Hops and Sessions

Pravinchandra Bhawsar

The most convenient way to drink varieties of beers paired with one of the tastiest food menus I found in Livermore. The vibe is exuberant & happy. The service is very cordial & prompt. A must visit spot to mingle with family & friends over a beer & sumptuous food.

Justin

Reliable self-pour joint with consistently good food. Slightly loud and a bit crammed, but it fits for what they have going here. You might have to share a table if you're at the high tops on a busy night. Beer selection is good, plus 3 or 4 seltzers rotating regularly. I normally order double meat, comes out a little shy but don't mind paying extra. Great sandwiches and apps, and the tots are probably the best in the area. So addicting.

Maya Lange

Every time I drive past this restaurant, it's busy and full of people. There are a lot of different kinds of beer, so it is great for alcoholics? There is this whole wall with beer choices to serve yourself. I got the Hops Burger, but sadly, I forgot to take a picture of it🥲 I liked how burgers came on a pretzel bun. We also tried the fried ice cream, and I liked the breading on the ice cream. It also came with churros, and I liked how they were crispy. For the service, you order on the kiosk instead of waiters serving you, so the service is average, but at least the workers were nice and friendly. And the atmosphere was chill and cozy as well. Plus, there are board games. Overall, it is an awesome place for food and hanging out with friends.

Samantha

I feel like this review needs to happen so that people understand what they are getting into, because we didn't. It was still very nice the person behind the counter was great the person who brought us our food was great but just know this is not a location where your table will be waited on. You go up to the counter let them know what you want and pick up your table number and you can order additional drinks at the bar, they have a full Tap bar for you to get whatever you want, and it was great! But just know what you're getting into when you want more food you have to get in line again.

Jim Schinkel

Great beer great food! Cool beer place with indoor and outdoor seating. Most recent visit I had a Mexican Amber ale that was great. I also had the Hops Burger which was tasty and filling. It was also one of the juiciest burgers I think I've ever had! Needed a lot of napkins but we'll worth the mess. Fries were awesome as well. They were also nice enough to make a burger patty for my dog and he definitely loved it (though admittedly not the most discerning of palates). Service matched the food. You should definitely give this place a try, good food service and nice spot to hang out.

Laura Bentley

Wow!! We are in town from Orange Beach Alabama and we visited with family! I cannot say enough good words!! The food,beverages and atmosphere were all amazing! The chopped salad with steak was out of this world delicious!! Cant wait to visit again!

Tim Cronkhite

Downtown Livermore is super cute! We went here after family said this place is really good. Its pretty cool idea. You check in and they give you a wristband and when you go to the wall of beer you scan your wrist and start pouring your favorite beer. It keeps track of how much you pour. The staff was super nice and very helpful for first timers. The food was super good and great selection. The only negative I have is the no signage on the building. Who knows maybe they want to do it only by word of mouth and in that case if you love great food and beer this is your place.

Peter Malmquist

This is the best spot in Livermore. All the staff is friendly. Lots of beer selections and a full bar. Best happy hour in Livermore. Everything on the regular menu is amazing. All the chicken sandwiches are delicious. They have the best fries I have had anywhere.

Dan Balos

I believe this just opened recently so we gave it a try and it was great! Our server was so nice and attentive! The restaurant is very clean and has a long beach with tables for big parties along the wall and separate tables for sitting. We had the Wedge Salad and the carna asada fries. Which you have a choice to change to tater tots, which we did. The carna asada has a good citrus taste to it. Beer was great! Good sour beer selection.

Matthew Collar

Really strong craft beer selection ranging from classic IPAs to sours and nitros, plus a strong rotation of ciders. Really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere- lots of TVs to enjoy baseball. Huge food menu which strays from your boring "bar" scene. Spicy fried chicken sandwich, tons of fry combinations ( going back for the carne asada and Buffalo chicken), delicious filling appetizers- try the zucchini fries! And a wide range of burgers and salads.

Maria A

Great food!!! Im a chicken sandwich connoisseur, and there spicy chicken sandwich is the best so far. Hits the spot everytime. Great atmosphere and hospitality is amazing.

It seems like everyone is now offering fried chicken sandwiches and I've been to many places already trying to find all the best one, and for me this is the place. They have a few types but I always order the spicy one and it's always very juicy on the inside and very crispy on the outside. It doesn't hurt that they have around 30 self serve beer/cider taps and a full bar. Because the beer taps are self-serve, You can get as much as you want or as little as you want. It is a casual atmosphere where you go in. Show your ID and credit card to get an open tap going and then go up an order food when you're ready. Food is great! The staff is great.

