Steins Beer Garden

Great place to come to for happy hour. They have a good selection of beer — try their campfire stout if you’ve never been. It tastes like s’mores! The food is also pretty good. This is a pretty big venue, they have both an indoor and outdoor area so I’ve never had an issue with getting a seat.

I visited on Sunday for brunch and it was awesome! We stopped by after walking the Mountain View Farmers Market at around 11:30am for brunch. It was the perfect time because we didn’t have to wait for a table. Out waiter was Will and he was incredible! He gave us really good suggestions regarding food, gave us some samples to taste on beer that may match our food and was just an overall pleasure to chat with.
Items we got that were ALL so delicious:
— Fried Chicken Sandwhich with French Fries: The chicken was so flavorful and juicy, you could really taste the rosemary. I am not a fan of slaw so I asked for it on the side. It was really good.
— Steins Breakfast: The best dish to get if you want a little of everything. The portion is good, you will leave very content.
— Biscuits & Gravy: The best part about this entrée was the spicy pork sausage and the gravy.
The next time I’m in the area, I will definitely visit! I’m even thinking about having a party here!

Not your typical beer garden as I expected a limited range of German beers but instead found a great selection of mostly West Coast beers covering many different styles. They have a pair of pre-​defined flights or either light or dark beers from their normal draft list, but you can go up to the bar to order your own flight of 4 from anything on draft.

If it’s a Friday and there is a sports game, this place is packed. I think it’s packed on Friday without a sports game too. And for good reason — it is fry-​day after all and Steins has bomb fries!
Eats:
Some really unique items on the menu! This isn’t just your everyday American (New) pub.
Fries — OMG get the truffle parm fries. These fries aren’t thin cut nor thick cut. They are little right down the middle in thickness and perfectly cooked. Each bite is a pure fry-​gasm. Get these now. I repeat, fry-​day. #fryorities
Fresh baked pretzel — Ehh it was a little hard. Not like your Auntie Anne’s soft pretzel or a nice crunchy one. It almost had a little bit of a stale taste. It comes with three interesting dipping sauces. One is almost like a chutney you would expect at an Indian restaurant, a dijon, and then a thick buttery dip.
Service:
Service is attentive and well-​organized. They did everyone’s tabs correctly and there were no errors with the orders. They are adept at serving large groups.
Located right off Castro street, there are probably 10 or so tv’s in the place total and it is jam packed for game time. Since it is semi-​open, you can even stand outside and watch. Tables are large and parties are loud. Sometimes it’s difficult to hear the person across the table… especially if the Warriors game is on.
If you want to hang out and eat some fries with friends on Friday, Steins is on point.

I was in the Mountain View area on vacation visiting a relative a little over 2 weeks ago. I had a fantastic experience at this place and finally now am getting around to writing about it. I sat at the bar inside when I entered. The bartender, Jackie greeted me with a drink/​food menu. The beer list was serious, around 30 different options. I definitely needed someone to walk me through it and help me make a decision that suited my taste buds. After speaking with Jackie for a few minutes and letting me do a small sample, she helped me select a fantastic beer.
Food was good but what really stood out was the Jameson Chocolate cake that I had for dessert which was another recommendation from the bartender. If I’m ever in the area again I definitely will stop again to dive in more to the beer selection.

Just too expensive for what it is. Minimum beer price is $ 8 and it goes up from there. The food that we had was OK but priced maybe a third too high. It did not help that Judit was hoping for a real German menu and that is not where they are. Service was pretty good. The pickles that came with the meal were good. Just too many $$$

AMAZING SERVICE for large groups. We made a reservation for twenty people to arrive at 4pm on a Saturday. The staff was extremely flexible as we switched from outdoors to indoors and then back again to outdoors (yes, we were being difficult — but we were concerned it was going to be too hot outside).
Our goal was to have friends get together for a no-​host cocktail party and dinner. Steins uses a iPad system for orders. The beauty is that each person was able to place their order with Tristin (our server). He then was able to swipe their credit card and keep a tab running for each person. It so seamless and easy. Tristin was amazing — the whole party was a great success.
Thank you Steins for helping us have a great night.

Pre gaming at Steins before the Zac Brown Band concert at the shoreline. The place was busy but they seated us right away.
Annoying that they had numerous servers and they did not help us for about 5 – 10 minutes. I thought it was just us and I noticed that others had the same issue. Once we did get a server they were great, but initial interaction was disappointing!
They have a great Happy Hour menu so do take a look and advantage of it. Yes they have awesome beers, but I wanted a Moscow mule, and to my surprise they were awesome!!! Yes I said they, I had a couple!
Food wise I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with truffle fries and I really loved it! Very tasty and juicy! Since it was National Doughnut day we went with the doughnuts. It takes about 15 minutes to make but well worth it! I’m still drooling!!! They come out warm and fresh, pour the vanilla sauce and chocolate on top for a great addition.

I made a reservation for a baby shower brunch here in the garden/​patio area on a Saturday morning and it was such a wonderful experience! The event coordinator was great to work with. originally, I was told that we would have two tables reserved under the pergola but there may be other patrons sitting at the tables next to us. However when I arrived, I was surprised to see that they had set up a tent at a more private area of the garden and they even arranged a gift table for me. The waiter was absolutely wonderful and gave us such great service. He got all our orders in a timely manner, he constantly came back to refill our drinks and water since is was such a hot day, and he even advised me on how to get pink frosting off of my white blouse from the baby shower cake! He was so accommodating and he was the best waiter I have ever worked with for an event.
I had the fried chicken and soudough waffles and it was so delicious! The chicken was juicy and the waffles with the honey butter was so good.
I highly recommend this place for an event in the beautiful garden and also the great brunch food options!

