Bushnell Craft

This is an up-​and-​coming brewery with a nice, friendly vibe. This is one of my regular spots in the Eastside.
PARKING: Lot parking. The brewpub is located in a strip mall. There is an adjacent parking lot to the north, but it is restricted so pay attention to the signs.
VENUE/​AMBIENCE: Kid friendly. This is a relatively small-​scale brewery situated in a small strip mall in Redmond, which is home to the Microsoft campus. Don’t set high expectations for the décor as this is just an ordinary brewpub that started a few years ago. What I find as a strong positive is that this place isn’t overrun by brogrammers, leaving a more down-​to-​earth, local pub feel. Console gaming lends to the gamer geek vibe.
PATIO: There is outdoor seating available, but your view will be of strip mall buildings and a parking lot. One of these days I’m going to have to check out one of their roast on their outdoor wooden-​box grill. I can only imagine that the smell of roasted yumminess lends to a jolly-​old-​time for those sipping their outdoor beverages.
SPECIAL EVENTS: I normally don’t illustrate this bulletpoint, but the brewpub does some really fun stuff, giving me the sense of a pub that truly values its patrons and community vibe. Definitely check out their Web site to see what’s coming up.
BEER: I wasn’t terribly impressed when I first came here years ago. I’m glad I make it a point to check in every few years to see any hint of progress with a venue. The brewery is definitely gaining some ground. Now, there are more beers for me to enjoy beyond their Pine Tar Porter that caught my eye years ago. I’m a bit surprised that I’ve seen a few recent bad reviews for this place. However, given the demographic of the Eastside, I can see where a beer snob might be disappointed in this place not living up to the expectations of finding a trendy beer place with mild (safe) beers.
FOOD: I can’t say much here, except for my observations of the cook taking a liking to trying out weird concoctions… successfully, I should add., I haven’t been able to get beyond the friend mushrooms and their wings, both of which are super yummy. However, one of my bucket list items is to catch one of their roasts… the pictures of them killing it on their outdoor grill definitely looks like something I should be doing.
CHICKEN WINGS: Best wings in the Eastside. I regularly drop in for their Wing Wednesday specials. For first timers, I recommend ordering their dry rub and ordering sides of sauces that catch your interest. The dry rub is solid and their sauces really reach around all over the spectrum of tastes.
SERVICE: Friendly. I’m not sure how anyone can get bad service here unless you’re a prick. They’ve been friendly to me since day one. Again, this may be due to the Eastside demographic and its inhabitants seeking @$$-kissing servers. I will have to go up to bat for these guys… they give you real personality and will totally have a conversation with you in not-​so-​busy times.
Bottom line: This is a great local pub with good beer and bomb diggity wings. I’m a regular and I approve this pub.

Third time was not a charm…
This was my third attempt to finally check out what Bushnell had to offer. This first time we were seated, after thirty minutes of waiting for a server we left. The second time I pulled in the parking lot and remembered my previous experience. Decided to finally give it a chance last night because of a Groupon deal. It was 75 cent wing night, and the place was nearly empty. We ordered a winter ale and the IPA. The IPA tasted like sanitizer, the winter ale was only slightly better. Had a French dip, side salad and two different flavors of wings. The sandwich looked like it had been run over by a car, the salad was drenched in dressing and the wings were dry.
Before leaving, went to the bathroom to wash my hands. So glad I didn’t have to actually use the toilet, the bowl looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in over a month! It had that pink/​gray bacteria growing in it, yuck! Makes me wonder how clean they keep the kitchen…
Suffice it to say, will not be trying this place again.

Love it! This place was so clean and the outdoor seating is amazing. Happy hour is priced well and the wing wednesday was delicious!

Had a really great time here. Awesome food and GREAT beer. Also had an awesome server, I wish I could remember his name. Although I’m sure I’ll get it when I go back. And I definitely intend to go back!

Great local bar with an interesting brew selection and great food. For my second visit, I attended the second annual pig roast which was just a great time though very crowded.

