The food and service was outstanding! Niko is as good of a server as you will find! Highly recommend.

Great food and exceptionally good service. The tacos and burger were tasty, but our server Niko made the evening truly delightful.

Great restaurant for local farm fresh food! The beer tastes great and really fresh! Atmosphere is restaurant is appealing and family friendly. I would recommend everyone try this restaurant. I especially like the burgers of the week and the blue cheese steak salad. Not to mention the many regular and seasonal beers on tap. read more

I really like the number of employees that Engrained paid to write positive reviews. When I visited there with a neighbor; we were told a ten minute wait, just to be able to sit down at the bar. After we stood there with another couple behind us, and stated to the kid at the stand, that all we wanted was to sit down and have beers, suddenly we were allowed past this "Gatekeeper". Tried the Plank sampler, and told that they were out of two of the micro brews, that we wanted to try. Looking around at the crowd and wait staff, there were a lot of people seated, but very little staff for a establishment with as much seating as they have in there. Food prices are very high for what I would consider a three star restaurant, with two star service. Not going back again for the food, nor the brews, when I can find better service and better tasting beer at other places in town. read more

So I was writing the review to this place as I was sitting there, however I waited overnight to think about things and am sticking with how I feel. So... Wintery day in some parts knocked out the credit card machines, so for a saturday night it was really dead in the place. Unsure of if it does business on a saturday night or not. Went owing to what was promised on the menu. Was greeted warmly by staff. After that, it went down hill. My party was sat in the major dining room as I didnt want to watch tv and eat. There seemed to be a section of booths that would have been a better option, however we sat by ourselves in an empty area. Owing to this we were then entertained by the conversations of the kitchen staff about their day, and desire to be elsewhere. We also got to listen to their pumping some form of guitar rock out of the kitchen which was loud enough that it somewhat masked the country station over the speakers, however sometimes we got to listen to both stations at the same time. What I am guessing was one of the managers (very tall man) had a number of animated conversations with staff in our sight line and members would walk in and out of a party room to fold linens and clean silver, sometimes leaving the door open, sometimes shut and sometimes partially open. The tall man would usually leave it half way open and was walking around with a cash drawer for a while. The server was a very nice guy. However couldnt answer questions about things that we were eating. This is on front of house as well, as I dont see that front of house has their servers taste things which I so dont understand. If you are positioning yourself as farm to table rather than a burger/beer joint, then take some extra steps. Charcuturie plate - totally skip it. Could have been a deli platter from the local market as far as I was concerned. Plated on a large white plate, (I would use wood) it had three cheeses that were sliced thin, and had little taste. The pickled vegetables were okay on their own, however I would use a different acid with the carrots. The ham was inedible, reeked of an anise smell. It was served with ritz and townhouse crackers which I was perplexed about. The main was ribs and fish and chips. The fish was decent. A little dark and the batter was a little thin, however it seemed somewhat fresh. The chips were house cut thin and served with a bland tarter sauce. No veg, (ie peas or slaw) came with the plate. The fries were okay, a little dark, and I am guessing it was the oil. The ribs were bad. Some silver skin was on the rib backing. They came to the table at best room temp and doused in a overly sweet sauce. Served with slaw that was more dressing than slaw and a sweet potato hash were the potatoes were a little past their prime and once again luke warm. (I am guessing I got a plate that was already done and under a heat lamp for a while owing to the way the sauce held on to the ribs). Desert - okay chocolate stout cake. Whipped cream had way too much powdered sugar in it for my tastes. On a couple of these areas I told the server. He said he would mention it to the kitchen. No one came out to speak with me about it, I did however get to hear an even louder conversation with their staff in the back. Not once did a manager come by to talk to us, even just to introduce themselves. While leaving I noticed a number of people who seemed to be managers and kitchen staff eating and talking. There was also a small patch of ice in front of the place. I mention this as it had been in the 40's and went down to freezing. A little salt would have taken care of this. So, I get that it was a slow night and usually people seem to let down on those days, however after a $60.00 meal that included a small flight of beer. We were treated like an after thought. It might have been an better idea for the place to have been shut down or offer pub grub in the bar and call it a snow day. I would personally change the room i was in as it seems that most diners get a straight shot in to the kitchen area. I viewed some habits of some of the workers and really wasnt thrilled. The pub area has a number of TVs so it may be a decent place to watch a game and have a burger. Seems like I havent found my local yet in this area. read more

Can sometimes be a hit or miss but usually food is very good. Service always has always been decent.

i always enjoy a visit to Engrained; had a burger and a beer on Friday night. Service was good as usual.

