Prison City Pub & Brewery

Very bad experience for lunch. I ordered the Budda Bowl and a small salad. 25 minutes later I had heard nothing from the server, and there was no food. Only three other tables had customers. Budda Bowl is a veggie bowl, quinoa and some spinach, mushrooms, red pepper and cabbage. The small salad was just that. I had to leave and the food then appeared. They charged me for the salad, which I took with me. There had been no communication from the server. I will NEVER return to the place.

Everything about our evening here was great. The young lady that seated us and our table attendant Jackie were happy and congenial, making us feel welcome and relaxed, and their service was both prompt and helpful. All four of us enjoyed our delicious meals. I highly recommend the rainbow salad I had with grilled chicken. It was nice and fresh with a lovely, zesty sauce. The atmosphere was lively and interesting. Even though the restaurant was quite busy, there was very little wait time for our drinks or our meals. The range of beers was impressive. Thank you for a very pleasant night.

Vary cool atmosphere. Prices seem ok but the portion sizes are very small and I’ve never been blown away with anything I’ve ever eaten there.

The prison City Pub Is a fun and casual restaurant that brews their own beers. The Vermont IPA was smooth but hoppy. The poutine was tasty. The fries were well seasoned. The gravy was rich and salty. The chicken and waffles had a delicious gravy. The chicken was crispy and well seasoned. The salad special with chicken was well balanced and flavorful. It was perfectly dressed so the lettuce was crisp. The menu is varied with something for everyone. The service was attentive and friendly. This pub is appropriate for children to visit.

I didn’t have particularly high expectations for Prison City– I figured it would just be your average pub. I was kind of hoping for decent food, and that was about it. Turns out their food was craaaazzy delicious, so that was an awesome surprise!
We sampled tons of different food in our party of 4. I don’t usually go for reubens, but their chicken reuben sounded so good, I had to order it! Well worth it– it was totally delicious. It should be noted, though, that the chicken reuben is open face– that was a bit of a surprise.
My mom and boyfriend both tried salads and liked them a lot. They were full of all kinds of good stuff and were very filling. Our table also shared poutine. The gravy was really tasty. However, this is where the disappointment arrived, the sole factor causing me to knock these guys down to 4 stars instead of 5– we ordered our poutine with pork belly and they forgot it. Such tragedy!!! We were really excited to try the pork belly. It’ll have to be next time! Also weird: the poutine was served on a plate and not in a bowl? Not ideal– the gravy was slopping around everywhere and was harder to soak up.
All the beers I tried were really great, unique, and interesting! Puff Puff Shiv was probably the most different– made with coco puffs and tastes just like them!!! I also loved the apricot sour. Definitely worth trying a flight! 4 beers, 5 oz each, for $ 10.
The décor was pretty cool– lots of exposed brick, drink bottles on display, BEER in bright lights on one wall, and a mug club with mugshots of all the members.
Well worth checking out next time you find yourself in Auburn!

So much to type about this place both good and bad. I only have so many hours in a day. Bottom line here is brewheads get the puff puff … Trust me you will, indeed, thank me later. AND stay away from the food. Don’t even be tempted — just stay away for pete’s sake. Unless, of course, you are looking for an adventurous rest of the night in the head.
They have a good array of guest taps and brew their stuff at an above average level. Kudos to the brewmasters for going into the wine lions den and having a go at it.

Jim mclaughlin, Naples, fl, came here Sunday at 7 when the rest of the town already rolled up the sidewalk Never new about this place.. House made beer is fantastic, Music perfect, server is great, menu off the chain, I lived here 33 years until 97, my friends never mentioned this place on any visit, wondering if they have any knowledge of the perfect experience in a restaurant.

Awesome! The beer was great and so was the service. The staff was so nice and even took us back to see the brew. Extensive knowledge on the beer and was genuinely nice and caring! Definitely worth it and worth going back again!

