This place has a bad reputation for a while, it's under new ownership now and it shows! As soon as you walk in they welcome you and ask if you want to try anything, he means it. They have a great selection of beer, we met one of the owners, really nice guy. Definitely a great spot now! You can tell they want to make sure you enjoy the beer you pay for! read more

Turned me away for a single beer at 9:30. The bar was full of what can only assume were regulars... it's probably not the business that should take this 1 star hit. This rating is specifically for the terrible bartender that was working tonight. read more

I stopped in here for a quick drink while waiting to get paged for a table. I literally had time for one beer here because I spent precious time looking at their tap list and cooler and being impressed-which is never really a waste of time. While they don't have food you can bring your own food in and there's board games aplenty and they had bar trivia going on during my visit. The host tried to get me to sign onto the app-that's how it started but I arrived too late so he gave me a hard copy answer sheet and let me play a round. Service was good, they let me take my time in ordering a beer and were quick to cash me out when I got paged. I'd like to come back and experience it in full. read more

XL Public House - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

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Nice place for beer only. Didn't really feel welcome here, felt like an outsider. This place would go great next to East of Eden based on the crowd that came in. I would probably go somewhere else. read more

XL Public House - Crown & Hops Santa Slays (right) - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

Good selection of beers, friendly staff, chill vibe. Always a great stop for a drink.

Late review for early May 2021. We had been frequent flyers here and we enjoyed the atmosphere. Owners are great, polite and helpful. Our review is on their worker Walter who was quite rude. He sold us a beer at 9:30pm (closing time 10pm). We understood we had to be out by 10p. At 9:40p reminder to go, fair enough. At 9:50p, he asked us to leave we had half a beer, we politely said we would be out of there by 10p. We were 10ft away from the door. He rudely stated, he could come by and grab our beer and dump it out. We will not be coming by for as long as he is working there. Let me know when he doesn't, we'd love to return. read more

Why can't we buy a can of beer and drink it here??? I don't understand why it's unacceptable to buy THEIR beer and CANNOT drink it here? This guy told us that we can't buy "Togo" beer and drink it here because "that's the rules". I wanted to like this place but who does that? We wanted to buy several canned beers and enjoy ourselves but Noooo we can't do that so we decided to have the SAME beers on tap and sit down.. very sad.. read more

Been here a couple times with friends and family. Oscar, the owner, again has made us feel very welcomed and cared for. It's a cozy place to head over after dinner and the overall atmosphere of the place is chill. Great selection of beers and wine. read more

Stopped in for wine before dinner pleasant and attentive bartenders and many excellent wine and beer options. They had a band playing that was a bit too load for the space and the level of talent. ;) Defiantly a good spot to come for DRANKZ!! read more

Walked in and felt right at home great choices of beers played fooseball and card games

Great place! Great new ownership. Awesome selection of beers! Cleeeeaaaan bathrooms!!!!! read more

XL Public House - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Evil music, great beer, great people. They always have great fresh beers on tap from the dark chocolate stouts to the fresh pint-e IPAs. Fresh popcorn is always a good compliment. The only thing better is you can have your pint with mans best friend! I've been here more times than I can count haha cheers! read more

XL Public House - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

Came here looking to drink an ice cold sour... found one in the fridge that I liked... then I was informed that I could not drink it at the establishment even though they were selling it.... I even asked to just buy it to go and hold on to it and they said no that they would hold it until we left... not to mention that that beer we pulled from the fridge had hair on it... I asked the bartender why would you sell a beer at your establishment but not allow us to drink it.. he said because that's the house rule... I get that bars have their rules but this is ludicrous... I rather go to another tap house on the strip that allows me to drink the beers they sell. 0 stars for for ridiculous house rules, and customer service. Hopefully this place closes down and gets replaced with a better tap house. read more

Great beer, great atmosphere, great staff. The place keeps it simple and delivers. My go to spot in Salinas.

