Sometimes, the best recommendations come from the locals--and this one absolutely delivered. We came for the craft beer and were pleasantly surprised when the owner generously offered several beer samples before we ordered. Not just tiny sips, but generous pours that made it easy (and fun) to find our favorite. Then came the sushi. Fresh, beautifully presented, and packed with flavor. Every bite was delicious, and we loved one of the rolls so much that we immediately ordered a second one before finishing the first. Great beer, outstanding sushi, fair prices, and genuinely warm hospitality. It's easy to see why locals call this one of the best sushi spots around. We'll definitely be back. The best compliment we can give? We ordered the roll twice. read more

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Stopped by for a beer and had a great experience. The atmosphere is incredibly welcoming, everyone from the staff to the other customers was friendly and easygoing. They had the game playing in both the front and back rooms. They also had a food vendor on-site, which was a nice. Overall, it's a fantastic spot whether you're looking to catch up with friends or just grab a solo pint. read more

Beer was good and service (the owner and his son were super attentive. There was plenty of parking since its a bit hidden but the place is very quaint and is what you would expect for this type of brewery in an industrial complex. Bonus! it is next to Catalyst! read more

Great IPA selection, their booth at the yelp social was very friendly and informative.

Awesome! Delicious beer! Techno Viking hazy IPA was delicious!! Definitely coming back to try their other beers~ friendly staff and laid back atmosphere. 5 stars! Dog friendly too~ read more

I visit this place a few times a month, they have great service and food vendors that serve great food throughout the week. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Beer - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Neighborhood Refuge Best For: Hop-heads, pinball wizards, and casual weekend hangouts. If you're tired of the polished, corporate feel of many modern breweries, Santa Ana River Brewing is the antidote. Tucked away in an industrial park off Warner Avenue, this spot feels like a true "brewer's refuge"--unpretentious, spacious, and deeply rooted in the local community. Flagship Must-Try: More Hops Than Brains (8.2% DIPA). It's a quintessential West Coast double IPA--bright, floral, and surprisingly smooth for its strength. The Crowd Pleaser: Agua Del Rio. A Mexican-style lager that is crisp and refreshing, often used as the base for their highly-rated Micheladas (complete with a spicy El Salchichón rim). For Dark Beer Lovers: Keep an eye out for the Saigon Stout. It's a milk stout brewed with Vietnamese coffee that offers a rich, velvety finish without being overly cloying. read more

Really good brewery with a decent selection of beers. I think they have 14 taps if I remember correctly with a good variety of options. This would be a great place to come with a family or a large group as there's plenty of seating. They also have pinball games which is so fun to drink and play. It was a little harder to find but as it's in a business area but it's a great spot and worth the visit! The employees were so kind, friendly and inviting! Will def be back! read more

Chill venue, mostly local folks in here. There was a bunch of people who came to watch a game on the TV. Had a food truck in the back. Few arcade machines. Cute laid back spot in a industrial/corporate location. read more

This seems much more like a brewery for locals. The beers were good and I would love to try some of their other brews that weren't on tap at the time. I enjoy stopping into some of the smaller breweries when I travel because you frequently find great beers and great conversations. That was definitely the case when I visited Santa Ana River. Excellent service, great homemade tacos (though they sometimes have BBQ and sushi), and I even picked up a shirt too. Really great experience there. read more

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Service was great...beer fantastic! Opting for a lighter IPA the Wet Hop option was perfect for the weather! It was crushhable! Environment is what breweries use to be like....warm welcoming and all about good tasting beer! Although they dont serve flights they will let you taste whatever you want. Hard part is choosing just one to pint up. read more

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Once of the best breweries in Orange County. It's my go to for great award winning beer options. They have food pop ups or food trucks daily and TVs to watch sporting events. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Beer Selection - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I was around the area for dinner and as always decided to see what breweries were around. This brewery was one of the highest rated to where I was located and decided to stop by. The gentleman who helped us was really kind and patient and helped us find what we were looking for. I wasn't looking for anything too hoppy for once, and decided to go for something more refreshing. The closest thing to that was the Orange Crate - Blonde ale with orange peel. After a few tasters I settled for this one. In my opinion the beer was too watered down. I came in with the family and and everybody was nice and the place was calm. There was quite a few pinball machines that you have to pay for to play but they did have board games and even a Nintendo Switch. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Orange Crate - Blonde ale with orange peel with a hint of pineapple - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Actually just came here for pinball! On the prowl to acquire a pinball machine and apparently the Sterns website has a pinball locator where you can find where a machine you are looking to try is located. Found that this location had 6 machines, two of which being the ones I was looking for: Jaws and Godzilla. So had some fun playing pinball for about an hour with the family and had the machines to ourselves since no one else was at the brewery for pinball lol. Owners were super nice and we talked pinball a bit. Bought a four pack of the Mexican lager to take home which was good. Nice people nice vibes and ample pinball! read more

