brewer's art

i just love this place. if you're in the mood for a dark brick-walled dungeon style basement bar it's awesome. but also has a friendly barupstairswith a lounge and has a formal dining area. i've dined in all three areas. good place for small eats, dinner dates, and groups as well.

shh, a baltimore staple.. i love the brewer's art, i've been here many times. the restaurant is divided into two separate restaurants. upstairs, and downstairs with separate entrances.upstairsis upscale, quiet yet bustling, tall ceilings, dim lighting and has a great atmosphere. downstairs, is a dressed up dark cave. it's a bar, with really really loud music.

now the food-
upstairs has a decent sized menu with original items, more seafood than anything else. i'd order anything off the menu any day of the week, but i look out for the seasonal specials. i've ordered the steak frites, which is nothing less than spectacular...but it should really come with the seasoned rosemary fries which are only offered downstairs, and if you insist they will substitute them, but generally they give you a hard time. great brews without exception- do i really need to tell you how great they're beer is? it stands alone. i've ordered a few of their fish dishes as well and i'm always completely satisfied with my order.

downstairs, if you can withstand the noise and bring your flashlight to read the menu, is an experience all its own. they have a great burger that comes with rosemary fries, and i only wish it were offeredupstairsso that i could dine in a more mellow setting. i've again tried their seasonal items, like a chickpea burger that was blow your mind, i need that recipe good. now, if you're not looking to eat, downstairs is the happening, trendy, upscale mt.vernon bar you've been dreaming of. bartenders are excellent, they can make almost any drink you can think of without explanation.

i understand their reasoning for not allowing you to order a burger and fries whileupstairsin their dining room, but i would gladly pay a surcharge to have itupstairsif my plan was to come for a meal.

will be back many more times to come, can't wait to see what will pop up next on their menu!

the tale of the brewers art sit in of 2009. one night i went to brewers art to celebrate my brothers birthday with his friends. we of course opted to sit in the lovelyupstairsof the bar (in lieu of the dingy nasty lower level). after plinking down way too much money for the admittedly delicious resurrection ale, we were told we had to leave theupstairs(at 11:15pm on a saturday). we were then verbally coerced, abused and physically herded like animals into the crypt-like basement with several other suckers who frequent this place, since there are no good bars in mt vernon. huge turn off. i will never forget it, nor will i ever stop telling this tale every time someone tries to tell me how great it is.

great beer, great bar food...stop there.. i have been to the brewer's art several times for beer and bar food with nothing but good experiences. the last time i went the downstairs was too crowded, so we ateupstairsinstead. for the money, i don't think it's worth it. the overall experience is far better downstairs.

somewhat over-rated. the beer is good, but there are lots of places in baltimore to get good beer. theupstairsdining is not worth it. they have a major problem actually delivering food that is hot. we spent $100/couple without any wine. too many other places in baltimore where you can get a much much better meal than brewers art.
and the staff is genuinely rude, especially the hostess.

good beer but rude staff. i had always heard good things about the brewer's art and i like their beer a lot, but the last time i was there the staff was just awful. we were in the front bar sectionupstairs(downstairs was closed) and the bartender/server refused to let us start separate tabs at the bar, even though we were a group of about 8 people who were not all leaving at the same time. it made paying a big pain. also, i asked for a leftover box for my food and they said they couldn't give leftover boxes to people who order food at the bar because they were running out and needed them for the restaurant. i asked if they just had some foil i could use to wrap up my food and they refused to give me any. the staff also got a snooty attitude with me when i tried to pay for my food and drinks before the rest of the group was ready to leave. i will not be going back. the beer is really good, and i love the fries, but i don't need to deal with such rude staff.

a favorite. i regularly stop in for a brew and have eaten here several times. what can i say, i'm a fan. the beer is good and if you decide you don't want one of their home brews, ask for their beer menu. big.

menu has an interesting variety. i'd like to see more pub-priced food available in the basement.

sausage platter is very good. rosemary fries are usually very good. (sometimes they don't taste so fresh.)

i prefer the dungeon-like basement atmosphere to theupstairsbut having the option is also nice. staff is nice and attentive.

pretty good beer, but the overpriced food in theupstairsrestaurant is not great (i had the scallops). don't get the cake for dessert - too dry. hostess was a total jerk about making us wait until our reervation time even though the restaurant was empty.