Brewin’ On McEwan

Atmosphere is a 6/​10, but food is a ²⁄₁₀. I’d come here again for drinks, but not food. We visited on a Saturday at about 11:30 am and our initial impression from the outside was, «Why does a business that’s been open for a year still have a cheap plastic banner for a sign»? Looks tacky. It takes up two store fronts (the left side is a wine bar and the right side is the café) and there’s a sign on the café side saying to use the wine bar door. We enter and the two ladies seated by the door greet us like employees would, but don’t follow up with the normal stuff like, «Sit wherever you want» or an explanation/​intro of their business, even after the wife and I verbally tried to figure out where we order food, whether or not there are waiters, and so on. After making it over to the second side, which looks more like a café, but still no sign of whether we should sit and wait or stand at the unmanned counter to order, another customer let us know that you sit anywhere and wait for a server (they just went through the same confusing entrance). Finally, a waiter popped out and took our drink order while we went over the menu (which is about 3 times larger than what they have shown online). The wife settled on the Chicken Alfredo Pizza, I got the Beer Cheese Burger, and we started with the «Travis’s Soft Pretzel». HERE is where FAIL TRAIN derailed and fell off the bridge. It’s described as «Two fresh baked soft pretzels paired with a cup of our delicious beer cheese soup for dipping». To me fresh baked means FRESH BAKED, as in just now were they baked. These were clearly just frozen GFS/​SYSCO Super-​Pretzels that had been buttered and heated in the oven. That is not baking, that is reheating, and they managed to dry them out. Then the «Beer Cheese Soup»… Oh, hmmm. First, this could never be a soup. It’s so thick that you could very nearly scoop out the entire contents of the bowl with a single spoon. Second, even though it IS made with beer (Frankenmuth Brewing Old Detroit Amber) you could barely taste it. In fact it was bland city. Mostly an American Cheese flavor. Third, in an attempt to flavor it they added onions, but failed to dice them to an appropriately small size for a dip. Yuck.
OK, on to the pizza! It arrived CLEARLY under-​cooked, pale, and flaccid. In fact, the center of the pizza was basically soup. the excessive amount of alfredo had dissolved the inner 2″ of dough completely. The chicken was super dry, but more problematic was the complete lack of seasoning. Nothing! No brining, no herbs, no salt, no pepper, NOTHING. Fail. Then my «burger». If you could concentrate «Essence of Facepalm», it would be this burger. Go to Google and do an image search for «open faced burger»… Do you see a theme? 99% of them have a bun under them. No bun here, just a heap of the pastiest, most flavorless, UNSEASONED, inedible mashed potatoes I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting. The Waffle Fries? S-​O-​G-​G-​Y! Might-​have-​been-​heated-​in-​a-​microwave level of soggy. That leaves the burger. If you know much about making burgers, you know that you don’t overwork or man-​handle the meat, because it makes it too dense and drives the juices out, taking the flavor with it. This had clearly been worked so hard that I hope it got a paycheck. BUT, the cheese inside (stuffed burgers is their schtick) was hella oily. When I made my first cut with my fork it SHOT OUT oil about a foot from my plate and then the rest flowed out like a greasy lava flow. But the worst sin? You guessed it: NO DAMNED SEASONING!!! This isn’t 500 BC, salt and pepper are cheap and ubiquitous, USE THEM. That’s cooking 101, my friend.
The waiter picked up on the fact that we were less than happy with our meal and they took the pizza off the bill, so I’ll give them credit for that, but all of these mistakes are rookie level stuff. Either get somebody skilled in the kitchen or just stick with beverages.

On our way north and decided to continue the quest for the best burger. Cutting right to the chase: it isn’t here. Wanted to like the place — definitely local. Craft beer on tap. Wine room attached… with chocolate. But the burgers… def meh. Lots of toppings to choose from. Fries… nope. Waffle fries with seasoning. Undercooked.
Cute little town… nostalgic pictures of years gone by… but not coming back.

Shorts Brewing beer on tap. Excellent cheese dip and pretzels appetizer. Burger and fries good as was the almond encrusted salmon. Food took longer to arrive than it should have but it was worth the wait.

