The Mad Duck Craft Brewery

If Unilocal allowed me to, I would give this place a 4.5 star. The service is quick, they have a great beer selection, and their prices on their beer is a very good deal compared to other places I’ve been. They have an extensive selection of salads, which is always hard to find. They also have an extensive selection of sandwiches, specialty entrees, and burgers. The Lulu burger and the Panzanella Salad is what I ordered, and both were very unique dishes, and hit the spot! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a casual lunch or dinner in Fresno.

awesome place good food great beer selection and really good customer service will be going back again and the Mayan theater is just a few feet away

Went here once and that was enough for us. Way over priced, the food was just «Ok» at best and the service sucked. It might be alright if you’re just there to get drunk as it’s more of a bar that serves food than a restaurant.

Pretty good! I love that they have deals every day and the hostess, Becky, was extremely nice when she showed me to the table. I would go back! I’m not too huge on beer but I had some of their bottom shelf wine and that was pretty good for what it was. Their Gilroy burger was delicious as well.

It’s called the fuckin’ Chef’s pub burger, I believe! (F-​bomb optional) Oh yeah, I had the fish-​n-​chips LAST night, and LOVED the dish! Not the best in the universe, obviously, but good enough that I will mos-​def return, and I will have it again. Also, this visit was awesome because of who I was hanging out with. Crazy-​Savage, the Legendary non-​Elite Unilocaler, that should have been Elite years ago! Haha. Oh yeah, and I drank again! Two nights in a row! Watch out for this guy! Lol. I know, I know, but hey, «good times, with good people, call for good drinks.» Feel me? And yeah, this joint hits a caribou on the head yo! Righteously done, I must say.

There are few places I know that serve tater tots, so that was quite a surprise.
I’ve been there three separate occasions, all with different experiences and seatings. If you’re looking for a quiet place to have silent conversations and whisper to each other about life and what not, you’re not gonna wanna be here. It’s for the casual folks that enjoy talking loud, and being lost within their group of friends without the care for other people around them.
The atmosphere is great, but the service is really a game. Of chance. It’s not that they do it on purpose, there just isn’t enough workers to go around for the amount of customers sometimes. The food isn’t amazing, but it is a major step from Dennys and things of the like.
What shines most is their craft beverages. You’ll probably appreciate it for that fact alone if you love branching out and trying new drinks.
Overall, I’d stop by to have a few drinks with friends, and a basket of tater tots.

They had some interesting choices and the food was tasty but the a la carte style of the menu was not to my liking. The place is really noisy so conversations are not easy when it is busy. I might go back if I was there at the movies.

Fantastic food and drink. Love the steak sandwiches. Best in this area along with tater tots.

Stopped in to meet some friends and had a few beers. The Mad Duck beers and the appetizers were good. But this place was just so crowded. Standing room only at the bar and an hour long wait to get a table. Like I said, what I had was good, but hardly worth waiting for. I’d say if you can stop in outside of rush hour, it’s a decent place to visit.

Enjoyed the food at the original location. New, much large, much nicer, new location, same great food. Gastropub style food, lots of original dishes. Have had several burgers and sandwiches and have been enjoyed all of them. Their home made brews are great!

I have visited Mad duck twice and both of my visits have been great. If you love sangria’s make sure you go on the weekends, as that’s the only time they make it. I love it.
Each time we go we always try something new but we always have to order their shishito peppers. It is deliciously amazing. It’s definitely spicy for me, but depends on people’s palate. The BF thought it was the perfect amount of spice only.
We really enjoyed the patio area because it’s chill and you can people watch. Lol. The waiters service has been great both times.
If you love beer, there’s plenty to choose from and their happy hour has amazing selections.
Def will be back!

