Two stars - Disappointed We went here with a group of friends towards the end of the evening on a Saturday. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere. There are both outdoor and indoor seating areas. The seats by the fire pits outside were all taken, so we stayed inside. They have a variety of board games, and we took advantage of that. While I enjoyed the atmosphere, I cannot say the same for one member of the staff. I tried ordering food, but I had an unpleasant encounter with the person taking my order. They seemed completely uninterested in their job and made it seem like I was burdening them by ordering food. I ended up not ordering anything. The person at the bar was nice, and I did not have any issues with them. Perhaps it was an off night for the one staff member, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Despite my encounter, I liked the bar. I would probably recommend going to the bar with the caveat about potentially having poor service. read more

Loved this spot! It was a great place to hangout while we were wandering around town. They had a lovely outside space with plenty of seating, and a wide variety of seating - fire pit seats, picnic tables, Adirondack chairs. We sat by the fire for most of our stay and it was lovely. It was the perfect temperature to be outside by a fire pit. The drink I got was lovely, and they had a diverse menu of options with beers on tap and cocktail options. We didn't get a chance to try the food but it looked delicious! You order at the counter and seat yourself. I'd definitely come back! read more

Escaped the Las Vegas heat for the Fourth of July weekend. We had the best time at Gruff's , a beautiful day to spend on the patio, making friends with all the sweet doggies! Awesome beer and drink selection to enjoy on the large patio area overlooking the city and water! The staff were friendly and made really yummy espresso martini and aperol spritz. We seated ourselves on the patio, didn't feel rushed at all. We appreciated the time to enjoy our libations on the patio adorned with beautiful potted plants and cool breeze from the water! Tip- if you don't love socializing with dogs, this may not be your place. :-) read more

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Unfortunately mid experience. Heard great things about Gruff but was a bit disappointed by the food and service. We ordered the Crispy Calamari and Classic Cheeseburger. The food was okay. We also had an interesting mishap around our order. Everything worked out in the end. Just a unique encounter... Aside from food, fire drink options and lovely outdoor space but we probably won't be back again. read more

The service staff here was extremely rude to me. I felt the beers were mid and the place did not live up to the hype. It also smells vaguely like dog shit in the main building because of all the customers bring in their pets. I get it, that's the vibe you're going for but EW. The food truck that used to be out back as well was not good. The burgers were always overcooked, over salted and overpriced. I am a trained cook and I can tell you that you should not waste your money here. Overall, a terrible experience. read more

The little food bar that they have is soooo good! The menu is small, but all the items are delicious. The outdoor area is wonderful, I'm excited for summer nights on the patio! read more

NW Washington Grunge? We went for beer and dinner, but left w/out dinner. Some previous patron/artist cleaned the existing dirt on our table and turned it into a work of art. Oh yeah, and the kitchen was closed too, but by that time, we had lost our appetites. read more

Gruff Brewing - Grunge (dirt) on our table - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I was invited to Gruff Brewing for a small party. The place is unassuming and you do have to walk down the alley to enter as it is in the back, but if you follow the signs you'll be good. They do now have food, which you can order at a walk-up window and they will give you a buzzer when ready. There was also a food truck outside. Plenty of options and styles to choose from. I appreciated the sci-fi takes on some of the names. Being a Star Trek fan had to sample The Inner Light! Light and crisp, not very hoppy. I chose the Pturbodaxtyl, a prickly pear sour. Wow, I could have had a few more of that! Nice space, there was a DJ and seating outside on the heated patio. Several tables inside. read more

Gruff Brewing - a bar with a variety of beers - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Nice fun out door areas. Lots of drink options. Friendly staff ! Love the atmosphere! read more

Gruff Brewing - Patio ! Warm - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Lots of gluten-free options which I loved! The chicken bites and the salad were perfect for sharing between two people. Warm and inviting outside area too. read more

Quick pop in after a long day of hiking Mt Baker area. Nice people, good beer, great seating area. Just what was needed. read more