I flew into the local airport and based upon Unilocal reviews decided to check it out. It was a little hard to
spot but I found parking out front and followed the signs. In addition to a mix of tables the restaurant includes some easy chairs for people who want to sample a brew in a more intimate and comfortable setting. Three TVs hang on one wall but they are muted. The flower shop is moving and the restaurant will expand into the vacated space.
Service was quick and friendly. I was surprised when my coffee was served in its own little pot along with a tiny pitcher of real cream.
I ordered the classic stuffed burger which was excellent. Thanks to Unilocal I found this place and will definitely be back.

Great place in downtown Clare, really looking forward to going back with our family.

Terrible service! It took us 15 minutes to get 2 drinks after we ordered them. Had they been busy I would have been a little more forgiving but there were only 2 other couples and 2 other waitresses. She forgot my husbands dinner salad his glass was empty for a good 10 minutes while she stood at the register staring into space, my waffle fries were disgusting they were rubbery and hard. I would expect for a $ 63 bill you would at least have ok service with that.

Really cool spot in Clare. Good food. Fun wine tasting, and super friendly staff. Dana on the wine side is great, and fun to talk to. The pretzel and the buffalo nachos are to die for!

We were driving from Glen Arbor to Detroit and did not expect to find much along the way. Unfortunately, Clare may not have a lot to offer, but this place was a standout. Lots of local beers in bottles and three solid Michigan beers on tap. The Pecan BLT was amazing! I’ve never tasted better bacon. My husband got the cheese panini and was also pleased. Coleslaw and potato salad were nice sides (instead of the standard chips we usually see). Our server was super friendly too! In the same building there is a chocolate shop. We grabbed a bear claw and truffle for the road. Nice stop! Looks like they are adding wine tasting soon. Lots going on here.

What a great find! I had a great broiled swordfish with a blueberry lemon aoli. It was classic and understated, with great flavor.
This place is far better than anywhere I’ve been in Clare!
Five-​star beer selection!
Also, the head chef makes delicious pastries!

Just ate lunch here, the food was delicious and the prices were great and so was the service. Definitely would eat here again.

Absolutely love this cute restaurant! I’m from San Francisco, so it was fun to see a restaurant that highlights craft beers in a small town. I tried the Pumpkin Chai beer they had on tap and really enjoyed it! The Clareifornia Club sandwich was delicious, and so was the steak panini that my boyfriend ordered. Our waitress was extremely friendly (wish I remembered her name!). You have to enter the restaurant through the flower & chocolate shop, so don’t be alarmed if you can’t find the front door on the street. Over 80 craft beers in the case! What more could I ask for?

Chewing at Brewing on McEwan was awesome. Great bar b que and sandwiches. Pleasant server who knew her menu and beers. Good food prices but a little high on beer prices. I had one of the tap selections and my wife had a bottle beer, both of which were 4.95. The food prices adequately made up for the beer prices. Top service thanks to Shannon! Recommended when in Clare.

Awesome gem in Clare, MI. Great selection of bottled beers and several local brews on tap. Very cool location past the flower shop; past the chocolatier which I will have to be back for next time as they looked great. The pulled chicken sandwich with cole slaw was a combination of excellent flavors with a nice crisp crunch. Will definitely be stopping here any time I’m in the area.

Combination floral shop, sweets shop, donuts and a nice restaurant to boot. No brewing done on the premises here but they sell a lot of Michigan brews. Good selection of sandwiches, salads, soups and entrees. Lots of pics of historic Clare. We had great service and a very good lunch. Stop in and see for yourself.

We went there at 6pm on a Friday and were told they were out of the pretzels everyone raved about. We had beef brisket for our entrée. It was delicious, but thought there would be more food for $ 20. Ambience is neat. Service was friendly but slow.

When here for lunch with my dad and had a great meal. Nice open seating, friendly and knowledgeable staff and great food. I had the the pulled chicken sandwich, rich was excellent. Just the right amount of sauce, nice light bun with a side of really good backed beans. If your in Clare for lunch you’d be hard pressed to do better.

This place is amazing, great atmosphere. TVs had ESPN to watch the game but still intimate with photos of Clare that take you through history. Great Michigan beer selection. Food was something out of the big city. We shared several appetizers, including pot stickers, crab stuffed mushrooms, and beer cheese pretzels! Super delicious. Tried a few different entrees, pork roulades were pretty good but the Seafood Puffs were to die for! Sweet Shop next door… definitely coming back :-).