Great Lakes Brewing Company

I have been a fan of Great Lakes Brewing Company for years. Fortunately, their beer is widely available in... more

I have been a fan of Great Lakes Brewing Company for years. Fortunately, their beer is widely available in Central Ohio. Only recently did I have t... more

What I enjoyed most about coming here was the atmosphere and outdoor seating. Their beers are tasty, not that I had many, but looking forward to the changing season I went with the Oktoberfest. The food is what you would expect from a place that calls themselves a brew pub and it's well executed. Not bad for a relaxed afternoon lunch. more

We visit the brewery at least once a month but find ourselves going there a couple times a month! The burgers are EXCELLENT(pretzel buns)! and of course the beer is awesome! I really love the atmosphere! Every time we go we have excellent service! If you want some good bread pudding this place has it! Also the Edmond Fitzgerald ice cream is a must to take home!(ask for spoons cause we can never make it home without taking a bite!) Pros: The food and beer! Cons: There is only ONE brewery! :) more

As with so many other reviews of GLBC on the internet, I thought the beer was really good but the food and service were simply pitiful. First there is their rather odd selection of appetizers...when one reads the menu one really must ask, ""Do people really eat this rubbish?"". Ok...perhaps I'm just a bit spoiled but I'm used to a few ""standards"" when it comes to an appetizer menu. mozzarella/cheese, stuffed mushroom caps, chicken quesadillas, etc.. I certainly welcome the unusual house specialty but in this case, that was the only thing on the menu...weird and unusual. While the Fried Eggplant was actually very good (kudos on the marinara sauce), the Meat and Cheese Board left a great deal to be desired...the sausage and splutch of cheese mush were practically too spicy to eat. Thank goodness there wasn't much of it there. This Board also included 4 thin sliced of a salami-like deli meat, 4 sliced of (stale) bread and a couple of other small nibblings, none of which was really appetizing. In fact the only good thing about this meat and cheese board was the 2 fresh strawberry's. The story was the same about the entrees. The Sirloin steak actually wasn't too bad, included mashed potatoes and fresh green beans (the demi-glace was particularly noteworthy although it should have came in a plentiful gravy boat on the side). It was well prepared and the presentation was what one would expect from an establishment of this caliber but for $19 again the portions were beyond petite and when compared with other ""nice"" commercial restaurants of similar price range (Outback, Roadhouse, D&B, etc) the portions were downright inadequate. The same is true of the ""Half Slab of Ribs"". Have these people NEVER attended a Cleveland Rib Burn Off??? Do they honestly have no clue as to how large ""a slab"" of ribs really is? In this case, the actual slab was LESS than one quarter of a slab...it was literally nothing more than the pointy end of a small slab of ribs with a few small bones. In this case as with the meat and cheese appetizer, the sauce was also so spicy that it was virtually inedible. One can only surmise that GLBC expects their customers to be quite drunk at this point so as not to notice that the ""spice"" is clearly intended to cover up the rest of the flaws of the evening as a whole. No comments can be made on the cole slaw as it never even arrived at the table. The ""pub fries"" were of generous portion but that was about it. The service was slow and inattentive at best. After having told the server that we were ""on a schedule"", she seemed to do everything she could to drag things out and make us late for our next evening engagement. While we placed our appetizer and dinner order when we first arrived, it took close to half an hour for the appetizer dishes (as unappetizing as they were) to arrive at the table. While the dinner entrees were a bit more timely, it then took over 15 minutes for us to get the guest check so that we could complain about the missing cole slaw (which we received NO compensation for). Bottom line: if you want a ""trendy"", over-priced meal with more spice than actual substance which leaves you hungry afterward and you want this event to take all evening with a great many mistakes, by all means Great Lakes Brewing Co. is the place to go. If you want a really good glass of beer, their Dortmunder Gold was indeed wonderful. On the other hand if you desire a -good- meal and a pleasant experience from a restaurant in this price range...do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. GLBC simply was NOT worth even half the price of admission. Pros: Good beer Cons: Over-priced food, poor service more

