First time customer.Bru Grill & Market is a great looking restaurant with more wine on display than I think I have ever seen in a restaurant in OC. Great indoor and outdoor seating. The patio that raps around the side of the restaurant is very nice. Good sized bar with multiple TV screens making a good sports bar.The staff was extremely polite and friendly. Great service as well. All well worth the visit.If only the food was as terrific.I wanted to really enjoy the food but it was all just average.Not bad by any means but not worth returning for, at least not for us. Unfortunately, everyone in our party of five felt the same way.
Matt and his Bru crew do an amazing job. The food is thoughtfully prepared and presented. Service is fast and the indoor/outdoor settings are warm, comfortable yet sophisticated. This is our favorite brunch spot- we always leave with a smile on our face. Recommend avocado toast, biscuits & gravy, cinnamon rolls…
Truthfully I cant accurately describe the charm and quality of this restaurant in words because its something you just need to experience. The bartenders are excellent, the house old fashioned is a great choice. Lots of beer options for a restaurant. The appetizers, whether you want more bar or party style food like the pretzels which are paired with this great house mustard or you want something more proper like the steak tips you cant go wrong. And for the entrees, I actually love the burgers or fried chicken sandwich. Lastly for dessert, its the butter cake. I know the flour less chocolate cake is the signature but nothing beats that butter cake. This is a 5 star experience and a must try restaurant if youre with in 30 minutes of it.
Im really trying to be sensitive when leaving reviews during this time. However, after spending $110 on takeout, we were underwhelmed and disappointed.On a positive note, the shrimp taco bowl and vegetable risotto were the best of what we ordered. Mild in salt and seasoned well.It is a crime that they charge $28 for lobster mac and cheese. They put kraft shells into a container and cut one cherry tomato as garnish. It was honestly appalling. There were maybe 4 small pieces of chopped white lobster. Amys boxed mac and cheese carries more flavor. The lobster meat also had the consistency of shrimp. Overall, extremely underwhelming.Our main issue was with the cod tacos. The cod wasnt fully cooked, nor was it seasoned (not even with salt and pepper). For $21, I would at least expect cooked fish.Save your money and appetite for a better meal. This is mediocre at best.
I went in with a lot of expectations, especially around the desserts and it didnt quite hit the mark. Theyre completely open for dine in and take out and have abundant seating inside/outside as well as lots of parking and easy access.Masks are necessary to enter but not once seated in, if dining in. Theyre doing separate spaces for happy hour customers vs a la carte for organization. Not too many veg options and the ones they have dont stand out. We had the three cheese flatbread and the bru cake. Bread was ok, in hindsight should have gone for something with sauce/ketchup like margherita bread. The cake was so numbingly sweet, we ended up eating 3 bites and were done.
Friendly staff and bar area good for watching sports on TV. Food is usually above average and delivered quickly .
Ive been here once pre-Covid and once for take out during the pandemic. The service was good and friendly in-person; the server was ready with suggestions and answers to our inquiries.Id heard great things about their takeout since the COVID-19 stay-at-home order so we decided to make a special effort to eat from here. We got the short rib risotto and the beef dip to share. With all takeout there is an allowance that it wont be as good as dining in BUT, in this case, that was mostly wrong. Everything was great. The beef dip was on a delicious roll and traveled really well. We loved the addition of the drunken onions on the sandwich and the au jus was perfection. The wedge fries were crisp and well-seasoned.The beef short rib was cooked well and falling apart. With the travel time, this was the only thing not absolutely perfect. The risotto was amazing and I loved the snap on the green beans.There are a lot of places struggling and Bru is doing everything by the book during the pandemic. Their takeout game is on pointe. We would definitely recommend!
