10/24/08

Best microbrewery in East Bay

by GGupta

Move over Pyramid, I think Jupiter's Red Spot has won me over. The atmoshepre is great, but you just need to come with a crowd. If you are a lone, it is not an ideal place to meet people, because everyone is set up at tables, not too many stools available on the bar itself. Great selection, great price.

03/24/08

Come on, you serve pizza and beer...

by therivernihil

Now, I am a huge fan of pizza and beer. A winning combination at any price range! They have a wide variety of beer from local microbrews, and will serve it to you eventually. The pizza is also spectacular... as you may realize by the stunning decor, this isn't a bar that happens to serve food by coincidence, they do it right. However, they are very protective of their atmosphere, and the staff is downright rude (not only cold-shouldery, but verbally rude, to your face) if they don't like the looks of you. I just wanted a place to grab pizza and beer after work. This is not that place. I have nothing against up-scale restaurants, but if there's a dress code there should be a sign on the door... it's a more polite way of communication than the hipster-bartenders snide comments at my friends.

• Pros: -sweet- decor, reasonably priced beer, great food, live music
• Cons: their staff only talks to you when alluding that you should leave

02/02/08

Sweet food, beer and atmosphere

by jazzbuff

Yes it was a chilly Friday night in Berkeley, but we heard a band we love was playing so we bundled up and hopped on Bart. The station was right outside the door so having a few beers/wines was not out of the question. We got there before the band (Thee Immortals) came on because we wanted a good table. We love the atmosphere of the outside tables, fire pits/heat lamps the whole bit. Great pizza and salads were soon on the table along with a round of fab home brewed beers. The bar-b-qued chicken pizza was super yummy. I want to hand it to Jupiter for booking bands like Thee Immortals, I'm so tired of unimaginative/uninspired jazz blues that permiates the bay area music scene. What a great night out we will be back. Kudo's Jupiter!!!

07/16/07

Not a friendly pub

by John3B

Maybe we came in on an off day, but this was the bottom rung of all the brewpubs in the Bay area. After seating ourselves (as the sign at the door said), the wait staff proceeded to totally ignore us. Finally went and got a couple of pints from the non-speaking bartender, rest of the staff, including the manager on duty, too busy gossiping to bring out any menus, get refills for us, or even acknowledge our existence. I did go back for a second pint, the Quasar double IPA had a weird scorched flavor I've never encountered before in a craft beer, not even smoked beers. More of a nasty burned toast flavor.... We know the wait staff were on duty and aware of us, one swooped in while I was up to collect my old glass. Whole vibe of the place was not one that usually goes along with friendly brewpubs - more of a pretentious nightclub feel to the place. Recommend giving this one a miss and trying out the Triple Rock or Bear's Lair while in Berkeley. They were great, so I know it's not the town. Relative beauty of the waitstaff usually doesn't figure into my ratings.

• Pros: Two of three beers were good
• Cons: No service, unfriendly

03/15/07

Simply the BEST brewpub in the East Bay!

by scoobydu1969

Jupiter never ceases to amaze me. From the eclectic crowd, the groovin' bands, the delicious pizza, seasonal beer, and of course BEAUTIFUL waitstaff, I always am glad I popped by for a beer. Thursday nights DJ's are a great atmosphere enhancer, and allows for easy "talk-over" background music. I am looking forward to the Sunday Bluegrass Series "Americana Unplugged" which brings out my river-rafting friends and their new baby, complimented by a totally different Berkeley crowd, but still appropriate to the scene. I am looking forward to three extra weeks of daylight savings for outdoor patio drinking in March!

• Pros: Live Music, Beer Selection, Cute Servers, Atmosphere
• Cons: Too popular?

