Ground Breaker Brewing

When we first arrived, the waiter said he would be right back with beer menus. We waited 5 minutes before I walked up and asked another staff member for the menus. As soon as I sat down the waiter walked up to get the drink order giving us no time to review the options.
The lazy guy that claimed to be our waiter took 10+ more minutes to bring my beer after the other 3 people with me at the table got theirs. He claimed took that long because it was nitro, but I know nitro and he just forgot it. We could see it sitting on the bar under the taps quickly losing the nitro. Own your mistake instead of lying about it. When he finally brought my beer, he slammed it on the table. We also ordered a baguette for an appetizer, but it didn’t arrive after 20 minutes, so we told the «waiter» to forget it and take it off our bill. We told the manager about our experience while getting our jackets on, but she didn’t bother to even offer or try to rectify anything.
The «Forgotten IPA» beer tastes like Robitussin, no joke.

Loved the beer and beer tasting options, but what made this so special for us was the entirely gluten-​free food menu. Delicious!

Really friendly folks working here. Not too jazzed on the beers but they’re fine. The food is just ok. Been a couple times now and the items are straightforward. Some lack flavor and some are just not remarkable. I ordered a burger the first time I was here. It was good. Second time I ordered a stew with wild game meats and root veggies. Wasn’t what I expected at all. The broth was supremely watery and I kept going, wait a minute isn’t this a «stew»? All the meat inside it was so dry it was a cross between chalk and leather. No idea what animal I was eating. I told our server how I felt about it and she just apologized. My BF finished it as he didn’t want to be «rude». Whatever, I wasn’t eating another bite. I was a bit irritated when the server didn’t take it off our bill in the end. At $ 12 for a small bowl of dried meat in water, I won’t be back.

Most, if not all of my previous gripes with this place have improved! I mentioned to the owner that we would be regulars if my hungry husband could get full, and if my toddler had more options than pasta & cheese.
Well, I am not taking credit for the changes. But… they were made!
I went today, and they had at least 2 new items on the kids menu that were safe for us. My dairy free, gluten free & mostly grain free toddler cannot eat mac ‘n cheese or a sandwich… so it is really nice that they now have a grilled chicken breast with veggies & a burger with apple chips on the menu. 2 new, healthy options on the kids menu. The main menu also has been re done. Much more selection, and bigger portions/​better prices for portion size.
We got the fried chicken bowl with rice/​greens/​slaw, and the cubano sandwich with slaw. My toddler got the burger, Bunless with apple chips and a side of kale chips. She was full. The burger was good sized, even without the bun. The sandwich was super tasty, and I got a side of their house made hot sauce to go with it. My mom mentioned the fried chicken bowl was really good, and she isn’t even gluten free. It was the perfect amount of food, for $ 28. We will definitely return, now that my kiddo has 2+ options on the menu. Quality is really up there, you can tell its fresh, good quality ingredients. Being dedicated gluten free makes us feel super safe eating here. Service was spot on.
We will definitely be back. I am glad we gave it another chance.

I’m not from Portland so it was especially exciting to be able to have free choice of everything on the menu despite my gluten intolerance! I had the grass fed beef burger which was amazing. The beer mustard, pickled red onion, aioli, and bread and butter pickle were perfect additions. My partner got the fried chicken which was unbelievable and we both got the peach vanilla soda.
We were able to easily park in the street behind the pub. I would definitely return again!

Had the lime IPA and was very good. Nice hint of lime. Tried the kimchi pancake with bacon jam. The combination of the kimchi, jam and pancake worked well. The kimchi could be a little more spicy. Music was at a nice level and no loud tv as mentioned by Richard H. Maybe they read his post. Trying the jumbalaya and it is good. Can’t tell if the rice is instant or cooked. Nice meld of flavors and good heat. Drinking the Pale Ale and it goes well with the jumbalaya. Not my first time here and not my last.
Just found out the rice is cooked not instant.

Beer and grub all gluten free. The best part is that it taste great.
Tonight I’m having cornbread with jalapeño jelly and beens and greens for starters. They crisp the outside of the cornbread a bit to give character. This itself, is worth it’s weight in beer but matching it with been and greens extends the taste buds, bud.
I then went for the jambalaya. It is tasty ad has clams, shrimp and sausage. It leaves you lacking for something better. First they use instant Spanish rice (as far as I can tell), and then they charge $ 18 for Spanish instant rice. There’s no value in that. There are better things on the menu.
Of course the beer is good. This time around they have five with Belgian style candi syrup. Not happy with that.
Also, the cooks TV show interferes with Johnny Cash that’s playing. Unprofessional at the least.
This is turning out to be a good neighborhood pub. Good for them.

