New Old Lompoc

There is one major reason to go here– a huge, unpretentious patio in NW.
If you need to meet someone in NW for a beer– this is a good option. Their food is reliable, as is their beer.
There are much better places to eat in the area, but not much better for beer until you get to Burnside.
They haven’t changed ever, though the customers have a bit.

Not my favorite place, but an OK place overall and in a good location for pre-​funking a night in the NW 23^rd area. Their brews are typical microbrews, nothing amazing but nothing severely disappointing and generally tastier than McMs. Food and service is also mediocre.
Rumor has it that this place will be closing down in the spring ’12 to make room for more over priced condos.

Liked the beer. The food seemed decent. Oh, but the service.
My party of four sat down in one of the small booths. A surprising 5^th person came, and there was no room for her to sit. There were a booth and open table right next to us. Since I was told by the bartender, «feel free to sit wherever» when I walked in, it didn’t seem to be a big deal. Our group had one drink a piece so, it’s not like we messed them up expediting any food.
Holy crap. We moved to the next booth. When the waiter saw this from across the room he stood tall, folded his arms, shook his head, and looked really pissed. After scowling at us for 20 seconds, he marched over to get a rag and hastily wipe down the booth we left. I turned around and asked if there was a problem. He said «I just want to know why you had to move?» I responded that an extra person showed up and there was more room at the new table. «If you think it helps you» was the response. After storming away from our table, the waiter finds our server and points to our table. Our waitress then shakes her head and mouths «WTF.» Mind you, this all occurred after receiving rude treatment from the moment we stepped foot into Lompoc.
I feel like the reactions of the waiter and waitress could have been warranted if we had said, «hey pal, this place is a dump, your food is complete crap, and your beer sucks so bad it makes me want Rolling Rock» and then dumping the beer in the houseplants.
Side note, the bartender was pleasant. So, a big thank you to the bartender for not being an angry, bitter, resentful person.

Burger was alright, nothing to write home about, but decent. Special Sunday Bloody Mary was downright awful. I ordered one, and never got past the first sip. Switched to beer. We ordered some shots of Patron, which ended up being $ 10 a shot. Now I know Patron is premium booze, but come on now, $ 10! We felt raped when the bill came. Friendly enough staff, nice smoking lounge out back.

The dirty grill imparts a bitterness that is not to my liking, and the burger patty was cold and raw in the center. The bacon was tasty, but stone cold. The sliver of avocado was unripe. My meal was over-​priced and unpleasant.
I paid $ 9.50, and I’m still very hungry.
Hungry and angry.
Hangry.

All beers $ 2 on Tuesdays make this a definite happy hour destination. Great patio and friendly service. Our full review is on our podcast at:

«What’s vegan on your menu?»
«Well, I’m a meat-​eater, so…»
Good for you for being a meat-​eater. Get over whatever attitude problem you have and do your job. If you don’t want to serve people, working in the service industry was probably a poor choice on your part.
Before this incident, I only disliked this place because it can get so loud and the booths against the window have poorly secured backs so you are rocking back and forth with the person sitting behind you.
The staff is usually very friendly– but when people have some kind of problem with vegans, it makes me think that they should choose a different city in which to live.

Brusk service, grungy (as in needs a good scrubbing) interior and mediocre boring uninspired beer.
I don’t care how local and well loved this brewer is. I tasted at least 4 of their tap selections and had to settle on some watery pale wash that was mistakenly labeled «Saison.» It was the least offensive of the 4 but hardly drinkable.
Another dingy bar to add to my No GO list.

My husband used to come here all the time before we moved further away from Portland and when some friends came to town we decided to hit it up. We sat down and heard a worker say «Don’t serve that guy in the plaid» Talking about my husband. My husband had on a NY yankees hat and evidently if you plan to spend your hard earned cash here you can only be a red sox fan.
We brushed it off but the employee continued to bother us. Finally, my husband said «My dad gave me this hat». The employee said «Well give it back». WELL my husbands dad passed away last November. We told the guy this and all he said was «foot in mouth». It pretty much ruined our day. It’s not something you can just brush off because it gets you thinking of the bad stuff when all we wanted was a nice meal with friends.
We don’t even give a crap about any baseball teams. It’s just a hat.
Anyway, we NEVER plan to return. I’ve blasted it on Facebook and have asked people not to support this place.
Shame on you and I hope you learned your lesson that you never know what’s going on with someone else. Even if it’s just about a hat.

It’s a dark comfortable pub. There’s a good amount of seating but it can get busy. There is also seating out back.
The food is ok and the beer is good. There is always something on the tap list that I’m interested in.
I love getting together with friends here.

I wouldn’t come here for a meal, but it’s great for a cheap drink or if you want to catch a game.
Although I did order French Fries. But you can’t get that wrong, can you?
Dark, Pub-​like, lots of TV’s and booths. And SO WARM!

