Fat Head’s Brewery

I only came here for a beer with my friends, but enjoyed my experience.
We went on a Saturday evening & it was packed with an hour and a half wait for a table so we just sat in the bar & were lucky to find seating there for all 5 of us. The décor & theme of the brewery was unique with a large beer selection. I had the Bumble Berry, which is a honey blueberry ale that they add actual blueberries too. I really liked it & would get it again.
They sell unique apparel too if you’re visiting from out of town & want to bring home a gift. I would love to return & try out their food so I could get the full experience of Fat Head’s.

Came on an early Friday evening and sat at the bar. A long list of house brews as well as a great assortment of beers from elsewhere.
We originally found this place while on the hunt for buffalo wings and while we thought they were pretty spendy at first glance, we were satisfied with their whole-​wing offering. Smoked rather than fried they were delicious and filling.
Great service from everyone on either side of the bar and quick. They offer tasting trays (?) which are a great deal if you’re into that sort of thing.
Everything we had was great and we will be back.

We ducked in here for a beer on a rainy Saturday afternoon, and boy was this place hopping! We had to awkwardly hover around the bar area (which has open seating) to quickly snipe the first table that opened up. However, that’s all in the game of going out for food and drink, so not an issue. Besides, popularity usually means people like something, and I was excited to see if I would also come to hold this opinion of Fat Head’s.
They have a really extensive tap selection which is a lot of fun to peruse and whittle down into a tangible drinking choice. I started out with a honey blueberry ale (called Bumble Berry, if my memory serves me right), and it was delicious and refreshing. It even came with a few blueberries floating on top! Definitely the kind of beer that hits the spot after a morning and afternoon spent walking around and exploring Portland. An hour later, we all decided we liked these beers enough to want to stay for more. I went with the Oompa Loompa Chocolate Stout this time, and it was deliciously chocolaty and smooth.
There’s food to be had here as well, although none of us were hungry enough to check out the fare. The dining area is kid-​friendly, so this is a good haunt for families as well. Try to give these guys a shot over the nearby Deschutes brewery if you’re in town – only one of them can’t be found in your local liquor store.

I love Fat Head’s Brewery. I had a great time when I visited this place on my most recent trip to the Pac NW. I had the sampler and it was amazing. My fave beer had to be their bumble berry beer. It is so light, fruity and declicious! Very summer-​ish but available year round. UGHH so jeals of Portlanders right now. Therefore please read my short and sweet letter to you, Fat Head’s.
Dear Fat Head’s, can you please bottle your liquid gold (bumble berry) in a nice HUGE bottle and have it sent to Honolulu, HI? I mean seriously, please consider my request because I am a huge fan and am sorely saddened by the fact that it’s not available to me. I would do anything for it as long it’s legal. Please think long and hard before you decide. Sincerely yours, Anna K.
The food at Fat Head’s is typical of what you will find at other pubs, such as wings, pizza, fries, and burgers. I had their wings and portobello quesadilla. Both items were good and I have no complaints about them. The location of this brewery is nice for visitors since it’s in walking distance to other breweries, such as Rogue, Deschutes, Ten Barrel, and BridgePort just to name a few.
If I still lived in downtown Portland, I would definitely visit this place often and brewery hop. You can even booze it up before heading over to Providence Park to watch the reigning champs the Portland Timbers (once the season starts)!!!

I am originally from Pittsburgh, so I had known and loved Fatheads long before it came to the PNW. I must say the Portland location does not disappoint! It’s everything I loved about the Pittsburgh one, but with great PNW beers. It really is a taste of home with a Portland twist.
The food is great. We always start with an order of fried perogies (if you have never experienced the amazingness of fried perogies, get an order). You better come hungry cause up next is the main course. Their sandwiches and burgers are huge. It’s quite a feat to try to finish one, plus all the fries. They do not lie when they call it a headwich, because they are literally the size of your head. Yum, yum and yum! I also appreciated, being from Pittsburgh, that they kept the menu pretty much the same, and lots of shout outs to the Burgh!
It is of course, also a brewery! They have lots of great Fatheads brews, plus guest taps. Although I never usually like fruity beers, I’m more of an IPA or stout girl, but I love the Bumbleberry beer. It is dangerously good, and they even put a few blueberries in it! Get one.
Thanks for always leaving me very satisfied Fatsheads! Make sure you come very hungry, and thirsty!

