I'm kicking myself for not knowing this place existed sooner! It's definitely tucked away. You can't really see it from the street. But the place is huge! We made a reservation, but didn't really end up needing it. You order your drinks at the bar and you can order your food off of a QR code at the table. The menu had a lot of really good barbecue options. I split a meat platter and some ribs with my family. My favorites were the ribs and the brisket. They also have pretty decent beer, menu, and cocktail options! I had their house, old-fashioned, and it was delicious! It looked like they had a ton of different events throughout the week as well. As we were leaving, there was a Bachata night starting. I'll be back for sure! read more

First time here. Liked the fact they stay open late on Sundays. Wasn't expecting Latin night here on a Sunday very fun. Now I know where to come on Sunday nights! Drinks were good , reasonable, fun staff and spacious seating. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

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Stopped by during happy hour and we were the only ones for a good minute. Big space with lots of seating to choose from. There is a gender neutral bathroom but there is also men and women bathrooms in the hallway to pick up food from the back. Pull tabs. Stage for live performances. Specials during weekdays. We tried the flights. They have more hoppy and ipa flavors, which are not my faves. Chicken wings were alright but good size. They have their own hot dogs that they make in house that was pretty good. They also make their own sauces. Definitely recommend trying to spicy bbq and sweet bbq sauces. You can even pack some to go! What I would recommend is the pork candy. Super yummy and well cooked pork belly. The fat is not too fatty and the meat is not tough. Flavor is really good and melt in your mouth. Looking forward to going back to try their smoked meats. read more

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I discovered this newer brewery... And I would definitely call it a hidden gem! The Pros: - The literal best nachos I have ever had. Get the pork ones with all the fixings! - They have beers, seltzers (multiple flavors with homemade syrups!!!!) and cocktails. Something for everyone! - Everything is house-made... The sauces, all of it! Seriously come here for the food! - I love the space! Who doesn't like a good train theme - Fair food prices. Something on the menu for every budget. Their happy hour is pre 6pm mon-thur - very friendly staff The cons: - I didn't love the beers, ironically haha - They had live music, and it was too loud for conversation. Just a personal preference - The service was slow at times, but they were busy on a Friday night! - Drink prices were a little high, and the cocktail portions were small. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - Pork nachos with all the fixings - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

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This place has been on my radar since it opened since it's within walking distance to me. I was initially disappointed with their beer selection and food since there wasn't much to draw me in. Recently however my husband's work friends got together here so we walked on over and I was pleasantly surprised at the beer as well as the food, they added some vegan options! We got an impossible burger, fries and the tofu bites in dry rub. The burger was cooked well and the bites were tasty dipped in all their dipping sauces they provide, the fries were great too! Staff is friendly and the space is huge. If we can bring our dog inside we'll definitely be back. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot is a solid spot for a casual hangout with friends, especially if you're looking for something to do beyond just grabbing a drink. We ended up spending practically the whole day here! First, we got food, then joined a paint-and-sip event they had going on, and capped the night with drinks and a few rounds of darts. The food was just OK--I ordered the Buffalo Mac, and while it wasn't particularly memorable, it did the job. The exciting part is their drink options! They don't just sell beer; they also offer cocktails and mocktails, which is great for groups with different preferences or for anyone avoiding certain drinks. You order at the bar, but to get your food, you have to head to a separate area in the back past the restrooms. They send you a text when your food is ready. It wasn't super obvious at first, so some clearer signage would help. That said, the atmosphere was fun, and the easy parking lot made getting there a breeze. It's definitely worth a visit for their events, drinks, and maybe sharing an appetizer with friends. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - Buffalo Mac & Cheese - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

Great food and beer! We decided to try something new based on what we had heard about their burgers. A nice double smash cheeseburger with great flavor. We also got the brisket Mac and cheese, which as you can see came with a generous portion of tender brisket and crispy onion strings on top! The brisket was delicious and juicy and the Mac and cheese was nice. Also, the dry rub fries are delicious and definitely don't miss out on the tangy mustard sauce which is delicious and addictive! It goes great on the fries, the burger, everything! We had the cookies and cream pastry stout, the carrot cake ale (basically like a pumpkin spice) and the brown ale. All of them were really good. I look forward to coming back again for the food and the beer! The food was great, but the fifth star is really for the very fair food pricing ($12 for a cheeseburger, less than many food trucks). The nachos are more if you add meat, but it is a good amount of meat and very delicious (we got the chopped chicken). read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - Brisket Mac and cheese and cheeseburger. - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

I got the chance to visit the relatively newly opened brewery, Rail Werks Brewing Depot. They are a family run business with some bomb BBQ, great beer, and a passion for the community they are part of. I got a flight to try four different beers they had on tap and enjoyed all four. Have Your Cake And Drink It Too! A Carrot Cake Inspired Ale that wasn't heavy in the slightest, but had the characteristics of a carrot cake with mild carrot flavors and a creaminess reminiscent of cream cheese frosting. Twisted Trax: An American Pale Ale brewed with experimental hop varietal HRC-002 in collaboration with Eric. Pleasant bitterness, medium low grape flavors, and almost a bright melon flavor. Switch Yard: A Kentucky Common with medium malt body and a dry finish. Cookie Crossing: A Cookies and Cream Pastry Stout that tastes like the ice cream it is mimicking with nice vanilla, chocolate, and sugar notes. ____ read more