Gruff Brewing - Random ipa. - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Good beer, chilled atmosphere and has good space... But what it surprised me the most is abundance of the selection of Japanese food!!! Actually, 80% of food menu items were all Japanese!! And guess what.... It has fusion twist into it but it's authentic!!! And it tastes so good!! I ordered the chicken katsu burger. The chicken is marinated with curry seasoning (maybe s&b curry powder?) and it was so juicy and tender. I was worried if the chicken will be too greasy but it was not... so they used good chicken! The salad was good too I think it is ponzu based but they had a bit of maggi sauce (i believe) mix into it, and that gives a good kick to it. There's other menus that i haven't tried like karaage, tonkatsu burger, soba... but i'm looking forward trying it all! I also like how the dessert is "melon panna cotta". To be precise, it is not a Japanese dessert but a lot of Japanese youshoku restaurant use melon as a dessert. read more

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Last week we checked out Boundary Bay, w time still left on the meter we walked down the hill to GRUFF. Like rookies we didn't check the open time so we were early.... My mom yelled through the open area as she saw fellows inside. They came out and said hey didn't open until 3. It was a little after 2:30 so I said we'll just sit here and wait. Chris said he would talk to the beertender.... Eric and Chris said beertender Bri said we could sit in the tap room but not order until 3:00. Perfect... it'd give me a chance to take yelp pics and look over the tap list so I'd be ready to order at 3! What a fun little tap room... look up... there's bikes, skis and snowboards in the rafters. ha. I didn't go out to the patio but we had heard from several people that the patio fire pits were pretty legendary at night! Shortly before leaving we were the only patrons so we chatted up Bri about the brewery scene & Bellingham. I asked if Bellingham was just super LGBTQ+ friendly or it's because of PRIDE? She said it was pretty friendly...noting the plant near me w a PRIDE flag... we don't put them out... hey just show up. We had lunch @ the previous brewery so we didn't eat. The beer was good and atmosphere fun. Thanks Chris, Eric, Bri and GRUFF! I loved their mural on the street side of the building. read more

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Great burgers and fries ( The best I've had lately ), great tasting beer , great laid back college bar type ambiance...What else is there to say , except give it 5 stars . :-) read more

My favorite brewery I'm here for the whole month of July Unfortunately, I only get there one time If they would allow kids I'd be there every other day read more

TERRIBLE!!! We had my brothers wedding party here and they denied the WHOLE party because of one 20 year old (who turns 21 in two days). They still made us order over $50 worth of food and the bride and groom had to sit there and eat it ALONE while all of their friends and family went down the street to a WAY better brewery that's FAMILY friendly. Would not recommend. They were SO rude. Thank you for ruining my brothers wedding weekend. read more

Such a pleasant surprise to stumble upon Gruff! They have an amazing selection of beers and I quite enjoyed my kiwi gose yesterday. The space is hip, spacious and fun. They have an awesome swag wall - I wanted it all. They have a huge welcoming space outside to link up with friends and we loved seeing all the dogs! Will come back when in Bellingham. By far my favourite craft brewery there! read more

Sunshine and cold drinks.. I mean, need I say more? Stopped by for a glass of cider - the honeycrisp has a nice crispness (very descriptive, I know) with a hint of sweetness, perfect for a non-beer drinker like myself. Enjoyed the sunshine outside at one of the many benches out back; there are tons of seating options either in shade, out of shade, with or without tables, near fire pits, etc. Also pet friendly! read more

Gruff Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

This is a great place to meet with friends and have a beer. They have a rotating selection of beer, ciders and a few other options. Dog friendly! The seating is mostly outside and great for dogs to hang out. Brothers Bus Bistro is available for food if you're hungry but they are a separate business. Good views of the sunset. read more

Gruff Brewing - Strawberry Cider - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Awesome brewery! Great beers and we were even able to take some crowlers to go. Loved the selection of non beer options as well, hello mimosas. Staff was friendly, fun merchandise and a great outdoor space. Definitely will return when we're in the area. read more