Hire new hostess, because the ones they have now clearly have no idea how to do their jobs. My party of 3 was told that we would be seated in 30 minutes.... here we are almost an hour later still sitting. The hostess have bad attitudes. After explaining everything to the manager, who decided to come up to us on his own, he admitted that they have no clue when we would be seated (?????????) and that we should continue to wait. There are tables outside in the patio area with TVs, and I asked if we could sit there. The hostess said the seating in that area is closed because they would be moving those tables, then proceeded to seated a different party who had JUST walked in. Anyway, they said theyre finally clearing a table for us.This place is very cute but I will NOT be returning after the service Ive received...... btw, Im still waiting to be seated. Weve been here since 11 AM, and its now 12:45 :)Update:... its 1 PM now LOLExactly how long does it take to clear a table. Did you need to go out and BUY the table?Keep in mind theyre actively taking phone calls and telling people 30 mins lollllAlright so its 1:10 and they finally seated us at the outdoor patio area that I originally asked about just awful.FOOD:....mediocre.
Fantastic food, very clean and great service. We love going to Bru grill. The best buy for what you get plus GREAT FOOD.
ZERO!!!!!!! Im appalled! They dont know their own menu. If you have any allergies or sensitivities, please dont go here, you will pay the price. Dont try to ask about ingredients, they dont know exact ingredients! I ordered chicken vegetable soup, I specifically asked if it was tomato based- meaning any tomatoes in the soup, they assured me no, I drove to pick up the soup and asked again, they assured me no, I trusted them, I get home open the cup and guess what it is a tomato broth, I call to speak to the manager and he had the audacity to argue with me and say why I didnt tell him I cant have tomatoes?, I did ask 2xs if it had tomatoes!!!!! He is a jackass. Vegetables- if you guys find some vegetables running around please tell them they were supposed to be in my soup! Pictures included! READ TRIP ADVISOR- Owner is known for yelling at people!
Great atmosphere and attentive wait staff. My wife and I went for our 53rd wedding anniversary and got a special treat after dinner. My wife liked the cocktail selections and I enjoyed a cold beer. The meal was excellent. We will be back.
Food and service was great! The drinks were terrible. We ordered different drinks just to be sure and they were all terrible. I sadly wont be going back for that reason alone.
Terrible and slow service, we arrived right after they opened on Sunday for brunch and waited in line to be seated, when we got to the front we asked for the first available table for 2 and then they told us to wait. They then sat 3 groups before sitting us outside, when I asked to sit at a table with more shade we were told that we couldn’t sit there but right after we sat down another group asked if they could sit there and they were given the table instead. Drinks were good but service was extremely slow, and when we got our food we didn’t see our server again until we were more than halfway done with our food. I asked for hot sauce and ranch which we got with only a few bites left of food and instead of ranch it was cesar salad dressing.
We ordered the family Sausges meal from their online menu. I couldnt believe how much food we got. Was supposed to be one meal for 4 but my wife and I had 3 separate meals and there are still a few items left.The food was excellent. Would order this again and also try some of the other family meals.The only reason I didnt rate 5 stars is their pickup system is kinda junky.I ordered online for curbside pickup but there is no designated parking spot for pickup. And since its a popular establishment I had to park some distance from the entrance. The guy with the food might have wandered around the parking lot endlessly if I hadnt called restaurant and directly coached him on where I was.If youre going to promote and provide curbside pickup then provide parking AT the curbside.Other than that blip, would definitely recommend!
Excellent customer service.Food was delicious.New waitress Sofia is the best.
Food was okay. Dessert good. Nice atmosphere.
Perfect brunch place unlimited mimosas 10-4 good food good vibes good service 98 percent of the time!!!
Although I will say the food wasnt the best Ive had, the experience itself was enough for me to come back here. The service we received from Alfonso was outstanding; he made sure that our drinks were filled and that any issues we had with our food were resolved. The ambience is perfect, the lighting is dim and the vibe you get as soon as you come in is a laid back but upscale one as well. Our overall experience was great, the bottomless mimosas for $11 more with the purchase of an entree makes this place a steal! Definitely recommend!
Driving up you smell the burgers on the grill Mmmm! We had a party of 8 with 8 different orders and all were yummy!
I usually love this place not tonight. I think I got last weeks onion ring on my bbq burger I could not cut I so I didn’t even try to bite it. The bacon was nearly black. All the bbq sauce was on the plate not the burger. So much for a nice birthday dinner.