My husband and I love Engrained. We have always had fantastic service with delicious food and of course.. BEER! Highly reccomend the blackberry lager & cider boys fresh press for fall! read more

Was really looking forward to this place. The service was questionable, but since it was new, I will let that one pass. The real reason for the one star is the food and poor management. The food is bland and tasteless. Dont listen to the other reviews. Nothing here is homemade. Just processed and re-heated food. The food is just plain bad. Regarding management, how can you run out of several of the beers that you are producing? Do you not have storage for more kegs? Did you really not think this place was going to be super busy when it first opened? They ran out of basic food items at lunch time. There are way too many grocery stores in Springfield for a restaurant to run out of any type of vegetable or meat. Bottom line this place is an embarassment. read more

Engrained is one of my absolute favorite local restaurants in Springfield. Their food is always great, and they are also one of the few craft breweries that have mastered a good house stout. Before COVID, we were eating here a couple times per month. read more

Great place for tasting whiskey or enjoying some quality "real" beer... I would recommend the cheese curds they are great

Blackberry lager is one of their signature beers totally refreshing. Their vegetable of the day is always farm fresh and locally sourced - we had the kale and beets- totally worth the extra side. I could have had a whole plate. read more

Locally sourced food & craft brew! Respectable beers, some typical, some above average. All better than your chain restaurants. The food is locally sourced and made from scratch. We had an excellent burger. No smoking outdoor seating for diners. And motivated wait staff. Definitely an above average Springfield location. read more

Had a delicious meal 6-30-2020 and were treated liked "old friends" by our server, Niko! Had a "peach seltzer" that was unlike any I had ever had before...loved it! Will definitely return! read more

I eat here about once a month and generally order the "Donation Creation". This is a flat bread pizza with a portion of the cost going to a charity. The ingredients change regularly as does the charity. Nice touch. read more

Was OK. Service was good but took a long time to get food. Beer was excellent and served quickly. Had the 4 variety pour and all of the ones I drank were good. Trouble was 3 of the beers I wanted to try they were out of. You would think that a newly opened gastropub would make sure they had plenty of their own signature beers! Food was Ok. Shepherds pie had a slight metallic taste. Fish and chips were pretty good. Fish was piping hot while rest of food was lukewarm. Can't understand how $22 for a 6oz steak is "special" when I can go across the road to Quaker Steak and get a huge chunk of meat for the same price and still get good beer. A+ for concept. C- for execution. read more

We did not have to wait long for a table but that was because the place was a ghost town, and that was probably the only good thing about this visit. Not very impressed with the food or the beer, they only had three of there own brew on tap. The food was nothing special to bring me back. Save a trip and go somewhere instead. read more

I have to say that I wasn't very impressed with their food. The pizza is rather bland and their fish and chips is more breading than fish sadly. The cheese curds are absolutely wonderful, but I may be biased as I was under the influence of the best wine I've ever had. They have a wide range of beer and wine from local breweries. read more

Don't think of it as a microbrewery, think of it as a full menu restaurant. The waitress was knowledgeable and helpful. Her advice on the stuffed green pepper soup was right on. The cheese stuffed meatloaf was well worth eating but the authentic pumpkin pie was the crown. It was not over spiced although as deep dish it was a little large but I managed to eat it all and the crust. The garlic mashed potatoes was fine also. read more

The service is slow, but it's worth the wait. Excellent burgers and craft beer. Our server Ian was helpful and made any adjustments we wanted on our food. read more

Went tonight for beer and food. Beer selection was less than ideal and boring. I paid $16 for chicken parm that consisted of a single small piece of chicken and about 4oz of pasta with poor excuse for marinara with it. Will not be returning and would not recommend. read more

Staff was great and they took my food back for something else, but they need to take the horse shoe off the menu. It's bad. It's gritty and lacks seasoning. read more

We came here for the beer and were pleasantly surprised. I had the sampler of the APA, Red, Brown and Stout. The APA was hoppier (good) than expected, and the Stout was well balanced with a smoky aroma. If you come here expecting flavorless beer (Miller lite or Bud) then you may be disappointed, but come anyway and enjoy how beer should taste. I'm looking forward to the IPA for my next visit. Our server, Bill, was very knowledgeable about the beers, was very prompt and brought us water without asking. read more

Their beer is quite good. I generally, find a greater variety of better options at Obed's, but I am a fan of their oatmeal stout. Until recently, I found their menu to be somewhat constrainted to mostly cheesy and heavy food options. However, their menu has been recently revamped and several new tasty and lighter options have been added. The revamped menu bumped my review from three to four stars. I recommend that everyone living the the Springfield give this place a shot as an alternative to their regular barfood choices. read more

