I went to Covington Beer Garden with friends for some holiday day drinking and eating. You know,…read morethe kind of thing civilized people do when they have a day off and no real responsibilities for a few hours. I had been wanting to try this place, and overall I am glad I did.
First, the place itself is pretty great. Lots of seating, a cool inside area, a nice outside area, and a setup that makes you want to hang out for a while. This is not one of those places where you walk in, have one drink, and immediately start wondering where else you should go. It feels like a place built for staying. The staff was friendly too, which matters when you are there with a group and everyone is ordering different things, moving around, and generally being a mild inconvenience.
Now, about the drinks. The selection was solid. Not bad at all. But with "Beer Garden" in the name, I expected a little more beer. Maybe that is unfair. Maybe I am being too literal. But if you call yourself a beer garden, I am going to expect a beer list that makes me stop and think for a minute. This one did not quite do that. That said, the frozen drinks were fun and would be great in the summer heat.
But the food. The food was excellent. I do not know that I expected the food to be the best part, but it may have been. The chicken sandwich special was outstanding, the cheese fries were exactly the kind of bad decision that makes you proud of yourself, and the pulled pork bahn mi was really, really good. I would go back for the food alone, which is not something I expected to say about a beer garden.
Overall, Covington Beer Garden is a very good spot. Cool venue, friendly staff, fun drinks, and better food than it probably needs to have. I wish the beer list was a little more expansive, but that is really my only complaint.
I will definitely be back.
