Nimbus American Bistro N’ Brewery

Regret to inform, but last Thursday night, 11/​29, the place was dark and the chairs and televisions were gone. CLOSED… I’m wondering where my friend goes to get back the $ 35 he paid for their beer mug program last week…
Passed their address on 12/​10, their signage is down. They’re toast… R.I.P. Nimbus

Closed? Really? It seems this place just randomly shut down, after much less than a year of being open. Only went there once — we enjoyed the food, the ambiance, and the beer. We recommended it to others as well. Showed up on a Tuesday night for dinner and everything was packed up??? A little searching on the web (Facebook, specifically) shows that they’re done. What a shame.

Groupon brought me to this joint… and been here several times over the past few months. We went there tonight for dinner and *BAM*, there was a notice on the door that the place was being repossessed by the property owner. It’s CLOSED. Another victim of Groupon… so many deals on Groupon are from restaurants that go under. This is one of many recent joints to go bye bye…
Return Factor — an obvious 0%

A restaurant with a massive identity crisis. Nimbus has no idea if it wants to be a micro brew or just a casual restaurant in a fairly high class shopping center. The space is too big and very under utilized. It doesn’t feel like a microbrewery. Nearly every trace of the old tenant (Taberna) remains. There’s just a new coat of paint on the wall, some oddly placed monkey posters and statues, and several undersized flat screen tv monitors spaced too far apart. There isn’t much of bar scene, so I don’t why I would come here to watch a game. While I’m on the décor, I also need to ask what’s up with the wine cooler in the dining room? I must have spent half my meal steering in its direction wondering why it was there. They could have put another booth is that corner, doesn’t that make more sense?
The patio is big and looked like a nice place to enjoy a meal or drink on a cool night. However, it’s in the front of the restaurant and you have to walk through it to get to the hostess stand. It actually felt a little awkward trying to find my way in and out of Nimbus.
The food isn’t bad, but it’s also not very memorable. I had the monkey melt. A pretty standard patty melt on marbled rye with grilled onions and american cheese. Nothing I would ever dream about ordering again. What I would dream about eating again is the sweet fries I ordered on the side. Those may have been the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had, but an awesome side dish is not going to bring me back to a restaurant. My fiancé had the chicken pesto sandwich. It was the definition of lackluster. Not bland, just not very tasty. It was also very soggy thanks to a lack of toasting the ciabatta roll it is served on.
The service was also not bad, but not great. Another feature of Nimbus’s identity crisis is the way the servers are dressed. They’re nearly unidentifiable. They were wearing ASU or UofA t-​shirts and jeans or shorts. I don’t have a problem with this (especially at an establishment that may be trying to sell itself as a sports bar), but until our waiter came to our table to ask for our drink order, we would have had no idea he was an employee. Perhaps he should have worn an apron or a name-​tag or something. He also went pretty long stretches without checking up on us considering the restaurant was fairly empty.
So what is good? The beer. It’s fairly good. I’ve had some of Nimbus’s brews that other bars and restaurants in Arizona. If you’re a pseudo-​beer snob, and enjoy supporting local breweries (even if they’re from out of Tucson) I recommend giving them a try.
Another big plus; Nimbus is on local dines (
) with a $ 25 for $ 12.50 gift certificate which is applicable toward alcohol!

The Monkey Melt. A certified Angus beef burger nestled in between marbled rye bread slices and filled with sauteed onions and super melted cheese. Eat with an Oatmeal Stout. Questions?
The patio is cozily placed in the center of a petite outdoor shopping center. The «ice» (glass) fire place at the center of the patio was a nice touch. Seeing people kicking back with their dogs watching football on the patio and chatting it up made thie place seem very inviting.
Indoors was crowded as well, but the set up was kind of strange. There were groups of tables set before you right when you walk in, and then a central aisle broke up the groups of tables interrupting them. There are no shortage of tvs above these tables. Long rows of tvs anchored on rows of lowered ceiling adorned the view as you looked up. A hoard of people were cramped in the long and narrow bar area on the left, yet on the right side there was a cute little living room type set up with two couches facing each other by a fire place and coffee table. I was surprised everyone was crammed on the left side when there’d be so much more space if people spread out. Whatever though, this is not my concern…
FYI, the Nimbus Fondue is not a true fondue. It’s basically nacho chips served with a shallow dish of melted cheeses with other stuff in it. Would I recommend it? Unless you’re a fondue snob, yes, because it’s still very good! Who doesn’t love nachos!

Cute little outdoor area that is dog friendly. Loved the pretzel and dips and the spinach artichoke dip was awesome! We enjoyed sampling all the beers with a reasonably priced flight.

Ok this was my 2^nd time here and I think it worth a fair review. First of all Nimbus is a Tucson area brewery. They have the brewery and a tasting room/​restaurant like the one there in Tucson too.
That being said when I first came in my my Cats shirt the waitress said «go cats’ and I felt like I was at Nimbus in Tucson:-). My wife is a Sun Devil so she wasn’t so impressed.
We had a GROUPON for 2 salads, 2 beers, and 1 pizza. Great deal for 15 bucks. We decided on Mac n cheese pizza, rye IPA, old monkey shine, and garden salads. What can I say? The beer was great!!! And the salads were surprising good. The man n cheese pizza stole the show though. It was amazing. Yes bacon man n cheese on a pizza!
During our first trip here they were playing Monday night trivia and we watched the Packers and Seahawks and the end of game call! Fun time.
We went here the next week after at the end of the UofA game. Too bad they did not play the game here. Some drama with PAC 12 and DirectTV. Anyways Unilocal unlocked us a pizza and beer for 10 bucks so I brought my friend here for the Mac n Cheese pizza and IPA. Great and my friend loved it too.
All in all Nimbus is a great place. It’s a little tucked away but very low key and friendly and plain old good beer and good pizza. Lots of TVs around and a huge patio. I will for sure be back here!

No Way! Such a Bad Call!
Watched the Seahawks and Packers go at it 3 days ago. Here in this tucked away almost hidden Brewery. Watched while the replacement Ref held his arms up for touchdown which caused the bar to go in an uproar.
I was enjoying my Mac and Cheese Pizza (that’s right, it was a Pizza with Mac and Cheese and bacon, so comforting) when I started yelling with my mouth full and food spraying out «WHAT…REALLY…NO Effing Way». I decided my TV was somehow broadcasting wrong so I searched the MANY TVs that hung throughout the interior, just to see the same thing over and over again at many different angles. While the bar waited for the final decision; I enjoyed a pint of… good beer. Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the beer I had, as I was more engrossed with the outcome of the football game, which was not the outcome it should have been.
In the mean time, it is Monday night, Trivia Night. Out of 20 questions, I got 7 right. I couldn’t figure out a 6^th grade math problem and I didn’t know Gangum Style was the most LIKED youtube video. But you live and learn.
I had enjoyed my time here. Even enjoyed the trivia, which surprised me. I am not one for Trivia, too much like pop quizzes from school. But with good Beer and eats, and no worry about failing, pop quizzes can be enjoyable.
But wtf Really?! Touchdown?

My wife and I tried Nimbus for the first time tonight. All signs pointed to this being a potential new go-​to spot in our neighborhood. We were hoping for a place with good beer, interesting food choices and a fun atmosphere.
Instead I rate this as my worst dining experience of 2012 so far. We walked over from our house and when we were seated we asked for water. It took 5 minutes to get it and the water glasses were dinky. Hello — this is Arizona! We need something other than kid-​sized glasses of water.
I ordered a happy hour martini and it was undrinkable. After sending ti back, I ordered an oatmeal stout that tasted like flat Coke. My wife had a blonde ale and she chose not to finish it (very unusual for her).
If we hadn’t already ordered dinner, we would have left at this point. The buffalo chicken pizza was decent but very greasy. The fried zucchini was inedible.
To top it off, there was a networking event happening on the other side of the dining area. Our pizza arrived at the same time that the event speakers began to use their mics to broadcast their message to the entire place. I was treated to a diatribe about diabetes during dinner. While this is a worthy cause, it was totally obnoxious during dinner.
The food is overpriced, the beer is mediocre, the happy hour menu is limited (no burger — really?) and the ambiance is horrible.
Needless to say, we will not return. Word to the wise — if you are looking for a good happy hour, Ruth Chris is just around the corner and has amazing values and a great patio.

Always willing to give a new beer place a try. I had heard that Nimbus had opened in the old Taberna site, and thought I would stop and see what it was. I was really surprised, because I had heard such good things about Nimbus in Tucson, so maybe I was expecting to much. The interior had little or no character. I sat at the bar, and the bartender seemed bored and uninterested. I asked about the different types of beer, and she really had no idea how to describe them. I ordered a draft of one to try, and then she handed me a menu — which actually had beer descriptions on it. It would have been nice to see that, prior to ordering.
That said, the beer was good, but not so good as to override the lack of ambience, and the average service.

Hurray for Happy Hour every day of the week! I wanted to stop by here on a Sunday after trying the Dirty Guera Blonde Ale.
We decided to grab a table at the bar since we were just going to have drinks. After looking at the menu, I decided to try the Pale Ale to try something new. It was pretty good, but the Dirty Guera is better — like any naughty girl would be.
After mulling over the happy hour menu, we decided to try the Monkey Bites. The fried jalapenos are pretty good and served with a cream cheese dip. Kinda like a deconstructed jalapeño popper.
Drinks were good, the service was good, the only thing that bugged me was the girl sitting next to us complaining the whole time about everything and anything. Lighten up and have a beer lady, it’s HAPPY HOUR!

Upon entering, if the first thing that happens is three hot women at the bar turn to look at you and smile, quickly compelling you to look in all directions to make certain they’re actually looking /​smiling at you, AND THEY ARE, then it’s hard to be objective about writing a review.
The place was wonderful.
Not because of the way too strong IPA beer.
Or the soggy nachos.
Or the half off prices during happy hour.
But because three hot Scottsdale babes giving me a major eyeball f&^k.
I’m coming back for more of this shit, oh-​boy, howdy!
This was a long overdue booster-​shot of self esteem.
One that may just get me off the Wellbutrin once and for all.
If those same three are there the next time I go (tomorrow) I’ll know something’s fishy.

Is this a brewery or a Cocos? I was so confused walking in to this place. The ambiance is horribly lacking and I could not get it off my mind. Aside from some Nimbus posters on the wall and a piece of copper brew equipment in the corner (by the fireplace) you would have thunk this was whatever mediocre North Scottsdale restaurant lived here before.
The service was very odd — our dear young waiter’s only experience with beer is probably from high school parties. My beer-​nerd boyfriend tried to talk to him about beer several times and was met with an «uh huh…» and a quick exit each time. This is a brewery! This is where beer-​nerds are supposed to go! Oh, he was also brought the wrong beer. And it took for-​ev-​er to receive drinks/​food/​check.

Beer is almost a 4, food is a 3, service was a 4.5. + Check in deal makes it a 5. Add that up and divide by the hungry fellow and you get a 4.
I got a pretzel and an oatmeal stout pulled pork burger. Forget the pretzel, it’s a essentially a utensil to enjoy their amazing sauces. Even if you don’t like pretzels or the sauce, it makes for a great palate cleanser between beers. The burger was nothing spectacular. I don’t know where the oatmeal stout in the sauce, but it might have been in there.
Best part of the trip was getting a got a complete education beer mixology. WHAT PEOPLE MIX BEERS! I learned about the Stumbler and the Snake bite; ask and you shall receive.
Sampler note: Make sure to bring another mouth to finish a sampler, unless you plan to taxi and walk home.
Beer Recommendations:
Lady friend who hates beer: Snake Bite
Hop Head: Pale
Complex Beer Drinker: Stumbler or MonkeyShine
Pilsner. light and amazing wheat finish, I can drink this all day
Blonde ok little citrus, Pilsner was better
Pale. Light with dry bitter finish, not for average drinker
Red. Simple hoppy red
Brown. a bit darker crispy red
Oatmeal. Not smooth enough for a dark oatmeal, surprisingly a bit hoppy
Old Monkeyshines. Simply intriguing
If you are looking for a clean cut safe beer place with decent food and some beer geeks, Nimbus is your place.

Not quite what I expected. Looks like the old tenant (Taberna) just left their stuff and Nimbus put a sign or two on the walls. The feel of a pub/​brewery just isn’t there. It’s definitely not as cool as their Tucson location. Their beer is the same though. Not my favorite but pretty decent. Here is the rundown:
* meatball appetizer = very good — 6 big, juicy meatballs and tasty sauce on the side
* wedge salad = HUGE and reasonably priced but just not that good. Just had tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and red onions… that’s it.
* roasted chicken = very good, pretty juicy and had a nice kick to it
* service = just ok. not spectacular. our waitress was pretty friendly but I didn’t as many diet coke refills as I would have liked and she didn’t give us an itemized receipt
* local dines gift certificate = awesome. get one before you go because it is so worth it and you can use it for beer — (
)

A brewery in the Scottsdale/​Paradise Valley area? Surely you jest.
It’s true! AND its kind of hidden in the middle of a ritzy strip mall. When you walk into this place, it looks nothing like a brewery– the décor is very bistro.
We enjoyed their beer, and their happy hour menu is different, but good.
The service was great at first. But the later it got, the busier it got, and it seemed like our waitress was the only one working. We spent about an hour trying to flag her down for our check.
The food was great. I had the chicken pesto sandwich, while tasty, gave me a bit of food poisoning. The rest of our group enjoyed their eats: the «famous» meatballs, burgers, and pizza. And they were all fine.
If you go, dont be surprised that its not your typical brewery, and stay AWAY from the chicken.

Well after having gone here 2 times in 3 days, I felt it was worthy of a review. Fantastic. Very happy this has come to Scottsdale. The first night I went was about a week after it opened and they already had it down.
Food:
I had the Seared Ahi Tuna on mashed potatoes (watch for the Wasabi paste on top of the taters… yum!) My boyfriend had a Fish and Chips and our friend we ran into who joined us had the BBQ Burger (which is what I had 2 days later). All around the food was delicious and the beer was great.
Beer:
They have seasonal recommendations and the list of Nimbus brews displayed proudly indoors. Our server knew his stuff and gave us a low down on what beers we asked about. The guys had the Oatmeal Stout (I am not a dark beer fan, but i could even drink one of those) and I had the Pale Ale.
Place:
The ambiance, though, that’s what won me over.
This place is huge– cigar friendly patio (they have a smaller humidor up front) and dog friendly. They had a huge fireplace outside and built in heaters for those «cold» Arizona nights and it looks like they already have the misters installed gearing up for another brutal summer. The inside and outside had TVs everywhere (we had some March Madness on), spacious bar area so you don’t feel like you are being pushed around and the crowed was pretty mixed with Oatmeal Stout drinkers and Chardonnay Sippers.
Definitely worth checking out!

First, I hope management notices that this is a repeat review urging them to get rid of the gorilla.
I was excited to see a brewery open up over here but I was let down with the food and the Nimbus beer.
We’ve tried pretzels, fried jalepenos, sliders and the spinach artichoke dip (no flavor, except for the chives and would never recommend or order again). I’ve tried all of the different beers and favorite so far is the red, with a taste of honey, but all the other beers are just okay.
We asked our server if they have a Nimbus IPA, he said yes, but then returned to let us know he was confused and suggested some other local beers.
It’s kind of a weird vibe because it seems like brewery but there is a mascot gorilla running around to be awkward with patrons and they have cartoons on TV during happy hour. I’m not sure which demographic this place is supposed to appeal to.
Server was nice, attentive and kept glasses full and I do really dig the patio so I’ll round this rating up to 3 stars.
They’re brand new and they have good happy hour so I’ll be back to give them and their other menu items another try, as long as I don’t see the gorilla in the front.

Lot of guest taps here in addition to their regular lineup. Food was fairly good, and reasonably priced for the area. Wish they didn’t use cold glasses for their ales though, and this isn’t an unrealistic expectation for a craft beer brewpub. When I asked for a room temperature glass I was told «that was a first» for them. Service was ok. Female bartender was easy on the eyes didn’t know much about the beer, and after a couple questions about the taps I was informed that she’s just a light beer drinker.
Note: located on the back row of merchants and not clearly visible from the street.

We planned to go to Nimbus for dinner the day after they opened, but knew it was going to be busy. On a whim, my boyfriend called to see if we could make a reservation and was told that while they were still getting the computer terminals in place, they would call him back to let him know if it was a possibility for the time we wanted. Sure enough, they called back and we got right in despite the hour-​long wait for everyone else.
We were enjoying their delicious beers when the manager came over, looking for my boyfriend by name. As it turned out, he was the one managing our «reservation» and wanted to welcome us personally. Hello, VIP treatment! He continued to check on us throughout the night, and even brought the owner over at one point — likely because our party grew from 4 to 6 to 9 to 12! Regardless, we felt like we got the red carpet treatment, the customer service was that good.
They still have a couple kinks to work out — some of the wait staff was a little green, but I certainly wouldn’t hold that against any of them on day 2 as they were all working hard to make a good impression.
The food was good, but the beer was better. I don’t normally like certain beers (stouts, pale ales), but I would have been content sipping on any of them.
They have a relaxing patio and a great vibe overall. Although this particular restaurant space has seen some turnover (it was previously occupied by both Roy’s and Taberna Mexicana), I hope they stay — I will definitely be back!