This is a great place to come, relax, and have some great beers. A lot of bars in Salinas have the same beer options which are the standard stuff you can get at 7/11. This place has a great selection of eclectic beers and the staff is great. Definitely recommend coming here for a great time and a relaxed atmosphere. read more

Tried to go to this place today to see my brother for drinks and food. Once we got to the door my daughter seen her uncle got excited and went to him then the guy at the front door tried to grab my daughter. The guy could have explained to us that it was only 21 and over instead of trying to man handing my daughter. Please Explain(Teach) your employs that next time he trys to grab on a little 3 year old kid he and your company could possibly get sued. Will not be going back at all. read more

I finally got the opportunity to stop by and see the new place downtown. It has now been opened for about 3 weeks and I'm kicking myself for not going there sooner! The place is downright cool. Just what downtown and this area needs. I love beer and I love a great place to drink beer even better. Minimal but strategic décor. Plenty of space to sit around with friends, or stand up and mingle through the crowd. A very, as the owner puts it, "speak easy" feel to it! I counted 18 craft beers on tap aside from the two side refrigerators hosting all my favorites. Even better, if you get hungry you can order and pick up from next door (XL Grindhouse). If you need to catch me, now you know where you can find me..... Good job guys! Location: a hop and a skip away from your downtown movie theater (Maya Cinemas), The National Steinbeck Center, The Monterey Coast Brewing Company, First Awakening. Plenty of parking (XL Public House validates parking at the parking structure, so don't forget to ask for your voucher). Pros: read above Cons: only if you don't go and check it out. Price: Average is about $5-$6 per beer. read more

XL Public House - A nice cold one on a hot summer day ;) - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

Love the choice of brews this place has! The staff was friendly and they have a wide selection of games and entertainment to go along with the chill atmosphere. read more

Great customer service and great products I ordered online and picked up with out a hitch plus the only place near me thAt carry's cerveza Xteca hella fire will be back again for more read more

XL Public House - two cans of beer - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

I chose the XL Public House to hold my wedding reception, and it was a great success. James set up the entire basement floor for the party and provided us with a staff that kept the drinks flowing. tables and chairs so everyone was comfortable, and he even offered to let us use his beer pong table for some drinking games. It was a casual night that turned into an awesome and lively event, and I want to thank James and his staff for letting my wife and I use their facilities. The beer and wine were delicious -- the apple cider, yum! -- the atmosphere was fun, and James made sure we were well taken care of. read more

We wanted to visit the monterey cost brewery next door at 10 o clock but they were closed... So we took a few steps to the left and fell into this little gem. first impressions were that the strange artwork and board games (monopoly, battleship, and chess) made the ambiance feel like a mixture between a daycare and an angry teenager's bedroom. But we went to the bar and noticed they had The Bruery on tap. SUPER SCORE! We ordered a round of their Belgian... And it was easily the best beer I've had in a long time. Fresh, clean, highly carbonated, and crisp, they knew how to make a beer. We then walked over to the fridge and guess what they had, bottles of the stuff (no Mischief though) and the best part: no corking fee and 20% off any bottles to-go. Though interesting in decor and ambiance, they have a fantastic selection (Coronado, Firestone, Lambic), and in the end, that's what really counts. By the way... They also make free pop corn. Please, hold back your excitement. read more

I like going down town Salinas sometimes and this is one of my favorite bars. Very chill relaxed environment good place to have a drink or a beer to get ready to check out down town. It's right next to the parking garage so it's usually my first stop. They have a good selection of beers overall I highly recommend this place. read more

The beer is delicious, Staff is super friendly and you automatically feel at home cozy atmosphere love xl public house

Great place to have a beer especially before going in to watch a movie. They have a good selection of beers. Good atmosphere very relaxed prices are good. Overall a good place to have a beer down town. I highly recommend it. read more

Loved this spot! Great beer, friendly patrons with speak easy ambiance! read more

XL Public House - Craft beer on tap! - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

My favorite local beer place. The owner and son are cool. They have several beer selection. I love how they know I don't drink Dark beer. read more

My only go to spot in salinas for amazing selection of beer. They always have 2 or more of something I've never had. Plus they provide beers to go. Staff is always chill and often I find other patrons to engage with in great conversation. Also, bring back the arcade games. I'll still come despite, but I miss the games read more

Straight up Pub. No frills... A nice assortment of brews Launitas Capuchino Stout, Evil Twin was hearty. Popcorn only, no bisto. Rock & roll on the box. Adam the barman was on it. Will be back! read more

