welcoming. Nikki was energetic and does a great job! If you're in the area this is a great place to try. It's the CHEER'S of alpine.

    two glasses of beer on a bar
    Jessica S.

    Father-son duo Pat and Shawn Mcilhenney are back to brewing up a storm and putting Alpine back on the brewery trail post Green Flash snapfu. When you thought Greenfash killed all fond memories of Nelson, you have Muntz rising from the proverbial ashes. This rendition of their long forgotten rye IPA is brewed with Nectaron and Nelson sauvin. It's not exactly Nelson -- partly due to the unavailability and competing contracts of original hops -- but damn near close. Their DIPA, Wild Child, a core beer in their lineup is always another solid choice. If not for Muntz and WIld Child, I am always on the lookout for their next and freshest West Coast IPA releases and make it a point to visit them out East when something exciting makes it onto the draft board. While one will always miss the grungy bar and narrow spaces of the old bar and brewery, the new, refreshed look with airy windows inside and lazy, but shaded outdoor patio is the perfect atmosphere for a weekend drink session. The brewery is incredibly dog friendly and rescue friendly to boot. I have brought many rescues here to post up at the patio where they receive a ton of treats and pats from workers and fellow visitors alike. As they do not serve food, bringing food is fair game, so long as you clean up after yourself and aren't a scumbag. I cannot wait for their very first sour release as they are soon to be 3 years in business. I know for a fact something has been sitting in wait back there and they are sure to announce it soon. All hail Mcilhenney! Brewing great beer and thriving despite the unfortunate downturn in the industry.

    Brett C.

    This is the place. Hiked in Lake Cuyamaca with a plan on stopping here on the way home. Arrived at noon, clearly family owned. The bartenders were great, attentive, helpful. Beer was outstanding, as you would expect. Small inside, bigger outside patio with some sun and some trees. Bartender saved me some cash steering me towards a four-pack versus a growler. Worth the trip, highly recommend, can't wait to go back

    Indoor seating and of course beer!
    Jen N.

    This place is San Diego/West Coast brewing at its best! I am a big IPA fan, and they do them as good or better than the big guys. While their IPAs are definitely the spotlight on the menu, they have a great variety for everyone. I started with a pint of High Wire, but after it was so good, I decided I needed to get the 5 ounce pours in order to try multiple brews. Living in SD, I can't get out there as much as I would like. Staff there was so friendly and helpful. The tasting room is dog friendly, and they had great treats they wanted to share with all the pups coming through. It's not a huge tasting room, and was pretty full, but it feels cozy and welcoming. Nice outdoor space as well. There's not always a food truck there, so check ahead if you need food. The highlight here though is definitely the beer, and if you are a craft beer fan, get out to Alpine and pay these guys a visit! I can't wait to go back.

    Welcome home (again)!
    Peter E.

    I'm sure you know that Pat McIlhenny is the founder of Alpine Beer. He lost control of that business as a result of some major corporate shenanigans. Thank God Pat's son Shawn is back in the beer-brewing business -- back home in the same building where his dad started Alpine Beer many years ago. Just shared a pint of the Palo Verde pale ale with my wife -- excellent! Nice to sit out back at a table again, enjoying the clean country air. Got my three old Alpine growlers filled while I was there (Wizard's Wand, Muntz, and Wild Child 2x) and can't wait to dig in! Looking forward to getting my growlers refilled here MANY times in the coming years...

    Interior
    Nell C.

    Cheers ! Worth the stop and plenty of selection to meet all your taste buds. AC inside. DIPA Wild Child! Dog friendly!

    Seating inside
    Tyson C.

    Of course great location. They have taken over the old Alpine Brewery location, as they should, this is the old Alpine brew crew. Parking is a bit limited, but you should be able to find a spot somewhere. Inside the tasting room has been updated. The original soda bar and seats is moved against the wall. Love to see the old bar and stools still around. Staff is friendly and very helpful. I had no idea on what to order and jumped all the way in with a pint of Apricot beer. A little too sweet for me. I was wrapped up in the romantic kid inside eating a fresh apricot off the tree and not thinking straight. I suggest instead ordering tasters at $2 each and trying everything. They will also let you have "splash" of many beers, before you commit. Outside seating is available behind the tasting room. Will be back to try other beers. Thank you for your kind service.

