When my fiancé and I had gone through so much in the past few months(Marriage Proposal, Buying a New House), it was time to celebrate someone’s special birthday: MINE! We kept it simple, but she took me somewhere fabulous within our area. We take a simple, but romantic dinner at Brü Grill & Market in Lake Forest. Located on the northeast corner of Rockfield Blvd/El Toro Rd. in the Orchard Plaza, you will find the elegant Brü Grill & Market. There is plenty of parking since there is a wide variety of stores nearby. Brü has a nice brick walkway with its stone storefront making this an inviting experience. My fiancé had made reservations for a 4:30pm early dinner. We were welcomed by the staff and brought to the main dining area. There were a lot of people in the bar/lounge area. While walking through, you can see the many selections of wines having or stocked on the shelves. Apparently, Brü has a great variety of Happy Hour a.k.a. «Happiest of Hours» offerings as well as wine selections. We were seated and noticed that the main dining area was not filled. Only one table/booth was occupied. As time got closer to the evening, more and more came in, but I believe the«Happiest of Hours» was Brü’s greatest offer. Our host of the evening was Chris. He looked super sophisticated and I wasn’t expecting that. Chris was courteous throughout the experience and I believe he bowed a few times. I felt I didn’t deserve it, but HEY… he made us fell valuable. Chris took our drink orders. My fiancé had a Shirley Temple and I had an Arnold Palmer. While we were waiting, I wonder where the market part was? I don’t remember seeing that at all. Perhaps I missed it or Brü took it out. I do see having a cute little shop selling more than wines, but some elegant cheese or snacks. Chris came back with our drinks and we were ready to order. My fiancé order the Butterfly Shrimp($ 28) with white rice minus the Faba beans. She also wanted to try the Toasted Pretzel Bread($ 4). I ordered the Full Chopped Chicken Salad($ 14) with a side of Bleu Cheese Mash Potatoes($ 5). We asked for a complimentary bread basket and Chris was going to get a hot and fresh set since we were in early before the dinner crowds came in. While we were waiting, Chris came back with some news about the rice. Since we came in before Brü’s main dinner time, the white rice was not yet ready. What?! She was eager to get it. Unfortunately, there was prep work to be done. She opted to get green beans instead. Chris brought the complimentary bread, but there was three rolls. OK, I guess we are going to duel over the third one. The complimentary bread came with two mini-cups of olive oil and vinegar. Absolutely, delicious dinner rolls. Before we even got to fight over the third roll, the food came. My fiancé got her Butterfly Shrimp. The five pieces of Butterfly Shrimp were pretty huge. I am not sure what kind of sauce was used for the base. The greMy Chopped Chicken Salad has grilled chicken breast, Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, red onion, crumbled Bleu cheese. It didn’t have the bacon since I had it removed. It was super savory and sweet to the end. Don’t forget the Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes. It seemed OK to good. It was served in a little skillet, but the food itself felt lifeless. Mashed potatoes mixed in with pieces of Bleu Cheese. Nothing that exciting to talk about. Brü is a great place to stop from time to time. I do feel hesitant come back as some ingredients were not available or not yet prepped for any day of time customer. We were right in the middle between late lunch/early dinner. Brü is very elegant and cute. I see it more for the after work specials. When you come at the right time, Brü can be a great place to dine. I just hope it works for all customers at anytime. Unilocal…My passion is not to write my reviews, but to share my experiences with you. Take that journey and share your story.
Jessica S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Torrance, CA
Bru has amazing food!!! My boyfriend and I come here all the time for the wings! So good! Overall their food and beers are awesome! Excellent date night and they have live music on Fridays :)
Lisa E.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Huntington Beach, CA
Food was just ok, nothing to get excited about. The service was spotty. We had a hard time getting our waiter, and we saw him often just chatting with fellow workers. When it came time to pay this took a incredibly long amount of time to achieve. I wont be going back
Anastazia V.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Mission Viejo, CA
I love this place! I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to come here when it’s about 5 min from my house! They have happy hour every day, brunch and the overall vibe is just awesome! Decided to make a reservation through open table with some of my best friends for my bday brunch this Sunday. We were seated instantly and our server came by for our drink orders. If you look online — the prices are a little different than at the actual restaurant(ex: online bottomless mimosas/champagne says $ 8.50 but at the restaurant it’s $ 10 — no biggie, just FYI). We ordered the ballast point beer waffles which were delicious! If 2 people want waffles I suggest splitting 1 dish because it comes with 2 waffles and bacon or sausage. I added berries and cream for an extra $ 2 and it was worth it! Delicious! We also had a build your own omelet which was enjoyed and the bru omelet. There were several severs coming around filling up champagne so the bottomless deal is worth it in my opinion. The place looked pretty busy so I would suggest making a reservation in advance! I had a great birthday brunch and I can’t wait to come back and check out happy hour and the dinner menu!