The first time we came here was early in their infancy. It seems like they have improved. The customer service has and was great. On our first visit we tried the French Dip (too salty even for a salt-​freak between the kummelweck and the concentrated jus) and the stuffed mushrooms (not salty enough and the processed Asiago «melted» like an opaque shrinky dink on the surface). We came back tonight and we had the same server and he was still great. The wings were large, cooked well and really yummy. Sauces also very tasty. Order the strip salad naked, sauce on the side to try to avoid soggy strips. Blue cheese dressing was pretty good; ranch was great. Beers: guest tap IPA was still the best beer that we tried. They’re finding their stride in the beer area still. We will definitely come back. They handled a packed dining room and us and our kid with ease. I could spend hours in here eating bites, enjoying drinks and playing games. We will be back.

Just went for the first time tonight and not sure what everyone is complaining about perhaps they have never worked in the food industry. The wings were great super meaty, good flavor! I really enjoyed them! My husband had the cheesesteak wasn’t for me but he enjoyed it! The peanut butter pie was absolutely amazing! I wasn’t even going to eat any but had one bite because it looked so good, it tasted even better! If you are a fan of this flavor combo you won’t be sorry! Service was good, friendly, food came out fast! They have games to play and trivia cards at each table, the décor is right out of Pinterest very cute! I will be back for sure!

Among beer geeks, these guys got off to a bit of a rough start. Like half the breweries out there, their first few batches didn’t turn out quite the way they intended, so they took some knocks. I tried a few of their beers this weekend and I’d have to say there’s no reason to avoid their beer at this point. They’re solid now – they seem to have dialed in their approach with their system, and they’ve hit their stride.
They’re in the clotted clutter of downtown Redmond’s one-​way-​street business district. This little valley always feels crowded and tight everywhere you turn, but you can find a perch and forget the frenzy if you know where to look. Bushnell is a good choice for that sort of oasis. There’s a little bit of parking outside, depending on how busy all the nearby businesses happen to be. There are a few tables on the patio, sometimes with grumpy tech workers, sometimes with goofy tech workers, sometimes with happy tech workers, but mostly with tech workers. And a couple dogs, which might or might not be well-​trained, depending on how much time their owners can actually afford to spend at home with them.
Inside, there are tons of tables in a long narrow space, with big windows and doors at both ends. Off to one side is a small bar, with a decent-​sized and brewhouse behind framed-​in walls. They pour a dozen or so house beers, many named after sports moments and tropes. (The brewery is named for the family that owns it, not for the optical equipment popular with hunters, birders, etc).
The beers are perfectly solid, all clean. A nice sweet stout, a dark dry and hoppy winter ale, a credible IPA. The staff seem to know how to answer questions and sell the beer. Good on ‘em. The food is burgers, sandwiches, wings, and a few other things. The burger was okay; seemed like it was mostly bread after the first few bites. *Awesome* fries, though. The wings were okay, too. The garlic habanero variety had good clear flavors, and were sprinkled with some dry white cheese before they hit the table. The sriracha wings didn’t taste like much, and the «strawberry hot» wings tasted more like cinnamon than anything else. They didn’t bring the right dressing (didn’t bring the right fries with the burger, either – check your plates as soon as they set ‘em down), but everything was well-​made. And they were busy, with just one person working the floor, so small oversights are forgiveable.
The prices were fair enough for Redmond, and the vibe here seemed nice. They clearly have a good following, and everything was clean and well-​constructed, going all the way back to the restrooms. I’d have no problem coming back.

Great, friendly service!
The free pint glasses are amazing.
Definitely will be back again!