The fact that everything is local and farm to table is amazing! The food is always delicious no matter what you get. The cheese curds are phenomenal and the pulled pork sandwich is also amazing. You cannot go wrong here with anything you order! read more

I heard mixed reviews about this place. The decor is great. I was impressed. My husband and I split the pretzel stick and a short rib pizza. The pretzel sticks were mediocre. They definitely weren't fresh. They had clearly been reheated. I enjoyed the mustard cheese sauce. The pizza was just okay. The crust was cracker thin (yummy). But the pizza lacked enough toppings. It was $13!! We left and I was still a little hungry to be honest. My son's grilled cheese and fries were barely warm. My husband raves about their beer though! And service was quick and friendly! I might give it another chance. read more

Really enjoy eating at Engrained. The last visit we tried the cheese curds and they did not disappoint. Also tried the Greek salad, which was great. The service was great and the overall quality of dining here is top notch. The close proximity to scheels is a plus. read more

This restaurant has an amazing staff! The cheese curds are unlike any otger around Springfield! I will surely be returning in the near future! read more

Fantastic beer! We had the IPAs and finished it off with a chocolate stout. Service was great and all the food looked good. We had the Illinois tradition - Horseshoe sandwich made with a burger. I'm glad we shared it because we wouldn't have been able to eat the whole thing! Very tasty. Love that all the ingredients are local. Very busy on a Friday night but there was no waiting at the bar. read more

Love this place! The food is always great and service is fast. I would recommend eating here to anyone :) they have a Christmas cookie beer and it's awesome. read more

I've been meaning to review Engrained for awhile. I first ate there on their opening night and I had a great time. The flight of beers was fun and I especially liked the Blackberry Lager. The staff were all great and it seemed that they all felt an ownership in this new establishment (ie: they weren't 'just working there'). One even opened a few of the brewing areas when he saw my husband and I looking thru the window. I love their philosophy of locally grown, natural food. Even the building promotes eco-materials. I had the margarita pizza, some ridiculous cheese curds and a yummy chocolate dessert. Also, I bought one of their t-shirts and it's probably the shirt I wear around at home the most - it's so comfortable! Overall, I can't wait to go back (and buy a shirt in another color)! read more

Try a beer sampler paddle, you get to choose four of their micro brews to try for $5. I enjoyed their lightest German beer & the wheat beer. Food was really good, servers where very kind & informative. I will definitely being going back. There where a couple of us & we all got something different so we could try different things. On this trip we had the roasted red pepper hummus with pita & the cheese curds both delicious. Then the burger if the day which was a party melt & the Reuben. I was impressed by the Reuben & steamed vegetable. read more

This was our second time eating here. The first time was amazing quick service, great food. We ate here last night( Sunday), maybe three tables of people, saw 7/8 servers. We were seated promptly. Fifteen minutes went by we finally were able to place a drink and appetizer order. We ordered our main entrée about 10 minutes after that. 20 minutes later our entrees came, they were brought out by a different person, I quickly reminded her that appetizer never came, she said it would be on the house and would be out shortly. Our original waiter never came back, we never got a drink refill, never checked on our food. Once we were completely done eating, the appetizer came out. We quickly made a statement that our service was bad she said our waiter was new. They were not understaffed, some of the waitresses were sitting at the bar texting. We will not be back for quite some time. read more

I loved the menu and fresh apple cider ale. Honestly the best juicy burger I've had in a long time. There are so many chain restaurants in Springfield that I jumped at the chance to go here while in town on business. The staff was super friendly. read more

Great food! We stop in often, and the Oatmeal Stout beer is the best! Their nachos are simply amazing as well. Can't wait to see their menu change for the summer soon enough! read more

My bartender was Ramey and she was very nice. I was in for lunch so she had a lot of time to talk. She filled me in on the story of the owner's, sourcing of food and did a great job recommending their menu. She also recommended some places to try around town and Chicago. Try the sampler for beer, I tried them all and liked about 2/3 (nine brews available when I was there). I am far from a beer expert but I am a red blooded American male and I suggest The Oatmeal Stout, Kolsch, Belgium Dubbel, and APA (they didn't have the IPA when I was in). (If it helps I normally drink Canoe Paddler, Summer Shandy, Ten-Fidy, and Coors light when I want cheap)The only thing I ate was the Butternut Squash side, it was good but I would suggest a light sprinkling of brown sugar to make it even better, if the cook is reading I would have liked a tad bit longer cooking time for a softer texture. I left with a Growler of the Oatmeal Stout, the Belgium Dubbel was my favorite but I love me some Stout. I will be back, next time I plan to sample some Mead and try a lunch item. The menu looked very good. read more

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Excellent environment and great craft beer selection! Staff is always friendly and the bartenders are top notch!