    Inside

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    4 years ago

    Great place I had very good time definitely going back again awesome service, thank you.

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    5 years ago

    I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad. Great stuff on tap.wizards wand and wild child...fantastic.Good to see you back!

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    Review Highlights - McIlhenney Brewing

    “Got my three old Alpine growlers filled while I was there (Wizard's Wand, Muntz, and Wild Child 2x) and can't wait to dig in!”

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    The Pub At Lake Cuyamaca - Mashroom swiss burger with garlic Parmesan fries.

    The Pub At Lake Cuyamaca

    3.8(225 reviews)
    14.8 mi
    •$$

    I haven't been here since they changed ownership and name a few years ago, but the view is still…read morethe same! Absolutely gorgeous! We decided to stop by The Pub the other week for dinner. Unfortunately, free parking is just as tough as ever (though sometimes you can tell the people in the back lot that you're eating there and they will let you park for free). However, a was made up by the food! While I miss the larger variety of foods the old restraunt had, the burgers and sandwiches offered were good. I got the brisket sandwich with tots and my husband got the Swiss mushroom burger. The tots were crispy to perfection on the outside and soft on the inside. The brisket sandwich was delicious and salty-savory (in a good way) when dipped in the thing of sauce/gravy. My husband said it best: the mushroom burger was what a good standard burger should be (as fas as cook, flavor, texture goes). Though we both agreed that it needed a few more mushrooms. Our waitress kindly suggested a local cider which was pretty refreshing on a hot summer day. Overall, the Pub is a good place to swing by up by Julian. You can't beat the views and it's a nice place to take a pit stop.

    This restaurant was one of the stops on my 40th birthday celebration trip as it was recommended to…read moreme by a friend, but unfortunately, it ended up being a very disappointing experience. To start, the restaurant considered removing onion from a burger a "modification" and did not allow it. I found this particularly frustrating, since removing a single ingredient from a burger seems like a very basic and reasonable request. The service was also disappointing. Our server did not check in on us, not once, even though the restaurant was not busy. Eventually, we had to flag down another server just to get assistance. For a meal that was supposed to be part of a special birthday celebration, the overall experience was underwhelming. Between the inflexible approach to a simple food request and the lack of attentiveness from our server, I left feeling that the restaurant could have done much more to provide a welcoming experience.

    Photos
    The Pub At Lake Cuyamaca - Friends and family belly up to enjoy a cold beer.

    Friends and family belly up to enjoy a cold beer.

    The Pub At Lake Cuyamaca - Pub burger and fries.

    Pub burger and fries.

    The Pub At Lake Cuyamaca - Great view and place to eat on the patio - when the snow is melted.

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    Great view and place to eat on the patio - when the snow is melted.

    Julian Beer Company

    Julian Beer Company

    4.3(1.1k reviews)
    19.2 mi
    •$$

    Always super tasty. Their pizza and beer is awesome, but I'm personally a huge fan of their Mac and…read morecheese, and the watermelon salad. Try not to go on weekend nights cos it gets really busy!

    If a place is so good you come back again the next day, that tells you something! And I'll tell ya,…read moreJulian Beer Company is very, very good! How can you miss when you're welcomed so warmly by both people and dogs?! We ordered a round of a variety of beers. We each enjoyed what we ordered. But we like to share! So we tasted around, found out what we really liked, then came back and ordered some more, and another couple of rounds the next day! This is not your typical deep fried bar food joint. Someone in the kitchen really knows their way around a bbq! And they don't hold back on their sides. The pork belly bites were so succulent with their crispy outer skin and unctuous meat inside. The ribs were surely taken from a brontosaurus! Tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of smoke. The brisket sandwich was one of the best I've ever had. Did I say we shared? Well, I didn't the sando was gone before anyone could ask for a bite. The Mac n cheese was creamy and dreamy. The vibe here is really casual. Dogs, kids, people at tables, at the bar, outside - just everyone enjoying themselves over beer, food, and convo. Great music playing. Super chill. No hurries and no worries. We'll definitely come here again the next time we're out this way!