Great little brewery. They have a different food vendor come everyday. I tried one of their taco vendors and they were delicious. Good selection of beers, very relaxed vibe, 50 cent pinball machines and a clean bathroom. The only thing is that it gets a little warm inside at times but that's a bit out of their control. The workers are all very friendly and attentive. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Wanted to try this spot cause we heard good things. Unfortunately I have a wheat allergy and they didn't have any ciders, seltzer or wine available. I offered to stay while my husband had a beer, but he didn't think that was fair. :-) Hopefully we can try it again some day! read more

Excellent micro brewery. You can sample the beers before deciding what you want. All the beers I sampled were excellent. Prices reasonable. The pinball is amazing!! All the games are 50 cents! And they have all my favorites - Godzilla, Jaws, Monster Bash! Also Fish Tales, Star Wars and creature from the black lagoon. Dogs are welcome. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Godzilla pinball - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Everybody there is friendly and helpful and knowledgeable. Great food vendors. My wife and I stop by at least once a week to have a good beer and good food. read more

Follow me to a local brewery which I really enjoy recently!! Highlights of the menu: 1. Saigon stout 8.5% 2. Ripped at the river 8.1% 3. Brixley tart with ale with passion fruit and spice 4. Aqua del rio lager 5% Super industrialized and local, I enjoy hanging at the brewery a lot with their beers and IPAs. A lot of guys and couples are hanging here too! Such a cool hidden spot with beer lab equipments that I didn't know before. Besides the draft beers, they have canned beers to store in the fridge for later as well Being a Saigonese, I'm impressed with their Saigon Stout!! Cheers to anyday!! read more

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https://www.santaanariverbrewing.com/beers-on-tap-now Local family owned. Different flavors. Service is great. Brewing company clean read more

Tucked away in the back of an industrial area. Go down the driveway to the right of Planet 13. Through the gate like you're going into the self storage area, and then turn right along that building. This spot is in the far right suite of the back building. Friendly staff. Dog friendly. Indoor and outdoor seating. They also have several pinball machines! Only one TV, I think. When I went in November 2021, all drinks were around $6-7 per pint. They had beers and seltzers. I tried both and enjoyed everything I tried - Mexican lager, lemon seltzer, and watermelon seltzer! read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Watermelon Seltzer - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Customer service was great. The beer was good, and the overall vibes of this place were great. We came here after work to just chill and grab a drink, it was perfect for that. read more

Draft beers and pinball machines too. Also TVs for sports. Standard industrial area brewery with front entry that opens up to back brewing area where you can grab a seat. Plenty of parking. Dog friendly. Upstate New York friendly too. read more

Love this place man! Great people, down to earth! Love their story! These are what makes small Business dream in America! read more

First off this place has plenty of parking. The taproom is pretty small and not much in the way of decor. However, their menu was fantastic. I found myself wanting to order more than I was capable of drinking at the time. I ended up getting two half pints, including one cask beer. Both my my beers were delicious, I loved the rich, creaminess of my cask beer. Not many breweries offer cask so that was a pleasant surprise here. I would definitely want to come back here. read more

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Great atmosphere and delicious beer! Came in with a few friends and immediately felt very welcomed by the staff and other patrons, especially after mentioning it was our first time in. Nice that they serve food and have pinball machines too, will definitely come back if I'm in the area again! read more

There was about 10 beers on tap, a few more in cans, and they have several pinball machines to try out.