Before I get into my review I just want to say that Great Lakes has the absolute best beer ever! Saying that, I dont live in Cleveland and always make a stop to Great Lakes when in town. This last time I was very let down. They were having their "" End of Prohibition "" party. I figured we would have to wait but we were seated right away. I had a Dortmunder and my boyfriend had an Eliot Ness. They were both delicious. We ordered the Meat and Cheese bored for an appitizer and then ordered Fish N Chips and the Pretzel Crusted Chicken. The appetizer was good minus the fact that you dont get that much for what you pay for it and we didnt even get 30 second to enjoy it before both of our entrees came out. My boyfriends Fish N Chips wetre delicious. My chicken breast was okay, but the side of mashed potates were the worst instant potatoes I ever had. Also my ""steamed veggies "" were nothing more than cold, limp, GRAY on the inside broccoli. The waitess didnt even come back until the meal was almost done, I told her I didnt like it and she brought me a side salad. She tried to charge me for the chicken plate and it was eventually taken off the bill from the manager. When you pay that much for dinner I expect fresh ingredients and the fact that instant potatoes were used just is so disapointing. Next time I come back I think I will stay at the bar, have a few drinks and then go somewhere else for dinner. more

I have been visiting GLBC for many, many, many years. It is about 20 miles from my home on the eastside, so it is an effort for my husband and brothers to get there (and sometimes an effort to get home!). The trip has always been worth it because the beers are extraordinary...Burning River, Blackout Stout and Edmond Fitgerald are my favorites. BUT, what has happened to the food quality? It has been getting consistently worse over the past year or two. The Marguerita Pizza was horrible on my second last visit. It is supposed to be mozz cheese and tomatoes. You could hardly even see the tomatoes they were cut so thinly and the cheese was very sparse. The crust on the salmon and cream cheese pizza was very dry. I love veggie burgers, but GLBC are the worst I have ever had. Last visit I settled on the Bruschetta bread (served as an appetizer) for my dinner....it served the purpose. Mr. Manager, please heed this review. Your beer is expensive, but delicious. We will travel the distance and pay the price, but we expect to have good quality food too or we will just buy a couple of 6 packs and stay home. more

Let me start by saying that I love this beer. It may even be the best in the world. But that is well known, and I am here to call attention to one of the most often overlooked aspects of a fine restaurant: how they treat their employees.\r \r In my many visits to the GLB, I have never seen a server get a break. In fact, I have seen on several occasions, a fat lazy manager(his name is pete), who is rather like a despot. Requiring employees to work 10, 12, 14 hours with NO BREAKS. NOw I understand that this is totally legal in Ohio, but that does not mean it's okay. THis place has 4 floors! and none of them are level surfaces! These girls work their asses off to provide outstanding service and they're treated like DIRT.\r \r I will not support this business until they figure out how to ACTUALLY be a place of integrity, rather than just profitting off the illusion, and hiding behind their small carbon footprint and organic beer. \r \r shame on you conway brothers, shame on you. Pros: Excellent Beer Cons: It's flavored with sweat and tears more

We visited GLB on Sat afternoon on 4-5-08. We had to wait for a table so we went to the bar to get a beer. Granted, they were crowded due to the Cav's game crowd, but we could not get the bartenders attention to order some beers. Hey buddy, your beer is that that great where you can ingnore your customers! After about 10 minutes and no service, we decided to visit the West Side Market instead of having a few beers before dinner. A business needs to understand that you are there for the CUSTOMERS and should be somewhat attentive to them. No amount of arm waiving or yelling could get his attention. He could have atleast acknowled that we were there and said that he'd get to us shortly. The food was good and our food server was excellent. Good thing they do not sell Miller Highlife. An $11 hamburger. Come on now, it was not that good for the price and the fries were way too salty. We will remove GLB from my list of restaurants to come back to. more

If you accept average food go ahead and order whatever you want, it will be totally mediocre. The beer is great. From now on, I'll go to Giant Eagle and get a 6 pack of Dortmunder and make my own burger. This place used to have great food, it's garbage now, I don't ever recommend going here to eat. Pros: Beer tastes good Cons: Mediocre food; mediocre service; poor value; rough neighborhood more