I came here with coworkers and was overdressed based on their description of this place. Yes, everything is gluten free. No, I didn’t try any of the beers. I had a burger, and while it was very good, I felt hungry pretty quickly afterwards. I also got a slice of pie, and it was like eating a bit of cardboard with a dollop of cardboard on top. Turns out it was a vegan dessert, coworkers wife is a chef and said I probably didn’t like it because it didn’t have milk fat in it. I’m pretty sure I didn’t like it because it just wasn’t good. I have a handful of gluten free friends and I’d go here with them, but otherwise not for me.

Didn’t get food because I wasn’t hungry, which I was really actually sad about because everything looked fucking RAD, but… alas. The beers were outstanding with all their creative herbal solutions to gluten-​free brewing. The girl that helped us was one of the best service employees we encountered in PDX.
I’d like to return when I’m in town again.

Delicious food– like even if you don’t drink it’s worth getting their food. Plus the beers are amazing and it’s a nice ambience. Never too crowded and just very kick back.

Beer: IPA, Dark Ale, and Squash Ale Nitro
Food: jambalaya — shellfish, chicken and dumpling soup
Beer was good. The squash ale was worth trying, smooth and creamy. The IPA used Belgian yeast and is nit a preferred taste. The dark ale was exquisite!
Jambalaya was spiced perfectly. The chicken dumpling soup was okay. Disappointed in only dark meat and the doings were a bit gooey. Flavor was FANTASTIC!

4-​stars for the gluten free beer, I tried every one they had on tap — they ranged from excellent to meh but overall very good.
3-​stars for the gluten free food, I’ve had much better gluten free fried chicken and I haven’t had it at a lot of places… the cuban sandwich was solid though
2-​stars for the attitude from the bartender. Was cold and had to keep flagging him down to get anything. Was pretty empty but he chatted it up with the couple of other groups that came in, one local, one tourists. Guess we did something he didn’t like? Kinda soured the experience of a place we were really looking forward to visiting.
I’d go back and give it another try though.

This is a great place to eat for those with with special dietary-​restricted needs. They have gluten-​free beer, gluten-​free bread and grass-​fed beef (i.e. non-​soy fed) and yet keep everything delicious. The place has an urban feel with a nice bar, and decent amount of tables for dining. This is not a fine dining restaurant.
We were a big group of 11 hungry ones. We sampled a variety of their gluten-​free beers. We tried the Dark Ale, Imperial Ale, Pale Ale, Olallie and the Cider IPA. We are no beer connoisseurs but we found them enjoyable and refreshing, and couldn’t tell that they were any different from the regular «glutenful» beers. My favorite was the Pale Ale while the others liked the Dark Ale.
We had the Scallops and Pork belly, and Sourdough Cornbread and Sides, for appetizers. The were very good and even had to order seconds for these. We had the various entrees including the Ground-​fed burger, Cubano, Roasted Lamb, and Pulled Pork sandwiches. Their gluten-​free breads were really good, and the sandwiches were good-​sized, scrumptious servings which were very good.
Our lady server was great. She was very helpful and accommodating, and were very happy with our experience. We’re definitely fans of Ground Breaker. We will be back.

This place is killer! They are really doing some good experimental flavor combinations. Everything here is 100% gluten free both beers and food. All beer freshly brewed onsite. Rotating seasonal beers from mostly local Oregon ingredients. The menu is also really good. Good vegetarian and vegan options as well. Highly recommend. Very friendly and good service.

Not a fan of their beers and the food was just ok but on the pricey side. Not located near any other bars or restaurants. Aka, not worth the trip out just to go here.

