Engrained Brewing Company

You can count on high quality, excellent food whenever I come here. All food is farm to table and tastes as fresh as it sounds. Fresh is not boring here. They have numerous menu items that are original.
The beer cant get much better. A very collective collection of their own brew but also have a number of guest brews on tap that compliment their selections.
Engrained is a Springfield MUST!!!

I always love my visit to Engrained. The beer selection is always fun, and the food is amazing (plus I know it’s fresh and local!). Getting a seat can take a little long, but the bar is a nice place to get a drink and wait. Oh, and the Engrained rice is pretty phenomenal. I can’t wait until their Summer Shandy is back on tap.

Like most of the reviews I really wanted this to be a great place, we have been 4 times now. The first time was good, (3 out 5) but since then it seems to have gone down hill. Yesterday’s visit was the last straw though. We went for the Midwinter Elf fest. The beer flights were double the price, $ 10.00 for 4 small glasses of beer that clearly had not been allowed to fully age. We could taste the alcohol in the beer, seems like a rookie mistake for an established micro-​brewery. I had the black bean burger and my wife had the Carolina chicken sandwich, the black bean burger was less than tasty and was loose, seems like the cook ladled it on the grill and left it just long enough to get lukewarm, it was the consistency of pudding. The Carolina chicken sandwich was full of fat and gristle and basically inedible. The waitress forgot to place our appetizer order and seemed to be more interested in visiting with another table than to check on us or other patrons. Sorry Engrained but we will not be back.

They have great beer, great wait staff, and that’s where it ends. While I believe they buy quality food, the kitchen staff is a dive bar at best. You rarely receive an order back that is not messed up in some way. Food is missing or it is prepared the wrong way. Soup will be cold. Fries will be old, and sides will be missing altogether. I am a rewards member and complain almost every time I go. I always get a nice response back but nothing ever changes. My advice: just drink the beer, get an appetizer (good luck with that) and go home.

First time we went we had to wait 25 mins. Not for a table, but because there was no wait staff. We gave it another try when we were in town again and was again disappointed. The food tasted horrible and we were served ice cold so now our bad tasting, but hot food was to be dipped into sauce that made it instantly cold. :(To top it off the waiter was nice enough to refill my half glass of Sprite with ice water without 1. Asking if I wanted a refill or 2. WHAT I was drinking. We won’t be returning.

I have to say coming to the mid-​west I was thinking good pub grub and a micro brewery. I have had way better. Their IPA was more like a mass produced beer and their oatmeal stout was meh, just okay.
I was there for a corporate dinner so we had a shorter list of things to choose from. I was pressured to try the big messy burger thing Horseshoe or something, but they had a ribeye so what could be bad… well it can be plenty bad. The meat was thin as a rail and the first one I sent back because i ordered it medium rare, but it was such a skinny steak that it was shoe leather. The next effort wasn’t much better, more fat and grizzle than meat.
I would just keep on trucking past this place. I gave them 2 stars because the waiters were nice, but the food was horrible.

The more I go to this place the more I love it. They always have a new beer on tap to try. The sausage pizza is awesome. Great place for happy hour and dinner. You can even ride your bikes.

First, thank you to the Engrained owner, who e-​mailed me regarding our experience. He wants his restaurant to truly be the best! We will go to Engrained again out of respect for and faith in this owner. I believe he will continue striving to make this a great place! While our poor experience still holds true to that day, we look forward to trying again. That is why I changed my rating and edited my written comments. Thank you to that owner!

My salad sucked. So much of the lettuce was already wilted and getting slimy. I had plenty of butternut squash pieces, but barely any blue cheese or candied pecans. I literally could find maybe 2 crumbles in the entire salad. And it wasn’t even big or filling at all! I added chicken, so for a $ 15 salad, I was not pleased at all. The 2^nd star is solely for their tasty berry beer.

The food is fresh and the craft beer is also great. I’ve been coming here since they opened, always for dinner, and it just keeps getting better and better from the food to the beer. I highly recommend doing a flight of beer and trying a few different ones. You won’t be disappointed!

We decided to have a quick lunch here on our way back home from a meeting in Springfield.
I’m almost dumbfounded at how amazing it was!
My 5 year old son had kids cheese pizza, my husband had the ruben and I had the fish and chips.
The Fish and Chip was really good! not over cooked, hot and the fish was flaky. The fries that it came with were surprisingly good too.
THE RUBEN! HOLY FREAKING CRAP! Best thing I may have ever tasted. I would drive an hour and a half just for that. It was juicy, full of flavor, and practically melted in your mouth. #magic.
Even the kids pizza was shockingly good. My son ate the whole thing in record time.
The beer was deserving of an award also. All of them that I tried were very well crafted.
We will be back for sure!

