I like the vibe of the place. All the openness and breeze coming in was nice. But unfortunately, the rest was just ok. Service was very slow but friendly. Our food came out just one by one. Even taking our order was slow and it wasn't busy at all. The food itself wasn't good. Very bland. Burrito had no taste as well as the salsa. We got pizzas, idk how, but they had no taste. The bbq chicken was the best of the three pizzas bc the bbq sauce gave it flavor. And the chicken tenders were decent. I'd come back maybe to watch a game and just get maybe an appetizer. read more

We've been so excited to try the new Bear Roots Tavern! Today is their soft opening. We came in for lunch and Friday beers. It's so cute in here! Employees are super nice and seem really excited to be open. Will update once we get our food (menu looks amazing) - coming back to say that the food was phenomenal. We had a pretzel, fried zucchini, wings, and a smoked house burger! read more

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We went here on a Wednesday night and it was pretty mellow! We got seated quickly and the servers were very attentive. We ordered the sampler platter, pork sliders, and the Tijuana hot dog. After, we ordered the brown butter cake for dessert. Although my favorite item in the sampler platter was the fried pickles, everything else tasted burnt, super oily, or was fried using old oil. We were coming in after "peak" dinner time, so not sure if that had anything to do with it. But everything else was great! They had great beer selection. I will say the decor doesn't quite match the bar food the menu has to offer. We were surprised of how fancy looking the furniture was but that it was a bar? Not sure lol either way, decor was still cute. we would definitely come here again! read more

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First time back after 9 months, disappointed. Ordered the Zucchini sticks, used to have a light tempura batter. Today they looked and tasted like they came frozen out of a bag. Hawaiian pizza, the crust is very different, not in a good way. Chicken wings, ok. Our server, Melody - either right there or had to wait for her. We were the only 2 customers will wait another 9 months to try again. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - Zucchini sticks, chicken Wings - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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this was my 2nd time trying out this place and i'm glad i gave it another try! the first time i visited, the service was slowww and the food was not good (i got the street hot dog)! BUT this time the service was better and the food was tasty! i got the chili cheese fries and i was surprised it was served with curly fries! that was a nice touch! the chili was flavorful and i like the cheese they added to the fries! usually cheddar cheese is the cheese on chili cheese fries, but i liked the twist! my husband got the burger and said it was alright! this place serves american/bar food! there is nothing spectacular about the food, but it's nice that the restaurant is close to our house and serves beer and wine! the customer service has always been great! i love the decor in the place! the chairs and decor would look so nice in my home LOL! read more

Bear Roots Tavern - burger - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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Cute place for beers and bites. I got a flight of their IPAs and to be honest I only liked 2 out of 5, but their service, atmosphere and the hot dog I ordered made it for it. I got the Chicago dog and it was very flavorful. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - Chicago Dog - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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I came here 3 different times in hopes they improved. It's a shocker to me that they are still open. Every time I come here it's dead, even on the weekends. On top of that, the service is still slow and food is not good. Crazy. October 5 2024, I ordered a chili cheese dog. Cold wiener and toppings. Raw super chewy bacon. Sloppy mess, couldn't even pick up the dog without having it completely fall apart. The sad wonder bread bun did absolutely nothing to hold that mess together. 13 bucks for the poor excuse of a hot dog was insulting. Beer is not good, I sampled just about every one and it has an odd taste as if they do not clean the tap lines. Not saying they don't clean the lines but that's the best way I could describe the taste. October 7 2024 I came here again this time to try a different menu item in hopes maybe their overpriced hot dogs are a one off. I ordered the brisket sliders and fried zucchini. Sliders were okay, nothing spectacular. Once again, cold/room temp food in a restaurant with literally 2 other customers. Strange. Pull pork tasted like the precooked stuff you buy near the deli at Vons. Not bad, but certainly not restaurant quality. The fried zucchini was 20% zucchini and 80% doughy breading. Not good. Once again, beer sucked. May 24 2025. I figured enough time has passed and they for sure made some serious improvements to their food and beer. NOPE. Beer STILL sucked, and food is was low/mid tier at best. Once again, completely dead restaurant, slow service, cold food. I ordered the fish and chips. Fries's were cold, soggy, and plain. No flavor. The fish was a joke. Soggy, raw/undercooked breading on the inside. Fish itself was okay. But the breading, inedible. This is the last time I'm coming here. I really did give it multiple chances but it's insane how they serve the food here, especially for the prices. 18.99 for a 8" cheesesteak and no sides?? Wild. I do hear that the burgers are good. I will not be returning to risk it. But if you do decide to gamble, you should probably go with the burger to be safe. read more

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This place is an absolute gem! The service was fast and friendly, the food was fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere was family-friendly. My family loved the strawberry salad read more