Cute little restaurant. I will definitely be back to try other menu items.
Great place for happy hour. Food was delicious, staff was attentive, and prices were reasonable.
Went on Saturday for brunch. My friend with me had been here in the past and liked it. We first noticed the place was empty on Saturday mid-day. That should have told us something right away!Terrible experience! Will never go here again. There were fruit flies and gnats everywhere in the restaurant. The ledge between booths was dusty, greasy, and filthy. The glass partition on the wood ledge was disgusting - greasy hand prints and general grimy appearance from caked-on dust. We ordered bottomless mimosas and the server would not refill in anything resembling a timely manner. Asked to talk with the manager who made one excuse after another including that the flies were due to having to keep the doors open now. Hello? Fruit flies are because of spoiled food! Manager also said, “ I’ve never heard of a restaurant being called grimy before.” Well here’s a clue dude: your place should be reported to the health department!
Its a good place.Great cocktails and a friendly inquisitive owner who takes a lot of pride in his restaurant. Me and my God have gone multiple times.Prime rib delicious and and so is mac and cheese.I should have wrote this review along time ago.Its good memories for me and my girlfriend:)
First time at Bru since the pandemic started; have always loved this place. Really good service from our bartender, great beer list and the French Dip is even better than I remember..
Fantastic! Good friend of ours took us to Bru, glad to see the business still alive. Had a large chopped salad and a chicken burger with well done fries. All great throughout, no complaints whatsoever. Well be back!
Spinach and Artichoke dip is the best I have ever had. Meatloaf was phenomenal and the bread pudding was to die for! I was very pleased as it was the first time I have been here. Cant wait to come back and try some of the other dishes.
Family staple. Grandparents go here weekly. I had my wedding reception here. The owner is a very nice gentleman, who deeply cares about providing excellent service. The food is delicious. You will become a regular if you try this place.
Great service. Delicious food!
We had a superb experience at this spot. We enjoyed the extraordinary atmosphere and the food. The waiters are very friendly. I am happy we ultimately managed to visit this spot.
Its always been pretty darn good. Our waiter went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. Usually a changing menu so dont get your heart set on anything. Good amount of microbrews on tap. Cool thing is no labels on them so its impressive the bartenders know all by heart.
We have attempted to eat here twice this week because we really liked it in the past. We have now walked away both times because of the poor attitudes oh the hostess. Not a smart choice for a restaurant to have unpleasant greeters who are miserable…especially with a sign hanging in the entry that says this is my happy place. 😒
Very nice place, fantastic drinks & food!Awesome happy hour. 👍
The bloody mary...champion. And its their own recipe! Also the Chicken and Waffles are the bomb!
I have tried to go to the bar 2x in the past 2 weeks and both times its been closed. @Owner: It would great to hear when all the interior/table top renovations are completed.
Are favorite place service is way better than cheese cake factory
Years ago, they had great food, beer and service. Last several year, they have awful food, beer and service. Last 3 visits have convinced me not to return. This is only the 2nd negative rating Ive ever given on this service, but gotta tell it like it is...
