If this were a beer column, it would contain 550 words of pure adoration for Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB). It would describe the gustatory fireworks that happen in a Hopworks pint. It would gush about the breakfast-worthy Survival Stout, with its deep grain hues, subtle sweetness, and shock of strong coffee. It would go on and on about the mellow, hoppy astringency of the perfectly refreshing organic HUB lager.
But this column is primarily concerned with food. And the food at HUB can be pinned down in three words: not that great.
HUB is located in a sprawling, remodeled fuel depot on SE Powell. There is a lofty mezzanine and a large main floor with a play space, beer garden, restaurant, and bicycle-themed bar. Working away beneath it all—the steaming heart of the operation—is the brewery itself. In general, the space is bright, noisy, and often packed. The diverse crowd of middle-age white-collar types, Lycra-clad bikers, throwback hipsters, and the occasional hop-headed hippie all seem quite happy drinking elbow to elbow. But despite a small army of attractive front-of-house staff, the crowds at HUB can lead to spotty service, even on weekdays.
A forward-thinking “eco-brewpub” committed to local and organic in all things, HUB’s green credentials extend from the brewery to the kitchen. And though their beer is a great ambassador for a sustainability-minded philosophy, the food just isn’t pulling its weight.
The menu is general pub grub, but the burgers, fries, sandwiches, and pizzas are accompanied by breathless descriptions of their provenance. Unfortunately, the Cascade Natural tri-tip steak cannot rescue the bland Powell Steak Sandwich. Yes, the steak is nice and tender, but the chipotle pepper sauce—a kind of anemic, sweet barbeque sauce—does little to pep up the too-mellow provolone. The whole thing, piled into a hoagie roll with limp grilled onions and peppers, is simply underwhelming.
The trend continues with the black pepper and garlic beer sausage, again served in a hoagie roll. If there’s pepper in this sausage it’s completely lost in the mealy consistency of the meat. Again, there’s so little flavor that it’s hard to believe that it has been cured in pilsner. The mustard accompanying the sausage has almost no kick and does little to pep things up.
Pizza appears to be the flagship creation at HUB—”New York style,” meaning it yields enormous, thin crust slices. A patron encouraged me to try the Cascade Mountain Range, which includes pear, tri-tip steak, onions, blue cheese, and chives. The creativity shown in combining these particular flavors on a pizza is impressive. Everything works quite well. The pear sweetness complements the steak while the blue cheese adds some sharper notes. But just when hope emerged that HUB’s pizza would be enough to pull the menu out of the doldrums, I was confronted with a slice of pepperoni pizza, baked too long, causing the cheese to curdle on top. It shouldn’t have left the kitchen.
HUB deserves commendation for their amazing beer. And I’ll admit that their Cajun potato wedges are crave worthy. However, their kitchen must begin to meet the same standards as their brewery. Currently, it seems all the flavor has been reserved for the brew.
I’ve been waiting for someone to write a review like this regarding the food at Hopworks. You pretty much summed up some of their food in one word–BLAND. I really enjoy their cheeseburger and the fries at Hopworks are amazing. The pizza is so-so and the calzone is HUGE but incredibly bland.
Oh, the hostess staff is delightful.
I have to strongly disagree with this article. I have been telling everyone I know that their burger is one of the best in town and the chicken sandwich is great too. The happy hour bratwurst with kraut is just right and of course the beer is some of the best around. HUB is the only bar in town that I know of that has a Radler which if you haven’t been to Bavaria you probably wouldn’t understand, but I love to have a mid-day or an apres ski/hike Radler. I haven’t had the pizza but that seems like a fairly easy one to adjust to perfection. I think you may have gone on a bad day for the chefs and you might want to try it again and reconsider the quality of food that you get for the reasonable price. My only complaint is that the last time I went the service was very slow and the server was not friendly or apolagetic for the service at all. But that was one time out of ten so I will be back for sure.
We went to HUB last Tuesday with a group of 6 people. The noise in the dining room was unbelievable. There were kids running around screaming with no adult supervision. It was tough to have an objective opinion of the food and drinks in this atmosphere. What I can remember is that the beer was great, the wine list is small but very creative and the pizza was just ok. A warning to anyone with sensitive ears – sit outside or in the bar area!