Jose Estrada

It seems like everyone is now offering fried chicken sandwiches and I've been to many places already trying to find all the best one, and for me this is the place. They have a few types but I always order the spicy one and it's always very juicy on the inside and very crispy on the outside. It doesn't hurt that they have around 30 self serve beer/cider taps and a full bar. Because the beer taps are self-serve, You can get as much as you want or as little as you want. It is a casual atmosphere where you go in. Show your ID and credit card to get an open tap going and then go up an order food when you're ready. Food is great! The staff is great.

We were in town for work and decided to stop here for dinner. I absolutely loved the patio space—it looked like the perfect spot to relax. The hostess was super friendly and explained how everything worked. Since it was a little too warm outside, we grabbed a seat indoors, and I really enjoyed the natural light and overall atmosphere. The food was delicious, and the self-pour beer wall was a great touch with plenty of variety. The only downside—and this isn’t unique to this brewery—is the growing trend of parents bringing young children (even babies) to breweries and wineries. It’s one thing when kids are quiet and well-behaved, but when they’re screaming, tossing toys, or having meltdowns, it can really impact the experience for everyone else. These places have traditionally been adult spaces, and I think they feel more enjoyable that way. My advice to parents: treat yourselves to a night out and leave the kids with a sitter—you’ll probably enjoy it more, too. My advice to brewery owners: if families are going to be welcome, consider designating a family-friendly section, similar to how smoking sections once worked. That way, everyone can enjoy the atmosphere in their own way.

I really enjoy going here to try new beers and to participate in the weekly trivia. However, the food is average, it looks good but it's kind of boring. The atmosphere is great, and the servers are so friendly and helpful. The beer selection always has several new additions to try each week and there's a lot of variety, so everyone can get something they like. The weekly trivia is great but it does get really loud. Also you should arrive an hour before if you want a table, any day of the week, but especially on trivia nights. I highly recommend this place for its beer and trivia nights. The food is always average and it tastes fine. It's nothing special but it can be fun to share a gigantic pretzel or get some loaded tots during happy hour.

Fun place for a fast bite or to hang out with a few beers with some friends. We had a BLT and a salad. Both were very good. So even if you don't drink, it's a good place for a casual bite to eat. We will be back.

Very cool concept! Self pour beer using the wristband they give you. They have tons of beer here so you’re bound to find something you like! My favorite was the spire cider, it went perfect with the chicken wings I got. It’s a bit pricey though, a full glass of beer would probably cost around $7-$8 since it’s about 50 cent / oz. plenty of seating here but wish the music was not as loud since I can barely hear my friends!

5/2023-2nd visit the beers and burger were great but the steak salad was really bad. It was overcooked, dry and bland. No seasoning at all. Service was great. 8/2022-Really great self serve taps with a huge selection of craft brews including ciders. The hops burger was great and the truffle fries were tasty too although a bit greasy probably from the truffle oil. A big selection of board games are available to anyone to enjoy.

Perfect for a casual after-work gathering, you can arrive, get some very good food quickly, sample some beers, and head out without having to worry about separate checks due to the innovative RFID wristband system. If you're coming for a full meal, though, you'll have to pace the courses yourself unless you want everything at once. And the beer, all rotating self-serve craft selections, is $8 a pint for Dechutes Black Butte Porter, so ironically it's probably not the place for a session, but rather an eclectic sampling. They even had a St. Bernardus on tap, which is very unusual. You also are responsible for getting your own water (in plastic cups). Staff were quite friendly, though I don't quite understand the counter service vibe in a place that is aiming for higher quality food. There are some misses, like the otherwise excellent open-faced burrata and prosciutto sandwich that was drenched with honey instead of olive oil. I hope they will work out some of the kinks because there is a lot to like at this new and distinctive addition to Livermore's growing food scene. Incidentally, all their promotional materials say "Established 2017", which is weird since their certificate of occupancy is dated June 2018.

Mel G

We were in town for work and decided to stop here for dinner. I absolutely loved the patio space—it looked like the perfect spot to relax. The hostess was super friendly and explained how everything worked. Since it was a little too warm outside, we grabbed a seat indoors, and I really enjoyed the natural light and overall atmosphere. The food was delicious, and the self-pour beer wall was a great touch with plenty of variety. The only downside—and this isn’t unique to this brewery—is the growing trend of parents bringing young children (even babies) to breweries and wineries. It’s one thing when kids are quiet and well-behaved, but when they’re screaming, tossing toys, or having meltdowns, it can really impact the experience for everyone else. These places have traditionally been adult spaces, and I think they feel more enjoyable that way. My advice to parents: treat yourselves to a night out and leave the kids with a sitter—you’ll probably enjoy it more, too. My advice to brewery owners: if families are going to be welcome, consider designating a family-friendly section, similar to how smoking sections once worked. That way, everyone can enjoy the atmosphere in their own way.