Been there numerous times and never disappoints. The hamburgers are the best in town as are the onion rings. Huge beer selection from thier brewery on tap and bottled imports. Place is all new inside and very clean. They have daily specials including my fav Monday all burgers $8! Service was excellent also. read more

The hostess greeted us promptly and seated us as soon as we arrived for our 7:45 reservation. All the beer served is brewed by the business. I got the mos pils, it was crisp and refreshing. My girlfriend got the Bite the bulleit (11.9% abv) she enjoyed that as well. The pretzel we ordered came out presented in a very unique fashion, hanging on a hook and fresh out the oven! The pretzel itself was one of the best I've ever had. The outside was nice and firm without being crunchy, the inside was soft and smooth. The cheese it was paired with was fantastic as well. It was a great introduction to what we were in for. The fries and burgers came out at the same time. The curly fries had an awesome beer battered type of flavor, but it wasn't overpowering like that can be. The fries weren't greasy either. I got the bear roots burger, and my girlfriend got the smoked house burger. I haven't had a burger in a while (recently reformed former vegetarian), but I know that this burger was something else. The patty was the perfect amount of juicy, and the bun was warm and fluffy. My girlfriend had similar sentiments, and really liked the onion rings on her burger too. Earlier in the day I rewatched one of my favorite horror films, The Menu (2022), starring Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nicholas Hoult. There's a scene towards the end of the movie where a burger is made and I've always thought that the burger made looked like the most delectable burger one could ever enjoy and the burger I had here at bear roots tavern gave me an insight into what that burger I saw in the movie probably tasted like. This tavern has a nice open floor plan with garage doors that I'm sure accommodate nicely for hot weather. The overhead lighting was even and appropriate without being too overpowering and the moss walls are a great touch too. The music that playing was particularly pleasing too. I've never been in a restaurant that played what I think was Tool back to back but it worked well. I remember regarding initially after we ordered that the prices seemed kind of steep, but after everything was said and done, the quality of the food actually changed my mind and turned out to be a spectacular deal. In the common fast food chain you'd be paying around 85% of the same price for food that doesn't even come close to the quality you get here. As chef slowik says, everyone knows that the most important ingredient is love, and I definitely find that in the food at bear roots tavern. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - Pretzel - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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Nice little bar and grill feel. Love all the high tables and stools. Food was good. Chicken wings won the show. Chili cheese fries were delicious made with curly fries and a meat based chili. The California burger had great flavor in the patty. Was a little bummed it had like a guacamole on it instead of fresh avocado. But all in all it was good. Server was super sweet. And what seemed like the owner or manager even went around to check on us. Happy we stopped in while visiting. read more

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We went during an off time so service was super quick. The beers are great and the food was yummy.

Updated: I ordered 2 pizzas at 5:15 pm today. They told me 20 minutes. I got there at 5:45 pm. It was packed. I asked them about my pizzas. The said, about 10 more minutes which turned into 45 minutes sitting at bear roots waiting for my pizzas. It took them over 1 hour to make my pizzas while others that came after and were seated got their pizzas ( of all items). I understand that it was busy and you can get behind but not over an hour and to top it off, I was not even compensated for the 45 minutes I waited in the restaurant. A free beer while I waited or a discount would have helped the situation but all I got was "sorry." They are usually good but they do need to compensate customers for extreme wait times. Not a good business strategy. read more

I came in today and it was a nice visit. I got a Chicago dog and a beer. They were out of the one I wanted, not much of an explanation to why, but oh well. The Chicago dog was delicious and enjoyable, not overalls priced at $8.99..but after I ordered I see they wrote that is the cash price which is why a star is off. Never heard of a 4% increase to use a card in this cashless age. Not sure how I feel about it and will make me rethink of coming here on a whim unless I force myself to go to an ATM. It is a nice environment and very inviting but seriously don't charge people for card at these prices, no one carries cash. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - From the bar to where people can sit outside - American Near Me - Escondido, California

The pickle fries are a must! They are so good! I had the mushroom veggie burger, the 'patty' was a big mushroom marinaded in balsamic, it had a lot of flavor and was cooked to perfection. We had a few beers and tasters, all of them were great! Our waitress Daisy was very attentive and friendly to our needs. We were there early on a weekday so it wasn't very busy which was nice we had our pick of where to sit. But by the time we left it was starting to get busy. I'll be back! There are a lot of menu items I want to try. read more

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Food was a 8, service was a 3. Went in on a Saturday at 12 pm, no rush, not crowded and wasn't helped for atleast 20 minutes after being seated. Asked if I can keep tab open for beer, wasn't helped again after that until I got waitresses attention. 2 items were unavailable and not clear on the menu that it isn't available after a certain time. Had high hopes for this place as they've been open for a while. I would say improvement is very much needed. read more