Everyone used to say how the dining at Great Lakes Brewing Co. was as good as their beers. Not anymore. The ""seared"" Pretzel Chicken was deep fried and my Fish and Chips had a soggy batter for being deep fried. I would rather have had Arthur Treacher's fish for less than half the price. It took them about half an hour after our beer order to take the food order, and the waitress messed up the second beer order. Their beers did shine, notably the Commodore Perry IPA on tap; the Brewer's Pretzels appetizer were great as well, but I will not be going back to eat there for a long time. Pros: Great beer and specialty ones they don't sell in stores Cons: Food and service were lacking more

Great beer, fun atmosphere. However, I have experienced a steady decline in the level of customer service, menu selections and quality of food. In addition, current management doesn't really seem to care about customer satisfaction. I recommend having a few beers at the bar, maybe enjoying the artichoke crock as an appetizer, then leaving for a better dining experience. Pros: beer, ambience Cons: parking, service more

While in Cleveland on vacation, we decided to try out Great Lakes Brewing... had a hard time finding the location, but it was well worth it! Our server was amazing, and gave several good suggestions on what to order. The food was exceptional (if you're ordering dessert, try the infamous bread pudding)! And, of course, their beers are unbeatable... we tried the Edmund Fitgerald Porter and the Blackout Stout, both very tasty and smooth. Try this place if you enjoy finely crafted beers, and if you want to support local small businesses. Great Lakes Brewing Co. rocks! Pros: unbeatable service, unique food & beer Cons: parking more

The outdoor seating is amazing. It has so much charm, especially the courtyard. There is no better outdoor dining in cleveland on a beautiful weekend day or night. On the flip side, I don't recommend sitting in the downstairs. Its damp and feels like you are in the dungeon basement. Pros: outdoor dining, bad parking Cons: basement dining, great area more

interesting setting but boring menu....beer has some flavor but could be colder...Tony Pros: nice setting Cons: boring menu more

Visited Cleveland, stumbled upon this brewpub, and am duly impressed. Beer drinkers will appreciate the hand-crafted beers. Foodies will delight in an ambitious menu. Vegetarians will be amazed at the inclusion of many choices of non-meat items. Service was a bit spotty; ambiance was warm and inviting. The burgers and fries stole the show. If you are a fan of Belgian fries, you want to eat here. If you appreciate good beef, the burgers are to die for. Soft pretzels made with grain used to brew the beer served with various mustards and cheese spreads were wonderful. The bread pudding was scrumptious. Stay away from the ""specials"" and stick with the standard, tried and true menu items. My party of 6 gave GLBC a big thumbs up. Keep up the good work! Pros: smoke free, burgers & fries, bread pudding Cons: dinner specials, crowds more

I love Great Lakes Brewing. This impeccable restaurant/brewery always has a diverse crowd to please any people watcher. It goes without saying, but the food and the beer are out of this world...I've not yet been disappointed with anything I've tried. The Pretzel Chicken and Jack Daniels Bread Pudding is to die for. My absolute favorite dish however was the Squash Ravioli--although I've not seen it on the menu recently. The Stilton Cheddar Cheese soup and the Bratwurst & Pierogi Plate are a nice substite until they bring back my Squash Ravioli. Pros: Beer, Food, Service Cons: Parking more

I may be a bit harsh on this place, but I had a hard time choking down the beer. I have had several people in the area say that they loved the beer, but I was disappointed. My beer selection is normaly a german weizenbier or a bock, so maybe this will help you when you go. Pros: Nice location more

Our party of 6 went the GLBC the day after they reopened as a smoke-free restaurant. Thank you! The home-grown beers were wonderfully diverse but the food was inconsistent. My corned-beef sandwich was dry & rather tastless--as were the fries. My companion's catfish, however, was exemplary. The dessert, an apple cheescake dish, was scrumptious. Service was efficient without being overbearing. Pros: Smoke-FREE! Cons: Crowded, Parking more

Could be Great Lakes again. Not as friendly as it once was, no mistakes, no dumpers ! I'm not looking for free drinks but it gave the place that old neighborhood feel. They used to service very good wings twice a week but that also ended. BUT THE BEST BEER IN TOWN is there so you ALWAYS go back. It would just be nice to have the old place back. I recommend Great Lakes on the beer alone. Food is good but upscale. Pros: GREAT BEER, GREAT BEER, GREAT BEER Cons: to profit driven more