Ponderosa Brewing

Tyler (server, greeter, bartender, cashier, etc.), hit it out of the park! We honestly cannot recall the last time we've seen someone with such amazing work ethic! Tyler didn't stop the entire time we were there. The place was busy and he took care of everything! We were thoroughly impressed! Mr. Wonderful had the green chili, beer-cheese burger and there wasn't a crumb left on his plate. I had the twice burnt tacos, I know how it sounds, but they are delicious. The accompanying chips were fresh out of the fryer. The atmosphere is dark wood, welcoming and pub like. They do offer outdoor seating.

We stopped by to meet up with friends on trivia night and had a great time. Ponderosa has a pleasing ambiance, a great selection of beers and bar food, and excellent service. Even though they were understaffed this particular evening, Tyler did a great job with a smile on his face.

Loved this place. In the beginning and in my 1st review, it was near my stomping grounds. The food was good (well for bar food, it was tasty - I was never disappointed). The service was always quick and friendly. Professional. Since COVID (yes, I am going to blame some of this updated review on COVID), each time we have come in over the last few years we have begun to feel like they just can't keep up / don't really care. Beer and food still remain good, but specials on their board always seem to run out before the "crowd" arrives. During my recent visit we didn't order food - so this isn't about the food. We only had a couple of beers. They were good, but nothing spectacular. Nothing to make them stand out in a crowd of excellent breweries around town. When it can time to pay, we gave the server a $20 bill. She gave us change from a $10. OK, so very busy Servers make mistakes. It happens to us all. It was crowded and noisy. And there were definitely not enough staff. When we suggested that a mistake was made, the response was quick, curt and accusatory. My companion just wanted to leave with out clearing up the mistake. I mentally agreed and would have just left the remainder of the $20, but before I could pick up my phone and slide out of the booth the Server came over and asked me again how much we had given her (as if my companion was not telling the truth). I said we had given her $20. She then proceeded to "gently" slam a $10 bill and some change on the table with a curt "here" remark.Perhaps COVID has left them understaffed? Or overworked? But friendly Customer Service is the No.1 reason clients return to a business. Yes, good food & good drinks are critical too. but all three are important when the business has lots of competition. Ponderosa? I want to love you again. but not if I am going to be rudely accused of not telling the truth. of cheating. I only had one beer and I know how much money I had to start. Perhaps you don't have enough staff . . . or enough experienced staff? With all the brewery competition in town you really need to step up your game.

I've come a few times and I always enjoy it. Food is good and the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because they no longer have their hand cut fries. They were the absolute best and I miss them. Seating is great and it's not terribly loud even with the Friday Eve DJ. It's a great place to meet friends and play cards. While the beer wasn't my absolute favorite I had a tasty gingerbread type beer. I wish I had seen the special drinks they were offering. Maybe having them mention that would have been useful but it's okay, i will know to look next time. Love the wood accents. It's memorable for me since my dad worked in a sawmill when I was little. Love how Ponderosa has incorporated that.

This place is tucked away from the Sawmill market and the NM history museum. I'm not much for the brewery part but, I was interested in the food and atmosphere. The waitress was nice, I was with a group and she was good at getting everyones food and drink orders correct, As well as, when giving the bill she was very good at remembering who ordered what. There was a small issue with one of the ladies who ordered a side and being charged extra amount. I felt the waitress handled it well, although, she could of told the lady there would be an extra charge for the side as a courtesy when she ordered even though it says it on the menu. Which is the reason for the 4/5 stars. The food coming after order was timely, didn't seem too long. I ordered the pulled pork bbq sandwich with coleslaw and beans. The sandwich was good. Sauce was sweet not tangy and the coleslaw was tasty and crunchy. Good size portions for the price. I had water which was set up as get your own which was nice. It was a clean and spacious, lighting was good, music was at a good volume, and right when I was about to leave looked like they hired a DJ for the rest of the night. It's a nice place to go for a end of the week drink food night. I would go back to try some more on the menu.

After not having visited in a few months, we came to Ponderosa for Geeks Who Drink and dinner last night. I've always enjoyed their beers and food, and this was no exception.I ordered one of their seasonal beers, the Krampus Gingerbread Stout, and my husband had a Palpatine's Porter. I really liked my stout; you could smell and taste the spices, but they were subtle and balanced well with the stout's bitter notes. My husband's porter was also tasty, but I preferred mine. If you prefer a slightly lighter brown beer, try the Bellamah Brown.We both ordered the pulled pork sandwich, topped with their housemade BBQ sauce and coleslaw, which was delicious - tender pork, lightly sweet sauce, and coleslaw with enough oomph to blend nicely with the other flavors. I had some tasty fries with mine, and my husband had the Burque beans, which were nice and flavorful.I was too busy eating and playing trivia to take a picture but trust me, it was good stuff. Our server was friendly and attentive without being overbearing and the sound quality was great. Ponderosa is a nice place to go in the Sawmill area.

Bavarian Pretzel=it is a very large pretzel. The food here is very good. They have flights of beer, and they are dog friendly. I came on a Thursday. Decent size crowd. The karaoke dj was horrible. His speakers were the worst, and it did not help or highlight and of the singers. I'm not sure how he landed this job. The ponderosa pilsner is very good at 4.5%. With the exception of the worst speaker system I've ever heard the night was pretty steady.

I came here for lunch with coworkers recently and was so surprised to find it existed and enjoyed it throughly. The staff were friendly, the tacos were so different--in a delicious way. Definitely, of all the tacos I've tried out for the first time, these were the most satisfying. I liked the wooden decor and big booths and especially that it wasn't crowded and loud. The next time you end up a Sawmill and can't find a place to sit, ahead down the street a block and try Ponderosa out.

Ponderosa is a consistent place to go to get a beer and something to eat. We came on a Thursday night and were greeted with Karyoke which has now become our Thursday night fun thing to do. We each had a beer and when checking in on Yelp we got an order of free fries. They hadn't seen the Yelp offer before and weren't sure what to do with it, but were quick to offer us a free small fry which came out quickly and hot! It was pretty packed on at 8 pm. We only stayed for one drink, but I look forward to coming in more often.

The green chilli cheeseburger was great tasting, good size and very good heat from the homegrown peppers. The wings were also a hit as well as the Brussels sprouts. We went on Thursday and it was the first night of the DJ that worked there previously but is back and will now be there every Thursday night. Excellent music throughout the night hip vibes if back in town it's my go to place for food and drinks. the entire staff was friendly and took great of our group of 4.