Solid food and beer — love the burgers, the fries, and the service!
Love the outdoor space — it’s great for larger parties and for dogs.
This spot does get super crowded on game days, so I would get there early, or find another spot.

I spent most of high school across the street at Verde (cause obv that’s what kewl kidz in the Silicon Valley do). So it’s cool that there’s a grown up hang out spot across the street!
It’s really, really big both inside and outside which is nice. I went on a weekday evening and it was empty, but I can imagine during happy hour there’d be a large crowd.
We opted to sit outside which is typical beer garden style picnic seating, barrel high tops, etc. What I LOVED was that the covering is filled with jasmine wines which is beautiful, but also smells SO GOOD. Could sit there for dayz smelling the jasmine. It also has the typical cute beer garden string lights and a little fountain. Outdoor area — adorable.
Indoor area had 1 superrr large big screen and a bunch of small ones. Service was just dandy, and beer selection and prices are good too!

I love how this place feels really spacious and really open. The rustic feel with all of the wooden décor and spaced out seating is really pleasant. Also depending on where you sit, you have view of the TV’s, which is nice when you come to watch sports games; they had a baseball game on.
I didn’t have any food here, but I had the fruit fight of beer which was $ 10 for 4 tasters. They also had a dark and a light flight of beer all for the same price. The bartenders there were extremely friendly and they were attentive… granted I went at 4pm on a Sunday just for an afternoon drink and it wasn’t crowded. They had a large list of beers so I’d like to come back and try more and also their brunch.
Some practical notes, parking here can be really difficult depending on when you go… it’s Castro St sigh. The parking lots gets full so street parking is your best friend.

They have a really nice selection of beer. Ambers, IPA’s and some very interesting fruit beers are just a few things they have on tap. I have now had their fried chicken and lamb at dinner. The lamb was delicious, but the chicken was a little dry for my taste. The portions are quite generous and good for sharing. Chicken strip appetizer comes with several different delicious sauces.
So why three stars? The service here is really really bad. I feel for the servers because the place is always packed, so the establishment may simply be understaffing. When they do get to your table they are very nice, but that table visits are few and far between. I have come here on several occasions now and it is always the same.
Yes come here for a drink and a snack, but bring your patients because it is snail trail service.

The best parts of this place are the beer flights and the courtyard. Love love the light beer flight — pairs well w the truffle Parmesan fries. Unfortunately, not many of the happy hour food items are suitable for sharing, so for groups everyone kind of has to order their own food. The prices are pretty reasonable, especially during happy hour — $ 6 beer/​wine; $ 5 house cocktails (but no substitutions, it’s a set menu); $ 4 mixed drinks. Servers are very friendly and helpful in recommending things, and they check back w you so you never run out of anything!

For my first time here, I found this a solid establishment, great for catching up, with its diligently prepped comfort food and open air vibe. The beer list helps.
Since my friend went for the stein burger, I opted to be different with the veggie meatloaf – didn’t disappoint. The texture and flavor are great and complex, perhaps better than some burgers because it’s this loosely packed patty with a lot of delicious components. There’s more going on in it than the stein burger.
The bread to party ratio feels a little off with a bit too much bun, but this certainly fills. It’s unfortunate that some basics to your burger like cheese needs to be an add on dollar cost, and others like grilled mushrooms or avocado are much more expensive at 2 – 3 dollars. The fries do great rounding out a filling meal.

Perfect place to visit when you’re with a group of friends! We enjoyed the outdoor patio seating area for lunch. There’s a more shaded section that we were lucky enough to get a seat in so we weren’t completely exposed to the sun.
To start, my group and I ordered a karaffe of the mimosas — great to share among 6 people.
I ordered the fried chicken sandwich w/​a fried egg (extra few dollars) and a size of their fries — huge portion! It comes out to you open face with one side of the sandwich having the chicken and egg while the other has pickles. I couldn’t even finish the whole thing.
The rest of the outdoor area is great for photo ops (florals along the walls) and they have a couple interactive games. There’s also a lot behind it! We went on a Sunday, so it was free parking — but i’m not sure if you have to pay during the week.

This place in good for an after work happy hour, and the rest of the folks that work in the area apparently agree. There is always a long wait here.
We found a spot outside on the patio. Waited a while for a server to stop by… a young man walked past multiple times but didn’t make eye contact so we went up to the bar.
The patio is really big, so if there is a wait for inside and you don’t mind outside, there are long tables, barrels and plenty of room to stand.

A New American gastropub experience available in Mountain View. The space is large and impressive for a downtown MV restaurant. They have homestyle cooking with comfort dishes and lots of beer choices. The servers were attentive and friendly but it is a bit pricey!
Nothing really blew me out of the water and Steins appears to be another alternative to BJs or Yardhouse. However, I can see the appeal to it as a post-​work or happy hour destination for people working nearby.

Happy Hour: Monday-​Friday; 3−6pm
$ 4 well drinks
$ 5 house cocktails
$ 6 beer & wine
long list of HH food and appetizers
I’ve been to Steins for HH a few times and it’s great. Spacious spot with lots of HH food and drink options to offer. Still haven’t tried everything yet!

I love this place! I was in Mountain View over the holidays for 3 weeks and I am not ashamed to say I went here probably 4 or 5 times with different people. The environment is really inviting and chill for those who want to come alone or those looking to meet up with friends.
There happy hour is pretty decent. I really like the food options (the friends loaded with lamb and the mac and cheese) but I was not so keen on the beer options on happy hour.
If you have a palette for bourbon and malty beers, the beer that will knock your socks off is Allagash Curieux. It is amazing!