The Midtown Broadway Brewhouse location might be best described as the venue version of a mullet: business (in the form of the busy-by-day, empty-by-night Mojo Grill) in the front, party in the back.
The Brewhouse is the prototypical watering hole — a no-frills, beer-mostly joint that doesn’t tend to focus on one thing or another. If you want to watch sports, there are plenty of monitors for doing just that — but it’s not a sports bar. If you want to hang out, tip back a few pints and toss some darts, you can do that — but the dart crowd is neither prevalent nor proprietary.
All in all, the Brewhouse is just a comfortably all-purpose joint, friendly and welcoming to a cross-section of Nashville’s bar-going public.
Drinks: Wide selection of both bottled and draught beer, plus a full bar. But “brew” is in the place’s name for a reason — they do a great job of staying up on the newest, latest and greatest foamy libations that make it into town.
Decor: It feels a touch thrown together, what with the open-air entrance and the “only really comfortable in the spring and fall” patio. Lots of plastic chairs and things that are quasi-weatherproof. Not an exorbitant amount of neon, but they clearly have good relationships with their distributors. The wall full of used dartboards on the long hallway to the bathrooms is an interesting touch.
Crowd: A surprisingly comfortable mix of Vandy kids (it’s just outside the easternmost edge of their bubble) and regulars. The occasional set of bikers drops by, but they don’t overrun the place.
Insider tips: In need of a new drinkin’ shirt? Join the “Draft 69 Club,” which challenges you to make your way through the Brewhouse’s 69 different draft offerings. No, don’t try to do it in one night — that’d just be dumb. Also, make friends with the bartenders, and they’ll keep an eye out for your favorite bottled beer they might not normally carry (if they can get it via Tennessee’s arcane distribution laws). There’s nothing quite like walking into a bar and ordering from your own semi-private stash.
Service: Can be spotty depending on the size of the crowd. The length of the bar makes it difficult for the ’tenders to get to you in a timely fashion, but be patient and ye shall be rewarded. Also, don’t start a tab at the bar and then head off to a table and expect to keep consuming on the same bill. They enforce a hard-and-fast split between the bar and the servers.
Sounds: A sometimes overpotent mixture of classic rock, sports and conversation — but again, be nice and they’ll adjust as best they can.
Food: This is where the Brewhouse shines, because of its ability to tap into the Mojo Grill menu. So while it is bar food, it’s really good bar food. Try the Island Burger, the Santa Fe Tacos or the Jerk Chicken Pizza, plus you can’t go wrong with the various quesadillas and wings.
The damage: The pints can be a touch pricey, especially if you start to sample some of the high-alc or limited edition brews. But the various specials (Sunday 2-for-1, etc.) can take the bite out of the bill.
Dress code: Mondo contemporary Americana casual. In other words, jeans and T-shirts rule the day.
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