December 12, 2008
The only reason I stopped by here is it was 1.5 miles from my hotel and at a mall, we needed to stop by and pick up something before hitting the airport tomorrow. Typical chain look and feel. 10 beers on tap 3 of 4 of which were the same seasonals that were on tap at La Jolla. Food was decent as was the service. The food was good to. I enjoyed the Pork Chops.

May 14, 2008
The service here was awesome. We didn’t get anything to eat, but the food looked good. This was a good find when we accidentally stumbled upon it. We got the sampler, and even though there were some left off, our server brought us all the taps for free. Beer was ok, not great, but good.

May 13, 2008
Solid food with adequate service. Great location near the South Coast Plaza shopping center, but what it really comes down to are the growlers. There’s no feeling like walking out of this place with a giant growler full of Karl’s beer.

November 27, 2007 [ Updated August 14, 2008 ]
I love this place. I love going, I love drinking, I love eating, I love taking home growlers. Sure they only pour Karl, but this is the one place with dedicated taps whose beer is good enough to be dedicated. In my humble opinion.

September 8, 2006
The service was great and the food was good. I had the six beer sampler and their sample size is very big--at least six ounces. The bartended gave me a couple extra for free, too. Unfortunately, I have to say that on the whole, the beers were disappointing. I’ll give it another shot sometime.

November 18, 2005
I liked the feel of this place, but think the food is a bit over-priced. I agree with JohnC that the beer is average, but I have had a seasonal or two that shocked me. Nice place to visit once or twice.

June 28, 2005
Karl Strauss has a comfortable atmosphere, friendly staff, descent food, and an average selection of beers.

February 27, 2004
Expensive is one way to describe Karl Strauss. They do brew their beers right on the premises, but lets just say that the selection outside of what they brew is pretty small. The atmosphere is cozy and definitely people friendly. The staff is friendly and catering, but lacking in beer knowledge...they make up for it however in cuteness! The food is good...may i recommend any of their pasta plates...very nice stuff!

January 12, 2004
Karl Strauss is a San Diego based chain of brewpubs. Their restaurants are family-friendly and have a nice atmosphere. Their regular rotation of beers is average, however they occasionally surprise you w/ a good seasonal.