100% gluten free menu and 100% delicious food!
I recently ate dinner at Ground Breaker, and I was blown away by how fantastic the food and beer tasted. I tried (and loved) the following:
Pickles: For something so simple, the pickled veggies are surprisingly good. Tangy and crunchy!
Scallops & Pork Belly: The pork melts in your mouth. It’s an appetizer, so the serving is small but definitely worth ordering.
Cubano: Wow! This is what I’ll be eating the next time I visit Ground Breaker. With tender meat, melted cheese, and perfectly toasted g-​free bread, you can’t go wrong.
Grass Fed Beef Burger: Delish! The tomato marmalade is a unique and tasty touch. I loved that this was served with a side of bbq kale chips instead of fries.
Chocolate Chip Cookies & Lemon Coconut Pudding: While I liked the flavors of the cookies and pudding, I was expecting more after tasting how wonderful the apps and entrees were.
Beer: You can’t go wrong. My favs are the Dark Ale (year round) and St. Denny (seasonal).
The real icing on the cake for my family is that my husband can order anything on the menu here. That’s such a rare treat for those who are gluten free! By the way, the outside seating is dog friendly and has a cool urban-​industrial vibe.

«Gluten Free» at most restaurants means the server leaves the croutons off or rolls his eyes to himself as he asks the cook about ingredients. Not so here! Ground Breaker Brewing offers ONLY gluten free items. The best part is that since everything is intentionally g-​free, you don’t have leave off the good part or alter anything in a strange way.
Did I mention the craft beer? Ground Breaker offers a wide selection of their own craft beers, brewed on site, and all safe for those with gluten intolerance. They are even beginning to sell their product in grocery stores but there is truly something to be said for this big of a selection on tap alongside the fresh, local, organic food menu.

I was saving this place for some GF friends from Seattle, and let me just say, the excitement of being able to sit down and order a flight of eight (EIGHT!!) GF beers was totally worth waiting for! The beers were all really good – not every single one was my favorite, but all were very well made.
The food was pretty good, not as good as the beer, but being able to sit down and order from the whole menu and ask a ton of questions was definitely nice.

We found this place based on location as we were visiting OMSI later that day and wanted to have a good lunch first. Our visit was about as bad as it gets. First of all we went on February 14^th, which was of course Valentines day and Zwickelmania. Obviously we knew it would be busy, so we made reservations for our party of 6 ½.
We arrived to find our reserved table, but it only had 3 chairs. half our party was stuck in traffic so the staff had plenty of time to get more chairs, although the table itself being short of chairs in the first place was very odd.
We were also told from the beginning that the person who took our reservation didn’t realize that the brewery would be open for tours and thus busier than usual. The implication which was later stated outright was that we should not have been permitted to make a reservation and by the time I left it felt like somehow it was my own fault for having the audacity to call and make a reservation in the first place. It was like pulling teeth to get water… chairs…silverware…napkins…beer and finally to get our food. My two year olds meal was the last to come out, which was a big problem. If you have ever dined with a hungry two year old, you know what a hunger tantrum is and we were on the cusp of one for five agonizing minutes.
Once the food had finally arrived the real disappointment set in. The burger and taco were well received. Two diners got the Cubano and two diners were sorely disappointed. I had the cioppino which was a joke. For $ 18 I should have gotten more than a few clams and some shards of white fish swimming in my broth. I was given copious amounts of bread with my meal, I think to help hide the fact that I had just paid so much for what was mostly broth.
The Mac and Cheese my toddler ate was meh. He didn’t seem to enjoy it, and that’s normally a favorite.
Beer wise, I enjoyed my coffee pale ale and the other diners didn’t care much for whatever it was they selected.
We had such high hopes given the Unilocal reviews, and really left feeling disappointed in all facets. There was no point in trying to talk to anyone about it given how busy they were. I think they had already resolved to disappoint given the attitudes we were welcomed with regarding our reservation.

One of my favorite restaurants in Portland.
My boyfriend and I come here often. I bring friends and recommend it to friends of friends who are gluten free. Or not, because the food is so good it doesn’t matter. However, It is such a treat to be able to eat ANYTHING on the menu, and to enjoy a delicious, unique beer along with it!
Things we’ve enjoyed: fresh hop and squash ale. The burger (glad they started serving it with kale chips). Any dessert they come up with, including a mushroom ice cream that was out of this world. And the recent persimmon pudding. Haven’t tried the pizza yet, but soon!
Get a taster tray or a few $ 2 glasses to try all the different flavors you never expected in a beer. And they’re constantly changing. I really respect what Ground Breaker is trying to do here and am so happy to support them.
Hopefully soon they’ll be able to stay open a little later!