One of the best outdoor spaces. The outdoor space is huge, with a variety of seating options - picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, covered or non-covered, gas fire pits.. take your pick. We dropped by on our way from Seattle to Vancouver and enjoyed ourselves so much, we dropped in on our way back a few days later. We really enjoyed the fire pits as we were there on chilly days with 2 dogs in tow. The staff working both days were really friendly and we had a good time chatting with them. They have a nice selection of beers - some of their own and some from other breweries. I really liked the Multiplayer Cold IPA. They also have some fun merchandise for sale and of course we couldn't leave without some. read more

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The is absolutely an fun place to sit outside and just chill. Lots of seating options from crowded to private. Always great music.

Solid place and love the vibe and outdoor seating options. It had a food cart in back that i didnt try but only due to thirst vs hunger. I will be back. read more

Great flight selection. Very relaxed atmosphere! Only wish I had come at night for the fire pits! read more

Gruff Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

What a great addition to the Bellingham craft brewery scene. Not being from Bellingham, the Gruff tap room was a little more challenging to locate...thank goodness they have signs up along Railroad Ave and Maple St directing you to the front door. The tap room is a nice open space with long tables and benches and plenty of natural light. The patio is quite large with quite a few picnic tables and a few fire pits...would imagine it could easily seat 100. And l like that they had board games available. I sampled two of their IPAs: Sim Mo and EC and both were quite good. The bartender was quite pleasant and we liked the feel/atmosphere of the space/room. It was a positive beer experience and happy to recommend Gruff...well worth the effort to locate it. read more

Gruff Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Great outdoor space, which is particularly important in these COVID times. Having a food truck on site is also a plus. Good selection of beer. One note - and this is more of a tip - don't leave a tab open. Pay for each round. Why? Because if you want to pay your open tab so you can leave, you get to stand in line behind everyone waiting to get served. read more

I recently read an article asking if Bellingham could handle more breweries. Hopefully the headline was a joke because, duh, of course we can! And Gruff proves it. Tucked into the back of a large warehouse-type building down the hill from the epic Boundary Bay Brewing Co., Gruff piqued our interest for (literally) years between the time they put up their sign and the time they actually opened their doors. Well, I gotta say, it was worth the wait. I've been three times now and each time it's gotten better. I love their space, with its high, exposed-wood ceilings, and their large, dog-friendly beer garden (which boasts what I'm unofficially declaring the Best Beer Garden View in Bham). But what really makes Gruff special is their beer. Where some breweries come on the scene with less-than-stellar initial beer offerings, Gruff did it right by waiting until their brew was amazing to serve and sell it to the general public. So far I've tried their amber, their cream ale, their brown, and their coffee stout - all have been rich, complex, and left me wanting more. Their service - provided by the owners themselves for now - is also friendly and helpful. They'll give you a taster or two of anything you'd like before you make your final choice. And if you're hungry, you can call The Horseshoe up the street and they'll deliver you something yummy on a customized bike. How cool is that? read more

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The first bar I went to after turning 21, never have I had such rude customer service experience. The atmosphere and outside seating is really pretty I just wish the people running the bar would be nicer and not so bitchy. Go somewhere else. read more

Not much to say (which is unusual for me). Great patio, super cozy and dog friendly. The service was really kind and chill. The beer was good. I was a little disappointed they don't serve food and would like more info on when the food truck is open, but they allow you to bring in food and we did. Simply a five star experience. Keep it up! read more

With the exception of one not so happy employee, everyone there was great!!first time out here and the vibe there was great the beer was awesome the fire pits outside were great too. read more

So much potential here. Great location and such a great view outside. I loved the fire pits. Why it got 4-stars: My first experience with a staff member left me with a bad taste. One of the girl's demeanor and responses were less than friendly. It felt dismissive and rude. read more