Visiting Clovis/​Fresno area for the first time (I’m from LA area), I was dying to find out what the locals did for fun. I was driving aimlessly around at night when I spotted some bright strung up lights and the sign for Mad Duck Craft Brewery. After Unilocaling the spot I knew I had to make a visit the next night after work. I came on a Thursday night and it was packed! I was surprised to see so many people out and having fun. I took a seat at the bar since I was alone and people watching. Food was pretty good. I got the Portobello burger, tater tots, and a cider beer. This was more than enough for me. I even offered to share my tots with some locals sitting at the bar. Bartenders are friendly, but busy. I can definitely see myself becoming a regular here if I lived in the area.

I’ll make my review short and sweet. Greeted nicely, seated in about thirty minutes, they had numerous channels on tv to watch, enjoyed sampling beers before choosing one (I got an apple cider beer which was yum), our waitress Corissa was very nice and great at suggesting beers/​food. Inside it reminded me of a Bjs/​Yard House. My complaint was the food was mediocre at best… very bland, but each plate we order was bland so maybe adding some spice or flavor to dishes would make them more enjoyable.

Decided to try the pulled pork sliders and a sangria! The food was pretty good the only thing is I had to order my fries separate. I think it’s like that with all the sandwiches/​burgers. But the service was good :)

What we had:
Calamari Appetizer
Spicy Shrimp Stuffed baguette
Lulu Burger
Lemonade and Ice Tea
Earlier that day, we were at Tapioca Express and then Maya cinema. Both of those experiences were sub-​par (Attack on Titan Live action is horrible), but luckily for us Mad Duck made it a night worth to remember.
We were greeted warmly and seated promptly despite the place being packed. It was a bit boisterous, but seeing that majority of people are here for the beer that can’t be helped.
The décor was very modern with fancy light hanging down from the ceilings. The interior was really lit up and the atmosphere was very warm. I felt like it was a great mead hall, with the chatters and clatters and foods, but much brighter. I think that’s a plus.
Our drinks were brought to us no more than 4 minutes after ordering. I have to say that the service here, from the hostess to the waitress, were all phenomenal.
Our appetizer came out in about 10 minutes. The calamari had both the tube and tentacles and were a bit on the small side. It looks like the critters were fried then tossed in the sauce. The sauce was a bit heavy because the calamari was not as crunchy and the batter started to fall off.
The Lulu burger was a bit on the small side, but the taste was not bad at all. Fair price for the quality.
But the highlight of the meal, and quite possibly a reason why I would come back is the Spicy Shrimp Stuffed Baguette. Let’s start with the baguette. Warm with a crispy, crunchy crust. I don’t know if they make it fresh themselves or bought from a local bakery, but wherever they get it, it is BOMB. And mind you, that’s just the bread.
The shrimp is poured into the baguette with extra shrimps pouring out. The sauce the shrimp is cooked in is probably a roux with peppers added. The whole shrimp and its sauce reminded me of Etoufee. I was the highlight of a crappy night.
I would recommend the shrimp. It’s not too spicy and definitely worth every bit of the $ 9.95.
A solid 3.5 for now, but will return and if every is just as good, might bump up to a 4.

Since my BF and I enjoy the Mad Duck in Clovis, on Herndon & Willow… We decided to try out this new location. The place is huge. It gets pretty busy too. We made the mistake of self seating by the bar though. Not only is it difficult to walk through the tables and chairs, your waitress will constantly forget about you, like ours. We’ve had Mad Duck before (the clovis location) and are big fans and know the menu. The service here wasn’t pleasant like the other location at all, sadly.
But don’t get me wrong, the food is still super good and the building is very nice. Much more lighting than the other one. Many more tables too. I might need to give this location another try to be sure how I really feel.