Our experience at Engrained was sub-​par at best. First off it was freezing. I actually had to use all of our napkins to cover my arms because I was shivering the entire time. We were seated at one of the tall tables in the first room of the restaurant. The place looked empty b/​c everyone else was seated back in the booth section. So we sat for a good 10 minutes before a server came over and said he was just informed he had a new table. Not the best of starts!
We ordered drinks and an app while we had him there to get the show on the road finally. The cheese curds were good. Crispy, cheesy, and a great spicy ranch sauce. I then ordered the breakfast horseshoe. I’ve never ordered a breakfast version of this Springfield delicacy so I had high hopes b/​c I love eggs, cheese, bread, and potatoes. Unfortunately it was not a winning dish. Their cheese sauce was terrible. You can tell from the pic I posted how lumpy it was. And I really couldn’t even figure out what cheese they use. All you taste is beer. The dish was also cold. The eggs were cold and over cooked. The Texas toast wasn’t toasted, and the potatoes were burnt. I probably ate 10 bites at best. With so many great local restaurants in SPI, this place will not be on my hit list during any future visits…

My fiancé and I were considering a few different venues for our rehearsal dinner, but after eating a meal here, my stomach says we have no choice but to go with Engrained.
The cheese curds are phenomenal and the beer is top notch. We ordered a paddle to sample from since it was our first time there and we loved all four, can’t beat the $ 5 price tag either!
Everyone that we worked with, the host, our waitress, and the manager who gave us information on our rehearsal dinner options was very friendly, attentive, and personable.
We will definitely be coming back and look forward to our event here.

Have been here twice. First time I had the Engrained Burger and the second time I had the Creole pizza. Both were wonderful. All the beers that match my favorite style of beers were also very good. I will definitely stop here when I am back in Springfield.

Nice place to stop for house brewed beer after biking the trails near by. Kitchen was way backed up when we got there and they were out if homemade pretzels so we skipped it. I got the beer paddle sampler — 4 x 4oz tasting of whatever house brewed beers you choose. I tried 1) Kona lager which was OK but too fruity for my taste (even though I knew it would be it just sounded good on a hot day) 2) oatmeal stout which really did taste like coffee and chocolate — yum! 3). Dunkelweizen which was true to form. 4) EPA (ESB) which wasn’t as hoppy as I wanted (I like Fullers). Still worth checking out if you are on the trail or at Scheel’s.

Stopped in for lunch on the weekend– nice atmosphere and good staff. My salad was fresh yet nothing inspirational and my guests felt the same. They have a reward program, but for me, and I am north of 50, it was very complex and not worthwhile.

I’ve eaten at Engrained numerous times. Very often it’s lunch, but I’ve eaten there a variety of evenings and weekends. And, I don’t work there. This is an honest review.
First their food: I’ve had many things on the menu, all being excellent. They have a Burger of the Week that I’ve ordered several times. It’s always very good. My favorite thing on the menu are the pizzas. Handmade crust, great ingredients.
Their beer: I think this is where they really excel. In a world of IPA’s, Engrained does a wonderful job of keeping a good variety of in-​house brews on tap. From their Kolsch to their Oatmeal Stout, all of their beers are top notch. They are continually tapping seasonal brews, while keeping their more popular beer continuously tapped. If you are having trouble choosing a beer, you MUST try their Irish Red. It is truly the best Red I’ve ever had. They also have a few guest taps where they feature some really nice brews from other breweries, very often limited edition.
The Staff: Now, I normally sit at the bar to eat. I always feel like you get the best service wherever you eat at the bar. The guys and girls working behind the bar KNOW THEIR STUFF! Friendly, knowledgable about the menu and all of the beers. For that matter, they are knowledgable about all kinds of beers. If you want to talk beer, these people are a great source. For lunch I can get in and out in much less than an hour, but I often find myself having a great conservation, and rushing back to work :)
Obviously, I highly recommend Engrained. Give it a shot. You will not be disappointed.

Beer was good. Burgers were okay. Why the 1-​star review? Sad, cold, dead french fries.
After getting a couple of lukewarm appetizers, we waited a bit too long for our entrees. Once they arrived, I tested the fries right away, but they were cold. :(
My husband’s portobello sandwich was ice cold, as well. He actually sent it back, it was so bad, and received a new one once the rest of us were nearly done.
Back to the fries, they actually tasted like they had been previously fried, refrigerated, then popped into a microwave for 10 seconds, then forgotten about for another 10 minutes. Are you feeling my pain? We’re talking FRIES here, people!
This was my first time getting to try the place. Probably the last. The cold, poorly-​fried food will likely last long in my memory; sorry, local eatery.

Ate there last night. I’m torn with the rating. The beer was 5 star. The food was a 2. I would order differently next time perhaps with a better result.
The beer was all great and a nice selection from light kolsch to stout and nothing I had was overly hoppy — which I like.
I ordered the short rib pizza and was disappointed. It looked great, the crust was nice BUT it was seriously overpowered with BBQ sauce and there was very little short rib involved. By the time I had the last piece, I was seriously icked out with the BBQ sauce. My boyfriend had the meatloaf which I tried and it was just meh as well.

Located in what looks to be a very new area near the highway, we made our final Springfield stop of the day here. Came in with a heavy appetite after seeing the sites, and left with a fuzzy feeling.
The service was great. Greeted at the door, we were seated immediately and our waiter was well informed about the food and beer.
The food was the best part. I had the Hot Ham & Cheese which was a tad small, but one of the best I’d ever had. Since I breezed through my plate with ease I helped my wife with some of her huge plate of nacho’s, which were also very tasty. My son had cheese pizza off the kids menu and even that was really good!
Beer — They had 8 or 9 styles on tap which are labeled for the type of beer they are, instead of given name. Had to drive three hours home so I only had the Oatmeal Stout, which was really good. Nice and smooth, delightful aftertaste.
Glad we had a chance to stop in, I’m probably at 4.5 stars here. Great food, great beer!
Cheers!