Mason Bar

Love coming here either for girls night or date night with my husband. I prefer this bar over all others in the village. Great whisky and fun atmosphere.

Every time I come to Mason Bar, I am completely satisfied. I love this place. From the lobster corndogs to the amazing beers, wines and cocktails to the lovely ambience. Definitely one of my favs! They are expanding to the rest of the building and I cannot wait till there is even more room to enjoy! I highly recommend Mason Bar for your next visit to AG!

Where do I begin! Everything was fantastic! The drinks, the service, the food, the dessert, the ambiance! Thank you for making my time away from LA wonderful! My BF and I started with the Strawberry Lemon Drop and a beer! We ordered the Lobster Corndogs!!! Omg sooooooo good!!! The Cheese plate, Brussels sprouts, and to finish up the bread pudding! I recommend them all!!!

Stopped by late last night for dinner and drinks. We tried:
Cheese board with honeycomb
Lobster corn dogs
Brussels sprouts
Carnitas tacos
Everything was excellent. The tacos could use a little salt but the tortillas were delicious. The Brussels sprouts had avocado on top which was unnecessary but they were still very good.

Compliments to the chefs! That was such a good meal. We started off with two beers… Decent beer selection. We opted to share the smoked Carnita Tacos and Brussels Sprouts. The waiter asked us if we wanted pork belly in the Brussel Sprouts. My eyes lit with surprise… Hell yeah. I love pork belly. The Brussel Sprouts were so good! Feta cheese, peppers, charred Brussel sprouts, pork belly and aouli sauce was A+. The taco serving were 2 tacos filled with cabbage and tons of shredded carnitas. So good! The service was great and let’s not forget the trendy hipster décor. They played great music too. Must see spot. Looks like it would be a cool hang out for drinks with your friends.

Cute setting but the service is usually on the slower side. Some food options are good but mostly just okay. Cocktails are usually a little too strong for my taste preference.

This is my FAVORITE after work spot. I love the people, I love the vibe, I love the drinks. We make any excuse to come in here!

Mason Bar for Mother Day dinner!
The bar is open (I do mean open to the street). The atmosphere was a bit too casual for our taste. Our server was friendly and as attentive as needed. The food (Brussels Sprouts, Lobster Corn Dogs, Mussels and Clams and the Smoked Carnitas Tacos, all shared between the both of us) was really the highlight here. Not stunning, but very, very good. The cost for all of the above… approximately $ 30.00 per person.
Ultimately for a return visit, the establishment must offer 3 things that fall within certain parameters… in the areas of Food, Atmosphere and Value. The area of Food and Value were met. The area of Atmosphere was an issue (too casual for our taste). If you are okay with that, I can recommend this establishment… and therefore, have rated it at 4 stars.

We walked past this place during the day and decided we would have to try it later. Mistake…
As we walked in on a weeknight, it reminded me on a scene from the movie, «Wallstreet.» A bunch of pretentious hipsters trying to impress everyone with their superior class and culture. Many of the conversations were about the etiquettes of life and value of politics. I really wanted to gag being around all these pretty boy/​girl, Bernie voting, hipsters. Im surprised they even allowed an lowly, American Veteran to be in their grand presence. My brother, his wife and my wife sat in the middle of the place at a circular table. The table was so off balanced we took 5 minutes trying to get it to stop wobbling.
The girls ordered a fufu drink while my brother asked for a whiskey… nope, didn’t have any, so he went for a light beer. I ordered a craft beer as we looked at the menu.
Drinks arrived and everything looked fine except they brought mine in a glass made for a child. maybe 8 oz at best? Almost like I was tasting a wine selection or something. I told the waitress I wished for a large beer, she said due to the alcohol content, they only serve the craft beers in an 8 oz glass. I asked if they served child portions in craft beer, why do they still charge adult prices? The cost of beer isn’t severe enough to charge basically double of a domestic… No answer.
We orded finger foods and of course, the girls had to try the lobster corndogs. The food arrived and was served as pretentious as the place itself. the food was «alright» but definitely nothing to rave about. Those who think the lobster corndogs were something to dream about in days to come need to get out of the house more.
When asked if I wanted another beer, I opted out and got water.
As you can tell, I didn’t care for this place at all… A bunch of mucky mucks and overpriced everything. 4 drinks (one of them child sized), 2 appetizers was $ 100. My family lives nearby and we visit a lot, but we will be scratching this place off our drinking hole lists. Not very good at raising a pinky when I drink.

