Bauer’s 66 1/2

Loved my first experience here. Dynamite lamb burger (insanely good) and great bar service and wine selection. The place was packed — the line was out the door, so make reservations if you’re able to. Huge food menu and some great, non a-​typical options for dining. Great place to bring people from out of town, in my opinion.

The key here is to get here right when they open at 5:00.
Unless you want to wait, standing up, for a half hour or more.
It’s small, dark, & quaint. There are no windows, which gives it an underground feeling. Lots of brick. Fresh flowers on each table in recycled wine bottles. Cute.
I know better than to take Unilocal rave reviews with anything but a grain of salt. But even so, there is always a part of me that wants the hype to be true.
I read this was the best burger in town, & those are fighting words for sure.
The gourmet garlic burger was cooked to order, but the combination of all the toppings made it too busy. The star (the beef) was overwhelmed. This could also be the result of the patty being under seasoned. I expected to be knocked out by flavor w this. I wasn’t. Half of the bun was over grilled. Black marks all over my bun? No thanks. Consequently, I left a good portion of the bun on the plate. Not worth breaking the carb bank.
The lamb burger, on the other hand, was worth the visit. The lamb was cooked just right, so that the meat was still tender, but done. It was delicious. Having this felt like I was having a treat. A special meal.
The fries? ¾ of my fries were made w bruised potatoes. So unappetizing. I can’t remember ever being so disappointed w a plate of french fries before. Pass.
All in all, it balanced out to solid. I saw other plates going out, & I have to say some of the entrees looked absolutely fantastic.
3 stars.

ahhh the garlic burger!!!
a+ food, a+service, a+ clean, a+ atmosphere
on diner’s drive ins and dives, i see why!

Bauer’s is the best. Tye is fantastic and he always has some delicious vegetarian or vegan plate to offer as well.
Tye catered my wedding in 2011 and people raved about the food even months down the line! I highly recommend Bauer’s to anyone. A savory little gem, hidden plainly in McHenry Village.

Date night… Yeah, we heard about Bauer’s from a few different friends so we thought what a better way to spend date night. First of we have been to this particular location before as a previous business so we knew that it is a little cozy beforehand. I am a little sensitive to smell and am not huge on the whole natural oil musky smell. It wasnt our server but one of the young ladies working had that overwhelming musky oil smell that just doesn’t sit well with me. Our server was fantastic and very attentive but not overly so. When we arrived there was only one or two tables opccupied but by the time we left it was packed in there including the bar.
We had a great meal, the vina D’ alho, chicken wings in a garlic sauce were delicious and would have been fabulous if they had been cooked all the way through. They offered to bring a couple out to replace the undercooked ones but by then our food had arrived. I am Portuguese and was raised eating delicious Portuguese food. Their Alcatra Taco’s were heavenly… I was texting my friend bragging about them while eating them. I know I am not a nice person but hey I am ok with that. I would love to try something new next time we got but seriously I am getting the Alcatra tacos, not even going to pretend.

Dropped by yesterday for dinner. Found this place through Unilocal while looking for steak in Modesto, CA. Ended up going with the special, pork chop with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts as our main course and slider with fries as an appetizer. The sliders were just the right size, soft bun, savory and juicy pulled pork. The fries were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The pork chop, moist and tender with a nice char on the outside. Mashed potatoes were close to a whipped consistency and not overly buttered. The brussel sprouts were also cooked perfectly with the right amount of seasoning and a crispy char on the outside.
The service was also great! There was a bit of a line but I expected that after reading other reviews. Only waited about 10 — 15 minutes and decided to sit at the bar. The bartender was pleasant, attentive and knew the menu well.
I highly recommend Bauer’s 66 ½ and will definitely be visiting this gem in the future!