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New brewery! I enjoyed my beer flight, but wished they had more options to choose from. My dad got one of their house made hot dogs, which he loved. I am looking forward to coming back to try their food. I appreciate that they have a large drink menu that includes more than beer, so there's something for everyone. Service is great and the space is inviting. read more

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Very pleasant server at the front welcomed us to the establishment. Open tab and no problems with refills. The Monday was open Mike, if the sound would have been lower, i would have given a 5 for the ambiance. Appetizer pork candy would have been awesome IF it would have been fried or heated to make a crusty outside. As it was received, I would rate it a 2 The Pretzel bites were good with cheese and elevated the food score on their own merits Would definitely give it another shot, just not open mic night... read more

We finally got a chance to try out this place - we were very pleased! We got a couple appetizers and drinks, we thought the prices were very fair. The staff were very kind and service was quick. I am not a huge mustard person and would buy their dijon mustard by the gallon if I could! Their bbq sauces were also absolutely incredible. We couldn't dare waste any so we took the leftover home and used them up the same day. They have lots of events they host so we will be back for sure! Highly recommend! read more

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There is a new brewpub in Columbia Heights! This fun, railroad themed brewpub features 20 tap lines consisting of 9 (for now) house made brews, as well as, red & white wine, a cocktail, and a mocktail. There is also a full bar and kitchen. The space is HUGE. There is plenty of seating for both small and large groups alike. There are also about 15 bar stools around the bar as well. I tried four beers and a cocktail and everything was pretty darn good and true to style. Being that it is a brand new place I can only see it getting better. Definitely a fun place to check out. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - 3rd Rail West Coast IPA - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Food OK, beer not so OK, billing has some, uh, "quirks." I visited a month or so ago for a business lunch with a couple colleagues. It was lunchtime and yet we were the only customers in the whole place. THE GOOD: The food. I ordered the 1/2 lb. brisket. I'm being charitable by using the adjective "good" here, but it was the only bright spot in this ordeal. It's the ONLY reason I'm giving this review a second star. The brisket was, well, not bad. I've had better brisket at Famous Dave's. (Smokey's in East Bethel is a much better spot for excellent barbecue, BTW.) Menu said $18.50 for brisket + fries. After I left the place I noticed they added a separate $4.95 charge for those fries. I should look at those bills more closely. And the portion of fries was pitiful--about a handful. THE BAD: The beer. Mediocre at best. The "Alternative Route" Altbier was good, though nothing to get excited about--it had a workmanlike quality. Relatively speaking that was the best of the brews I tried. The "Home Improvements" dry dark ale could use a LOT of improvements. Like pour it down the drain. It had a strong off-flavor of diacetyl, which adds a pungent, butter flavor and aroma. This off-flavor is caused either by poor fermentation management or a pediococcus infection in the tap lines. Undrinkable. I tried a few of the IPAs. The hazy had no hops aroma or flavor whatsoever. Woof. The other IPAs were OK. THE UGLY: Sketchy billing issues. I addition to the aforementioned sneaky $4.95 added charge for fries that should've been included with the entree, I later found that they round up the tip to 20%, regardless of what you actually write in the tip line on the bill. I discovered that a week later when the charge finally cleared my bank. The difference wasn't a lot, as I wrote a tad under 20% on the bill. But the fact that they took those liberties means they are untrustworthy and is reason enough for me to not come back. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a brewery in this town. There are SO many better ones, with better beer, better food, and honest staff, that there is zero reason to go to this one. read more

Awesome staff and good drink options. Welcoming family friendly vibes. Big open area with plenty of large tables. Perfect for board games. Also after 7:30pm on Sundays, it's Salsa night! read more

Beer is good. Sours poured in 10oz stupid tulip glasses. Now the bad. They need to get real with their pricing and/or portions. At $18 for a brisket sandwich, it better be good. This had one gray slice of meat on it about 3/8" thick. No discernible smoke flavor, nor could I smell any. It was flavorless. You want fries with that? $6. $6 for a tiny pile of dumped out of a bag frozen fries. A McD's small fry would make a bigger pile. Go there for their beer. Stay away from the food. read more

Meh. I will say they had a nice beer selection and many types of drinks! But for the price...11$ for a tiny drink... it's not a hangout spot. It's a 1 and done. Food. The dusted fries were delicious. For 10.50$ we expected more fries. The Pig Candy was very good! Highly recommend. Do NOT under any circumstances get the portabella mushroom. Yuck. And it was cold? The pork slider... meh. Pass on that. The meaty nachos were good. But not really all that spectacular. A lot of chips, and about 10 of them had the meaty goodness on them! Here's what we DIDN'T know... 18% is automatically added to your bill. And there's no servers (you pick up your own food), and you bus your own stuff. Am I going to come back? Probably not. Sorry. read more

