The REFUGE is no joke. It’s the ideal eatery as far as I’m concerned; they have fantastic beer and a no-bullcrap menu executed to perfection. What’s not to like? I’m really not sure how else to sum it up… I honestly wish all restaurants were exactly like this place.

” It’s the Disneyland of beer and meat “

The first time I heard about The REFUGE was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I was only halfway listening to the television at the time, but the discussion of Belgian beer and crazy good pastrami got my full attention. When I heard it was within fifteen miles of my house I knew right then I’d be paying a visit. And so I have.

It’s a Belgian beer kind of lunch. Quite the tasty dubbel I might add.

I suppose I should start with the beer. The REFUGE offers a lot of varieties with a heavy emphasis on Belgian styles. I don’t mean ten or twelve beers, I’m talking over a hundred. MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED KINDS OF BEER.

Let that sink in a moment.

Yeah, you’re right. That’s a lot of drinking that needs to be done, and there’s no time to waste. It’s a big responsibility, but I know that if we all work together we can tackle this challenge. And for the love of all that is good and pure in this world, please don’t order a Coors Light or an MGD or any other mainstream domestic atrocity of modern pisscraft. Hey, if that offends you then you don’t deserve the best beer in the entire Bay Area anyway, so quit being all sensitive and get over to The REFUGE for a REAL glass of suds.

It’s the Disneyland of beer and meat.

The next thing I’d like to cover is the pastrami. The culinary wizards at The REFUGE have elevated this single, humble meat into a new tier of food awesomeness all its own. The pastrami melts, literally melts, when you eat it and.. There, you see? I’ve gone and droobled on my keyboard. Yes, “droobled”. But anyway, this pastrami is hands down the very best I have ever had in my entire life and, as evidenced by my doughy physique, I’ve sampled quite a lot of it over the years. I know my pastrami, so believe me when I say this stuff is the cat’s ass.

You have never had a pastrami burger like this. Never.

As you can imagine, The REFUGE of course makes one of the best Reuben sandwiches you are ever likely to find. It’s piled so ridiculously high with meaty goodness that it’s too big to serve with fries. On my most recent visit I skipped the Reuben and gave the pastrami burger a try, and I was wowed yet again. The bun (pretzel I believe) was straight-out-of-the-oven fresh, the hamburger patty was seasoned to perfection and grilled with a nice crust on it, and a lovely little hill of that magical pastrami topped it all off.

I don’t know why they’re called ‘goofy fries’, but I don’t have any better suggestions.

The REFUGE also produces an array of epic salads, appetizers, and sides, including “goofy fries”. These begin life as garlic fries (which are excellent on their own, by the way), but are also topped with pastrami and cheddar cheese sauce. But probably the biggest surprise of the meal, for me at least, were the Brussels sprouts. They were decadently bacon-y, cooked perfectly, and absolutely delicious. I couldn’t get enough of them. And why were they a surprise? Because I can’t freaking stand Brussels sprouts, that’s why. Those nasty, skunky little green pods of misery come straight from the depths of Hell, I’m sure of it, and yet somehow The REFUGE made them awesome. Now that’s impressive.

I discovered that I like Brussels sprouts. Well whaddya know.

By now it should be relatively clear that I have a total food crush on The REFUGE. Top notch grub, top notch beer, no ridiculousness. I give it 99 Belgian beer bottles (on a Belgian wall of course) out of 100. I plan to spend quite a bit of quality time here. Oh yes.

The REFUGE
Two locations in the Bay Area
www.refugesc.com

This is the Reuben you’ve been looking for.

Standard Restaurant Review Disclaimer
The ambiguous and illogical rating system used in this review is not intended to be pinpoint accurate. It’s only there to give you a general idea of how much I like or dislike an establishment, and it also gives me an excuse to write silly things. If my rating system angers and distracts you, there’s a good chance you have control issues. I would also like to point out that I am not a highly qualified restaurant reviewer person, nor do I particularly care what that job is called. If you were under the impression that perhaps I was one of those people, consider your hopes dashed. Lastly, wow! You read the entire disclaimer. You get a gold star on your chart today.