08/23/06

Have a couple of beers while you're waiting for your food, that's why they call it a BAR

by acksf78

I agree with the taco review. But the pizza is great, and anybody who knows anything does NOT go for food on a Friday night. And a well traveled guy I met there (people love to talk about beer at the bar, both patrons, bartenders and the owner, who is almost alwasy there) who told me about the crabcakes told me about Shaws crabcakes in Chicago, and says he has had crabcakes all over the country and loves the Jupiter crabcakes. And the beer selection is ridiculous. They always have at least one Moonlight brew on tap, which might be some of the best in CA, or the world.) Just last Friday, while I was there drinking they had a Steelhead double IPA (it was listed as a Mad River double IPA on the board, but the owner assured me it was a Steelhead double) that has not been released in bottles yet. I have to say that these harsh critics were probably sitting outside, which is even harder to navigate when you are an overworked college-age waitress. And who leaves without a receipt? Go to a RESTAURANT if you want high-class service. BIG FAN.

08/13/06

Worst food in Berkeley

by kebarrow

People kept telling me to check this place, so I did last Friday and it was the worst dining/bar experience I have ever had. First came the chicken tacos. The meat was pink and undercooked. There were also chicken bones in the tacos. It was disgusting. Next, we waited an hour-and-a-half for the pizza (the tacos were supposed to come with the pizza). We had asked for no garlic on the pizza, but there was garlic on it anyway. Lots of garlic. Finally, when we left, we realized that the waitress had scammed us for a $16 tip. She didn't bring change - or a receipt. We all left hungry and in terrible moods after dropping way too much money on terrible food. The next morning we felt terrible (probably due to the undercooked chicken). Jupiter is OVERRATED.

• Pros: Nice patio
• Cons: Awful food, poor service, long wait

03/18/06

Jupiter's dirty little secret

by vladimir25

I am a local. On the last three occasions I have been to Jupiter's, it has taken over 90 minutes to receive a salad and a pizza. Last night it was over TWO HOURS! No exaggeration. I understand their dilemma: their kitchen is limited in size. However, two things: First: if the hostess says "45 minute wait for food" and I agree, fine...if it's 45 minutes. NOT fine if it's 120. Second: Regardless of how valid the reason, it is simply unacceptable to wait this long for any type of food in any restaurant in the world, much less a pizza and a salad. Do not go here unless you plan on going to bed immediately afterwards. It will ruin your night. The food is good and the beer is good, but the wait staff are inattentive and condescending...throughout. Strongly caution against going here unless you like getting frustrated.

• Pros: Outdoor area, Beer
• Cons: Wait is comical, Poor service, Rude staff

11/09/05

Beer and Food on Planet Berkeley

by Bang34

Located almost across the street from the downtown BART Subway station in Berkeley. I actually know one of the managers and he describes their decor as, "a Cathedral for Beer." The description is accurate. Pressed tin on the ceiling and walls, big wooden tables and a nice coppertop bar. Ample seating on the ground floor and a large up-stairs area. It is all pretty rustic, with big slab tables and woodwork everywhere.

There is a beer garden out back with live jazz a couple times a week and heaters to keep it comfortable.

The beer is very good, close to ten house brews. Everything from a Hefe to a stout. My favorite is the porter, robust with hints of Coffee and Chocolate.

Beyond the house brews, they also have a rotation of guest brews that are pretty much a who's who of the micros in the Bay Area.

• Pros: Good Beer, Beer garden, Easy BART
• Cons: No Parking

07/25/05

Berkeleyites and home brews make for a mellow sports-friendly scene at this downtown pub.

by Contributor

The Scene
If churches do it for you, Jupiter should be on your list. The walls of the two-story restaurant-bar-jazz club are covered with beautiful tin siding taken from an old Berkeley church, as are the hanging light fixtures and pews that line the space.

The Draw
Unusual decor aside, the kitchen serves the standard Berkeley brewpub fare. There are 34 brews on tap at a time, as well as gourmet sandwiches and pizzas. There's a marinated fresh mozzarella sandwich, a garlic-roasted chicken sandwich and an albacore tuna sandwich, all served on focaccia bread. Pizzas are topped with baked ham, artichoke hearts, zucchini, Danish fontina and capers, among much else. The club attracts a slightly more upscale crowd than many of its competitors, in part because of its free jazz shows Thursday through Saturday. It also has an outdoor patio where bands play in warm weather.