I am not a fan of the original location, but this one seems to be much better. Whenever someone asked me to go to their first location I would usually refuse to go, but at this new location I am always happy to go.
The biggest improvement is the food. People have told me the food at the first location is great but I disagree, I have always found it to be cooked and seasoned poorly. This location remedies whatever issue they had, because each time I have ate here the food was much better.
Also improved is the restaurant space itself. Its bigger which means that while its still noisy, its not impossible to hear like the original location. The fact that they are now brewing their own beer is also really nice. While their brews tend to be a bit hit and miss, it seems like they are definitely on the right track. Some of their beers have been great and then the next visit less than stellar. I realize that they are just starting out so I am willing to cut them some slack since brewing beer definitely has a bit of a learning curve. Based on the times where the beer has been great I know they have the potential to brew some good beer.

I’m finally writing this review after coming on my 5^th time since the grand opening and I must say I’m a very happy duck.
Every time has been outstanding and my favorite things so far on the menu are the pulled pork sandwich and the sweet potato fries (probably the best I’ve had anywhere yet). The onion rings are good also but are nothing to write home about they’re your typical beer battered ring but the dipping is delicious not sure what it is but it has the right amount vinegar lemony taste and herby freshness.
I’ve tried every one of their beers they make except for their IPA as I’m not a fan usually but in order of favorites, Almond Brown, Oatmeal stout, Blonde, Citra. You can’t go wrong with any of the brews.
I’d definitely recommend coming out here!

We went grand opening night, they said 45 minute wait. It didn’t end up taking that long. There fries are great, along with the burgers and Caesar salad. The staff is very friendly, we have no complaints. Perfect location!
Second visit, had no wait! We both got the same thing, (the Caesar salad is really good) but I also tried the bake potato soup. It was okay, it wasn’t hot but was t cold. The food did come fast. The waitress kept making sure we didn’t need anything else. The same burger he got was smaller than the first time, but still good.

Great american classical burgers and crafted beers for a fair price set in an industrial style décor thats almost hipster. I was seated promptly at the bar area when I entered, since I was trying this place solo, and within minutes I was presented with their menu– the burger prices was on the $ 9-​$ 11 without fries, so it it pricey, but the quality was good so I can’t complain. I would have wished their menu was not laminated because it makes it look cheap, it would have been cool if it was brown paper printed with maybe a clipboard, making it seem as hipster as their décor.
Im not much of a beer drinker, and that makes me no beer expert, actually I don’t even enjoy it because I think its for classless people, history says so– beer is made for the poor, not that I’m snooty or anything, but I do enjoy the good stuff and plus it doesn’t taste any good– just sour, bitter and yeasty, not to offend anyone with that statement but I would be silly to go into a brewery and not try some, so I went ahead with a mild beer — honey pot blonde and to be honest I still didn’t like the taste of it because it was still bitter and tasted like yeast, but it was bearable, and it was nice and chilled. The price was also not too bad, a pint of the beer was $ 4.77 but I ended paying $ 2 because of their happy hour from 3−6pm. The menu said there was hint of honey and fruit, yet I did not taste any hints of honey or fruit, none at all.
They do offer other drinks than just beer, like spirits and wine too, so if your not a beer drinker like me, please do go ahead and order those. Their service is not too bad, was pretty fast, but the male bar tender– white male, tattoos, a little bit on the heavy side was not friendly and slightly snobby– I mean its a bar smile and be light, however the other female bar tender that eventually served me was really good and really friendly– topped off my water and was gracious as a server.
The burger here was really good and I would come back just for the burger. The California Mad Burger $ 8.95– is simple yet a gastronomic burger– the meat was moist (medium well) and huge (inch in height), plus the brioche buns was really tasty and perfectly toasted. It did not come with fries for the price, so yes it expensive just by itself, nevertheless I thought it was fair priced for the quality. The burger was a basic burger that came with a slice of american cheese, 2 crispy bacon and half sliced avocado.
Overall I would be back for the burger and maybe other drinks. Really great location too. The décor is nice but I think it lacks character, they should have some color in it, maybe painting or mural drawn on the wall, or maybe even some beer barrels or something overhead to make it look like a beer place, because currently the décor is nice but its just not picturesque– it just feels like dog house grill with the marble tables and plain walls.