I have been waiting to come to Mason Bar for several weeks. When my boyfriend and I planned our road trip, we used Mason Bar as our destination point. We had no idea what we were getting into when it came to the location, but we came across the restaurant in a google search and fell in love with their menu.
Firstly, let me say that the town this restaurant is located in is amazing. Everyone is ridiculously friendly and welcoming. I had absolutely no issues in this town and was happy to say that I was surrounded by great people. It was like stepping into a whole new world compared to the area we live in, roughly six hours away.
The food at Mason Bar is unique. They serve a lot of the food that any other Gastropub would serve, but they make the food their own. They serve a lot of the food differently than other gastropub restaurants would. Each item they served us was unique in it’s own right and was unlike anything I’ve tried in other locations.
I really enjoyed the way they serve their chicken pot pie. It was creative and new. They serve the pot pie in a hollowed out potato with the crust on side. Great!
My only complaint is salt. Surprisingly, majority of the items were lacking in salt. I was super surprised because usually I have the opposite problem, but either way, I ate everything that was served to me and enjoyed it.
We will be back. I look forward to making the drive here again in the future. Thank you for such an awesome experience!

Great atmosphere and décor. The help is marginal. Not the most friendly, they seem to proud to help you. Food is ok but value is not there. Meals are over priced for what you get. The drinks are also way too high. You can’t stick it to the customer on both. We’ll see what happens when the open the spot next door. Hopefully they don’t blow it.

My niece & I stopped in during our vacation for lunch and decided to try their appetizers. Amazing! The food was so fresh and delicious! Will definitely be back the next time we vacation. Try the lobster corn dogs! Life changing :) The bartender was friendly and helpful. Wonderful experience.

Abridged Summary:
Highs: Lava Cake (without the odd presentation).
The tiny tasty meat.
Lows:
«Unhip & awkwardly, oddly pretentious»
«Burnt or Coach-​class portions»
«Overpriced to the point of feeling taken»
«Uncomfortable to the point of pain, the „Iron Maiden Chair“ was torture…»
Exposition:
The Mason Bar, like several other new «in» places in the area,
seem to be immensely popular with the «hip» crowd.
…but older seasoned Gourmands, who may not imbibe, may not
care for the «post-​industrial look», & may crave substantial
filling gourmet level «Gastropub» food… at non-​fad prices…
are likely to be disappointed.
I am not sure where these new Hip places get their
chairs, but both here & elsewhere, they are among the most
uncomfy stool-​chairs that I have sat upon. It seemed impossible to
even rest your legs on these, so my feet were dangling for hours.
This may be fine if you go to Zumba regularly (a butt of
steel), have the warm glow of alcohol going on, & do NOT have
Arthritis, Neuropathy…
Based on my leg pain, while I sat here waiting for the
arrival of tiny hipster food, I would venture to think that they are
not handicapped friendly & possibly not ADA compliant.
I always see this place when I park across the street at the City Hall
to go to AG’s Farmer’s Market… or when I went to the excellent,
non-​hipster, restaurant next door, for a huge yummy burger.
likely since it was non-​hip,
it is sadly defunct.
Anyway, based on the reviews, one Saturday post-​FM, I decided to
check it out. I waited at the entrance,
nobody greeted me,
so
I grabbed a menu
& sat by the window.
I was totally focused
on getting what sounded like a even better burger than the defunct
one next door.
After awhile, an overworked, but friendly waiter came over. He
let me know that they were
all out of meat for the burger
&
made a recommendation for something else (I think Tacos?).
I wasn’t interested & asked when they would have them.
He was kind enough to tell me that
in an hour, I would surely be in
for a treat.
It is really easy to spend 1 hr in AG Village… especially
in the Antique stores.
After about 2 hrs. I came back & that waiter was off, & they replaced
him with a waitress…
and it was much busier with about 25,
noisy hip twenty somethings.
The service was kind of slow, disjointed, & it seemed like somehow,
they just did not really get that I wanted a more traditional Burger than
what they had on the menu…
like a Bacon Cheeseburger with fries.
Apparently, they are not too flexible.
I asked for standard fries, I get
an answer that the oily shredded «birds nest» looking potato thing
was their version of fries?
I asked to have Bacon on it, & it came as a side & while tasty, it was
like Pork Belly?
It just seemed that so much was odd, kind of off, & awkward.
The portions of some things was beyond ridiculously small… like the tiny slices
of bread with way too much butter. So not worth it.
The Burger platter was rather bizarre & «deconstructed».
Most elements
were tiny.
The pickle was almost Microscopic. It was smaller than my pinkee & was cut in half.
It appears that they want you to pay lots for bread/​butter & also a jar of their housemade
pickled veges. (which I can make at home for far less).
While the meat of the Burger was excellent, it was way too small & more akin to a huge
slider. The platter had Micro greens… and the fried «potato hairball» was too oily.
Apparently, it was supposed to be on top of the Burger.
Since I only had water with lemon, maybe if I had a glass or two of wine, it may have been
more «hip» or maybe I would have been?
The high point was their version of Lava Cake, but they also somehow weirded me out with
the pretentious unwieldy presentation. The tiny fruit was somehow cut in half & it was so
small that you could not pick it up with a fork. Everything was in small dishes that slide on top of the bigger dish. I was busier chasing the ice-​cream, the super-​hot Lava Cake, & the tiny fruit so much, that eating/​enjoying it, was secondary?
It was truly bizarre in so many ways.
It kind felt like I was
either in a Twilight Zone episode, or
an Outer Limits rerun,
where Alien Kids read a
«How to Serve Man» manual
& this was their
first attempt at it.
Again, I did not care for the décor,
the uncomfy chair,
the way overpriced food,
& odd bizarre
awkwardness.
I have been too & have eaten in all kinds of places over 4 decades, and this place
can be summed up (san’s alcohol) as:
«Unhip, awkward, & oddly pretentious»
«Overpriced, Coach-​sized food @ 1^st class prices»
«Sometimes Burnt or greasy»
«Chair= Uncomfortable to the point of pain»
~
Hopefully, they can somehow get over the urge to be
«HIP»
& serve decent portions
of Bar Food
at decent prices.
~
You really have to eat elsewhere to fill up your tummy after these tiny snacks…