I ended up coming here after discovering the fabulous Proletariat Red — first in big olé’ bottle from Freddies. And then finding out I could get it draft so close? No question, I was coming here.
Unfortunately, we got there when it was a bit crowded. It’s a seat yourself kind of place so people were anxiously staring down anyone who flinched in a manner that indicated they may be leaving soon. After tiring of that, we sat at the bar to at least get a beverage while we continued our surreptitious hunt for a table. The bartender immediately took our drink orders. After a bit longer, we gave up and decided we were going to eat at the bar.
Best decision ever.
The bartender quickly noticed we’d been looking at a food menu and took our order once we were ready. That lady was on fire! Watching her pour drinks was dizzying, she was at no point still. And yet, pleasant and polite. I listened with amazement to her list off every single type drink a patron (and his now missing friends) had consumed when said patron questioned his bill. She even knew when they’d walked in the door. Whoa.
But my favorite part? Refusing to let some poor sap buy 3 pitchers of beer for a group of hipsters that were trying to trick him into doing so. She only sold him one, and tried to let him know they were just taking advantage of him (they didn’t even let him sit with them). I know, let people make their own bad choices but I loved that she wasn’t about just selling beer and making tips — she was looking out for her patrons too.
The food was pretty decent too — I had the mac & cheese with sausage and my boy had a sandwich (didn’t try) & clam chowder (freaking AMAZING).
Oh yeah, that Red from the tap? So good we took home 2 mason jars worth.

i used to love the New Old Lompoc back in the day when the beer tasted fresh, chilled and could produce a head and when the servers were friendly and didn’t act like they would rather be watching paint dry.
I went in there tonight for a beer with someone from out of town and the servers scowling face immediately reminded me of why it has been a year since I have been in. She must have graduated from the McMenamin’s School of Service. It would be one thing if I tipped poorly but I always tip this w (b)itch well.
And the beer is FLAT! I loved their C-​note for the hoppiness but I haven’t had one in the past couple of years that has any semblance of carbonation.
I will only return to the NOL if HFO!

I love Lompoc’s beers, and when New Old has more than one or two from the list available (why are they always out of cream stout and LSD when I am there??), I am a happy girl with a pitcher and some friends to help me drink. The nachos are excellent — perfectly layered, good for two to share, even better with chicken — and the fries are tasty, but that’s about the limit on food for me. When I ordered the steak frites, I received a greasy piece of meat that was pink in the middle (the way I like it), but oddly pale on the outside. It looked and tasted like it had been in the freezer for 2 years before hitting the grill. The liquid from the decent-​but-​forgettable mushrooms covered the entire plate, making the otherwise-​tasty fries a soggy mess. Never again. At least they had the cream stout on tap that day.
The patio is killer in the summer, since the covered area is not enclosed, there are grape vines everywhere, and the exposed deck gets the perfect amount of sun. The winter is another story, though, since the covered area is boarded up to keep in the heat, not at all ventilated, and full of smokers. The group I like to go to trivia with had to relocate because of the bluish haze that collected out there, making our crew of non-​smokers a little green around the gills.

While the food was very good (Cajun Chicken Sandwich, which was excellent & fries which were edible, yet nothing spectacular) and the service was personal and efficient, the atmosphere might keep me from loving this place. The ratio of douchebag clientele might be skewed since I was there on St Patricks Day, but if the crowd is normally consisting of that many loud, drunk a-​holes, then I’d probably just move on to another place. And the music was so loud, it was difficult to think clearly (however a few bonus points for such an eclectic mix: screaming emo music to Concrete Blonde to They Might Be Giants? How Portland.)
NEW (pro): Good service, quick food turnaround and great value for good food
OLD (con): Clientele might be more douchey than most, music WAY too loud, don’t go to have a conversation.

Service was shaky but the food came out fast. I got a BLT with fries and the BLT was definitely star of the show. love the avocado and cheese on it, and the bread was delicious. I was so full after half the sandwich but couldn’t help myself from nearly finishing the rest.
The fries are dark and look good but ended up kinda limp and not worth the calories.
It was nearly comical how every beer we asked for the waitress said they were out of. I’ll go ahead and say that’s why I ended up drinking High Life, even though I do love cheap beer anyway.

Holy BLT!
I have had few BLTs in my life, none of which come to my mind at the moment, that parallel the greatness of the BLT from Lompoc. The planets aliened for the brief time we spent together. The avocado really pushed it over the edge. but there was something else. Must be crack because I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I got a side salad in lieu of french fries. Fatal error, and I blame myself, who orders a salad from a dive bar?
Lompoc itself is meh. The ambiance is kind of a downer, service is less then enthused, and bathrooms maintenance has been thrown violently to the wayside. It’s amazing what I’m willing to look past for a good happy hour. Throw in my heavenly BLT and puddy in Lompocs grimy hands.