Michelle P.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Laguna Beach, CA
This place was just okay, between 3 – 4 stars. However I will give the service and décor five stars. We had an early dinner in the main dining area. I went into this place thinking of brewery style food. Which it was, just a slightly fancier version. It wasn’t terrible food. It was good just over priced. My quarter piece of chicken was $ 18. Hefty for a small portion. I would not choose to come back here. MAYBE for happy hour. Maybe.
Marc M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Laguna Hills, CA
This is one of our favorite places to go for lunch. The ambience and food are top notch. The wait staff are exceptional! We are always impressed that they remember us AND are favorite cocktails. There is a great selection of specialty cocktails and a large and varied wine and beer list. I highly recommend the French Dip, Fish and Chips and Tour d’Sausage. Highly recommended!
Stephanie G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Tustin, CA
On Mother’s Day, my family and I(5 of us) had brunch at Bru which gave me an opportunity to try other items on the menu. My son and I shared the Bru Burger and the Beer Battered Belgian Waffles with Bananas Foster style and we ordered a side of the Chantilly crème. I know, a strange combination, but it was brunch and I was interested in trying different items they offered. We(my son and I) both felt the Bru Burger was delicious! I would definitely order it again. The Beer Battered Belgian Waffles, on the other hand, were rather bland(referring to the flavor of the waffle itself). They were topped with very little sauce and fruit in comparison to the size of the waffles, however, there were plenty of pecans. The Chantilly crème — very yummy My sister ordered the same waffles, but with the House made brandied cherries and a side of Chantilly Crème. We(my mother, sister, son and I) shared a little of the different waffle toppings — all were flavorful. And… we all came to the same conclusion — the waffles were lacking in flavor and there weren’t enough toppings. Our server, Devon, was wonderful he answered all of our questions. Pleasantly patient and tactful, he handled my family’s blend of challenging personalities. Overall, I still recommend Bru as a wonderful farm to table restaurant, their Bru burger, and Devon as your waiter. The only reason I gave four stars instead of five for this review is due to the waffles. They need improvement.
Han D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Lake Forest, CA
I’ve been here several times for the stellar HH. Service can be inconsistent especially if they’re busy. The HH food is really delicious so if you’re not in a rush, then take a few hours to hang out here for good eats with friends. Also they have a great wine menu that’s not marked up too much.
Matt G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Riverside, CA
This place has nice décor, friendly service and a wonderful beer selection. I have eaten here many times and think the food is just OK. I have eaten here for lunch and dinner where separate menus are provided. For lunch I have had the chicken pesto sandwich, Bru Burger, Bru and Cru pretzel bread, Bru hot wings, cheese sampler, French Dip and Dr. Pepper Baby Back Ribs. Although for the food is OK, the décor, ambience and beer selection makes this a good place to stop after work. 3.5 stars!
Ken Z.
Rating des Ortes: 1 El Centro, CA
Went in expecting top notch food and service based on Unilocal and urbanspoon reviews. Boy was I let down. I asked the hostess how long it’d be for a table since it was packed. She said 5 mins, so I took a seat and waited. Many people that walked in in groups were seated instantly, and as I got up to leave, they magically found me a table. I was seated in the barren dining area in the back, so I expected better service than the bar. Nope! I waited about 7 minutes for the waiter to appear, and about 6 minutes for my water. The prices were fucking insane(most items $ 20+) so I settled on a «Brü burger» at $ 13. I asked for it medium rare, and asked the waiter how long it’d take. He said, «20 minutes». It took 30. With 40 minutes wasted, and about 20 minutes left for my hour lunch, I wolfed my burger down. It was pretty fucking good. The aioli sauce on the burger’s rims and the truffle cheese made a flavor almost as good as umami burger. Then I hit the core of the burger. It was dry as hell and felt completely different from the edges of it; I didn’t want to eat it anymore. I spent about 8 minutes on that, and flagged a waiter down halfway into my meal to get the bill. I expected it to be fast. It took 25 minutes to get the fucking bill. At this point I was pissed off, and I noticed most of the waiters ignored the dining area, and instead fucked around in the bar area. I had an hour lunch, but I was expecting a little faster/better service even in a packed place; it isnt that fucking hard to get a bill onto the table. Service definitely should have been better.