Tuesday night, May 3, 2016
Upside: The décor was cool and obviously some thought went into this. My server did a decent job. Musician added a unique touch.
Downside: Loud patron, was told «that’s just ****** we’re used to him.» Beer was pretty good, but seemed a little flat.
Biggest Downside: the burger which was the special, and the fries. I ordered it medium. The burger was undercooked on half and it wasn’t even the diameter of the bun. It seemed very undersized. Check out the picture in Unilocal from the other patron and you can see this appears it’s not an anomaly. Unlike that photo, my fries were obviously what was left in the fryer this night. The were dark brown, burnt, over-​cooked, over-​salted, and the longest one was an inch and a half. Again, the portion size seemed small. Had the beer not seemed flat, the burger 50% — 75% bigger, and the fries been cooked well and portioned well then the $ 20 I paid for 1 beer, 1 club soda, and 1 burger would seem ok. As it stands it seems over priced by $ 7 – 8. This may have just been someone’s bad night at the restaurant, but what is bothersome is that the cook made the food and saw it, and the waitress saw it and both still served it. This place got good reviews so I tried it out, but if this is a trend I would say look elsewhere until it gets corrected. A Tuesday night should elicit the same A-​game a weekend would in the hospitality business.

Went 2 nights in a row. I had a delicious grass fed-​burger last night and a very tasty kale, quinoa and root veggie salad tonight. But the best items were beers.
The southern tier 3 citrus is amazing!
Unfortunately others thought so too as I got the last glass on night 2.
I happened into a live band on Monday night very fun and unexpected!
They have a very good beer menu as well as a decent wine list. I will definitely visit again next time I am in area!

Wow, this place has lots of character and a fun staff. The food was really great, burgers are grass fed beef and sourdough bread is used liberally. Now that is my kind of bar food. Next time I’ll review the beer, biz lunch today.

So wildly disappointing on so many levels. First and foremost, they are a brewery. Their beer is good. Everyone at the table had great things to say about their brews. They know their stuff when it comes to brews. In terms of food and service? Wildly subpar. Some of the most disappointing food I have had in a long time.
Food: We started off with the pretzel basket. Pretzels were the best thing of the night. The two dipping sauces? Some sort of cheesy concoction and a stone ground mustard of sorts. Both average, but fair accompaniments. (⁴⁄₅)
We also ordered calamari for the table. It was like a New Orleans style calamari dusted in a potent breading and drizzled with a remoulade. The calamari was cooked perfectly. Unfortunately, no one really liked the flavors. Too much of something. Overwhelming, even. (³⁄₅ — 2+1 for cooking them right)
I ordered the grilled cheese with mac and cheese to split with my daughter. It had brie, caramelized onions, and other flavorings — oh, bacon too. It was very average. I was expecting better. (³⁄₅) The mac and cheese? I don’t even know if I can call it ‘bad’ because it tasted like nothing. Literally, nothing. It had the undertone of beer, but there was ZERO seasoning. So bland. May have been good if executed properly. 4 of us had a side of mac, all 4 of us had the exact same criticism (⁰⁄₅)
My in-​laws had the Buddha Bowl and the fish. The fish must have been done early and sat in the window because it was soggy and not crispy by the time it reached us. The Buddha bowl was a joke. Quinoa and three shrimp DOUSED in sauce. DROWNING in sauce. No good (Both ²⁄₅)
My wife and brother had a burger. Cooked perfectly. The flavor left a little bit to be desired, but overall these were the best entrée items of the night (³⁄₅) My sister ordered the Three Little Pigs sandwich. She called it average (³⁄₅)
Overall Food: ³⁄₅
Service: SLOOOOOOW, and not very friendly. The only warmth we got was from the gentleman with the long beard. He was pleasant, nice, and seemed to care about the experience. Our server must not have wanted to work that night. Maybe she had a sour attitude because all of her girlfriends were going out to watch the SU game and she had to work? No idea. Our entire experience took over 2 hours. We sat at 640, and didn’t leave until nearly 9. That is too slow for mediocre food. It was busy being that it was an SU basketball (NCAA Tournament) night; but all our food came out lukewarm and wildly underwhelming.
Service: ²⁄₅
Atmosphere: Such a cool and trendy atmosphere! Loved the whole environment. Really felt authentic and genuine. Unfortunately, the excessive quantity of little filth flies everywhere was a major turn off. I know that with a brewery it is hard to manage those little creatures; but you need to keep them out of the dining room. It is gross and had us all wondering how cleanly the establishment was on a night that 30 degrees yet there were gratuitous levels of flies.
Atmosphere: ²⁄₅ (4 — 2 for flies)
Price: For what we paid, we did not get our money’s worth. Mediocre food amidst slow and mostly indifferent service. Disappointing.
Price: ²⁄₅ (1 for food 4 for beer)
Final Thoughts: Maybe we came on an off-​night. All I know, is given the very positive reviews, I expected a lot more. Compared to other breweries I have been to that serve food, this place ranks as one of my worst experiences yet. I will not be back.