Seasons change, the weeks turn into months, then years, but my love for the New Old Lompoc has neither waned nor wavered, and I still count it as one of my favorite bars in town, year round.
Being a brewery, I gotta start with their beers. Not the most adventuresome or cutting edge of brewers (those honors probably have to go to Hair of the Dog, or maybe Deschuttes); their stable of brews isn’t the largest nor the most varied (nod goes to Rogue), but for sheer consistency and just downright good beer Lompoc is right up there with the best. Condor Pale, Proletariat Red, Centennial IPA, C-​Note DIPA… this is a solid foundation upon which to build a small local brewery.
And when you’re looking for a spot to enjoy one of their beers, the New Old location on NW Trendy-​third is far and away the best outpost in the now sizable Lompoc family of pubs. Inside it’s fairly warm and inviting, with old world wood booths and a friendly pub feel.
The back patio makes a strong bid for my favorite al fresco drinking/​dining venue in the city… especially in the Summer or when the weather is nice. However, a good portion of it is covered thus usable even when the weather takes a Portland-​ey turn as it does this time of year. Bring a jacket or warm sweater and the roof will keep the rain off you so you can enjoy the crisp Autumn air while you savor a well crafted beer (and a smoke, if that’s your thing).
Service is rarely fantastic, but has never been poor. I’ve never had problems with lost or incorrect orders, though I also follow their rules when it comes to ordering from the bar vs from a server.
Their prices for food and drink are little on the high end for a small neighborhood brewpub, but it’s still a fair value given the quality and quantity. Their food menu is quite varied and far superior and to any other Lompoc location, and their happy hour discounts can save you some $ for a few hours any day of the week, or all day Saturday AND Sunday. For beer drinkers, Miser Monday may be the best time to visit where you can score two-​fiddy Lompoc pints all night long! (see my pic for the current HH menu and times)
Good beer + solid food + very pleasant ambiance = a very strong 4+ stars in my book!

The New Old Lompoc is part of a proud Portland tradition of friendly, casual brewpubs with amateur homebrew-​quality beer. As an amateur homebrewer, I got o breweries for the beer first, which is why this place gets 2 stars. Frankly, the patio is pretty nice, and covered. Likewise, the food was surprisingly decent. Then there’s the beer:
1. Fool’s Golden Ale — they listed this at 16 IBU (international bittering units). A 16 IBU 5.0% ABV golden ale is bound to be gross, so I didn’t try it.
2. Condor Pale Ale — they described this beer as hoppy and crisp. It was cloyingly sweet, underhopped, overly full-​bodied, and generally underattenuated. It was not just disappointing, but seriously hackish.
3. Centennial IPA — see condor pale ale. Though this one was bitter enough, there was no hop flavor or aroma — another underattenuated crappy beer.
4. C-​note Imperial Pale Ale. They described this one as containing 100 IBU’s. This is nearly impossible to actually accomplish — like running an under-​4-​minute mile. Only a god among brewers could do this — even the guys at Deschutes have been unable to make a 100 IBU brew — and they are true masters. C-​note is signigicantly better than Lompoc’s others, but still underattenuated and muddled in flavor. Technically this one isn’t an Imperial Pale Ale, but an IPA since it is under 7.0 ABV. If this were the IPA and Centennial were the pale ale (and they called Condor an Amber Ale), I would be somewhat less annoyed. Still, this beer sucked and was riddled with flaws.
5. LSD — this is basically a porter, but an unusually sweet and unroasted one. I think they used little/​no roasted malts in it. On a winter day, this one might be all right, but it’s definitely not my style. Like the C-​Note, I would describe this one as «decent homebrew.»
Proletariat Red — Cloyingly sweet, malty, overwhelmingly full-​bodied, heavy dark beer. This one isn’t nearly as offensive as the Condor and Centennial, though, because at least it’s «supposed» to be a heavy, sweet beer. Not a good beer.
Sweet Stout — I will try this one when it gets colder
Seasonals — hopefully these suck less.
Ols Lompoc, you need to work on your brewing techniques. You should switch to a more flocculant yeast if you won’t filter your beers. Also, something is seriously wrong with your hopping techniques. And DON’T ADVERTISE 100 IBU’s when your beer’s got barely 50!
There you go, an okay location with crappy beer and underwhelming service. I would rather go to nearby Lucky Lab Beer Hall (though not by very much).

The New Old Lompoc is my favorite unpretentious destination in the NW to enjoy a great beer! They consistently have a great selection of brews, and the C-​note is a personal favorite. When the weather gets nice, they have a great outdoor area tucked away in the back that is perfect for enjoying a cold one with a group of friends. Smoking is allowed, so be forewarned…
The New Old Lompoc consistently has friendly service (at times a little slow) and a great congregation of clientele…