    Photos
    Julian Beer Company
    Julian Beer Company - My "I think I'm a photographer" angle

    My "I think I'm a photographer" angle

    Julian Beer Company - Red Planet IPA beer

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    Red Planet IPA beer

    Gravity Heights - Mission Valley - Interior Vibes

    Gravity Heights - Mission Valley

    4.5(578 reviews)
    23.6 mi•Mission Valley
    •$$
    Sports on TV
    Outdoor seating

    We had such an amazing experience at Gravity Heights in Mission Valley! From the delicious food and…read moredrinks to the exceptional service, everything was wonderful. When I called to make a reservation for Happy Hour, Jacob let me know that the Happy Hour section was first come, first served. However, he was kind enough to make an exception and reserve a table for us. That meant so much! Even more special, Jacob came over to our table to introduce himself and make sure we were enjoying everything. What an amazing personal touch! And our waitress, Juliana, was absolutely fantastic! She KNOWS what's good! Her recommendations were spot-on. We ordered the cauliflower, patatas, and birria quesadilla, and everything was delicious. And the Spring Fling Spritz drinks were AMAZING! One of my sisters is vegan, and the vegan Mezze Platter was unbelievably delicious. She loved it! A huge thank you to Jacob, Juliana, and the entire Gravity Heights team for making our visit such a wonderful experience. Great food, amazing drinks, excellent service, and such thoughtful hospitality. We will definitely be back!

    Perfect place for brunch as long as you can find parking! We always luck out in the underground…read moreparking, so that'll be your best bet. There's plenty of outdoor seating, but highly recommend making a reservation if you prefer to sit inside. The staff are so nice, the drinks and food are delicious, and we love how local it is in the valley!

    Photos
    Gravity Heights - Mission Valley - Outdoor Bar View

    Outdoor Bar View

    Gravity Heights - Mission Valley - Indoor Bar

    Indoor Bar

    Gravity Heights - Mission Valley - Beer Garden

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    Beer Garden

    Viewpoint Brewing - Wedge salad - thick and juicy bacons with chopper eggs

    Viewpoint Brewing

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    30.4 mi
    •$$

    This place is called Viewpoint for a REASON. Know why? Because if your sitting on their deck it has…read moregreat views of the swamp or lake thing that's there and you can also see the sky and everything else that's outside. If your sitting inside facing the other way, you just see the inside of the place but there are some cute bartenders there so that's a pretty good view too! One of the bartenders was tall with big muscles, which is the opposite of my ex who's short and has small muscles. That's right- Paul and I finally split up. So I'm 1000% back on the market. My friend Kaytie threw a "Reverse Bachelorette Party" for me which is why we came to Viewpoint Brewing. Kaytie is still married, but she can have fun behind Brian's back every now and then. Who cares? Men cheat on their wives all the time, so why can't us girls have some fun too every now and then? Especially when it's a reverse bachelorette party. Donna and Tracey were there too. Donna was trying to be sober because she had to work the next day, so she was only gonna have a glass of wine or whatever. The wine at this place is good! The food is good too! Tracey is kind of old- she's more Kaytie's friend than she is mine, but whatever. We had fish & chips, mac & cheese, those Adobata fries, some flatbreads and we split a few of the Nutella dessert things. ALL FANTASTIC.

