Tuesday 29th of April 2008 09:32:19 PM

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River City Brewery
Jacksonville, FL
April 29, 2008

The best I can say is they do serve beer. I arrived on a Saturday to find the brewery and bar closed. I returned on Tuesday and sampled their beer. I had 5 of their beers, each had a ‘house note’ late in the taste that hinted of infection. I was surprised by this because it is Gordon Biersch property and they have strict laboratory analysis of their beers. The other G B properties had good beers, see Ragtime and A1A. The beers were not to standard, and the porter and stout were very thin.

The price was right during happy hour at $2.75. On Friday and Saturday after 5 no one under 21 is allowed. So it is marginally kid friendly. Seven ounce hamburger is $7.50.

The internet connection was on and off. I did not bother to take a picture of the bar, although it did have a good view of the water.

Generally I would not go back for the beer.

Mike

Monday 29th of October 2007 11:33:36 AM

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Located right on the St. Johns River and directly opposite the touristy Landings, the RCBC seems to more of an upscale restaurant vs. a normal brewpub. In fact, when I’ve been at the bar, no more than 10% of the folks seem to be drinking the house brews. Speaking of which, they are a pretty uninspired bunch. The have 4 regulars, a light, a weak pale ale, a passable red and a good porter. They also have a rotating seasonal.

The bar is separate from the large dinning area. I have only been in the bar, so I’ll restrict my comments to that area. They have a copper toped island bar with seating for about 20. There are plenty of tables to seat about 80 more. There are a couple of different elevations, which add some visual interest, but the best part of the bars is the great view of the river. Large outdoor beer garden and what I found kind of cool, a place to tie up your boat. They have some good happy hour specials.

The bar menu is decent with a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and entrees. I liked my oysters and the salad; the gumbo was ok but not a world-beater.

The service has ranged from good to fair.

The restaurant section was packed so; I’m guessing most folks view this as a dining and not a drinking location.

I can’t really recommend a visit. I usually stay on this side of the river, so I can walk here, otherwise, I don’t think I would bother.