Kind and knowledgeable proprietors. True advocate for independent craft breweries. Excellent offerings on craft brews and a comfortable welcoming sitting space. Check this place out! read more

I came here on a weekday to do some work around 5 pm or so by myself. The brewery itself is very small. Pretty much textbook microbrewery if you're looking for a very local spot. There are a few seats in the front, but the additional seating in the back is amongst the brewing equipment. The brewer/owner was really nice and had a conversation with me about the brewery itself, but was respectful of me trying to get work done. I got the Saigon Stout which was great! I am a big fan of stouts though. If you like other beers, I tried the hazy and that was good too, but because it's a microbrewery, there's not a huge selection (con with all microbreweries though) but there is variety. The location is inside a business area, so it might be hard to find at first, but parking is readily available. It would be nice to see if they have any weekly/monthly special events occurring and merchandise to sell. It's fairly new, so we'll have to see how they grow! read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - View of the front from the back area seating - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Local hidden gem, you have to go back into a weird industrial complex to find it. Had about 8 beers on tap. Tried the Mexican lager and the sour, both were good. Want to come back and try the Vietnamese coffee stout sometime when it's not insanely hot outside. Indoor seating area by all the brewing equipment, also with a big screen TV and a pinball machine. Also with a nice, low key outdoor seating area. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - A cold Agua del Rio on a hot night... - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Beers: six to sever on tap, decent.exican lager, amber, Vietnamese coffee were the only ones we tried. Atmosphere: super friendly, lots of dogs, immediate service of a bowl of water for dogs. Fun music on wide spectrum. read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Outdoor patio - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Rad beers and they play sportsball on the tellie. Came here to watch the World Series games. Cute set up outside in the parking lot and inside their tap room. What I like about this place is they are no frills and all beer. They've progressively gotten better at their recipes and have some rad collabs. We had their collab with RIIP and their Connect the Hops IPA-super crushable, easy on the palate. They've got sammies and chips to snack on and food trucks on the weekend. Big plus +++. The beer tenders are constantly cleaning with the purple fabuloso. Looks and smells so clean! read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Outdoor gazebo - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I had a great evening at Santa Ana River! Friendly people running the place and good beer. My favorite was their More Hops Than Brains. I also enjoyed the Saigon Stout, the coffee flavor was amazing. It was pleasantly calm when I visited recently. read more

This brewery is def a hidden gem. I live a few streets away from this place & never knew about it until a few weeks ago. Had Agua Del Rio (Mexican Lager 5%). Tasty, smooth, fresh finish w/ a nice yellow transparent color to it. Definitely recommend & they also have a couple of stouts & seltzers. Also find out they will have a citrus blonde ale coming out soon! "I'll be back" I'll be dropping by after work many more times to come! read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - This brewery is def a hidden gem. Never knew about it until a few weeks ago. Had Agua Del Rio (Mexican Lager 5%). - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Great beer, great music, friendly owners, and pinball! What more could you want? Forget the breweries that serve eight IPAs. These guys offer variety. read more

I expect Santa Ana River Brewing will grow and get much better, but it is very early for them right now. The taproom is tiny, and the "bartenders," while knowledgeable on beer, do not have the best customer service skills. One other negative was the lack of less hoppy beers. The kolsch and session IPA were very good though. My photos are from the same barstool, so you can see how small the taproom is. Definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area and love hoppy, high ABV beers. They have a great selection of those types. read more

Great place to relax and have a good time!I loved the Mango Seltzer...it's a must...not your average white claw!!! read more

Santa Ana River Brewing - Try the Saigon Stout - Breweries Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Super local, super cool. Enjoyed the IPA. Friendly and a pop up bbq that looked good. Didn't try.

What an awesome little gem... . We stopped here before getting to the hotel and honestly it's the coolest lil microbrewery.. they have pinball machines..nintendos for the kids ..but most importantly the beer is awesome. The something fish pale ale is delicious. 100% recommend this place. When we stopped by they had a lady lola rosa making tacos. Also very good very friendly... we talked too some older guys there and they gave us all kinds or sweet conversations.. awesome place we will be back when in that neighborhood... read more

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Small no-frills brewery and tasting room with some solid beers. We came not long after they opened so it was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon. All the seats in the back area were taken so we stood around a barrel in the front "office" area with our flights. I enjoyed the beers I tried, but I must say, the Vietnamese Coffee stout stood out really favorably. Smog City's Coffee Stout has always been the gold standard for me and this came very close. I'd definitely visit again, and will hopefully find seating next time so we can have a more leisurely hang. I love it that there are more breweries opening in this area! read more