First of all...start w the Mad Props for Bar Manager Corey!!! I arrived early, glanced over and saw a couple folks enter, not in brewery shirts.. so I thought they were letting folks in @ 3:53. I went to the door and tried the handle. Locked. I turned to retreat to my truck. I heard "ma'am that door was locked, those were employees." Regardless Corey let me enter a few minutes early!!! I entered, sat on a bench near the bar...quietly....as I didn't want to be a customer until 4:00. It gave me a chance to look around, take pictures, and peruse the tap list so I could build a flight. My beertender who built my flight, who's name I didn't get was friendly. While I drank my flight I briefly chatted up Jodi and William. Again, friendly staff. I enjoyed reading the back of Jodi's shirt. There was a pretty even mix of standard height and high top tables. I didn't ask about the tables but I'm assuming some sort of repurposed wood as they had what I thought were horse stirrups on them. A little fun thing. Some of the standard height are picnic tables w bench seating. Parking was easy in a strip mall lot. At the end of the bar is a Culligan water fountain w glasses on top of it should you choose. The tables have a QR code w the food menu, so I don't know what the options were. From the tap room you have a clear view in to the brew house.. yeah! One wall is nearly floor to ceiling windows...not fully but enough great natural light. As I looked up from my center table I wasn't below one, nor two but three ceiling windows!! I like the random train signs throughout. I did a flight and definitely am able to rank the four; Strangers On A Train sour, Cookie Crossing stout, DDH Squeaky Wheel and Have Your Cake and Drink It Too. I thought about trying more but decided to save that for a future visit. And hey Rail Werks.... thanks for having free stickers on the bar!! I think Rail Werks checks all the boxes.... outstanding Bar Manager, friendly & helpful beertenders, delicious beer, comfortable space and easy parking. Looking forward to my next visit. Corey said he made the menu of cocktails, which I unfortunately didn't peruse. He mentioned a couple of them are on tap.....as her poured me the N/A Pomjito...sorry the sweetly delicious Pomjito!!! He said there were only three kegs of it. To which I replied "I'll take two...and a straw!" I'll admit.... Rail Werks surpassed my expectations. I never set the bar too high for soft opens so I was delightfully surprised. Thanks for making my 339th brewery visit a deliciously delightful one! read more

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Great selection of drinks, for everyone. Big indoor space, a lot of board games and parking. read more

Rail Werks Brewing Depot - Double Hazy IPA - Brewpubs Near Me - Columbia Heights, Minnesota

It was awful. I had Mac and cheese that tasted slightly rancid, baked beans that were so dry they looked like dog food. The only redeeming dish and that wasn't even great was the corn bread. Tacos were served on cold tortillas with dry meat and hardly any toppings. Chicken tenders were frozen boxed and then fried no side dishes served with it. I literally think I got food poisoning, spent half the night throwing up. DO NOT EAT HERE! Prices were way to higher for what we got. read more

First off the beer prices are way too high. Even during happy hour the beers were over 7.00. There are other places close by that have 5.00 beer happy hours. And the beers are probably better. Food is very expensive and you have to walk back past the bathrooms to pickup your food. Guess i should have skipped the tip on the food portion. But i didn't think about it at that time. I've been here twice the second time just to join a group that wanted to try it. I won't be going there again. read more

My chicken tacos came out cold, and I couldn't even tell if it was chicken or pork. Fries were good, but $10 seems high. Maybe just a bad night ? You seat yourself, order yourself, and pick it up yourself, but yet they ask for a tip? read more

Staff are great but not enough of them on a busy night. Food is a joke, my sandwich came out cold and I questioned if it was brisket. Plus they charge for every topping, making me feel like i was being nickel and dimed. Thinking about it, they never even served me a water. Weak cocktails. Facility is nice and clean. not worth the money at all. read more

We really wanted to love this place. Like the concept, brewery + cocktails + BBQ. We opted for cocktails instead of beer and they were fine. Our disappointment was with the food value. We ordered a brisket sandwich $18 with coleslaw on sandwich, add another $1. ( then didn't realize until we finished the sandwich that it wasn't included. The brisket sandwich was one slice of brisket, slightly under a 1/2 inch. Add another $6 for a hand full of french fries. Not up to par with a few other spots we frequent, like Q fanatic or Jellybean and Julia's. Maybe they're still working things out so will probably give it another shot in a few months. read more

"The Little Engine that Could?" Quite possibly. Little, in no way, refers to their seating area. It almost felt like I was sitting in an auditorium. Rail Werks Brewery opened this month and I've made several trips to their "station ". Their standard food fare is barbecue. They know how to do their meats up right with several choices of homemade sauces. Not just beer for beverages. Cocktails, mocktails, plus two different wines and homemade root beer on tap. A few unique brews. I'll be back to try a porter, coffee beer, or Hefeweizen if any of them make their tap list. read more

Great beer good variety. Chopped chicken sandwich good taste and plenty of chicken. Side of beans has meat great also. Happy to find this gem. read more