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Union Ale Brewing Co.
214 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 845-8243
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Reviews by the General Public
Disneyland Fakeness, 10/30/2009
Reviewer: Melissa
from Santa Barbara, CA
Really weird place, feels like a movie set or Disneyland. They have some interesting beers on the menu, but the food leaves much to be desired. The pizza I got was supposed to have almonds in it, but came out with burned pecans on top. Pecans with tomato sauce? Is this a joke? If you substitute ingredients, you should at least tell people (in case they are allergic to something?). Anyway, weird feeling all around. The burger had barbecue sauce and mustard on it. Not good, not bad, just unnecessary. The only thing the waitress knew to say was "Are you guys doing ok?" I guess we are just ok.
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Come on now...., 10/29/2009
Reviewer: Mark
from Santa Barbara, CA
I recommended this place for our department lunch, today. There are nine of us. I love the food here but we were the only ones there and we sat for 10 mins with no menu! I was embarrassed because I’m the one that recommended this place. After we got our menu there was a couple next to us and he said "come on man, we've been sitting here for ten min, with no menu." Everyone like the food....love the food but the service HORRIBLE!!!!! Train your staff better. It's no way to run a business. Our meal came one by one. Seriously? Come on now!
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This left a bad taste in my mouth. No pun., 10/22/2009
Reviewer: A P C
from Santa Barbara, CA
We sat unattended in the cold for like 20 minutes with no drinks, hen the server came out and asked what he could get for us and we didn't even have menus, so we had no idea what he could get for us. Then the 3 burgers took another 20-30 minutes or so, and were cold, all the fried components were cold The menu is AMAZING but it seems training is an issue in the front and back of the house if they want food to be the focus and not alcohol.
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Somewhat appealing, except...., 10/15/2009
Reviewer: Tom Neilson
from Santa Barbara, CA
I love the atmosphere at this "brewery", but the prices are a little steep and the servers don't seem adaquately trained?? Everyone seems a little confused as to what's going on, and they seem to have different or new people working everytime I go (been there three times since the opening), but I can tell they're trying to be helpful. The flatbread pizza and beer is pretty good.
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Still getting the kinks out, 10/8/2009
Reviewer: Kristen
from Santa Barbara, CA
We've been here three times now, and each time has definitely been a mix of great and not-so-great food, but unfortunately ALWAYS pretty clueless service. Positives: We LOVED the pulled pork sliders and fries, the pizzas were great, beer selection is awesome. Great ambiance, especially on the covered patio. Negatives: Every time we had really rookie servers - slow on refills, twice our orders were messed up (wrong order, missing ingredients, etc) with no apologies. One time our waitress brought food for two of us and didn't bring the last person in the party's order for another *20 minutes* - she didn't even offer to comp anything, and her only insincere apology was "the kitchen messed up, it's not my fault". She spent more time flirting with the bartender than actually helping her tables. When she finally brought the burger it was burnt to a crisp. Despite the great beer and ambience, I don't think we'll be back unless they can work out their service issues.
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PERFECTO!!, 10/5/2009
Reviewer: Guido Diniz
from Santa Barbara, CA
One word comes into mind when I think of Union Ale."PERFECT"
I heard so much about Union ale (good and some bad) that I had to experience it for myself.
As soon as I walked into the door I knew this was NO ordinary brewing company. The place was warm and welcoming and I was greeted by a beautiful blond waitress (always nice)
I decided to take a seat at the bar and was greeted again by a nice gentleman.I didn't really know what kind of be to order because this brewing company was like no other. I mean they have beers from around the world and some I have never heard of. The bartender really knew his beers. he was suggesting different beers for me and letting me sample them.
I decided to grab a bite to eat and ordered the Tri-tip burger....If you like Tri-tip and you like burgers this is a must have.(DELICIOUS)I could go on and on about this place but I will leave it with one word PERFECTO!!! I can't wait for my next visit.
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YUMMY FRIES, 10/2/2009
Reviewer: Candy
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went here last Sunday with my man for the first time. We read previous reviews and were doubtful about it but we were very surprise on the service and food. The waitress explains what our palate was like for beer and she recommended the ones we might like. So we order a sample and some food. The beer was good; we liked the hazelnut with the fries. Mmmm good. We will go back.