    This is probably my favorite brewery in all of San Diego as the views here are pretty sick and you…read morecan spot some cool birds while enjoying a beer and some food. I wonder if this is a location on eBird. Yes, I am a dork. I came here years ago while on a business trip and randomly found this place and loved it here. So when a date suggested we come here, I took a look at the venue and remembered what an awesome brewery this is! Date gets some brownie points for chosing this spot, maybe this could go somewhere haha. Parking is a situation here. But if you go past the restaurant, there is some parking on the road and in small lot meant for those enjoying nature. I felt bad taking one of these spots. There is paid public parking on the corner before the restaurant and valet is available at this brewery. I need to figure out another way to get here... On a Sunday afternoon, place had people but it wasnt mobbed. Baseball game and Del Mar horse races were showing on the TVs. But, don't come here to watch TV, look outside! I saw some very good bird action, including an egret doing some weird strutting in the lush greenery. I am bummed I forgot to bring my binoculars but I will be back here again soon with binocs ready! I started off with a hefeweisen and that was good, date had a Mexican lager x 2. I had the ceviche (pretty good) and had the aioli on the side. Date had a sandwich of some kind and copious amounts of fries. It took a lot of will power for me to not have any of those fries, they looked so yummy! I also had a watermelon beer, this had hints of watermelon flavor and I enjoyed it. Great spot for large groups too as there were a few large parties sitting in the "outside" space. Hostess initially asked if we wanted to sit "inside" or "outside," and I was confused as it all looked like outside to me haha. I guess this is SoCal, everything is open air. This is a nice spot to have convo, very spacious, lots of nice tables, we sat at a high top. I love perching higher up, kinda of like a bird haha! Waitresses here were all very good, some very cute too (eye candy is always appreciated). Overall, a really fun way to spend a Sunday summer afternoon! I'll be back!

    Photos
    Viewpoint Brewing - The bar area with the TV

    The bar area with the TV

    Viewpoint Brewing - Burger - came with their homemade sauce that has mayonnaise so we had it on the side.

    Burger - came with their homemade sauce that has mayonnaise so we had it on the side.

    Viewpoint Brewing - Outdoor seating with heaters

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    Outdoor seating with heaters

    Mediterraneo - pear and gorgonzola salad with salmon added

    Mediterraneo

    4.1(400 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    •$$

    The food was absolutely amazing! Everything we ordered was delicious. The calamari was some of the…read morebest I've ever had, and all of the appetizers were so good. I ordered the seafood pasta for my main course and it was incredible, fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I was impressed with everything from start to finish. Definitely a place I would come back to and recommend!

    We were passing through town and (thanks to Yelp) came across Mediterraneo just off Highway 8. With…read moremany of the nearby options being fast food or counter service, this place really stood out. The atmosphere was very nice, upscale without being too fancy (or too casual). We started with the beef carpaccio and then had the penne with salmon and spaghetti with meatballs. Everything was excellent. And the ridiculously affordable $5 Old Fashioneds were a very pleasant surprise. What really stood out, though, was the service. I have been to restaurants that cost five times as much without receiving this level of service. Ryan was our main server and was excellent. When we asked for recommendations, he told us what he personally liked rather than simply pointing us toward the more expensive items. He checked on us throughout the meal without being intrusive, and we had a chance to chat with him along the way. During one of those conversations, it came up naturally that we were celebrating a special occasion. Ryan quietly took note. At the end of dinner, he surprised us with a piece of cheesecake, along with an entire message painstakingly written across the plate in raspberry sauce. It was completely unexpected and a really thoughtful touch. The staff also worked extremely well as a team. Zack came by with an actual block of Parmesan and a grater rather than the pre-grated cheese you see at a lot of restaurants, and Haley was there to help with various things throughout the evening (yes, we asked for their names to include here). It never felt like anyone was concerned about whose table it was. If something needed attention, someone took care of it. At one point I jokingly told Ryan that he should be the manager. He immediately gave credit to Jessica, who is the actual manager, and said she's a big part of why the staff operates the way they do. Based on our experience, it shows. Everyone was friendly and personable while still being very professional. I was so happy with the experience that I doubled my normal gratuity, something I reserve for truly exceptional service. We found Mediterraneo completely by chance, but it ended up being a great find. Excellent food, very reasonable prices, a nice atmosphere, and especially impressive service. We would absolutely come back if we're in the area again.

    Photos
    Mediterraneo - Outdoor dining

    Outdoor dining

    Mediterraneo - Sea Bass Pasta

    Sea Bass Pasta

    Mediterraneo - Calamari

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    Calamari

    McIlhenney Brewing - brewpubs - Updated October 2026

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