We visited a year and a half ago and I think I gave Brewbakers a 3 rating. That trip it was a Friday about 9 PM and the place was really busy and we opted to sit outside rather than wait an hour. That put us with the smokers and it was quite cold since they didn't have enough propane heaters. However they have improved and I'm moving this review to a 5 rating.

The beer: I went for the IPA. On first taste it had very high alpha (bitterness) and was quite cold. Then after another 3 minutes it warmed up a bit and slight amount of malt body started coming through. A very nice balance. Many IPAs have opted for aromatic hopping and really miss the character of the beer that was designed by the Brits to survive the journey around the Cape of Good Hope and still be drinkable when they arrived in India. The only thing besides being served too cold was the beer was unfiltered. Have to give the beer a 5 rating.

The food: I opted for the Katelyn Salad which sounds kind of girly to go with an IPA but it was not. Essentially the main ingredients are a large bed of mixed lettuce. On that they have taken a grilled tri-tip cooked to order and cut into 3/8 thick strips. Then they throw crumbles of blue cheese on top. There's also some garlicky croutons. Some pretty strong flavors which worked well with the beer. I had blue cheese dressing but would choose something else given the amount of blue cheese already on the salad so I could get another flavor. I'm giving Katelyn a 5 rating. Others in our group had turkey burgers which I got a small sample of and it was quite good (4.5) and fish and chips (4.0).

Other stuff: We were seated inside downstairs near the fermenters. It was a bit cool when we got there but after we started eating there was no problem. They brew cream soda and root beer both of which are worth the sugar hit. The wait was a tolerable 7 minutes.

We visited this place with grandchildren two years ago and last week. The younger generation like the local brews; however, we prefer bitter lagers like Heiniken, Beck, St Pauli Girl and none of the samples provided are anything like our prefered beer. I chose an inexpensive glass of Chardonay, which was satisfactory; however, wine selections are limited. I believe that American lagers, such as Budwiser, are offered. Food selections are limited as is typical for pub fare. Meals are offered, but I chose a Salmon sandwich with bread, tomatoes & lettuce on the side, which provided a portion of fish more my size. The grilled salmon was good and came with a side salad, which was appreciated. It is always hard to eat enough vegetables when traveling. Salads are about the only vegetables offered here. Our grandson likes this restaurant, which is clean but a bit noisy. It would not be our first choice (see Rosa's or The Lunch Box), but is certainly better than satisfactory. Wait staff is pleasant and bathroom was clean. Smokers are seated on upstairs balcony, which limits outdoor seating for nonsmokers.

Food was better than average, beer selection was good as well.
Friendly bartender keeps it coming.
It is another good find in Visalia.

We were tired and hot. The front desk gal at our hotel recommended this spot. It was sure convenient to the hotel. We had a wonderful cold beer (brewed on the premises) and ordered. The food took far too long to get to us, though it did taste delicious. Both our orders were slightly off but it wasn't too big a deal. The waiter ended up comping our beers, which was very kind and good business. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I would return to Brewbakers and just assume it was somewhat of an off night for the cook and/or waiter.