We normally go to Prison City on the weekends and this past visit I saw a few things that gave me pause.
First, the entire staff appears to be hung over… which is fine if they can deliver. Both food and service suffered. Our fries were grease soaked and overcooked and actually bitter tasting. The mussels were off… did not taste fresh and we both got a bad one. The pork belly tacos are also a stretch. more like deep fried lardons, not soft, rendered pork belly and why the flour tortilla?
Worst of all the service. We felt like we arrived late to the party and everyone was already full and drunk. It was pathetic and painfully slow.

I’d say whatever bugs they had to work out they did. We had an amazingly fresh meal with everything, sans pretzels, made in house. Their special of spicy Manhattan clam chowder was incredibly spicy and loaded with clams and tender tomatoes and potato. The Portobello Bahn Mi, although I’ve never had any other iteration of this sandwich, was fantastic and all the flavors melded into a fermented vegetable, grilled mushroom, spicy spicy deliciousness ok whatever it was great. I’m so tired of weak vegetarian choices and this is like BAM! Vegetarian? It’s going to slap your face. Seriously. Brownie hot beer fudge Sunday with beer ice cream was great. (My husband just told me this review sounds like Homer Simpson is writing it and honestly, Homer is my spirit animal.) I had a prison city cream ale and it was really nice. Balanced, good beer. Everyone was super nice. The bartender was great, waitress excellent and kind. We will return! Doh!

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I have gone here about 3 times now over the past year or so and every time they are spot on! They have a huge variety of beer on tap from all over as well as their own home made beer. The food menu is small but varied. It was pretty tasty every time we went.
I love that this place has modern industrial feel along with being a hometown place. They have a mug club that you can join and have access to various events and discounts. The offer yoga on sundays and a brunch. I wish it was not a 35 minute drive for me to get there, but I enjoy it that much more when I go. Prices are good, staff are nice. beer excellent!

The two beers I had were both (insert complimentary beer expert lingo here). The dry stout, and the blonde were both flavorful, and refreshing. Our party shared an order of buffalo wings, and they were crisp, HUGE, and cooked extra crispy, as ordered. I felt like getting more, but knew my pub burger was coming, and I was really looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, the burger was hugely disappointing. The burger came with disappointingly few onions, way too much cheddar cheese, a thin beef patty, and the meat was rather bland. Further, the mayonnaise-​based house sauce on the burger was bland too. The one bright spot was the deep fried pickles, which added a ton of flavor to the burger and was a bright spot on an otherwise bland burger. In my book, if you’re depending on a deep fried pickle to add taste to a burger, that’s not too good. The macaroni and cheese I got as a side was pretty good, although the stuff that’s on the top should be mixed in (I think it’s dried peppers or possibly onions). After the first few bites, it lost flavor and reminded me of my boring burger.
For what it’s worth, the other people I came here with enjoyed their meals: fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie. For that reason, the wings, and the fantastic beer, I’ll be going back again. I just will be staying away from the Pub Burger and I’ll be getting a different side.