Kathy L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Anaheim, CA
HH review: Pretty bare when we walked in. HH Is at the bar, market or patio only. Bar and market area has a good amount of seats so you’re bound to find seating somewhere whether it be at an intimate table or a community table. Sun-Thurs 2−7pm Friday-Sat 2−6pm $ 1 off beers Wine special We got a few things to share, which was all recommended by our waitress: Fried green beans with Bru Aioli $ 4: cylindrical container filled with friend green beans. It was crunchy, green beanie-nothing that made it stand out from the other fried green beans that I’ve had BUT it was good *we actually ordered this first before placing another order 10 mins later after reviewing the menu a bit more. It took FOREVER to come out, to the point where when I was eating everything else, I forgot we even ordered it. Our waitress realized that and comp’d it for us, which was nice of her to do. Roasted squash hummus $ 6: good amount of hummus. I totally forgot it has squash in it to be honest with you until I was writing this review. If it was in there, it’s very mild. Comes with baked pita, celery and carrots for dipping. Kobe sliders $ 7: You can’t go wrong with sliders right?! Three comes on a plate. Dressed with lettuce, tomato, onions… Yanno, the usge! Beef patty was moist but kinda on the bland side. Wish I had ketchup or something… ******Arugula and fig flatbread $ 7: arugula, fig, Gouda cheese, bacon and onions with a sprinkle of balsamic reduction. She recommended that we also added blue cheese WHICH we did! This dish was my favorite out of everything! I coulda just had this dish and my beer– totally content! Everything worked cohesively in my mouth, just the right amount of arugula, Fig and onions added some sweetness but not overwhelming, hint of bacon and balsamic dressed it so nicely. Customer service: SPECTACULAR! Our waitress, Alex, was so welcoming, SO nice and helpful. The whole damn restaurant was very kind. There’s always someone coming to the table checking to see if everything’s okay. I don’t think I’ve had that many different people come check on us but it’s nice to know they all work together AND each and every one of them were all kind!
Paula R.
Rating des Ortes: 2 San Juan Capistrano, CA
Last night I stopped in for happy hour with my friend, straight after work. We sat at the bar it wasn’t too busy or noisy, nice dim lights. Our bar tender was horrible she was a blonde with a fake smile we had to get her attention for everything. She was busy cleaning the shelves & her back to us the entire time. She did manage to pay attention to the other customers at the bar. Besides that the happy hour food was good we ordered the pork belly sliders on a pretzel bun, jalepeño bacon taters, steak tips, ahi tuna, & Kobe beef sliders. Everything was reasonably priced & taste was good. I ordered a house cab which was ok easy to drink $ 5 a glass & a whiskey drink $ 9 which was mediocre. I might come back for the food but the service was very off putting I’ll probably would go somewhere else.
Carlene P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Lake Forest, CA
Went in for happy hour late on a Friday afternoon and the place was packed, inside the bar and out on the patio. We were able to find a table in the corner and found a nice choice of happy hour drinks and food items. There’s a pinot noir on the happy hour menu that was fantastic… very smooth with a rich, satisfying flavor and only $ 4.50/glass. There are several salads, appetizers, flatbreads, sliders, and full entrées on the happy hour menu. We went for 3 cheese charcuterie and loved it. In addition to 3 nice cheeses, it came with Kalamata olives, dried apricots, honey and a generous plate of crostini. We also shared a petite green salad and a margherita flatbread. We loved everything, but the service was the biggest hit of all. Our server was lovely; welcoming, friendly, personable, prompt, and on top of everything.
Dawn A.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Irvine, CA
Phenomenal food, wine, and service here! I came in last night with a party of 15. When I had called the week prior to make the reservation, the hostess Jamie, was very accommodating and polite. Our server Chris was awesome! He made some great menu suggestions including the Four Cheese Flatbread. It was delicious! I also had the caesar salad and the beef pasta(a new dish). They were both excellent. They have a great selection of wines that are reasonably priced and craft beers and cocktails. Other items around me that looked amazing were the filet, the ahi, and the burger! Those are on my list to try next time. The bathrooms were immaculate and the the dishes came out quickly! The bar was hoppin’ too for a Tuesday night! The owner Matt came over and introduced himself and was very friendly. I will definitely be back.
Peter L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Foothill Ranch, CA
Eat at the Lucille BBQ place at the El Toro the other day, happened to peek into this place so packed with people, so tonight Debbie and I came to check it out. Debbie ordered the prime rib and a porter house special was suggested to me — Boy! They are good! Even the wife who is not a red meat eater couldn’t stop herself and only left 1⁄3 of the meal for the three little dogs at home. To all the people that I know of and live near by(Los Angels as well), come and explore the place. We have been to so many different steak houses and this one we will go back again.
Ben L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Long Beach, CA
I was hoping to try Bru Grull’s brunch menu, specifically the crab Benedict. They weren’t serving brunch, so choice number two was the pork belly sandwich. To my delight, the pork belly was meaty, juicy, fatty, and succulent. The accompanying BBQ sauce was sweet, and delicious. It really was a well made sandwich. The bread was crisp, yet not too hard, considering it was ciabatta bread. The cole slaw within the sandwich provided a nice balance. Be advised, if you don’t like fat, don’t get this sandwich. The crème brûlée was decent. The chocolate cake with ice ceam was rich and tasty. Our server Oscar was excellent. Drinks and other requests were fulfilled promptly. Bru Grill is neighbor to Lucille’s, and it seems to be holding its own. I’d come back when I’m in the area and check out the crab Benedict.