Stopped in to have a bite to eat and a drink and was pretty much ignored while sitting at the bar. Finally got some service had the Brussel sprouts, they are great. Sure it was busy which you have to take into account but at
Least acknowledge the patron while going past them. Hopefully when they increase their size as it will be expanding it can expand service as well

My dinner partner and I really enjoyed last night at the Mason Bar. Here’s how I break it down:
Ambiance: 5 – warm, inviting, hip and a little tongue-​in-​cheek with mason jar theme
Food: 4 – mostly thumbs up (more details below)
Value: 3 – 4 It’s a little pricey based on some portion sizes, but not outrageous.
Service: 5 – Amy who worked our table was friendly and knowledgable without being ever-​present
More about the specific dishes we had: we ordered the Brussels sprouts for starters. Unusual, but delicious. The chopped Brussels sprouts seemed fried and then mixed with hot red peppers and cheese served in a big mound with sliced avocado on top. If you are used to a low calorie presentation of halved grilled sprouts maybe sprinkled with bacon and balsamic – this dish of Brussels sprouts is nothing like that. Think of it as sprout hash. Portion size was generous.
I ordered the salad with (poached?) pear and added chicken. The tasty greens and light dressing were the perfect base to the salad – and the sliced chicken was sublime. Flavorful, juicy, perfect. The infused pear seemed too heavy in cinnamon or whatever flavor was added. And I didn’t catch that there were pomegranate arils in it when I ordered. Although I love the tartness, the seeds are aggravating to me.
My dinner partner ordered the chicken pot pie. This is NOT your grandmother’s flaky pot pie with chunks of chicken and veggies in a rich thick sauce covered in warm light pastry. No, not that. This «pot pie» came without the pot and with a small triangle of pastry to the side. It was all in a scooped out potato and rather soupy vs thick. I was glad I had not ordered it. My partner didn’t complain of taste, but he was disappointed in portion size. After he had eaten the veggies out of the potato, he didn’t really have an easy way to eat the runny soup. He dipped his fork in but it ran right through the tines of course. This dish was the worst of the 3 and I’m sure he probably had to eat something else when he got home.
Overall, our experience was pleasant. Our server Amy was a perfect blend of friendly and relaxed fun mixed with get ‘er done. I am happy to return and give other things a try. Just not that pot pie.

The drinks at Mason Bar are the best reason to go there. They have all kinds of interesting cocktails and a large selection of wine and beer. Their menu is limited and has odd food, not a lot of selection. It rotates though, so if you go in every once in a while the menu might be different. Mason Bar is a little pricey, but fun for when you want to go out for some good cocktails.
They are expanding into the restaurant next door (previously Robert’s), which we were told will be Mason Bar’s restaurant side while the existing part will be the bar. The bartender told us that the menu would expand a lot because they’ll have a larger kitchen.

We love Mason Bar! Service is always great. Yummy specialty cocktails and several great beers on tap. The place is darling inside with mason jar lighting and old barn wood. Casual and chic. Food is great, we have had several things on the menu. Our favorites include, the Lobster corn dogs, Brussels sprouts (sooooo good!!!) the housemade chips and dip, and the Grown Up Grilled Cheese with Pork Belly.

Mark was our server, good was fantastic, drinks were glowing, conversation was plenty. Mark waited on us superbly

We started off with the sausage plate. It had a hot link and a sausage strudel with cheese, mustard and homemade sauerkraut. A classic combination of flavors that was a home-​run with their Oak Aged Bourbon Manhattan. I just had to have the Duck Confit Quesadilla next and I also sampled the Pork Belly Grilled Cheese. The duck was not gamey at all. Tasted wonderful with their orange marmalade and sour cream. I would have liked it a little more if it had a kick to it. Overall this place is a cute little gastropub with great food and service. It will not disappoint.

Fun atmosphere (‘cept like most popular bars, the acoustics make it really loud and often hard to hear). Good selection of beers and some tapas (small plates) to get you through the suds!
Right downtown, adjacent to Robert’s restaurant.