Came here around 6:30pm on a Friday night in November for some food. It was packed but, we were seated right away. They had the large patio doors open with no heat lamps so it was really cold inside. We could even hear another table talking to the waitress about how cold it was. This what we ordered: BR Burger = $12 House Burger = $14 Small curly fires = $5 This doesn't include tax and tip. It took about 40 mins for our food to come out. The waitress apologized several times saying it was crazy back in the kitchen. I wouldn't have minded the wait if the food was good, but it wasn't. I ordered my burger medium and it was dry and overcooked. Threw half of it away. The waitress saw that I had half a burger left and asked if I wanted a box to take it home, but I declined. In-n-out would have been better. Anytime I have to throw away food away food, I'm giving a 1 star. PS. The owner will post here and apologize and hope you give them another chance. But why would you do that? Some corrective action should have been taken during that visit or even a discount voucher provided for the next visit. There's no incentive to come back a 2nd time. read more

I go here for their $5 pints and discount food menu at lunch time. Couple of pints and hamburger/hotdog or what ever is on special for $20 isn't too shabby. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - Red ale - American Near Me - Escondido, California

Excellent beer and burgers, great deals on Thursdays too. The bartenders are more than happy to talk about their favorite brews and recommendations. Cool digs, TVs to watch the game or whatever you want. The place plays some of my favorite music. read more

The food here is excellent! Ive been here over 10 times and it never disappoints. I think this place is underrated because it is usually slow which means there are only a couple servers so it can be slow. But 10/10 worth the wait!!! read more

Was in town for my GF's mud run and this place was close to our hotel so we gave it a try. Food was great and service was great, for us. I did notice a couple walk out for being missed but either way my experience was great and I'd definitely come back. read more

Stopped by here on a Sunday, after being turned away at a sold out Escondido Ren Faire. Came in, didn't know if we should wait be seated, stood there, a waitress whizzed by and told us to sit anywhere so we did, I went to the restroom. I was probably in the restroom for about five+ minutes (you know Ren Faire garb). When I came back out, I asked my friend if a waitress had stopped by as we still had no menus. She said no. I looked around to see where I could acquire a menu, but I couldn't see any and there was no barcode for like a digital menu. We sat there for another 10 minutes waiting for someone to bring us menus. Meanwhile, the place only had about three tables with people, one table was a fairly large party, however, with the amount of staff that were in there, I saw no reason why someone couldn't just stop by and give us menus. I mean, they did shout probably about four or five times "Sorry about the wait" while they checked on the tables next to behind us..... so We decided to leave. Food looked good as it came out ‍ read more

Justin was AMAZING behind the bar Couldnt ask for better bartender It was Jessy's last day and she will definitely be missed read more

Bear Roots Tavern - American Near Me - Escondido, California

They try, food is ok, no real flavor but some people like that. Great service and good beer. Show some love and help this struggling business. read more

Tried the beer at an event at the Art Center (CCAE) and decided to check out their dog friendly patio. We are working on socializing one of our pups and the waiter was very patient and understanding. The 'pup patty' was perfect for them. The human food was also good, traditional bar food. My husband really liked the Bear Cookie Stout. Will definitely be back. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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Great beer choices. Food is better than ok and my wife says the food is a wow. Table service is good. Parking can be a challenge especially on weekends when the local bar in the same parking lot is busy. We have been there twice and we will be back. read more

Found this spot on the way home from San Diego. Very happy I did. The food was great, I had a chicken BLT, fantastic. Service was great and the vibe was really cool. I will find a way to make it back again. I'll Have to try a beer next time. read more

Plot twist: I came to eat. Apparently, that was too ambitious. Rolled into Bear Roots Tavern on June 27, armed with cravings and a dog who was ready to steal a bite of whatever I ordered. It wasn't busy--plenty of empty tables. I got seated right away on the patio. Sounds promising, right? Wrong. What followed was the kind of high-stakes waiting game usually reserved for airport delays and jury duty. I sat. And sat. And watched the waitress joyfully serve other tables--refills, banter, laughter--all while I marinated alone in my own patience. She even walked past me a few times, like I was an extra in her rom-com set. No drinks, no greeting, no "hey we'll be right with you." Just me and my increasingly skeptical dog. After 20+ minutes, she finally approached, breathless with apologies and a stunning plot reveal: "I didn't see you." On a mostly empty patio. With me sitting directly in her sightline. At that point, I had lost faith in the possibility of food or basic service and went to Stone Brewery, where actual human contact happened within minutes. Beer? Delivered. Wings? Ordered. Burger? Devoured. Pup? Patty procured. And I didn't even need to hold up a sign saying, "I exist." Growing up in the restaurant world, we learned: five minutes max for a warm greeting and a drink order. This? This was a silent retreat disguised as dinner service. Bear Roots, thanks for reminding me that being invisible is only fun when you're playing hide-and-seek. read more

