Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

This iteration of the chain (and I wish to re-state for the record that I do not associate a negative connotation with the designation "Chain") was located right on the corner of Poydras and Convention Center Boulevard. The entry sat at an angle to the corner with the maitre d' station and a cabinet of logo items to the left. It took me a series of turns, passing through the restaurant area, before I reached the bar. It was an elongated-"U" shape, topped with marble and I took a seat at its far left end, overlooking the open-air patio in front of me. To my left were the brewhouse and a series of fermenters, all behind glass. On a left oblique, at about my 7 o'clock, were the lavatories.

Both the bar and restaurant areas were wide, expansive set-ups. The bar area had a shelf with stools in front of the brewhouse, a sea of high tables and chairs in the center, and a bank of booths along the wall opposite the restaurant section. As to the decor, it was standard Gordon Biersch - that entails the glass doorways with the name and a hand raising an overflowing hefe glass etched into the glass; the round logo with the initials separated by a wheat sheaf between them; lots of exposed brick and ducting; and quality wood stools on which to sit.

A note on the service. My first bartender, John, was a bit obtrusive. Does Woody like obtrusive servers? NO! This guy seemed to want to hover around like a helicopter and take me through each style of the sampler, despite my wearing a Stoudt's BC shirt and generally treating me like a newbie. Grrr. His relief, Michael, acted as though he could recognize a beer patron. He was very ebullient and outgoing and more like what I would expect from a Nawlins bartender.

Woody's Soapbox: I have been taken to task before for being "a chain apologist" and I refuse to back down from my stance that automatically thinking that a place should be the target of scorn simply because it is part of a chain is wrongheaded. My maternal aunt and her husband routinely visit her local G.B. in Washington, D.C. after I turned them onto the place shortly following its initial opening. This is despite their usually favoring wine on those rare occasions when they actually do partake. I steadfastly love the chains and just like the old Tareyton ad, "I'd rather fight than switch." In fact, I was the guy with the black eye at the recent grand opening of Iron Hill's Lancaster location. Just kidding about that last.

Beers: Golden Export (5.0) - not much to speak of, but golden lagers usually are not; Hefeweizen (5.5) - light on the esters, but still enough of that banana taste that I disdain; Czech Lager (5.6) - read Pils, but not hoppy enough to satiate me; Marzen (5.7) - passable, decent, but not mind-blowing; Schwartzbier (4.29) - really good, light-bodied with a pleasant roasted smokiness on the finish; and their seasonal, Dos Gatos - a Mexican-style lager with a fruitiness that was not unpleasant, but it was not my bag, either.

01-21-2008 14:07:38 | More by woodychandler

Billolick

New York

3.55/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Noisy, busy, upscale, brick, metal, glass, expensive woods. This place was jumping when I went for a visit. Beers tended more towards the crowd pleasing M.O.R. side of the spectrum. Extensive and varied food menu, the gumbo was pretty good, but I would not say much better then that. Not much "Nawlins" style food, nor much of a NOLA vibe to the place, too bad. Food service was SLOW. Decent enough place for a beer and a bite, I'd go here for lunch perhaps but stay away for the crowded dinner scene. With so many other great food places in town this place seemed safe/Chain like, but lacking in much interest or character. Located at the ass end of Harrah's, unsightly, money sucking and tourist filled casino...bleh

03-29-2008 13:27:21 | More by Billolick

Redrover

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

This GB located across from the casino in an area where the Central Business District and the Warehouse district seem to converge. It is only a few blocks from the quarter, but those few blocks make for a much more relaxing and dare I say more mature atmosphere.

There is a nice long bar at one end. The bar overlooks their patio, which was not open when I was there. They have some very cool garage door like windows that roll-up to bring the outside atmosphere in. The bar was nicely decorated with Gordon Biersch posters and they made good use of color.

The staff was very friendly. Our bartender was well versed in their beers and styles and she was very generous with samples.

The food was mostly standard brewpub fare, but they did have a few local twists. I liked their take on red beans and rice and thought their jambalaya was also quite good.

Unfortunately, the beers, while serviceable, were on the conservative side. I had a decent Hefe and a passable dunkel. I wish they would offer a few more beers, but I guess they are catering to the flocks of tourists instead of us BAs.

Still, this was an enjoyable stop and one that I would have no problem returning to.

04-27-2005 15:03:38 | More by Redrover

rousee

Massachusetts

3.54/5  rDev -0.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 5 | selection: 2.5 | $$

Standard brewpub look with lots of steel and dark woods. This place is larger than the other Gordon Biersch I have tried in Las Vegas. Extremely clean looking interior. This is a real rarity in many New Orleans establishments so it was a refreshing change in that regard. I didnt use the facilities but I can bet they were pretty clean and if you have ever seen some of the bathrooms at bars in New Orleans, you'll know why I am mentioning it.

The beer selection was nothing impressive and the beers were all just average or a tiny bit better than average. While the bartender was slightly mal-informed on the beer, the thing that needs mentioning here is that when I asked for a list of beers, I was told that I would need to try them all rather than looking at a list. I loved that. The samples were small but definitely enough to allow me to evaluate fairly which ones I liked the best. I was not charged for them either.