My boyfriend and I came here to try out the restaurant, as it appeared to be a upscale restaurant with impressive reviews and food. We were disappointed.It began when we asked our server what was on the cheese and charcuterie board. Im a huge connosieur of cheese boards. Our server started to list of the brand names, but not the cheese types. We asked what the seasonal items on the charcuterie board were. We got the response of, I dont remember what theyre called, but you know the small orange spongy looking things? I can only imagine he was referring to kumquats, but who knows? We decided to pass on the board since we werent entirely sure what was on it based on the answers we were given.First up, the appetizers brü and crü. Described as pretzel bites with cheese dip and a mustard fig dip. I give it a 1 out of 5. The mustard fig dip does not factor into this rating, because I hate mustard, so my opinion is biased in that area. The pretzels were more like bread stick loaves, cut diagonally long wise. They didnt have the pretzel taste to them. The cheese was surprisingly lacking in all departments. It tasted bland with no taste. My boyfriend, who also dislikes mustard, was okay with the mustard fig dip, but preferred the cheese.Next up, entrees:I ordered the Brü burger with an added egg and the garlic parmesan cheese fries. The burger was your run of the mill burger. Tasted good and cooked to my requested medium. The fries were on the salty side, making them difficult to enjoy. The burger itself helped bump up the rating on this restaurant.My boyfriend declined to rate his plate, which was a sausage platter he saw in pictures and was intrigued to try. He declined rating because he didnt read the description and realized all his dips were mustard. (I told him thats why I didnt order it, because I saw all the dips were 3 different mustards. Yuck. Lol). He did have to heavily salt the potato salad that came with it because it had no flavor. And he realized, from his first time having sauerkraut from this dish, that he did not like sauerkraut. I did try his potato salad, and it was a bit bland, but there was a bacon smokiness to the flavor, which I agreed with.On to dessert:It did not help the rating that our server deserted us for 20 minutes after taking our dessert orders, never once checking on us or letting us know what was taking so long. Then, from across the room, when he happened to make eye contact with my boyfriend, he makes hand gestures which we think may have meant that our desserts would be right out? Then a new server appears and lets us know she would be taking care of us for the rest of the evening. (Thanks, server 1 for telling us you were leaving)??My boyfriend got the Brü cake. We were planning to just share 1, but he wanted this cake which sounded like it would be soaked in whiskey, so I was uninterested, thus, we both ordered our own desserts. The cake was actually not soaked in whiskey and tasted rich and was actually okay. The ice cream that accompanied it, however, was awfully whiskey-flavored.I ordered the chocolate cake with Chantilly cream. The ice cream which came with it was supposed to be vanilla, but the flavor was so creamy, its difficult to think that it was just vanilla. The cake was super sense and heavy, but surprisingly not overly rich.Our overall impression of this place was very unimpressed. The food was mostly okay or unpleasant, and the service was... I dont want to say awful. But it wasnt great. We probably wont be coming back.Side note: unrelated to the rating, the atmosphere was completely not what we were expecting. The reason this doesnt effect the rating is due to the fact we made assumptions. We had thought this would be a nicer upscale venue where we could enjoy a nice quiet dinner. Instead, we were surrounded by a live musicians doing not so great renditions of pop music and screaming children running amuck on the grounds of the restaurant as if this were Chuck E. Cheese. Not what we were expecting.
1st time at Bru...was exceptional!!! Service was outstanding, food was really enjoyable!!! Definitely go back
Eagle Rare Manhattan Up is out of this world. Service is nearly as perfect as we have had. I had the filet, my husband had the rib eye. Both of us took over half our meals home to graze on the next couple of days. We are real steak snobs, and this place never lets us down. Love the classic decor. Can not wait to come back!
Best service ive seen. The cooking is also amazing ;)
Beautiful environment with 3 different outdoor seating areas! Water fountain in courtyard, lots of space heaters.Excellent happy hour. They even offer it on Saturday and Sunday! House chardonnay is only $6 a glass (happy hour). Tasty too.We ate the beef sliders and garlic parmesan fries. It was a perfect meal in a pretty place! I recommend. ☺
Food was yum. Sat us outside on a beautiful day. Water fountain stunk though. Service was nice. Bottomless mimosas 😋
Fantastic food, servers were very friendly. Nice casual atmosphere, highly recommend!
This is a great restaurant all around. The food is excellent, the service is always above par, the drinks are great and get you a nice buzz with A friendly bartending staff. We like to come here for special occasions like birthdays and graduations and we have never left unhappy with this establishment. I highly recommend coming here if you have never been before. It’s a bit pricey but you get what you pay for in this world.
Great experience, great food. The staff was friendly and tentative.We got the Fish and Chips, as well as the Sweet Thai Chili Chicken and it was delicious. The chicken was a large portion, and the salad that came with it was delicious. The Fish and Chips was also wonderful, with a slight spice to the beer battered fillets. We finished with their bread pudding, and it was also delicious, very rich and a large portion. We shared it with no complaints.We will definitely be back, great environment, lovely patio. We cant wait to try brunch here.