I usually don't ever leave reviews on places but this place is a good chill spot. Definitely recommended the huckleberry seltzer or the Lecker. I gave them a shot and I enjoyed the food. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - American Near Me - Escondido, California

The burger and fries with fresh made ranch is my favorite. Just a bummer I don't like any of their beer/tap options. Great atmosphere, service is great and they have great daily deals. Tuesday $9 burgers is awesome. read more

A good choice if you want a nice variety on the menu. Customer service and staff are always great when we come here, food is yummy and reasonably priced! read more

Very relaxing place that was not here the last time I was in Escondido! They have huge windows so you can watch the traffic which is oddly beautiful on El Norte Parkway on a fall night. Maybe it is only beautiful to me as it reminds me of my high school days hurrying to campus for events. It was fun trying beers of varying sizes. My friend got the appetizer sampler which was good as was my burger. Very good prices. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Friendly staff, chill vibe, great food & cold beers! Love the open space & reggae surf music! Love the pet friendly patio & the fact they served breakfast until 2:00 today! BR loaded breakfast burrito hit the spot! We'll definitely be back read more

What a cool spot! Amazing beer, great food. The atmosphere and vibe is the best in the area. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

We visited Bear Roots Tavern for the first time on Sunday, and I can't believe we hadn't been here sooner! They've been around for a little over a year, but they definitely deserve way more recognition -- this place should be on every "Top 10 Places to Eat in Escondido" list. From the moment we walked in, the service was top notch -- super friendly, attentive, and welcoming. The food was even better. We started with the fried pickles, and honestly, they were the best fried pickles I've ever had. Perfectly crispy, not greasy, and paired with an amazing ranch dip that could probably win an award on its own. We also tried their Sunday pizza special (only $10!), and wow -- it blew us away. The crust was flakey on the outside and soft on the inside, the perfect balance. Plus, they absolutely load it with toppings. Easily one of the best pizzas I've had anywhere. Another pleasant surprise -- they make micheladas, even though it's not on the menu (they should totally advertise them!). The mix was flavorful and balanced, and the chamoy + tajín rim with a lime wedge took it to the next level. Absolute perfection. The vibe of the place is awesome -- cozy but modern, with indoor and outdoor seating. Every chair has cushions (which is such a nice touch), and the patio is pet-friendly with plenty of space to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Overall, Bear Roots Tavern is a total hidden gem. Great service, incredible food, chill vibe -- everything you could want in a local spot. We'll definitely be back soon, and I'll be telling everyone I know to check it out! read more

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the portabello mushroom burger was SOOOOO GOOD!!! one of the best veggie burgers i've ever had read more

Bear Roots Tavern - Portobella Veggie Burger and Jalapeno Havoc Burger - American Near Me - Escondido, California

I'm back! I love the IPA selection! I was going to have a beer and enjoy it while I waited for to go food. The only thing to correct is that maybe she should have sat me down and not pressure me to order at door while people were behind me. I just wanted a sandwich and I told her that. She put in an entree and I ended up paying almost 30.00 with my beer. She could do a refund because there is no manager on site. Which I said it's fine because I will be back. Love this place now we just need to work on customer service. Food is good and it's pretty inside. Very relaxing and enjoyable! Thank you! read more

First time at Bear Roots Tavern & it was outstanding! Service was top notch & super friendly. Justin was awesome, offering food and drink suggestions and practically running the floor by himself without delay. I love ciders and they had many choices! Great variety of local beers on tap as well as wine options. We tried the mozzarella sticks appetizer & they were so good & generous portion. We had the Philly Cheesesteak sub with onion rings. Delicious!! The onion rings were perfect & you can actually take a bite without the whole onion coming out! So yummy! Great place to watch sports and loved the 91X vibes music. Looking forward to going back for their homemade pizza and bringing our puppies. read more

Have tried this place twice now and have been really impressed with the food. Mondays they have a great burger special and the burgers are really really good. however I think I loved the pizza better. Sundays are the pizza special and I highly recommend taking advantage of it. If I had to make any negatives is that the two lunch's that we have been there, we were 3 of the 6 customers in the place. the others seemed to be regs and the staff spent more time chatting with them then focusing on maybe making new regs. read more

Bear Roots Tavern - American Near Me - Escondido, California

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We have been here multiple times in hopes that our experience would improve but each time there is a different area that needs improvement. But I'll focus on the positives first , the restaurant is spacious , clean , kid friendly and the hostess is so kind every time we visit. My husband said he really enjoys the beer. The food has always been slow to come out but it seems like they are figuring it out because it has been quicker the last 2 times we've been. Unfortunately they seemed to have changed some things on the menu such is the batter on the fried zucchini and curly fries to shoestring. I've had a burger there a couple times but this time there was no flavor at all . I'm not asking for a lot , I don't even season my eggs for breakfast. If they could just be consistent with their food and service I think they would get more foot traffic. read more