Stayed down the road in Auburn and hit this place for pints and a bite.
They offer flights which is always a good way to try brews. On this night they had 4 house brews on the menu which included the bleek worden, a barrel aged porter, IPA (a little hop from my friends) and a sour called Cherry Poppins. Not a bad taster although I found the porter a little much quite possibly since it was the last of the keg. They also offer a good variety of craft brews. I appreciate the fact that they don’t punish you price wise if you decide to try 8 ounces instead of the standard 16 oz glass. What’s even better is they don’t even serve 8 ounce glasses… they just eyeball half a 16.
There’s fun for the kids too. Not only can they get their meal served on a metal prison plate, but they can also get their mugshots in front of a height chart. This may open for the door for important discussions including why it’s important to stay out of jail and what a felony is.
From a food perspective:
Ploughman’s platter $ 12– Pretty decent but pretty standard. Offered a nice, mild blue cheese.
Poutine $ 8– Fresh Fries, abundant thick gravy and a bunch of cheese. Who can complain?
Pub Burger $ 9– Cooked as ordered. Fresh bun and good condiments.
Ale and Cheddar Soup $ 5– Thick and Rich.
Double Down Dogs with Fries $ 8– Hoffman’s dogs with fresh fries. Hard to mess up and they didn’t.
The service was good and the décor is plain, roomy and very appropriate.
A nice place if you’re looking for a short walk from a hotel, want a good (and unique) beer selection and want to act out an episode of scared straight with your kids.

We stopped in after a day of touring Cazenovia. I was very surprised to see how extensive the beer selection was! My main reason for stopping was to try some of Ben’s beer, and I wasn’t disappointed! I got a flight of sour ales that were spectacular! My wife enjoyed her Dark And Stormy. Our companion couldn’t feel her face after an afternoon of beverage sampling, and stuck to water. The food was excellent! I had a burger, cooked to perfection. The others had fish and chips which they raved about. The space isn’t huge, but the tables are nicely separated from each other. The décor is pretty cool too, with old prison pics scattered about. I will definitely stop back in the next time I’m in the area!

Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn is an excellent place to eat and have some quality craft beers. It is relatively easy to get to (by Auburn standards) and parking at night and weekends is free on the street if you get there at the right time.
The brewpub looks outstanding on the inside. Black, white, metal is the theme of the décor, inspired by the local prison, but somehow manages to be comfortable. I’ve visited both inside and out and while the inside is fine, I highly recommend sitting outside on a nice summer evening.
I have had flights of house beers both times. The head brewer is making massive strides for central NY breweries, which usually just offer a bland, basic pale ale, stout, red ale, etc. Yawn. This is not the case at Prison City. There is always something interesting on tap made in-​house, and it’s usually a sour Berliner Weisse or Gose, both styles which are far more difficult to make and excel at — most breweries won’t even attempt them. Prison City often fruits their sour beers, making them all that much more refreshing and sessionable.
While my main focus was on the beer, I found the food is better every time we visit. The burgers are fine but could use a little more flair. The fries are outstanding and well-​salted, though when they show up on the table look miserable. Don’t let their appearance fool you. I’ve also had the cheddar beer soup which is one of my favorite items to order out. However, the last time we visited (June 2015) I made the plunge and had the pork belly tacos… and now I don’t think I can ever order anything else from here again, as I am now addicted.
The service has a ways to go, but I think this is mostly because their staff is still quite small. It will get better, and this place will soon be difficult to get into on a regular basis once word gets around.

We periodically come to Auburn, as we have family here. Prison City Brewery is a place that honestly could easily be in Brooklyn.
Staff is great and super attentive. Bartenders were wonderful. Alcohol is CHEAP (compared to Brooklyn pricing). Taplist is really good!
The guest beers are awesome. Bell’s, Ithaca, Ommegang – wonderful. The house beers, though? They could use a lot of work. The house IPA was mild and more of a pale ale. The porter aged in a whiskey barrell should’ve been aged in a bourbon barrell, as the flavor was bleh. Brown was good?
I didn’t try the food, but my advice goes solely to the brewer: TAKE CHANCES! I mean, seriously! This place could be great but you need beers to be outstanding. Great guest tap list, but the in-​house stuff was just so, so boring.