Sometimes when I go out, I forget to check what other events are going on. Specifically, I frequently forget to factor in sports games when I make plans at casual restaurants and pubs. My friend and I went to Craft Beer Market on 100 Street and 101 Avenue for a girls’ night and had a mixed experience.
I’ve been to Craft on a few other occasions and have always been happy with both the food and the restaurant space, so I had fairly solid expectations going into the evening. Amanda, my friend, arrived before me and told me that she had ordered a beer and was waiting for a table to open up. However, she had to wait several minutes for the hostess to notice she had even arrived before being taken to a temporary seat at the bar! We were seated a few minutes after I arrived, it was a reasonable wait time considering how busy they were. Once we were seated, our waitress was fairly prompt with taking our orders and bringing us our drinks. We received pretty good service!
As one would expect from a restaurant boasting 100 beers on tap, they have an excellent variety of choices. My friend was thrilled to see that they had one of her favourite beers, Uunibroue Blanche de Chambly, on tap. One of the things that I enjoy about Craft Beer Market, and the reason why I recommended it for the evening, is the consideration they put into creating a balanced menu. They offer a wide range of selections including vegetarian, gluten-free, and other allergen friendly options. Amanda ordered the mac and cheese and I ordered the classic burger with fries; both came out promptly and were nicely presented. Both of us were very happy with what we ordered and would go back again.
The bad part of our experience was largely related to the fact that there was a hockey game on that night. As one would predict, it was really busy and loud! We wouldn’t have minded the people in the restaurant or the coverage of the game, the acoustics aren’t that bad in there but we were seated right under one of the wall televisions and near the sound system. Unfortunately, the volume would double every time a commercial would come on, which was really disruptive!
I will definitely go back to Craft Beer Market and recommend it to friends but I will be much more mindful of what events are going on and what time I’m planning to go there. Their food and drink menus are excellent and I’ve always had consistently positive dining experiences there. I would like them to improve their sound setup for nights that they’re playing popular sports games. It is difficult for diners sitting directly near the televisions and sound systems to maintain a conversation.
Danielle S. Fuechtmann