This is my favorite restaurant in all the land. The food is amazing and everyone who works here is so kind. This is the epitome of an amazing local spot. I met the owner years ago and I was so impressed with the vegan menu and the care he puts in to his food that I’ve been a regular customer ever since. I’ve brought sooo many people to eat here with me over the years and I’ve only been told amazing things about the regular menu.
I can only speak on the vegan menu myself, and what I can say is, everything is delicious. My personal favorites are the Brown Sugar and Bánh Mi. The fries are insanely good, and his homemade ketchup is surprisingly exciting on the pallet. When I’m feeling like something a little healthier I opt for the rabbit salad as my side.
Their selection of beer has been a fun addition to the menu and the feel of the restaurant.
EVERY non vegan/​omnivore that I’ve eaten with here raves about the burgers. I’ve heard great things about the pulled pork, the nachos, the quesadillas. Everything, come in, check it out for yourself, try everything.
Don’t be discouraged if it’s busy, it’s worth the wait.

We decided to try it only after watching Guy’s triple D. NEVER would have stopped here otherwise. I’m glad we went. First of all service was awesome! Very attentive and helpful with menu items. We started with appetizers consisting of Brussels sprouts and mussels. Those both were tasty and very good starters. The main courses came and they included lamb burger, hamburger with avocado, and the special of the day: French dip. The main courses is where Bauers fell short. These dishes were just all right. Definitely not bad but nothing to scream about. Now the garlic and regular fries I would 100% sing about. These I would give a thousand percent. Homemade and dip them into their special ketchup mixture or with homemade ranch.
Sooo, four stars is for the main course only. Please visit here though so you can experience Guy’s recommendation. It was well worth our sixty mile drive each way.

Five stars for Modesto! Even with the long azz wait times!
–This small space is filled with a refreshing rotating list of beers and wines, well made food and cool waitstaff.
–Alcohol selection consisted of beers I had yet to hear of as a recent transplant to CA (I like 805 and the like but they seem to be everywhere) and different non CA wines (I really wanted to try the Viognier/​Chenin Blanc white but they were out of it).
–I chose far out from their famed burgers and ordered the Paella. The seafood was very good quality and the chicken was moist and expertly cooked. The tiny portion was still worth $ 24.
–We had a large party of 8 for a teeny tiny restaurant that probably seats around 35ish, with no reservation we waited like 1.5 hours, so don’t come expecting to walk in. But it’s well worth it!
–Thank goodness for this culture fix in Modesto. I’ll wait to come here again for sure!

What a nice surprise this was! This is a tiny spot in a shopping center and is so easy to miss for lack of standing out and signage… but that’s the FIRST best thing about it! As it is, once found, there is a line to get in and believe me it’s worth the wait!
The food is fresh and the portions are generous. The menu offers a good variety for every palate — including vegetarian. (The Portobello Mushroom Burger was delish!) Great selection of local brews and a good wine list.
This will be a favorite stop for sure! I also learned my old walking buddy Guy Fieri recently reviewed Bauer’s 66 ½ for his show, ‘Diners, Drive-​Ins and Dives.’ While I wouldn’t characterize it as any of the three titled, the Pub atmosphere is definitely inviting. Looking forward to Chef Tye Bauer’s creations on the next trip back!

Coming back to Bauer’s for the first time after Triple D did their segment on the restaurant. The first time I came I brought a party of 6 and they sat us down within 15 minutes. After ordering, we had to wait about 40 minutes for our food. The restaurant was full but a 40 minute wait for some marginal vegan food was not the business.
Going back for the second time, I brought my cousin and my mom. We were seated within 5 minutes and we were greeted by an awesome waitress and new updated menus.
We knew what we wanted to order as soon as we got there and the waitress was ready to take it. We ordered both our appetizers and our entrees at the same time. What was impressive was that the waitress didn’t need to write down our order. She took it all by memory.
My mom and I ordered from the vegan menu. For appetizers we had garlic fries, the Brussels sprouts and the mushroom black bean tacos. All the appetizers were tasty but the fries were on the oilier side. My cousin tried the Brazilian cheese bread which he had previously at a Brazilian steak house and the comparison was uncanny.
For the entrée I ordered the vegan bahn mi which was very tasty. The slaw was the perfect compliment to the nicely seasoned fried tofu. And the kick of jalapeño was very pleasant. My mom had the vegan mac which she said was more on the sweet side (she’s not too fond of sweet when it comes to mac). My cousin ordered the chicken sandwich when he devoured and he could really taste the love behind it. All our food came out within 20 minutes and we were even up-​sold on some vegan apple strawberry crisp which was delectable.
After coming here for the second time, I appreciate the upgrades they did and the service is top notch. I will be back for sure.