Isabel Lambert

I really enjoy going here to try new beers and to participate in the weekly trivia. However, the food is average, it looks good but it's kind of boring. The atmosphere is great, and the servers are so friendly and helpful. The beer selection always has several new additions to try each week and there's a lot of variety, so everyone can get something they like. The weekly trivia is great but it does get really loud. Also you should arrive an hour before if you want a table, any day of the week, but especially on trivia nights. I highly recommend this place for its beer and trivia nights. The food is always average and it tastes fine. It's nothing special but it can be fun to share a gigantic pretzel or get some loaded tots during happy hour.

Andy Salmon

Fun place for a fast bite or to hang out with a few beers with some friends. We had a BLT and a salad. Both were very good. So even if you don't drink, it's a good place for a casual bite to eat. We will be back.

Ashli Chen

Very cool concept! Self pour beer using the wristband they give you. They have tons of beer here so you’re bound to find something you like! My favorite was the spire cider, it went perfect with the chicken wings I got. It’s a bit pricey though, a full glass of beer would probably cost around $7-$8 since it’s about 50 cent / oz. plenty of seating here but wish the music was not as loud since I can barely hear my friends!

Cali Native V

5/2023-2nd visit the beers and burger were great but the steak salad was really bad. It was overcooked, dry and bland. No seasoning at all. Service was great. 8/2022-Really great self serve taps with a huge selection of craft brews including ciders. The hops burger was great and the truffle fries were tasty too although a bit greasy probably from the truffle oil. A big selection of board games are available to anyone to enjoy.

Patrick H

The good: Spicy Chicken sando and burgers are really good. They have a great selection of beers on tap. The place is bumping inside and out on the streetside patio. The beer is self poured and you pay by the ounce, which could have been a good thing. And this is my only knock (and why only 4 stars): The per ounce prices were quite high. I had some from middle weight IPA's (6.4-6.8%) and they were around $0.65 per ounce. So that's $10.40 for a standard 16oz pour. I mean it's not ballpark numbers but add in the 10.25% tax and the tip on that and we are talking a $14 beer. And the tasters amounted to around $1.30 each (where at a typical bar you get them for free). It may sound contradicting...but do go to this place! They have great food, beer, and vibe...just know about the beer pricing as it sneaks up on you.

Beer selection was okay. I didn't particularly like the two states I had, but my husband liked his pilsner. It was pretty easy to operate the taps once a young girl showed me how to do it.

So, during the Covid pandemic it took 3 attempts to eat here. Twice they were closed during their posted hours. Now that we finally got to try it I can say the food was very tasty but the service was lacking and slow. The waitress was friendly though.. Also, the burgers are pretty small unfortunately. Great taste though. I had the mushroom burger. Wife has the Chicken sandwhich

Kathy Boyer

Beer selection was okay. I didn't particularly like the two states I had, but my husband liked his pilsner. It was pretty easy to operate the taps once a young girl showed me how to do it.

The best part is the selection of "pour your own" choices of beer. I found a couple of IPA beers (including hazy) that I enjoyed. The fries were good as well. The worst was the hamburger. A hamburger is simple, good meat & let it cook without smashing the flavor out of it. Their cook needs lessons. My burger meat was dry & cooked extra well-done. A "smash burger" refers to the shape of the patty; shaped by being hand "smashed" (irregular edges) then placed on the grill. A "cook" smashes all meat (steak, chicken, burgers) to make it fast without concern of flavor. Hops and sessions has a cook in their kitchen. Avoid the grilled food.

WT

The best part is the selection of "pour your own" choices of beer. I found a couple of IPA beers (including hazy) that I enjoyed. The fries were good as well. The worst was the hamburger. A hamburger is simple, good meat & let it cook without smashing the flavor out of it. Their cook needs lessons. My burger meat was dry & cooked extra well-done. A "smash burger" refers to the shape of the patty; shaped by being hand "smashed" (irregular edges) then placed on the grill. A "cook" smashes all meat (steak, chicken, burgers) to make it fast without concern of flavor. Hops and sessions has a cook in their kitchen. Avoid the grilled food.