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Best Brew co food in town, 9/22/2009
Reviewer: JS
from Santa Barbara, CA
Really really good flatbread pizzas and the fries are to die for. Fun atmosphere and good service. My only complaint is there are no toilet seat covers in the bathrooms. thats it, everything else is amazing and I can't wait to go back!
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It's about time!!, 9/17/2009
Reviewer: Joe Manoux
from Santa Barbara, CA
I ate at Union Ale when it opened and I can't stop going. It's about time Santa Barbara gets a place like this. The food is EXCELENT and the service is some of the best I've seen.
It is also so nice that the owners are always there making sure that all the patrons and enjoing there experience. (nice touch)
I look forward to my next visit to the Union Ale
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Great place, great food, 9/16/2009
Reviewer: Chris
from Santa Barbara, CA
First of all, to those people that are complaining that the wine is too expensive, might I remind you that you're at a BREWERY. Order a beer!
They have an amazing selection of beer and are constantly adding new beers. Try the Tangerine Wheat beer, and the Cheese Pizza. I never ever order cheese pizza, I need meat on my pizza normally. A friend ordered it the first time I was there and I've been hooked on it since.
The sweet potato fries are amazing. Get them with the Garlic Parm topping, Honey Truffle Mayo, and the BBQ Sauce. Great combo.
No complaints about this place other than service being a bit slow, but it's tolerable in a new restaurant. And the servers need to smile more. Smiling and interacting with your guests makes for a better all around experience. Great place, and I can't wait to go there again soon.
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Excellent Atmosphere Great Food!, 9/11/2009
Reviewer: Karen
from Santa Barbara, CA
Union Ale, this place is awesome! The first time my husband and I went to Union Ale the service was a little slow which is expected with most new restaurants but, when our food was served it was worth the wait. My girlfriends and I have returned to Union Ale twice since then, the service is better and the food again was great! Each time we return new items are added to the menu and the beer OMG! huge selection. The atmosphere at Union Ale is excellent inside and out, we have sat in the patio facing State Street and we have sat inside which has a beautiful view of the mountains my husband and I are both Santa Barbara Natives and appreciate the view. Turns out the owners of Union Ale are also Santa Barbara Natives. We'll be taking our business to Union Ale. Sorry Brewhouse
we're tired of looking at the ugly car wash!
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Wonderful new addition, 9/11/2009
Reviewer: Dani
from Santa Barbara, CA
I think this place is great. It has inventive food and a fabulous atmosphere. I would recommend it to all of my friends.
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Sweet potato fries!, 9/10/2009
Reviewer: Gina
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went to Union Ale about a week ago and loved their food! I had the pepperoni pizza, and i really liked their sauce and crust. My boyfriend ordered a burger with sweet potato fries and they were AMAZING!! I will definitely be going there again! :)
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$8 for a draft beer? Never again., 9/9/2009
Reviewer: Allison
from Santa Barbara, CA
The 2 owners were sitting beside us at the bar intimidating the staff and looking at their iPhones being anything but friendly to the clientèle. Happy hour is from 2-5pm and 9-10pm which is just stupid and shows how cheap they are. I doubt I will be back.
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Hands down the worst food experience i've had in a long time, 9/9/2009
Reviewer: Greg W
from Santa Barbara, CA
I ate here twice hoping the first bad time was a fluke, but all I can say is WOW, this restaurant managed to disappoint me on every level. The menu was not only unimaginative, when the food did come, it tasted like leftovers left in the microwave too long.
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Eh. Just eh., 9/7/2009
Reviewer: Andrea
from Santa Barbara, CA
I based my decision to try Union Ale Brewing Co on the menu posted on their web site... both the food and drink selections on it are diverse and quite tempting. Therefore it was pretty disappointing to sit down to inkjet-printer menus straight from Microsoft Word, consisting solely of generic and unappealing salads, burgers, pizzas and wraps.... resembling nothing of the online menu. My party of four also got to share one beer menu - again hot off the Microsoft Word/inkjet printer presses. Its as though the restaurant was forced to open for business despite being ill-prepared. I can only hope the gaps are filled in because the beer I had was delicious. Service is mediocre at best - initially non-responsive about a broken table we were seated at, completely oblivious that the "Thai pizza' they served had chicken, bacon and oregano... you get the picture. Bottom line, go for the beer and fries and hope they iron out the kinks soon enough.
