Mare Island Brewing Co. - First Street

Shawn Gavne

I've been a #yardbird since day one at the Ferry Taproom. All 3 locations are fantastic. The last time we visited the 1st Street location, we had our Golden Retriever Bingo with us. Bingo passed in August of this year. Today, we hiked Benicia State Park. It was a glorious morning. After our hike, we stopped at the 1st Street Taproom for some lunch. We watched all the "trick or treaters" as we had a beer, a mimosa, and some sliders. The bartender was phenomenal. I don't think he ever stopped smiling. Such a welcoming ambiance. Costumes were fantastic (see photo). Chef David and staff nailed it. Sliders were spot on, and the bread pudding we took home with us... So good!

Randy Churchill

Stopped by last Saturday and it was a great surprise!!! The beer selection was wonderful and the pretzel was delicious!!! We sat at the bar and the service was great!!! I love the weather in Benicia and is was perfect this afternoon as well. 5 Stars!!!

Tyler Fischbeck

My description at this out of towner must visit: Simply Delicious! The BEER is the attraction! My favorite was the HYDRAULIC SANDWICH IPA. Along with that I grabbed some COD Fish Tacos=16 BUCKs But worth their weight in COD; great amount of protein. Mango Habanaro; light spice. A mild spice eater wouldn’t have a problem. A great spot to wet your lips with friendly staff and responsible/generous ownership.

bigshooter 330

Great place to stop by and have a meal. Excellent beer and excellent food. The service was all so five stars!

A S

excellent beer. excellent snacks. The waiter is not pushy and always on time. Delicious, cozy and simple. Highly recommended.

Ken Martinez

Terrific little brewery. Good porter , better brown ale. Cheese board excellent as well as the service. Will be back next time I am working in the area, if not sooner.

Best burger in Benicia!!! The bacon jam on this burger sold me. Seriously! Great service. Great atomoshere. Tasty beer! I am a burger freak! I've had burgers in a plethora of different states. This one is in my top 10.

We love all the locations, but the Benicia taphouse is like coming home. The beers and food are fabulous. The team is friendly, knowledgeable, talented, and great at making everyone feel welcome. We are happily becoming regulars.

I had a great time visiting Mare Island yesterday! This brewery has everything so polished and spot-on. The pretzel, beet salad, and fish tacos were extremely fresh and delicious. All of the beers I sampled were amazing.

Food and beer are excellent. I had the pale ale and saison along with some very flavorful fish tacos (salsa and tortillas are house made), along with the crab dip. On a Saturday night at dinnetime this spot was full but the staff were calm, courteous, and friendly. And for those who care, they had some UFC fights and college basketball on (but not a rowdy sports bar vibe). Would definitely recommend!

First time here. The food was super fresh and delicious.😋 The best fish tacos. 🔥

Mare Island Brewery had a great selection of brews along with great food and friendly, wonderful staff. The food is not simple pub grub, it's a variety of delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts. The corn and jalapeno macaroni and cheese was my wife's favorite and I loved the patty melt . And don't forget to try some of the best beer-a-misu out there.

Had my wedding rehearsal lunch at Benicia location on 10/30/22. Kate answered my emails and helped with all the planning. This location went above and beyond by allowing me to reserve their bottom floor for my private party instead of the second floor due to a few disabled guests I have. Not only did the staff make every guest feel welcomed, but they worked with seating the public upstairs to not disturb our event on ground level. I choose the BBQ package and it was EVERYTHING. Everyone was impressed and loved the food. Personally I was a little weary of Mare Island only offering wine/beer because my guests are usually mixed drink drinkers, but it all worked out. The men loved the beer on tap and football, and all my ladies enjoyed their "Vampire Mimosa" they had for Halloween Weekend. The food, the beverages, and staff were amazing and gave all my guests a taste of Benicia and amazing hospitality.

Donna Turner

We love all the locations, but the Benicia taphouse is like coming home. The beers and food are fabulous. The team is friendly, knowledgeable, talented, and great at making everyone feel welcome. We are happily becoming regulars.

Misty Hale

Best burger in Benicia!!! The bacon jam on this burger sold me. Seriously! Great service. Great atomoshere. Tasty beer! I am a burger freak! I've had burgers in a plethora of different states. This one is in my top 10.

Alyssa

First time here. The food was super fresh and delicious.😋 The best fish tacos. 🔥

Niki Blackmore

I had a great time visiting Mare Island yesterday! This brewery has everything so polished and spot-on. The pretzel, beet salad, and fish tacos were extremely fresh and delicious. All of the beers I sampled were amazing.

Christine Freed

Food and beer are excellent. I had the pale ale and saison along with some very flavorful fish tacos (salsa and tortillas are house made), along with the crab dip. On a Saturday night at dinnetime this spot was full but the staff were calm, courteous, and friendly. And for those who care, they had some UFC fights and college basketball on (but not a rowdy sports bar vibe). Would definitely recommend!