Came for the pretzel. Ordered the pretzel. Ate the pretzel. Enjoyed the process of eating the pretzel.
It came out a little too charred for my liking, but it was a fake and bake… the char look might have been the type of dough, as the bites were as chewy as they were crunchy. And this particular pretzel was huge. A hefty snack (and price at $ 9.50) for any twosome… prob just right for a 4-​top. Comes with three dipping agents: beer cheese, brown/​spicy mustard, and a honey mustard. My suggestion is to douse the dough in all three for a true sauce suicide!

I came in because I went to Oven and Shaker nearby for pizza and beverage, only to find them closed for the week. Luckily I had bookmarked some other area establishments based on Unilocal friends’ previous reviews.
I came in at first on a Monday night, to be told as I walked in that last call was in 30 minutes. Really? This is the Pearl man, and it’s only 7:30. Odd, but came to find out they were having their staff holiday party that evening and were closing early. Okay, rather than go 0 for 2 down here, I’ll stay for a few minutes. Head Hunter IPA was a good start, hoppy and strong, and I thought I’d better order some food right quick, or I might go hungry.
My choice was the twisted brisket sandwich, with smoked beef, onion straws, bbq sauce and a fried egg. I skipped the egg mostly cuz I didn’t want to risk wearing it. Brisket was smoky but soft and tender. Served with fresh fried potato chips, this is a good plate.
I chatted with the server a little as I went to settle the bill, and she says «you should try the wings». Why? They’re whole wings, coated with a dry rub, then slow smoked like the other barbecue. No sauce unless you want it. That’s how I make them at home, so I’m thinking, great, now you tell me, right at closing time.
So the next night, despite having a lot of other choices for dinner (I almost got waylaid at Lardo for the porchetta) I found myself back at Fatheads for some wings. Crafty server she was. And I have to say the wings are darn good. The slow cooking on the grill allows most of the fat to render, so the skin gets dark and crispy, like cracklin. To my taste, «rub is all you need». The risk is overcooking it and ending up with dry meat. One wing was on the dry side but overall they’re very good.
I justified the bacon cheeseburger by remembering that I ate vegan before 6, so how much harm could it do? It balances out right? Come to find out that should be 6 PM, not AM. So, damage done, I waddled off happily, ready to try again tomorrow.

Slow service. Don’t go when you’re in a hurry. I was starving.
We split a Great Bender (Original Grinder?) or whatever it was called. Kielbasa, peppers, sausage. It was a great sandwich and split easily between two people.
I sampled a few beers.
Cool place to hang out. Seemed like a good place to watch football. Pretty calm Sunday afternoon.

We had a rare day together as a family so we purchased a Living Social deal to this brewery that I have been wanting to check out for a while now.
We arrived around 1 (on Veteran’s day) and were seated immediately as it was not busy, but judging by the fact we passed three dirty tables on the way to our seat, I would guess it was not the case a bit earlier.
Everything started out ok. For like 2 minutes, that is. Our server greeted us and seemed super friendly! But what he had in friendly disposition did not flow over into work ethic. It took FOREVER for us to get our drinks (forget about water, that would have been another ordeal) and I think I got the wrong flight. Our food service also took forever, and our server forgot to put in our appetizer order (the chili fries), so we were super hungry by the time we ate.
The food was cooked well (requesting medium rare for a burger often means getting one that is medium well, but this was cooked right! The beef was under seasoned, however, lacking flavor except for the cheese and other toppings) and when we finally received the fries, we all agreed they were delicious (not too spicy, loaded with toppings and flavor).
While I was super disappointed with the overall experience (poor service and dirty restaurant, even though it was not busy), I have to say I did enjoy my food. I am going to give this the benefit of the doubt and chalk up all the service delays to a very inattentive server. For now my 3 stars stands, but if I am ever back in town I just might try again.
I ordered: Philly with the egg (yum!)
the mister: Italian sandwich
The teen: cheese burger, medium rare