Defiinitely worth a stop to get out of the casino next door or before or after a riverboat ride as the Riverwalk is a short walk away also.

05-03-2006 23:10:09 | More by rousee

champ103

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$$

This is a typical chain brewpub. Imagine an Applebees that makes beer. Connected to the Harrah's hotel and the casino. Pretty much what you would expect for such a place, and sterile overall. A big area in front for diners. The bar is towards the back, and a large patio outside. Brewing equipment can be seen to the left of the bar. Just a cookie cutter brewpub.

The service was decent. The bartender was fast and friendly, though did not seem to know a lot about the beer. I had some appitizers, fried calamari. They were tough as rubber, and had no flavor. Lots of other stuff on the menu. Steaks, seefood, bugers. Pretty much the same stuff at any other location.

On to the beer. There are a handful of German beers. Most everything is watery and bland. Nothing bad, just by the numbers. The best was the Schwarzbier. Everything else tasted almost the same.

Overall, this place does not have much character. I am not really a fan. Go to Crescent instead.

05-11-2010 04:13:19 | More by champ103

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

I stopped in here right after I arrived in NO, since it was on my way to the convention center. There were a couple of tables by the front door and a large outside seating area in back behind the bar. Fairly large dining room and a separate bar area in the rear with some booths and the brewhouse visible to one side. Beers were decent, with 6 (including a seasonal Irish red ale) available during my visit. Prices were reasonable - my 23oz hefe was $5 - especially this close to the convention center. Service was adequate, but the bartenders seemed a bit uninterested in patrons. Food was mostly mediocre pub fare, but portions were large.

A pretty standard chain brewpub, not that that's a bad thing at all.

04-27-2008 00:41:50 | More by DrJay

PhillyStyle

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -20.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$

Stopped in while in New Orleans on a Tuesday night (8/10/10) simply because it was close to my hotel and right off, noticed that it was your basic cookie-cutter chain with the exception that it was a brew pub. Typical chain feel, no real vibe to the place. The bar in the back looked like it seated 20 or so and had a couple of TV's but nothing out of the ordinary that would make it stand out. The food was what I expected, nothing exceptional and average at best but I thought was a bit pricey. The service was average, but had no knowledge of the beer at all.

I tried one beer while I was there, the Golden Export, and thought that it was a decent attempt at an English Pale Ale (Boddington's is what I thought of, but certainly not as good), but subsequently noted that it was a different style. But overall, a decent beer.

Overall, if I am ever back in New Orleans, I may stop in just to try the other beers, but I won't make a special trip. Average at best.

08-12-2010 16:06:13 | More by PhillyStyle

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

Gordon Biersch strikes me as a typical above average chain brewery. I went on a Monday night during a work conference. The crowd was sparse but had conventioneers and a couple families who had come over from the casino. I went to the bar and ordered a hefe and a bock. Both were good but not mind boggling brews. At $5.50 they seemed reasonable. The place was open and spacious although we decided to sit on the patio right outside the restaurant. They did set up tvs and fans outside as well, so that was a nice feature. Service was good and beer knowledgeable. There were a good six or seven taps of varying styles. Overall, I would pop here again, but there are better ways to experience New Orleans beer culture. This strikes me as a nice place to grab and after conference day beer.

04-01-2011 15:04:03 | More by tigg924

beerinator

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +0.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

This place certainly has a chain restaurant feel. Everything feels a bit too sterile and neat. There is nothing wrong with being clean, especially in a city like New Orleans. But Gordon Biersch - New Orleans doesn't seem to have very much of it's own character.

The bar was nice and big, and the restaurant was pretty busy for a lunchtime crowd. It seemed that most people weren't in the mood for drinking beers when we visited.

The food was good, the menu was varied with options that should please most people. The menu didn't seem to have too many New Orleans based specialties, but it had most all of the bases covered.

There were six beers available. One Wheat Ale (german style) was on tap, and the rest were lagers (also german based styles). I tried the Marzen, Schwarzbier, Hefeweizen and the Dunkels which happened to be the available seasonal. The selection seemed limited unless you are really into German Style beers. There was a light lager and a pilsner on tap as well as the other four mentioned.

All of the beers that I tried were good. They were clean (except for the expected banana and clove from the hefe) and they were brewed to style. But it didn't seem like they were trying to impress the beer nerds. I would definately come back to Gordon Biersch if I were ever nearby in New Orleans, since there seem to be few brewpubs in the city, but I would not base a trip around visiting here.

04-17-2005 21:30:28 | More by beerinator

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

3.65/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This place was not a bad place to go and eat after racking up or losing money while at Harrahs Casino. The food was pretty decent and the beer was above average. The prices of the beers were about $5.00 which isn't too bad for draft. The sampler is the best way to go. I liked the fact that you could pick a sampler which was great. For a brewpub it was a good place to eat. They only have 6 beers to choose from but they weren't all that bad. The service was ok but the waiter didn't know much about beer. I probably would not go back.

08-25-2007 23:13:39 | More by Beerbuddha