If youre looking for an amazing place to grab a bite to eat, share drinks with your date, or just indulge on their Whiskey molten lava cake (a.k.a. Bru Cake) your appetite will definitely thank you. The staff are friendly and welcoming as ever from the first time we ate here (many years ago, pre-kids) thru my latest experience with my 20 month year old. The staff brings extra napkins just in case without even asking. Though nobody dared to make a mess since the food was soo delicious! The Bru team are passionate about great food and warm friendliness that stems straight from the owner of the restaurant. The food is so good that even my uncle, whom is currently focused on a weight loss diet, had their chicken salad and tomato soup and was practically asking for seconds. And believe me, hes learned a thing or two about a good salad with his diet. Bru has something for everyone and I believe you wont leave dissatisfied nor hungry! Bon appetit!
The food was mediocre at best, lack of flavour for the Bru Burger and fish, the exception was the brussel sprouts they were very good. The service was inexperienced and should learn customer care comes first. Bottom line: I will not be back any time soon.
Not good. Poor service. Had to wait over 20 minutes for our drinks. The table didnt get clear of dirty plates. And the rudest manager ever. Instead of apologizing for an awful service, he asked us to leave. Will never come back and never recommend it to our friends.
They serve large dishes and for convenient prices. super nice staff members. Highly recommended.
Great place. Excellent food, nice people!
Everything I’ve tried from here has been good, helpful friendly staff.
Super cute atmosphere and delicious food. Love the patio areas for dining on a nice day. Breakfast was delicious.
Great place to watch any sports game. TVs plastered everywhere in the bar area. I was surprised how quiet the dining area was being close to the bar area. Food was good. We were in the bar area which was packed so service was kinda slow so it was expected. Food was great and brunch drinks were on point. I had the chicken and waffles. Chicken was seasoned great and waffles complimented it well!
Great food and a great price. They have a lovely patio thats covered, the tables themselves are distant from each other. The staff in this time of covid-19 and the customers when walking through the area are all wearing masks. The patio can get a little hot in some areas, and the restaurant has a swamp cooler set up in the area to keep it comfortable. The menu is a little narrow, but all of the items are farm fresh and tasty. You should take the time to get out of the house and enjoy this place.
Server was very nice and attentive. Patio was lovely setting. Dinner food was only meh. Especially for the price. My halibut was small and overcooked. Beet risotto didnt have much flavor. Asparagus was good, but some of the stalked were very skinny, and there werent a ton of them to begin with. My daughter had the prime rib which was cooked well, and she enjoyed the haricot vert. Her truffle mashed potatoes were dry and boring. Dessert was outstanding. Flourless chocolate cake served beautifully with chocolate sauce, dip of ice cream, berries and a flour. Tasted scrumptious, and you didnt need a big piece. I would go back to Bru for appetizers and drinks or coffee and dessert. Otherwise, Id skip it. The ambiance was nice, but the main course food just doesnt measure up to the price.
Love the cinnamon rolls! The brunch is fantastic and delicious
Love going to brunch at Bru. Food is delicious and service is fantastic!
Food is good if a little expensive for what it is. Service usually pretty slow. We went for lunch but I wouldnt recommend that if you need to get in and out in under an hour.
Half empty bar sorry we dont have any room
A new regular spotThey’ve been doing a stellar job taking all Covid precautions and making everyone feel safe dining there.The beer selection is always rotating and fantastic. Be sure to try the happy hour. Good spot to watch a game too since they’ve got outdoor TVs.
Awesome food and service. Way better then Heroes and Legends
Nice place overall! Good selections of food. My entree was ok. The halibut was perfectly delicious, but the haricovert and pink risotto was not what I liked and they lacked flavor. That was a bummer. My familys choices were delectable (I took a nibble of each). I loved the Caesar salad and chicken vegetable soup. Ill give them another chance and will pick another entree for next time. With Covid, the outdoor patios were where we dined. A little chilly outside in the beautiful patios, but the heat lamps were a blessed help to keep us toasty!
We both had the fish and chips and both were delicious. Drinks were amazing and service was on point.