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Awful, 9/5/2009
Reviewer: CWB
from Santa Barbara, CA
Where do I even start...
I'm fine with seating myself, but put up a sign or something so people don't stand around waiting for one of the 8 or so servers to acknowledge them. Our server(s) had no idea what they were doing; couldn't carry a tray, didn't know anything about the beer they pour (house or guest), zero sense of urgency (we had to flag someone down whenever we wanted to order anything), and one of them even rolled her eyes at us when we asked if we could order beers from her... this is after we waited 10 to 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge that we were even there (restaurant was less than half full), and watching two or three servers going back and forth to the tables next to us. I have no problem with a menu printed on plain computer paper, but if they can do that for their food, then they should do it for their beer and wine. They don't because they must know how ridiculous their prices are. No one is going to ask how much a beer is, you can get a green flash IPA several places in town for between $5 and $7... so yes, we were shocked when our beers were $11 a pint. And yes, we brought it up with the manager who very kindly removed one of them. Food was just okay, but they are still very new and I could see that improving. The place looks great inside, but they were playing weird, loud, clubby music which didn't seem to fit a brewery at all. When it was Couche - maybe. But not a brewery. The servers were just plain clueless, and the owners purposely hide their outrageous prices to trick people until they get the bill. Why in the world would I ever go here when I can go to Brewhouse?
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Great New Place, 9/2/2009
Reviewer: Krista and Tony
from Santa Barbara, CA
My wife and I went to Union Ale Brewing on a Monday night around 6pm (not exactly party prime-time), we found the place about half full and received very attentive service. Granted I was pre-warned from earlier reviews regarding the expense of some of their guest taps so I stayed with the house brews ($5 a pint). To be fair there are several excellent guest taps that are only $6 but i can see where someone not paying close attention could end up ordering one of the $10! or $14!! beers and end up with significant sticker shock when the bill arrives. Nonetheless I found the house beers (brewed by Firestone) to be quite good and a bit more palatable than their parental counterparts. The atmosphere at Union is excellent and fits the "alehouse" concept much more than any of the others in the area. Food wise Union is great, if not perfect. They've got a great flexible menu that doesn't pretend to be haute cuisine yet still distinguishes itself from standard pub-grub. I particularly liked their cheese and seed pizza with three types of cheese, pistachios, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Definitely different and quite good too. I also like the idea that you can get any of their burgers as a burger, chicken sandwich or tri-tip sandwich, same price. Can't wait to go back.
T
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Waaaay to much head on the beer! , 9/2/2009
Reviewer: Daniel
from Goleta, CA
Where do I start. Well, lets see! I am not a fan of restaurants that let you seat yourself, because our waitress ignored us for a long time before we could get any water let alone beer and food. After we ordered our food she came back with my $10 beer that had way to much head. I had to ask her to go back to the bar to get rid of head with more beer. The food was great but pricey for what it was, especially the beers. Last but not least their menu's are printed on plain white paper. If your not ready to get a nicer menu then don't open your brewery. They need to work on the selection of the menu. The limited offerings are burgers, pizza,and wraps.
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Nothing special, 9/1/2009
Reviewer: christopher
from Santa Barbara, CA
Nothing to special about this place. Good beer selection, but their food menu is horrible. Theres only really 3 things to choose from; pizza, hamburgers, or salad. And 12$ plus tax for about the same burger you can get from the habit? Most of the food is overpriced and service is okay. I suggest skipping this place unless its happy hour and you are not hungry lol
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Very Good, Great Potential, 8/31/2009
Reviewer: Miguel
from Santa Barbara, CA
I think they did a great job with the interior. A bit loud in the bar area, but great for seeing a game. Beer was perfect, cold and flavorful. Menu is small, but was great bar food and well made for what it was. They have the best stake fries in town hands down. Service needs a bit of work, we walked in the front door and no one greeted us, but as we made our way to the bar and they were very attentive.