Great hole in the wall kind of place. If you do go its *behind* the Spouts store on the Briggsmore Ave side by the Postal Connections place.
Great bar-​maid recommendation on the Black and blue (a great homemade burger with pulled pork on top). Place is small so come early or else you will be waiting, but worth it IMHO.

This place is kind of unique for Modesto, the place has a different kind of vibe. While I am not vegan, this place has a lot of vegan choices which makes having a meal with my sister much easier. The food was decent, and the service was excellent. The owner was there and was very friendly.
The place has some really odd hours though, check before you come here.

In town (sorta) visiting my amazing family and we were looking for something… And we found it! The food was amazing, ambience is interesting, and the wine was very good. We shared Brazilian cheese bread and wings (garlic), and the WTF and Lamburghini, plus Mac n cheese and paella (special). Delicious and would definitely come back.

We had a great meal, wonderful waitress and a great conversation with tye the owner… we will definitely be coming back

I’ve been here several times. They have great food and a completely vegan menu which I found pretty cool.
I normally get the chicken sandwich with fries and it is pretty delicious. I also tried the garlic fries last night for the first time and they were pretty good too.
It is a very small place so expect a wait, capacity I believe is around 40. But there’s always room at the bar if you’re wanting to sneak in for a quick meal alone.
Staff is pretty friendly I’ve just never had luck with tabs being split, they often mess up mine and my friends bills. But it eventually evens out the next time we come here.

I quit going to Bauer’s for a couple of reasons. The first was when we had a group lunch for a friend’s birthday and one of our friend’s brought his son. I get Bauer’s is attached to a bar and kids aren’t allowed, so our friend had to leave and take his son home. The problem was the family in the corner table with a child as well that was allowed to stay because someone was related to the staff. Double standard.
The second was when I had dinner with my girlfriend’s parents for the first time. It took an eternity to get our orders taken, longer to get our food (which didn’t seem like it was hot out of the kitchen, in fact the bottom bun of my burger had enough time to sit and soak up enough juice to completely fall apart when I tried to pick it up), and even longer to get our check and leave. We were there for well over 2 hours and it wasn’t our choice to be. Place seems to run better when the owner is there, but if he isn’t then prepare for lazy service.

Came here for the first time today. They have really great menu options. And a whole vegan menu! The ambience is really laid back. Does not feel like you’re in Modesto.
Staff is really friendly and accommodating.
For starters Mac and cheese was the best I’ve tried so far, so flavorful with a great crumb and rub topping. A must try!
Salmon tacos are really great too. Fish is very fresh! If you’re looking for a healthy yet delicious option, this is a good one.
The prosciutto wrapped sturgeon was also really tasty, again fish was very fresh and succulent and came with a side of some of the best fries ever!
Will definitely be back to try other menu options.

This place had some amazing burgers. The patty was at least ½ lb and the garlic fries were good, on the thin side.
Shared a basket of fries and some mac and cheese among 4 people. The mac and cheese has 9 different types of cheeses which made it taste so interesting.

This place is really great! We had sliders and mac and cheese. All was delicious. One waitress who tended bar and tended tables and did a damn fine job! I didn’t like the fruit tea though… sorry. She quickly switched it out for water. No biggie. Food=delicious! Will definitely be back when I’m in Modesto again! There aren’t a lot of places to have great food in Modesto, but this place is off the chain great!
Edit* We’ll, now that’s it’s been featured on DDD, they’ve changed the menu and the food. Sliders no longer come with a side and are individually priced. Expensive. The menu changes quite often, so if you loved something on a previous visit, it may or may not be on the menu when you return. Also, the cheesecake is great!