I decided to check this place out after seeing a deal for it on Groupon. I love checking out new breweries so I thought this would be an ace in the hole. I purchased the Groupon deal which included a flight of six of their beers, a growler fill, and an appetizer. Jump forward a few weeks and I decide to make the hour long drive to Bushnell Craft Brewing. That is where the fun ended.
When we arrive, we are told that they are currently out of majority of their beers. Not a problem, things happen. You would think that they would try and compensate us in some way or at least offer some alternative to our deal, but no, out comes a flight with three out of six beers in it. Yes, only three. Still, I had hope.
Looking up at the beer list we all notice they have a pumpkin seasonal on tap. So we ask to get a pint of that. Nope. That beer is a mug club exclusive. So not only do they bring us less beer than we actually paid for, make no attempt to compensate us for this, but now also refuse to serve us a beer they have on tap because it is part of a mug club. I really didn’t feel like I was asking a lot but boy, they really didn’t seem to care nor feel the need to make any exceptions.
The food was pretty good. The beers we did get to try (amber, milk stout, session IPA) were all decent beers. I think the milk stout was the best.
Food: ³⁄₅
Beer: ²⁄₅
Service: ¹⁄₅
I won’t go back to this place. The place has its charm but in no way is anything it does above average, especially service.

Man it’s been awhile since I have less than 2 stars.
Twinkle, twinkle little star… lol!
Ok seriously though. I don’t wanna spend a lot of time on this so 3 points:
1. Service was ok. Our waiter was friendly.
2. Food took a bit long to come out. We had appetizers… duude. maybe like 15 mins. And it was nut crowded AT ALL.
3. THE FOOD WAS HORRIBLE! I didn’t even eat my garlic parmesan wings! How in the HELL do you fuck up wings. Dawg. Wings? The truffle fries were semi-​soft. And the stuffed mushrooms weren’t stuffed with Shit! They put some cheese on top and melted them suckas. Really?
And I dunno if it was the shrooms or the wings but one of them Immediately gave me a stomach ache. I stopped eating both of them for good measure.
On a positive note, my dad fed the squirrel one truffle fry. Little did I know we were dealing with a true PROFESSIONAL French fry eating squirrel. That’s right. I gave him another one and he ran with it, faced me on a ledge nearby, took both ends of it, FOLDED that sucker in HALF and started going to TOWN like it was corn on the cob. #Epic #BossShit
’I like your stttyyyyyle!’ ~Borat voice
Rofl. Ima upload the vid on YouTube later. I think I’m a title it ‘professional French fry eating squirrel’. Coming to stores near you! Lmao. Cray Cray.

Three stars for the food.
Two stars for the beer.
Two starts for the service.
The French Dip sandwich was good, with a nice amount of horseradish. The jus was ok. Their regular fries are pretty mediocre.
The Crackback IPA and Crackback Jr ISA were both quite disappointing. Neither had discernable pleasant hop flavors.
The service was slow and disorganized.
I had wanted to like this place more. I really did. The Eastside needs more breweries. But not like this.

Bushnell’s is a charming place and a place that I drop in occasionally for the cozy atmosphere and seating. In nice weather, the patio section offers a relaxing setting to kick back. It’s a decent place to unwind, grab a beer, and stuff yourself with a burger after an exhausting day at work. Think comfort food.
Out of all the beers, the milk stout and the porter are the ones I enjoy the most, though my absolute favorite was the Hound. It’s been long over a year since they carried that. Ah sweet memories! It’s like that elementary school sweetheart from yesteryear that moved away to a different city, never to be seen again. You reminisce about her once in while, think good thoughts of the fun times together, then wonder if you’ll ever see her again someday. But lament that you may never again…
The staff are very nice and polite, but I hate to say this, the service on average is very slow and you’re usually left on your own to walk up to the bar to get your own menu, order your food, get your own cutlery/​condiments, pick up your drinks, and pay your bill. While you feel comforted by the setting, food and drink, the feeling of lonely abandonment starts to overtake you and wipes away some of the experience.

Things have changed for the better! A new brewvmaster has improved the brewing processes resulting in better brews — no more «funkiness». Enjoy the outdoors in their new beer garden!
Food is tastey as always though the price remains a bit pricey. We’ll continue to keep our eye on this local treat.

Bushnell is my go-​to brewpub. The service can be slow because they are sometimes short-​staffed when a lot of people show up at off times. The beer is good — the IPA has stabilized nicely. I *am* a beer snob and I don’t know what some people are complaining about — it’s made here, by hand, so there’s some variation. The food is really quite good and they take Prime card (% off your bill not 2-​for-​1). The staff really care and take it hard when people act like it should be the Four Seasons. For $ 20, I can’t do much better in Redmond.