I recommend it and I will support them going forward. I say this place is a great addition to Santa Barbara Lower State Street business. Give them time and understand that they are new, so they may not be perfect quite yet. They will get there. Best of luck to them and I hope they can get the local business they need to keep them thriving!
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How long do you have to wait for someone to notice you?, 8/30/2009
Reviewer: Marie
from Santa Barbara, CA
It was my first time dinning there. I waited maybe 5 minutes for someone to discover my husband and I were living beings.
The group next to where we sat were served right away and had no problems. Seems you have to be a certian age to get noticed.
Anyway as we were about to leave a server came by discovered we were lving beings. Well the food was ok, according to my husband the beer was great. I think next time we will go just to have a drink and not food.
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Great service, good food, 8/27/2009
Reviewer: PDo
from Santa Barbara, CA
We were a group of 5 that came in last Friday at 9:30 PM. This place was super crowded and very loud with people talking. It's a fun, great atmosphere with an exciting heartbeat about it. Our waitress was awesome. She brought us drinks immediately and our food came really fast. The only complaint we had was the Tri-tip sandwich was a bit overcooked. Our other meals were yummy. Definitely try the sweet potato fries and mushroom burger combo! Their beer menu is huge. To our surprise, some of their beers were on Happy Hour and was only $2! I'd definitely come back again.
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Great food, great beer selection, 8/26/2009
Reviewer: Jim Jordan
from Santa Barbara, CA
Loved the atmosphere. It will become the beer drinker's place to go with their fantastic selection. Best of all is their basic, but delicious food. The tri tip burger with feta was one of the best burgers I've ever had. The sweet potato fries were also fantastic. I'll be back.
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Misleading Happy Hour: $2 Pints are actually $4, 8/26/2009
Reviewer: CS
from Santa Barbara, CA
Union Ale needs to fix their happy hour pricing! The place looks great, the 'house" beers are good and they also have some excellent 'guest' beers, but their happy hour isn't very happy. It's advertised as $2/Pint for of any of the non-guest beers(guest beers are pricey btw $7-10!). However this is before tax and it seems the bartenders don't like receiving change for a tip so they tell you its $3/pint before tip, so w/ tip happy hour beers work out to be $4. Management needs to train the bartenders not to lie and pass off $2.18 beer as $3 before tip or adjust the pricing so it actually works out to be $2/pint, $3 with tip. I like this place and what it to succeed but the shiesty bartenders/happy hour thing leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
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WAY too expensive, 8/26/2009
Reviewer: GMH
from Santa Barbara, CA
They have a great beer selection but their prices are insane. Who wants to spend $9-$14 a pint if you want a beer other than Firestone? Lower your prices if you want locals coming back. Until then, I'll go to one of the local breweries that actually makes their own beer.
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Great food!!, 8/24/2009
Reviewer: Taylor
from Santa Barbara, CA
Been here twice now and love it. The decor is great and the food is amazing and creative! There fries and the dipping sauces to go with our amazing. Get the Truffle Honey & Peppercorn Ranch dipping sauce. Will be going back many many more times. Well done!!
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Good food, but way overpriced, 8/24/2009
Reviewer: SBLocal
from Santa Barbara, CA
We had lunch on Sunday when it was quiet. The wait staff was lovely, the food was really good (pizza) and the beer was decent. But, $10 for a guest beer is ridiculous, and $62 for a lunch of two pizzas and 3 beers is too much. No reason to go back when there is the Brewhouse, Brew Co and Hollister Brewing as competition.
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I am not impressed, 8/23/2009
Reviewer: Chris
from Santa Barbara, CA
I am extremely unimpressed with the service I received at this restaurant. The restaurant displays a sign which reads "$2 pints 7 days a week 9pm-12am", which is terrific, but not when the bartender is trying to stiff you for a few extra bucks. My girlfriend ordered a pint of Hefeweizen for $2 which came out to be $2.18 with tax. 30 seconds later I order the exact same thing from the exact same male bartender, except my drink is $3. After some suspiciousness I am given some spiel from him about how the Hefeweizen's are $3 because of god only knows why. Now I can tell you right now this is pure BS, and not exactly the right move to pull when you're a brand new bartender at a brand new restaurant. 10 minutes later I return to the bar to get another pint when the girl in front of me asks the same bartender "which beers are $2?" and he points to a bunch including the one I had just ordered. After, I ask him if I can have a "TWO DOLLAR Hef," and I hand him a five. My change was $2.85 yet he only hands me two dollars and keeps the rest of the change cuffed under his hand. At this point I'm just completely over this joint and the horrible service I received that I just walk away, and I will never return.
