The Crafty Fox Ale House

I suppose most people come here for the beer selection, but as someone who is not well-versed in beer, the highlight for me is the food.I've tried a few of their menu items, including the fried chicken sandwich and the fish and chips. The former is particularly excellent and the quality/flavors are a few notches above typical bar fare. The beer menu is extensive (which is about all I can say about it). The interior is dark and cozy and the service is friendly enough.

TLDR:I'm hesitating giving four stars because of our most recent interaction + high prices for quantity of beer/food. Wish I could give half a star, as it wasn't fully a three star experience either. Alas, four stars it is.I recommend for: - groups- bar/brewery crawl in this area of the City- if there's a particular brew only available hereLonger:Back pre-panini I had a friend who's boyfriend lived around the corner from the Crafty Fox, so it was often a first- or last-of-the-night stop for their crew, which I joined every so often. As mentioned above, this is a great spot for groups, as it's a rather informal, minimalist interior -- capitalizing on space in order to pack as many people in as possible. There are high tops and tables throughout, and a good ~10 seats at the bar. I wasn't a beer drinker back then, so I'd indulge in a cider with no complaints -- always a few options for the non-beer drinkers. I cannot recall any specific food we had way back when, but I do remember there were no complaints. Fast forward to 2024, my boyfriend and I were on a little walking adventure to get some Peruvian beans at one of the Mexican groceries on Mission St. It was a beautiful weekend afternoon, and the Crafty Fox had many an open bar seat beckoning us in. We were greeted by the bar tender (owner?) who handed us menus. The tap selection was laid out on the wall in front of us, and man oh man is there a wide variety, or what!? Lucky for us, we'd been sampling a few "slushy" beers and there was one from 450 North -- the Slushy XL Raspberry Dessert. This is quite possibly the most tasty, ~perfectly tart, yet still a beer~ beer I've ever had. The second beer we got was some variation of a Hazy IPA, and also delicious, though nothing new new nor spectacular. What was off-putting: the bar was near empty, aside from one guy at the very end (many seats down from us) at the bar and iirc, a solo woman at a table toward the back room. There was an exciting-to-us baseball game in play, so we had it pulled up on a cell phone in front of us. By no means was it at top volume, yet we were asked with zero care or kindness to turn it off. A "hey yall, will you please turn that down? (:" is super easy... Just felt weird to be shamed for watching sports at a beer-focused establishment, but they think they're fancy *shrug*. Whatever it may be, we'll definitely be sure to go elsewhere the next time there's a game in play we want to watch.

Don't get me wrong this place is great for their tap, what makes it not so great was the subpar execution on the food menu. Yikes! Stopped by for food and drinks before seeing Isaiah Falls show at Brick and Mortar. I definitely was the fanboy when I saw him come into ale house with his crew before the show. Maybe I was waiting for the food to be just as magical?Tap - all for the tap. One of the few bars that has Pliny the elder and blind pig, but today I opted for the sour. So much goodness. But every time I ordered it the bar keep kept saying "it's going okay". No bro -. That's the name of the sour "howzit" lol. Dead. Anyhow, obviously I went the smart route and got fish and chips. My friend in the other hand ordered the steak medium rare that took almost 30 mins and it was cold in the middle. Uh oh, something doesn't seem right here scooby. To top it off the béarnaise sauce was broken. Womp womp. Solid no for the steak my friend.Atmosphere - I mean its a local tap how can you not like the vibe? All in all - just don't order the steak and you'll be good.

Solid 9/10 from me. Good for casual bar crawl with friends. Limited seats with outdoor breezes. Clean gastropub with big beer selection and food that hits a higher quality/effort level than most. My go-to for a beer / sandwich.Food - 9/10Korean fried chicken is probably the highlight. Not too spicy and a good portion size. The burger was also very good but perhaps on the thinner patty size. Fries are a thicker cut which is nice.Beers - 10/10Huge selection. No complaintValue - 8/10Food is expensive but inline with other places. Beers are normal prices. I wish I could get a sandwich for under $20 but such is life. It does seem like the food is achieving a higher quality level so perhaps 16/17 would be appropriate if they adjusted things.Service - 10/10

Went to this spot yesterday. The vibe and decorations of the place were very cool and nice, and the server we had was also very nice.Most of the food was great, I especially liked the corn ribs and spinach rangoons. I was however disappointed greatly by my burger. It was a hockey puck, completely black and charred, and small. I can't believe the kitchen even served it to me since it wasn't a busy evening when we went. My partner ordered the korean chicken sandwich, we only received the normal chicken sandwich but it was also delicious. I would also like to note than even though the decor was nice there were about a dozen flies circling one spot in the dining area.I would definitely come back here, maybe we just went during an off night. The rest of the food more than made up for the flies and burnt burger.

Lunch review. Taproom.Crispy Brussel Sproutslemon zest, maldon salt & chili flakesAl Pastor Pork gyozaw/ scallion, sesame seed & salsa machaSteak Tartaregarlic, shallots, parsley, cornichons, egg yolk with grilled country batard(Best) Fish & Chipsjalapeño cabbage slaw, fries & tartar sauceGrilled Spanish OctopusBlistered shishito peppers, crispy fingerlings, chimichurri & black garlicSpanish Twist Churros++ Great tap listOverall, "As good as it gets."

Just paid 121.00 for 2 hazy beers. When I ordered my drinks I was ask for my card for payment . " I didn't know I was charged that amount". Then before I left he asked if I wanted to close my tab. Mind you he already had taken my card. I then said ok I'll pay because he didn't issue my receipt. The first time he took my card. Then I paid another 21.00. I asked just to make sure he didn't charge my card but I had two charges from my card when I should have only one charge . All I'm saying is be careful, maybe a mistake but, just hate the trouble of dealing with the bank situation. Good thing is that my hazy was good field work always comes in clutch

Awesome beer selection, knowledgeable bartenders, and great bar food (the Korean chicken sandwich is out of this world). I've stopped by twice with large groups (8+) and managed to snag a table immediately. Definitely a hidden gem!

This is a great place! We came here a few weeks for some midday snacks and beer and we had a great time! The service was great and they were very attentive, making sure we always had everything we needed. They have Russian River on tap, so the beer selection is fantastic (Pliny the Elder!) and the food was great too. We had fries with Calabrian chili aioli and they were cooked perfectly and paired great with the aioli. We also had popcorn chicken with yuzu ranch and kosho hot sauce, which was juicy and flavorful. My wife had a steak salad for her entree and I had the fish tacos, both of which were fresh and tasty and ones that we'd order again. We'd 100% come back here again!

This place?!! What a hidden gem! The staff is so cool, kind, efficient! I'm not a big beer person but my friends love this place and after I went I see exactly why!!! I think people come here for the beers my friends rave about but what COMPLETELY blew me away was their food..... ??? It was AMAZING. The roasted olives melted in your mouth like butter. And unlike most other olives it wasn't drenched in salt, it had light aromatic layers and flavors. Then the Japanese chicken was perfection and the rich dipping sauce they provided just made the textures and flavors pop - I will definitely be back to try other items on their menu. Really charming venue, thanks to the guy that day who charged my phone, great staff, ambience and even my glass of blanc was superb. I feel like this is an underrated gem.