I had a beer and an appetizer here, so I can’t really speak to the rest of their menu. I had the Irish red which was your typical red. Nothing stood out too much from the beers. We also had the stuffed mushrooms which were really tasty. They were stuffed with a cream cheese and had melted cheese on top. Pretty tasty!

**Update 6/​1/​15**
After talking up this place to my hubby, we finally all decided to bring him here for dinner recently. And I’m so sad to say that this place really let us down.
We were all starving, so we were probably the best type of diners to have, as we were not shooting for gourmet fare. Just something, anything, to eat. The restaurant was practically empty. We sat ourselves at a table by the back, and the back door was open as the servers were serving a family dining outside. But there was a draft and it was cold for me. I asked our friendly waiter for some Earl Grey tea, to get warm. He said he could get me some iced tea, but they were out of hot tea. All hot tea. What? He apologized.
We ordered some wings, 1 burger and 2 salads, and hubby ordered a beer. The beer came out promptly. And then we waited. And waited. I had warned hubby that the service was slow, but this was getting incredible. A couple who came in after us were already eating their burgers outside. It was going on 30 minutes. Our waiter kept returning to our table, apologizing to us about the delay, saying there were «budget issues» in the kitchen (we didn’t quite understand what the hold up was or what kind of issues would delay our meal so long). 40 minutes passed. Another couple came in and sat by the front door. The waiter came to apologize again after 45 minutes, and he put our bill on our table. OMG, no food came out but they were quick with the bill! We were incredulous. The waiter apologized again (he must have said he was sorry to us at least 20 times. We ended up calling him «Mr. Sorry»), but he was nice enough to say that they took 20% off our bill. Five minutes later, our meals came out. Yes, the food was good, the salads were very good, and the portions, generous. Was it all worth a 50+ minute wait? No, no it wasn’t.
Halfway through our meal, I noticed the couple at the front were eating their burgers. I’m still not sure why the few people who were there in the restaurant got their meals within 10 – 15 minutes but we had to wait nearly an hour. Maybe it was challenging to time our meals to get them out to us all at the same time? But between the crazy-​long wait, the bringing the bill before the food, and the fact that there was no tea (not one tea bag!), I have to downgrade my rating of this place. So sad, as it had so much potential for us.

Microsoft Prime 2015 – 2016
Go for the food, (try to) skip the beer
Ambience: 4
Food: 5
Drinks: 2
Value: 3
I really really want to like the place. The food is great; it has some of the best chicken wings on the East side. The ambience is great; it has some nice big TVs (with sound), a good bar area, and nice tables. Plus, the 20% Prime/​Passport deal is pretty decent. But… the beer is really terrible.
We are by no means beer snobs, but we can taste the differences between good and bad beer. Their beers are all mediocre, their taste is just off. The IPA is neither hoppy nor crispy. The lager has a weird vinegar-​ish after taste. Sucks… For a beer place, it’s almost untenable, downer

Not a bad place really but Bushnell just didn’t bowl me over. They serve food here which is good. You can dilute your beer with it.
Sandwiches and hamburgers are pretty decent here.
I had an Oatmeal Stout which was alright. Pretty standard but not subpar.
The service was alright. Perhaps a bit slow but otherwise no major complaints.

We came in last night for an early dinner. Sat at the bar and had amazing food! The service was great but I would imagine it to be stressed for one person to be serving the entire place at five o’clock no matter what day.
I loved the wings our server suggested, English Pub style. SO DELICIOUS! The Reuben burger and Gyro burger were so juicy and well made! The triple play sauces were fun and creative and added a nice change of the normal ketchup and ranch.
I had a Dirty Shirley and I thought it was full of flavor and really enjoyed it. I don’t drink beer often but really enjoyed it so much that I got another pint which speaks volumes for me!
I would give the fifth star if there was just more help for the server who helped us. He did a great job but working in the business and watching food sit in the window because the one guy working if taking orders, filling drinks, cleaning tables and checking tables out while running food is just too much. But that being said, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and will be back again. We really loved the trivia cards and how people around we answering. Great atmosphere for sure!