Service was ok at best, had the ribeye which had a good char flavor the potato fondue was good
We just had their New Years Dinner and it was delicious! We love Bru so much! The food is fabulous and we love Matt and Melissa! ♥️♥️♥️
We have supported Bru at least 2x a week thru this pandemic.. had brunch there today with a friend . We had lots to talk about. Food was great. We were told “ they are getting mad at me that you have been here so long” Really??? Not ok mr and mrs owner. I have sent a lot of customers your way and have and will continue to do take out because we believe in you.Regards
During OC burger week, I ordered takeout for my brother and I. We ordered the BBQ burger and the Bru burger with fries and sweet potato fries. We also got two draft beers to go and I was pleasantly surprised that those were available for takeout.The burgers were juicy and very filling. The burgers were also packaged very well - the bread was separate from the insides of the burger so the bread did not get soggy. The fries were a little limp but some time in the oven remedied that situation quickly. The beers were not my favorite, but that was just a function of our choices.I will definitely be back! The food was delicious and the staff were very safe during this time.
We placed a special Valentines Day dinner for our family yesterday for pickup today at 6:30pm. 50 minutes past our pickup time, still no food. So much for supporting this local restaurant - their lack of organization and service today is unexpected and unacceptable. Not a great experience.
Delicious food, cozy patio, great happy hour deals.
Waited for 30 minutes and still didnt get the tea we ordered. 🥺
Good food, great service
Covid may have put a damper on Thanksgiving gatherings but we ordered our the Bru Thanksgiving meal and can not give it better reviews. Everything was precooked and the heating directions were clear and accurate. The meal was advertised to serve 6. The 5 of us didn’t eat half of the food. Thanksgiving leftovers without the work! We will definitely do this again.
I have to say that was one of the best meals I have had in quite a while. Bru is one of the best restraunts in Lake Forest if not the best the service is fantastic as a worker for the city of Lake Forest 29 years I have seen business come and go this is a top notch business and is highly recomended .the workers are good we came for valentines here good food yummy 😋🤪🍰
Good outdoor atmosphere, music and social distancing. Staff is very nice, and friendly. Food is ok, missing the wow factor. I want to like this place, but each time we’re just not impressed. But, they are open and have inside seating.
This place is the one I like best. I visit plenty of restaurants but here I constantly return again and again. The crew is very affectionate and the food they cook is so yummy. I would always prefer to have a nice meal in this restaurant. I highly recommend this place.
I love coming here. Have been for years and will be for many more to come. Everyone is friendly, steaks and burgers exquisite, and the drinks are strong. What more does one need!
Love this place. Great food and service.
Had the BEST prime rib ever at Bru!! Daughter had the lobster Mac and cheese. AMAZING! The owners and staff are so friendly and dedicated. Will be back again for another AWESOME dinner. Thank you Bru!
I know it’s cheesy to say this is a home away from home - but it really is. We’ve been coming here since they opened and the owner, Matt, has made us feel like family ever since. Their food is fresh, delicious, and roaring with the season. I’m so happy to have a place like Brü in so cal!
EVERYTHING IS DELICIOUS. The drinks from the bar are as good when you take them to-go as they are when you enjoy them in-house. Postmates order-ahead functionality seems to be turned off right now--but i had no problem calling my to-go order in ahead of time. Staff is super-helpful and friendly, and the business is taking many visible steps to be COVID-safe.
I feel very comfortable hanging out with family and friends here. I would call Bru moderately upscale but still very informal, relaxed and friendly. It has a large patio area where dogs are welcome and inside theres plenty of room in the bar area and dining rooms. The food and drink is consistently good and while not cheap it is reasonably priced for the quality. The brunch menu and happy hour offer some very good deals. Most of all the staff is always friendly and attentive. I never feel rushed. I highly recommend this spot. This is probably the best restaurant in old El Toro.
Bottomless Mimosas were amazing! The waitress never let it hit bottom and she was adorable! ( Yobana R )The Salomon and Quinoa was TO DIE FOR!First time here and I was 100% impressed, Brunch was great and I am DEFINITELY coming back!
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