Gordon Biersch-San Francisco

After a long day at Macworld in San Francisco, we decided we needed to clear our heads with some fresh air, so we cruised down to the Embarcadero to walk along the bay and enjoy the view. Wasn't long before hunger started creeping up on us and being as it was around 5 we figured there must be a happy hour somewhere nearby. Sure enough on the corner of Harrison and The Embarcadero in a picturesque brick building sits Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. A quick check with the hostess confirmed that happy hour was in progress and the plates passing by were making us hungrier by the minute.
If you like beer, this is your place. They serve five types of Gordon Biersch beer, all brewed onsite. In fact along one wall you can see the big tanks they use in the brewing process. The decor is dark wood and brick and one wall is all glass which gives a nice view of the bay.

At happy hour all GB beers are $1.00 off, wine is $2.00 off and they have $5.00 Martinis, Margaritas and Mojitos. On the food side they have a selection of appetizers all for $4.95 each. These include: Tapas, glazed chicken wings, deep fried artichokes, garlic fries, southwest egg rolls, house made chips and mini pizzas.
There were seven of us so we basically tried the whole appetizer menu, with the exception of the house made chips. This was a mountain of food. Not was everything beautfully presented, but the portions were ample enough for us to have some leftovers. We tried a variety of beers and they were all very well received. I was especially impressed with the freshness of the flavors, very bright and distinct, makes the bottled beer I usually drink pale by comparison.
Where to start with the food? The chicken wings were awesome, honey glazed, the way I like them and meaty, so tasty. Their garlic fries are world famous, and for good reason, I could have eaten a whole portion by myself. Tapas are really cool. They take their pizza dough and bathe it in an olive oil marinade and cook it in the wood fired oven and then serve it with a variety of toppings on the side.

These include, hummus, garlic, olive tapenade and fresh salsa. Yum! We all loved the deep fried artichokes which had a parmesan coating. Light, tender and tasty. Gordon Biersch prides themselves on making everything from scratch and it certainly shows in the quality of everything we tried. BTW, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful, they helped make the experience memorable.

Gordon Biersch
2 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA