Granite City Food & Brewery

So I got here for lunch about twelve thirty on a Wednesday afternoon and was surprised to find it already half full, although most of the crowd thinned out quick. Located in a shopping area with tons of parking.

Inside is a big wraparound bar and a plethora of seating options. I got a seat at the empty bar and ordered a pale ale and a chicken pot pie to match the unpleasant weather Zi would have to drive to Kansas City in.

The atmosphere was friendly but s little sterile. It's a good approximation of brewpub authenticity without really matching it. Still, the beer was decent. I liked it enough to follow it with a Bennies Bock that was a little better.

The food was really good and I feel like that is really the bread and butter here . I would try this again in a pinch but would choose again if I got back to Lincoln

 

 

One of the best steaks i have ever had along with a great flight. The beer growler deals are also great.

 

I didn't know much about the place when i visited, but we were in the area(taking my homebrew to the Nebraska State Fair) and decided it was a good opportunity to do so Beerfly Sleuthing in the capitol city.

I could tell from afar what kind of place this was going to be. Pretty big, big backers funding it, not much personality. Sorry to be such a downer, but i hate pulling up to another box brewery. At least, i thought, they should have a decent size line-up. Wrong. Four frickin beers on tap? And you can guarantee one or two are for the BMC drinkers feeling crazy enough to try a wheat-beer.

I think i had a stout or a brown ale, which wasn't anything to write home about.

We wanted to sit in the patio and have one, but they had a mix up with their liqueur license and for five months had been serving beer illegally on the patio. Well, they day we were there, they were waiting for the call from the courthouse with the go-ahead.

Food was pretty good, people were friendly, but again, not much charm in the place.

I've been to the Lincoln, NE location twice now since they have opened and have not been disappointed yet. The building sits in a parking lot of a mall, Westfield Shoppingtown/Gateway Mall. The place has been known (still is known by many) as Gateway Mall for years, the Westfield Shoppingtown was added to "class it up", whatever. Anyways, this is a beerfly review, not mallfly.

The place has a nice little landscaping job outside, Inside the doors open to a small waiting area/receptionist area. The bar is directly behind this, with seating at the bar, and some boths lining the wall. Smoking in the bar area only, although after Jan.1, 2005 a smoking ban goes into effect in Lincoln, and smoking will not be allowed in any public building, bars included. The majority of the establishment is seating for dining.

The food is excellent. Price, selection, quality, taste, all outstanding. But we want to know about the beer right? In Lincoln they had four of their beers available on tap. There was no seasonal avialable (and I was looking forward to an Oktoberfest). The waitress said they could not brew seasonal until sping or summer due to capacity. The house beers (a Maibock, IPA, Stout, and macro-style light Lager) were good. Definitely order one. The typical macros are available at slightly less per bottle than a tap 16-oz pint of the Granite City brews, a very bad deal. Didn't ask about micros or imports, (Heineken and Corona are probably available), as I was there for the Granite City beers.

All-in-all one of the better places in Lincoln, even if it is a chain. Recommended if you can't get into Lazlo's first.

My girlfriend and I decided to take the short trip to Lincoln for Granite City’s Sunday brunch (10 am – 2pm). We arrived at this new brewpub around 11 am. It really wasn’t that busy. Fine by me.

Granite City in Lincoln is located at the Gateway Mall in the middle of town. Essentially GC is a freestanding building setting in the parking lot. There isn’t much charm in that. I will give GC credit as they tried to spruce up the outside with a little pond and fountain and shaded patio seating, trees and bushes too.

Inside the smoking area and bar are divided from the rest of the restaurant seating. I like that. This location, in comparison to the Sioux Falls location (the only other GC I’ve been too) is much better designed. There is more seating for one thing. The décor is pleasant as there isn’t much on the walls; there are a few flat screen TVs, earth tone paints, some stonework, and wood tables. It is a nice looking place, particularly for a chain restaurant. Both the kitchen and “brewing” equipment exposed behind glass… no secrets, eh?

Like I said I visited before noon on Sunday. I forgot in Lincoln beer can’t be served on Sunday before noon, so no GC beer for me. The beer list is small with a stout, maibock, light lager, IPA, and a seasonal release. I know exactly what to expect out of these beers, decent beer and nothing more.

At the time of our visit they had many employees waiting tables, clearing tables, and filling drinks. All in all the help was friendly.

I will go back.