Steve Hable

Mare Island Brewery had a great selection of brews along with great food and friendly, wonderful staff. The food is not simple pub grub, it's a variety of delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts. The corn and jalapeno macaroni and cheese was my wife's favorite and I loved the patty melt . And don't forget to try some of the best beer-a-misu out there.

Teresa Ortiz

Had my wedding rehearsal lunch at Benicia location on 10/30/22. Kate answered my emails and helped with all the planning. This location went above and beyond by allowing me to reserve their bottom floor for my private party instead of the second floor due to a few disabled guests I have. Not only did the staff make every guest feel welcomed, but they worked with seating the public upstairs to not disturb our event on ground level. I choose the BBQ package and it was EVERYTHING. Everyone was impressed and loved the food. Personally I was a little weary of Mare Island only offering wine/beer because my guests are usually mixed drink drinkers, but it all worked out. The men loved the beer on tap and football, and all my ladies enjoyed their "Vampire Mimosa" they had for Halloween Weekend. The food, the beverages, and staff were amazing and gave all my guests a taste of Benicia and amazing hospitality.

Craft beers are great and the food is delicious but a little expensive considering a sandwich without fries or any other side can be $16 or $17. I did enjoy the Blast sandwich with a pale ale.

Mike Mynatt

Craft beers are great and the food is delicious but a little expensive considering a sandwich without fries or any other side can be $16 or $17. I did enjoy the Blast sandwich with a pale ale.

Enjoyable vibes due to service, the potatoes were ok but the sauce was delicious.

My burger was delicious, we all enjoyed our beverages, servers were on top of things. Would definitely go back.

Laura Nishite

Enjoyable vibes due to service, the potatoes were ok but the sauce was delicious.

Courtney Johnson

My burger was delicious, we all enjoyed our beverages, servers were on top of things. Would definitely go back.

For starters I still don't understand why you can't enjoy a Nuclear Sandwich in house. It's one of my favorite brews and I can easily find some to take home at many local stores so I can't imagine buying some to go from here. For this reason you lose a star. We had a great server. I don't recall her name but she said she was new. The ambiance is standard for this type of establishment. I've only been here a couple of times but have frequented the one at the Vallejo Ferry building dozens of times. This weekend I had the pulled pork sandwich and the butter lettuce salad (sans mint) and they were both exceptional. Friend of mine ordered the burger sliders but they wouldn't serve them medium rare. He asked for the beet salad and they were out. Then he wanted the grilled cheese but they said you had to be 12 and under to order off the kids menu. I believe that is not legal but I might be wrong. He eventually ordered the potato wedges but they were dry. Nutshell: Food was hit and miss. No Nuclear Sandwich. Ambiance was decent. Service was great. I'll probably come back just because I'm local but would never go out of my way to visit.

Dante Montgomery

For starters I still don't understand why you can't enjoy a Nuclear Sandwich in house. It's one of my favorite brews and I can easily find some to take home at many local stores so I can't imagine buying some to go from here. For this reason you lose a star. We had a great server. I don't recall her name but she said she was new. The ambiance is standard for this type of establishment. I've only been here a couple of times but have frequented the one at the Vallejo Ferry building dozens of times. This weekend I had the pulled pork sandwich and the butter lettuce salad (sans mint) and they were both exceptional. Friend of mine ordered the burger sliders but they wouldn't serve them medium rare. He asked for the beet salad and they were out. Then he wanted the grilled cheese but they said you had to be 12 and under to order off the kids menu. I believe that is not legal but I might be wrong. He eventually ordered the potato wedges but they were dry. Nutshell: Food was hit and miss. No Nuclear Sandwich. Ambiance was decent. Service was great. I'll probably come back just because I'm local but would never go out of my way to visit.

Sorry. Had the worst hamburger I’ve had in years at the Mare Island Brewery First Street Taphouse today. Taphouse seriously needs to drop the very sweet “Fig Jam” topping for their house hamburger (and other sandwiches, as attested to by my lunch companion.). Sweetness completely overtook any taste of the meat and/or garnishments. Yuck. This is an example of a “trendy restaurant” trying too hard at something different for what should be a classic offering, and ending up ruining the product. I left with literally a bad taste in my mouth. My companion (who is a long-time Benicia resident) and I (from Sacramento) will not return. Too many other options to get top quality, tasty beef presented in a classic “hamburger” manner.

Clear Laker

Sorry. Had the worst hamburger I’ve had in years at the Mare Island Brewery First Street Taphouse today. Taphouse seriously needs to drop the very sweet “Fig Jam” topping for their house hamburger (and other sandwiches, as attested to by my lunch companion.). Sweetness completely overtook any taste of the meat and/or garnishments. Yuck. This is an example of a “trendy restaurant” trying too hard at something different for what should be a classic offering, and ending up ruining the product. I left with literally a bad taste in my mouth. My companion (who is a long-time Benicia resident) and I (from Sacramento) will not return. Too many other options to get top quality, tasty beef presented in a classic “hamburger” manner.