Stone Brewing Co.

Shaw

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -14.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$$

My wife and I ate at Stone on an early Friday evening in June. This was our first time to their bistro: The last time I was in San Diego they were still brewing out of a warehouse.

We made reservations, but the traffic from San Diego was terrible. We called Stone and they pushed our reservation forward, which was nice.

The atmosphere is about the nicest I've seen. It's a huge place, heavy on the stone motif, with granite, slate and other stones throughout the inside and gardens. Even the bathrooms have polished stones in the walls and heavy stall doors that make a noise when they close -- as my wife described -- like you're closing a jail cell. The gardens are beautiful and a pleasure to walk through.

Service was prompt and friendly, though slow after the initial visit and she forgot my wife's drink and our waters. Our server knew Stone's beers and helped me make my choices. Our food was brought by a different server, who noticed as he set down my entree that my tofu stir-fry didn't have any tofu in it; he took it back and fixed it. That was nice.

Of course, the beer selection is good. All of Stone's offerings, plus many guest taps. I got a sampler flight since I wanted to try several.

The food is expensive. My wife got a mac and cheese appetizer for her meal: $14.50. I got their tofu stir-fry, which was about the cheapest dinner entree: $15. Both dishes were just average. And while we understand Stone's philosophy with food, we wish their desserts had a few more traditional options. Cheesecake -- yum -- but with jalapeno peppers -- no thanks. I guess I should look on the bright side: We saved money since we didn't order dessert.

The beers are reasonably priced, however, All of Stone's drafts are about $5.

If I went back, I would just drink the beer and enjoy the surroundings: Skip the food.

07-02-2010 18:02:32 | More by Shaw

dwagner003

California

4.21/5  rDev -6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

The Stone Brewery is probably the most beautiful brewery I have ever visited. It is a massive location, with amazing stone structures, an incredible beer garden and a friggin' stream that runs out of the restaurant! Truly an awe-inspiring place. The beer, for me, is mostly a hit. I've had some serious misses here, but they have a good bottle list if you're looking for something else. You're always going to find something you like. This place is crowded, though.. Like, seriously crowded. That makes service seem very slow and stressed. Not that type of place that's going to do you any favors. Food-wise.. It's not bad. It's pretty expensive, though. I wouldn't choose to eat here. It's a place to drink, as far as I'm concerned. Overall, it is definitely a place beer enthusiasts should visit.

06-19-2013 23:13:39 | More by dwagner003

RyV

California

4.65/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

A must hit when in San Diego county, Stone is a staple visit when I head south out of LA. Food is awesome and the beer selection is amazing. The taps and bottle list definitely shares the love as there are many US and international craft breweries represented.

06-18-2013 06:35:07 | More by RyV

Boga

Mexico

4.6/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

A one of a kind experience in Southern California. You have everything here, from tours to the brewing process, to gardens where you can drink awesome Stone brewing, to a restaurant, a store, growler refills... you name it.

We all know that Stone beer is equal to world class quality, so no point even mentioning that part.

Service is great, and the selection is awesome. All the year round Stone beers with an occasional new unique/collaboration beer on tap so you can take home in your growler.

Food, in my opinion, is the weak spot, very pricey and just "OK".

...Salud!

06-06-2013 22:04:55 | More by Boga

Jree261

California

4.45/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25 | $$$

This is a nice place with a wonderful garden that I would be happy to sit outside with a beer pretty much all summer. Beer list is long and excellent with different guest bottles from all over the world. Only drawback of that list is that the beer is pretty expensive. Service is excellent both at the bar and sitting down to eat. Atmosphere is crowded, strangely with a lot of children. This is something that would upset me a lot more if the beer had dropped in quality in any way, which it hasn't. Tours on the hour all day and they stay open until 11 which will definitely bring me back. Great place overall.

06-05-2013 01:37:54 | More by Jree261

SavvyStudent

Texas

4.88/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

I have been to +20 breweries across the US and this is one of my top 3. Never have I gotten to feel hops and stick my head in buckets of different types. The insight into their up-and-coming brews is amazing and I still managed to learn some new things even after going to tons of tours. The attached restaurant is top class in food options and available beers. I would just go to get the food but overall an awesome place. It doesn't hurt that the prices are more than reasonable with $12 growlers and many shop options.

A must see if around Orange County or San Diego.

05-31-2013 03:56:15 | More by SavvyStudent

DRTBrewster

Arizona

5/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Although my assumptions were high and tilted toward a bias of great faith, it still went above and beyond what a brewery should be. The staff during the tour was great and more than gracious at the tail end during the tasting. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere great, and the casual and comfortable garden was a great place to stroll around in and get your Stone on.

05-24-2013 21:49:00 | More by DRTBrewster

tourdot

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

The atmosphere and vibe at Stone is awesome. These guys put some serious thought and dough into the design of the brewery which includes a store, bar/restaurant, and outdoor bar/dining/relaxing area. The indoor restaurant has table seating, a bar with a lot of seating, and giant booths for large groups. The outdoor area is filled with vegetation, small waterfalls, and lounge chairs along with tables in the dining area and an outdoor bar area. The store offers a ton of shirts, glassware, bottled beer, and certain growler fills depending upon the day. I was greeted when I walked into the door and was treated very well during my visit. The beer selection is outstanding as they offer all the Stone regulars, current seasonals, occasional special releases, and plenty of guest taps. If you want to go all out, the bottle list is amazing, just be ready to pay for it. Though I didn't try any of the food, the menu is very extensive and the food that others were eating looked excellent. Tours are offered a few times a day and are only $3 which includes the tour, a Stone glass, and 4 samples. Tours are about 40 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Stone and would highly recommend it.

05-15-2013 19:52:57 | More by tourdot

jpaulsen

California

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is one of the best breweries to visit. The tour is great and you get lots of free beer at the end and it's free! They also have some great events here throughout the year. The menu is eclectic and fun just like Stone beers. Definitely visit when you 're in the area.

05-11-2013 20:26:36 | More by jpaulsen

MadCat

New Jersey

4.26/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75 | $$$

Atmosphere- This is a popular place, but they make it very inviting. Very open and warm, bright, charming, very welcoming

Quality- Excellent. Very nice place, what more can be said for quality?

Service- Excellent. Bartenders are quick, and eager to help and serve you. Very knowledgeable and personable.

Selection- More taps than I can count, and even larger bottle selection. Who could ask for more?

Food- Had the beer cheese soup and duck tacos, both were amazing. Lots of good selection

Value- Not cheap, but worth the money paid. Easy to spend a lot, but again, worth it.

05-09-2013 01:44:57 | More by MadCat