Delicious beer and a fun safe atmosphere! The bartender was great and we really enjoyed our time there. I loved the peach sou beer I tried. Thank you Gruff for contributing to a safe and healthy Bellingham! read more

Gruff Brewing - Peach sour. - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Great atmosphere with a lot of outside seating. The vibe was great and the bonfires added a nice cozy feeling to the evening. The food from their food truck was good and reasonably priced. I tried 4 of their beer options and really liked everything I had. My only gripe and only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is unfortunately due to bad service. But I'll continue going and update that as I experience more people. Our servers were Tina who really needs to learn how to communicate with customers. Her demeanor all night was very snobby multiple guests commented on it and that's really unfortunate. We were also served by a really friendly guy in a man bun unfortunately didn't get his name. I tried only dealing with the gentleman but unfortunately he went home. read more

First off the atmosphere is great. They have an amazing outdoor patio area! Got a flight to taste several beers. Really enjoyed their hazy IPA and Earl Grey Milk Stout! read more

Gruff is a new brewery to me! I don't go to Bellingham to awfully much and when I do plan a trip up there I try to coordinate it after a couple of new brewery openings. I have been excited to come here for a while since my last trip to Bellingham was last year! The location for Gruff is great! The beer garden area in the back is large where there is abundant seating, a great view of Boundary Bay, fire pits and games. I got their Raspberry Saison which was ok. It was a bit too sweet for my taste and the complexity that often comes with saisons didn't quite seem to be there... however in exchange for such a relaxing atmosphere it was worth it. Steve had the Loral Pale which he had mixed feelings about as well. It seems like Gruff is a good place to hold special events as there was a class reunion going on when we were here. Service is pretty friendly and there is a good variety of souvenirs that you can check out. Not a bad little brewery but one that didn't quite fit my tastes like some other breweries in town. read more

Gruff Brewing - View from the beer garden at Gruff. - Breweries Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Have always enjoyed dropping into Gruff for beers and food on a Saturday night after hiking, but last night was different. Same food and beers, but different bartenders. I missed the usuals who were always so friendly and accommodating. No longer the really welcoming and warm vibe. read more

What a great find up in downtown Bellingham Washington!!! While checking to see how busy "Fiamma" was just up the street (check that out too btw), we'd stopped in here for a couple refreshments! Turns out this place has been here 4 years now, and one I somehow just missed some motorcycle trip up before. This spot will be my now new regular pit stop, with great views of Bellingham bay, outside gas fire pits, dog friendly and with a real great selection of beer on tap! Nice hazy IPA, "007" IPA great IBUs and about 7.2%ABV , Belching Beaver Stout, Pales, Cider and a good number of others to wet the palate :) While typically hitting up Boundary Bay, Aslan and other greats up in Bellingham, Gruff is now certainly on my return list from now on!! Keep up the great work! read more

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Thai was my first time here ! The set up is quiet comfortable and the ambiance is very laid back . Dogs are allowed which is definitely appreciated and adds to the hype of the place . We ordered beer only; they have a limited food menu but I can't say one way or another . They definitely got good brew , one of the top in Bellingham so far in my opinion. read more

Always a good time! Fire pits are amazing, decent amount of outdoor covered seating, killer bands, and the staff is top notch! So personable and friendly. Excellent selection of in-house and local brews. Great view too! read more

This is a really cool place to grab a beer. They have taken over an old warehouse in downtown Ham, near the Saturday market. They share the space with a snowboard company (if I read the sign right), and you enter through the alley. They've carved out a really nice taproom--updated and very clean bathrooms, exposed wood beams and ceiling, lots of space, lots of light. Very cool gravel patio on the other side of the wall of windows. Long bar to one side, pinball tables (pinball!) on the other, plenty of stools, flatscreen TV at the end. Staff is very friendly, prices are fine. Beers still need some attention, but they're probably on the right track. They're making all different kinds of stuff and they seem to have some idea of what they want their beers to be. Looking forward to future batches. read more