I discovered the XL in the middle of the pandemic and have been going ever since. They have a great beer selection, a little something for everyone. Service is amazing! (Not sure what the other reviews are referring too) The beer-tenders are very knowledgeable and friendly. They also host comedy night once a month and local bands here and there. By far my favorite tap house. Definitely recommend anyone to check it out. read more

BEER! For all those who can appreciate a great craft brew this is the spot to go to! Awesome crowd, great management, and of course tasty beers. A must have experience, wether you're local or just visiting. read more

XL Public House - XL Public House - Pubs Near Me - Salinas, California

The XL Public House is one of Salinas' hidden gems. Great beer selection, board games, rock n roll, classic arcade games in the basement, funky art by local artists. Perfect place to go to on any night of the week. Mellow vibes. Draw James on a sticky note at the bar! read more

I love this place, I've had nothing but good experiences in the past. Great beer and great environment to be in with family and friends. Although they have invited other small businesses to sell their food/beverages during this pandemic. They had Frisko Micheladas on 7/25 and I preordered 3 micheladas that were $15 each and a tamarindo paste. Picked up my order a quarter till 6pm and they said they had no tamarindo paste ready for me and that it wasn't even an option for the sales that day. I couldn't believe it, this tamarindo paste was the reason I place and order with them in the first place. I was very disappointed. Not to say I drove all the way from King City to Salinas for this pick up:(. I've been a small business supporter during this time but this was the last time I try to help out the small business food/beverage community in Salinas. Bigger business like XL need to see this because it also made you look bad. read more

James absolutely knows his stuff! He has unique beer on tap & a great atmosphere. The board games are a great plus. read more

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The beer selection here is very good and the staff is really friendly as well. The fellow patrons were super nice and it was an enjoyable evening. Super bonus points for the free arcade games down below. read more

Great spot to get a quality craft brew to sip on and enjoy the company you came with. They have a bunch of board games to keep you company if you need some extra entertainment. They got a cool relaxed vibe going. Not stuffy, never beer snobby, just really down to earth and down for craft beer. Love that you can purchase beer to take home too, just wish they had food! We always go to Bankers afterwards to get shrimp tacos, soo good! 5 stars seems a little generous for me being from SoCal but when I think about who they're competing with out here in Salinas they are second to none for beer! read more

We sit down and have our order filled. Pretty spot on service for a bar right. Well not only did he do that he talked with us about the different stuff he had available, and gave us a few tasters we didn't even ask for to let us see what we thought without even having to ask. Since we live in Marina we probably won't be there too often, but when we are in Salinas and thirsty I know where we'll be going. Side note the mexican restaurant next door will deliver to the bar. Major perk. The only issue we had was that the beers they had in the cases were pretty expensive, but the ones on tap were perfectly priced. read more

I asked to watch the game of the week, and they were playing video games....thought they would change it.....nope...bartender said..No...like I was a jerk for asking him to stop his game! Took my large tab to Monterey coast brewery and party of 8 that was meeting us and found real customer service. Thanks Monterey coast for being A+ read more

If you're a beer-lover, this is the place to go. :) It has such a cool vibe, and it feels as if you're going over to chill at a friend's house to relax with a few beers. I'm not a beer drinker at all, but I go with friends for the atmosphere (while they have their beer) and because they have chess sets on the tables, as well as an arcade downstairs!! Also, I really love the big window with barrels behind it that you see in the hallway on the way to the restrooms - adds character to the place! Oh and the bartender is really cool. read more

We stopped in the XL Public House for a beer after visiting the Steinbeck Museum across the street. WOW! This is a powerhouse of beers and James, the owner and frequently the bartender, knows more than enough to guide you to what you like. My wife likes Belgians and I like IPAs. He taught each of us new things about beers we might try and we liked them. The Tacoria next door is good and will deliver. Their board games/cards abound and we enjoy a game of cribbage making it a great night out all and all. read more

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Best beer place in town! James the bartender is an EXPERT on beers. Gotta warn you tho. Don't go in there lookin' for no Bud or Coors Cuz you won't find none and will find an ass whooping in the form of everyone lookin' atcha like youz a weirdo tho. Nah kidding no violence there. Still no Bud tho! Seriously folks. Check this place out. Best in town! read more