Jonathan D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Irvine, CA
really enjoy their food and it’s definitely a place like to challenge myself to try something new. Great place to bring friends who are from out of town if you live in the city of Lake Forest. Only complaint I have about this place is the seating. It’s mostly first come first serve and it’s hard to plan large parties. I’ve done it four times and it’s always a lot of work to get clients in large groups of friends here. Parking can be tight but I just recommend parking more towards the Ralphs side and you’ll find parking there. Front and calories don’t be lazy!
Terrence Y.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Laguna Beach, CA
Unilocal 100 Challenge 2⁄100 I mostly come here for business meetings both on and off the clock. It’s in a great central location just off the 5 Fwy and El Toro so it’s easy to get to for anyone in south OC. It’s a great looking restaurant and the hosts are always friendly when you enter. I usually skip right by them and go to the bar area, but when I do want a table it isn’t usually a long wait since it’s a large restaurant. The bar area has some great Happy Hour specials and they have a really good selection of beers.(And the main reason I like coming here). The flatbreads are a great choice to share or have as a meal. I really like their Brü Burger and get that if I’m hungry and want a more substantial meal to go with my beer. The sausage plate is also a great option and fits well with more beer drinking. The lively atmosphere adds to the experience and makes this a great spot for most.
Emil C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Diamond Bar, CA
I hate to knock my rating for this place down to 3 stars, but the food at this place has been slipping. I haven’t been here in a while and was at first pleasantly surprised that there were new items on the menu. One of the reasons that I had stopped coming here was because the menu never changed and it had become quite predictable what I order with every visit. On this particular visit, I was there to watch the Golden State Warriors game and it was during happy hour, so I sat in the bar section. I ordered two of their new items, the fried green beans and the Sriracha BBQ wings. I was a bit disappointed with the green beans. They were not even close to being as good as the ones you can get at The Habit. The wings were not bad. They were a good change from their original hot wings, however I would say that their original hot wings with the ghost peppers are still better. The selection of beers on tap was still good. That was and is still one of the top reasons why I would ever come here. Also their wait staff continue to be top notch. I’m hoping to return again in the near future to check out the new items on their dinner menu and hopefully give them a better rating. This is still a great place to have a few drinks and watch a sports game.
Kimmy W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Lake Forest, CA
I love this place. It’s in my sleepy hometown and it’s so refreshing to get a nice place with beautiful décor and a very good value happy hour with lots of community seating and variety! They have a dark sexy ski lodge look about them inside but the restaurant isn’t more than 5 years old. It’s very clean and inviting and a bit mysterious– my preferred scenario for drinks and light bites with hubs or friends. I have had EVERYTHING on the happy hour menu and I must say the flat breads stand out as the best of the list — did I mention I’m a huge fan of happy hours?! For actual dining, I have been here and eaten other things I just can’t actually remember… Credit to the great selection of ciders available in the«market»? Perhaps… I love that they literally have a seating selection for everyone: you walk in and can just sit down at an open table in the lounge/bar/patio area or you can put your name in and get a booth. Furthermore there is a little private courtyard for events and yet they retain their charming little independent feel. All the employees are friendly, the drink selection is incredible and I love that you can go «shopping» in their market and drink whatever you find you’d like to try! It gets a bit busy(cuz it’s so good) but it is absolutely in my rotation for rendezvous with friends.
Anika C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 South Bay, CA
I like it here! They have a great happy hour that starts at 2(which I, personally, think is wonderfully early for a HH to start!) until 7pm on most weeknights. I went tonight and saw they have new happy hour items. My «go tos» are the flatbreads. They are easy(I normally return to work after dining here), yummy, greatly priced, and, when I am not being a piglet, the leftovers microwave just right! I have tried the fig and arugula, margherita, veggie(which seems not to have made the new menu), and four cheese… all of them are good, but tonight I tried the apple and goat cheese(add onions) which was DELICIOUS! Just the perfect amount of everything on a nice thin, crunchy bottom! It knocked margherita from my favorite(the fresh basil adds a refreshing crispness to this classic recipe) to second place. I do not think I have ever tried a cocktail here — I normally get wine or bubbly. Nice atmosphere. Kind of rustic with dark woods and sexy(dimmer) lighting. The service has been very efficient every time I’ve visited Brü. No complaints. The one drawback for me is the communal tables. One may think that eating solo(as I have most of the times I’ve visited here) would make this more interesting to me. It does not. I like my personal space. And I hate when people ask«Are you waiting for someone to sit here?» Nope — that’s just for my purse…