We recently found ourselves returning home from a family oriented day trip when we were approaching Fairfield, CA. Having only managed snacking throughout the early afternoon (as it was a finger-food potluck gathering that we were retreating from) we started discussing the possibility of getting a bite to eat and my wife noted a local brewpub that she’d visited the week before—the Blue Frog Grog and Grill [warning: obnoxious auto-playing music]. My daughter quickly became the most vocal advocate for stopping and so we pulled off the freeway to grab a bite and a pint.

Located in the corner of a mall, the location definitely screams brewpub—with a giant grain silo out front emblazoned with a neon sign.

Upon entering, we quickly found ourselves in mellow twilight, due to few overall windows and the floor plan was split between the bar and dining areas. The overall décor looked as though it were an Italian restaurant in a past life and it created a real eclectic vibe.

We were taken to a snazzy booth and ordered a few different appetizers to share and some much-needed beer (and our waitress was very friendly and efficient!). The food was pretty decent and the beer was good (and they have happy hour every day from 3-6 with a terrific $2 for house pints). I started with their IPA, which was pretty good, and then tried their deceptively strong DIPA 3 (although neither IPA was as dry hopped as I tend to prefer these days). The real gem of the afternoon, though, was their coffee porter—I was somewhat shocked at how good it really was. Well balanced and robust with really the perfect balance of coffee flavor and aroma. I wish they bottled it!

Overall, it was a really pleasant stop and I’d recommend it for anyone heading through Fairfield (as it’s pretty much right off the I-80 freeway). If I were a local I could see myself becoming a fairly regular visitor with their great happy hour deal and child-friendly atmosphere.

Blue Frog Grog and Grill
http://bigbluefrog.com
1750 Travis Boulevard
Fairfield, CA 94533
(707) 429-BEER (2337)
@bluefrogbrew

Cheers!
Ben