-A special place for Springfield & all of central IL. Great food & brew!.. Also, love the 'green' philosophy w/ their building & menu.

I tried this out the other night with my wife, sister and bro-in-law. The food was good. I like the bread and butter that they served while we waited for our meal. My wife and I sampled the beer. Gotta say, I liked most of them. I am weirdly a fan of pirate's blood, which I'm sure is not a house favorite! read more

Springfield is a city where no one should ever go hungry. We have 923 pizza places, and 389 different horseshoes, all within roughly 2 square miles. So it has to be a challenge to put yourself on the map here as a new establishment selling both pizza and horseshoes anymore. I admire a brave new challenger though, so I ate at the "EBC" with my lady. As to be expected, being that it's only a two week old establishment, I saw a waitress walking around with a look of utter confusion about where she was. But the interior was spacious, the tables were spotless, and the booths were comfortable. I'll start breaking it down though, to show you why 2 stars is all this place deserves in it's young life. Service: Not bad. It seemed like they at least cared. We saw maybe 8 - 12 employees in total, just in the bar/dining area alone. I'm assuming they'll trim that once they realize who their quality workers are. We had an "Emily". She was nice, and prompt with the food and refills. Good work, Emily. You are NOT the weakest link in this scenario. Appetizer: Was this a bad joke I've never heard before? Are "Pulled Pork Skins" supposed to taste like absolutely nothing? We couldn't believe it. Four halves of potato skins, topped with pulled pork and a small amount of what seemed like Kraft shredded "mild cheddar", should taste like something, if even just a little. They did not. And might I add, there was no salt or pepper on a single table in that restaurant. Eight bucks is insane for something so small and bland. Sorry, but we were blown away with how bad this "starter" was. Drinks: The lady sitting with me had a Pepsi. And there were no complaints. I tried their "Blackberry Lager". It was obvious that it was brewed there, only because it didn't come in a bottle, and had a great head. It tasted fine. Beer is beer in my eyes. I'm the type that would honestly rather grab some Bud Lights from a gas station for literally 10% of the cost of this stuff. No complaints in this category, but that's only because I don't care enough. "The Engrained Horseshoe": This thing is four dollars more than almost all other horseshoes in town, and is the size of your ordinary "pony shoe". It consists of one angus beef patty, on toast, with fries and cheese. You know how sometimes, a bar comes along and thinks you enjoy eating flimsy, burnt looking fries, that taste a little burnt, like they got stuck in the fry basket for a few dips, but they couldn't have been, because they weren't even crispy? The Engrained horseshoe consists of nothing but those, and not very many of them. The beef? It was lean, but I ordered a horseshoe, so......should I care? The cheese was also the standard yellow stuff you'll see on any small diner horseshoe, which wouldn't be a bad thing, but once again, it's simply not justifying why I'm paying so much for something so substandard. And by all means, let me reiterate, the fries are horrible. Blow twelve bucks and see for yourself. "The Sausage Pizza": It was a meager eleven dollars, so we weren't expecting much. When it arrived, it was the size of an NFL football in diameter. I mean, it was literally an oval with pointy ends. "Okay, I suppose I've seen stupider looking pizzas." I thought. I took a bite though, and quite frankly, the sauce was amazing. It had a serious spice and sweetness balance I've seen too little of in my day. The crust was also thin, crispy, and had a light "airy" (my girlfriend says) feel to it along the edges. However, the sausage had absolutely no flavor, and the cheese texture reminded me of biting into a stick of butter (use your imagination), or anything else that doesn't create a string when you slowly pull your teeth away from it. On top of that, the cheese also had no flavor, and I think there were only three slices that had a decent amount of it anyway. Overall, with the amount of quality pizza in Springfield, this stuff doesn't compare to even the "above average" competition. I must say though, they're on the right track with the crust and sauce. I just hope they can build upon those two positives with more flavorful cheese and toppings. To all those that are saying, "Hey man, it's a brewery, not a restaurant. Cut the food some slack!" On the contrary, "man". It's got a bar, and a million seats, with a full menu, including desserts. They want you to try their food....I mean, they want you to pay a lot for what they think is passable. In all fairness, it's a new place. There's plenty of time to improve things. But it's just a little too obvious that they're only after your money here, without giving much in return, at all. Just because your restaurant is located next to Scheel's, the biggest rip-off in the Western Hemisphere, it doesn't mean you should expect people to be throwing cash your way, for small portions of bland food in return. It's not like people have money after shopping at Scheel's anyway. Best of luck though, Engrained. You're certainly ambitious. read more