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Union Ale A++++, 8/22/2009
Reviewer: PJD
from Santa Barbara, CA
I went to Union Ale with 4 friends tonight. It was totally crowded with Friday 9 PM traffic. We barely got an open table. Our server was terrific! She got our drink orders perfectly, then our food came extremely fast. YUMMY!!!!! We had a friend who wanted orange slices for his beer and sure enuf, she brought them to our table.... 3 times! I'd say, this place RULES! It's very LOUDDDDDDDDDDDDD, but fun to be around with friends.
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Off to an Excellent Start, 8/19/2009
Reviewer: Tyler
from Santa Barbara, CA
It's so nice to see something happening at this location after years of dormancy. Love what they did with the decor. Amazing draught beer selection with several unique options. Wine prices very high, with limited selections, but they'll work that out. Food menu was also limited, but what we had left nothing to be desired. BBQ Chicken Flatbread was one of the most attractive dishes I've ever seen with the taste to match. The crust is a knockout! Union Salad was big, fresh and flavorful. It's the salad we've been looking for. This place has a very bright future.
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Still working the bigs out. Great food!, 8/16/2009
Reviewer: EDG
from Santa Barbara, CA
Service was awkward as they r still trying to get their system down. Food was excellent. Amazing bread and pizza. I hope they figure it out. Great look inside. Interesting menu. I'll be back.
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Great Place for Lunch and Beer, 8/15/2009
Reviewer: Tom
from Santa Barbara, CA
The ambiance was great. We ate out on the patio and had two of the best pizza's we have ever had. We did a sampling of the beer and they were all great! i highly recommend this restuarant/brewery!!
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Worst Service Ever, 8/15/2009
Reviewer: Tiffany
from Santa Barbara, CA
Yes the place is new, and yes we granted them some slack because of that fact, but there is no excuse for our experience. 1) Brander Sauv Blanc for $14 a glass is just offensive. 2) We ordered a beer at the bar, sat down, and then my husband went to order our dinner at the counter. He returned 45 MINUTES later. There was a mix up with the register, he was ignored for 20 minutes - anyway, it was a very poor display of caring for customers. They comped the meal, which was nice and shows they are trying. But then, and this is the best part, 3) when our meals arrived, there was no salad dressing on the salad. So we asked the waiter to please bring some. He said they only had Ranch, and the other alternative was MUSTARD. ON MY SALAD. MUSTARD? Anyway. We may return in a few months if they work the kinks out and get some sound proofing done. The fries were good.
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Absurd Prices! $20.00 for 1 beer and 1 house Wine! , 8/14/2009
Reviewer: Jason Schmidt
from Santa Barbara, CA
Terrible experience, I am not sure where to begin. I will not go back to this place and going to make sure and tell people my experience. My Girlfriend and I ordered 1 beer and 1 glass of "house"wine. We then ordered food which was on the menu. Twenty minutes later, our waiter came over and said that one of the items is not available, it took twenty minutes for this to happen. I then told him we will just take the check, I am not going to eat by myself, my Girlfriend only wanted one thing to eat there. Our check came and it was $20.18 for 1 beer and a house wine. I asked the Waiter if this was correct and he said yes. I eat out 7 nights a week and know the prices and what places charge. He told me that the beer was $6.00 and the "house" wine was $14.00, Unreal, I myself am a business owner and the service was terrible. No way that a house wine should be $14.00, maybe when your in Vegas that price is ok but not at this joint. I will make sure and never go back to this place and let people I know as well.
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home run, 8/14/2009
Reviewer: Dan
from Santa Barbara, CA
Great beer and food and awesome ambiance. Looks like it will successfully compliment nearby Reds and the wineries. Looks like Brewhouse has company!
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