LaConner Brewing Company

Hobbz

Rhode Island

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I finally had a chance to visit a few breweries/brewpubs north of Mukilteo, and LaConner was first on my list. Pretty impressed.

Found the brewpub rather quickly after entering this quaint little inlet town. Lying at the Swinomish channel south, at Skagit Bay, the La Conner village is surrounded by woodlands of cedar and fir.

Entered the building to find an cozy layout (a bit smaller than I had presumed) of pine wood and earthy interior with restaurant seating to the front and left and a cozy bar area right. Fairly busy at this sunset hour, Saturday 11/12/05, though found a spot at the bar in short order.

Good array of beers available. From my notes: German wheat, Pilsner, pale ale, esb, ipa, brown ale, stout, a seasonal, high-gravity Tannenbaum...

The beers were of fresh and good, some better. I did find that the wheat beer that I started with to me was more of the NW variety than the Bavarian style that was indicated; while I did perceive some esters I did not sense any profound fusels/phenolic levels. No matter, as I was determined to start off with this style and move on to taste them all.

I did spend some time referencing through the food menu. A lot looked good here as well. Nachos were what I finally decided on trying out. Impressive nachos! First, I noticed that the tri-colored chips were sturdy enough to support toppings (not always an easy find). Most 'radical' was their use of real, quality cheeses (imagine that: Jack/Cheddar, other? – too many places just end up using the cheap bulk stuff). Topped with a few tomatoes, black beans and jalapeños and served with sides of sour cream and house-made, unique salsa (is that a hint of smoked salmon that I sense? double-check a gulp of beer...nope, not the beer). Peppers could’ve been a bit hotter (not fresh or used pickled?); just my taste and no biggie.

Overall a good experience on my past two visits (pre- & just post-Arlen).

02-07-2006 08:04:16 | More by Hobbz

smcolw

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

In classic Northwest informality, here is a place to hang and have a great conversation. It is located in "downtown" LaConner, which is not very well known for tourism, but that makes the area far more charming.

The food is phenomenal. Most of the beer is excellent--They'll pour you samples of each kind to try before you order. I would recommend Oktoberfest, IPA and the Porter. The pizza is on fresh dough with fresh ingredients. My friends had chowder, a panini and a salad--they were also pleased.

My wife and I stumbled upon this place two years ago and had a very similar experience. I now try to make it a side trip whenever I travel to the Seattle area.

09-13-2005 01:18:13 | More by smcolw

FirstMan

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

LaConner is a great little town in every season EXCEPT during the Skagit Valley Tulip festival. Unfortunately that's when most people visit this sleepy little town at the mouth of an inlet on the Puget Sound. During the festival, this is probably the most popular place in town and it can be packed with people.

My suggestion is to try it at any other time.

Good Northwest atmosphere, good food, and good beer. This isn't the best brewery in the area, but it's certainly worth a stop. The menu features brick oven pizzas, high-end sandwiches, pasta dishes, etc. I've never had anything here that I didn't enjoy. Every once in a while the beer is a miss, but generally you'll be happy.

If you stop by in the wintertime, their winter ale is usually a spicy, warming treat.

08-22-2005 17:37:03 | More by FirstMan

RoyalT

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4

Atmosphere – LaConner, WA, is a small tourist city about an hour north of Seattle. The clientele reflect the mostly-local visitors. It’s warm and cozy in here. The pub is rather small and there’s a fireplace on one side and an open, wood-fired oven on the other.

Quality – I just loved the rustic theme of this pub. The wood is solid and beautiful, highlighting the rustic nature of the building. The one thing I didn’t like is the single-occupancy restroom.

Service – This place was packed when skyhand and I visited on President’s Day. We didn’t expect good service, but we got fairly poor service. The lady behind the bar didn’t know anything about beer and didn’t seem to know anything about the pub. Maybe she was new.

Selection – There are only about eight taps here and they are of course all house beers.

Food – I am a pretty finicky pizza eater, but their pizza here was terrific. I had a pepperoni, which was very spicy and well done. The bread is obviously made in-house and the fairly complicated cheese mix worked well. I ordered one to go to take home to my wife it was so tasty.

02-23-2005 03:37:08 | More by RoyalT

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4

This place was busy at lunch in April as it was in Tulip season. The atmosphere is more restaurant than pub with lots of ladies doing lunch. The service is friendly and efficient with good well presented food ranging from sandwichs to pizzas.

The beer is not consistent. The Wit was lacking in flavour and style but the IPA and Belgian Seasonal were excellent. They don't do a taster tray but will give samples if asked. Read the reviews on BA to ascertain what you may like to order ahead of time.

All in all a good place to grab a good beer and have a nice meal

04-16-2004 04:31:52 | More by canucklehead