Liberty Brewery & Grill

Located at 914 Mall Loop Road in High Point (with a sister location in Myrtle Beach), Liberty Brewery & Grill serves steakhouse and pub fare for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Brunch is served Sundays from 11-2, lunch specials are offered weekdays from 11-3, a happy hour with discounted bar bites runs daily from 4-6, and a late night menu features appetizers and pizzas. Outdoor seating is available as is a separate room for large groups/events. Drink specials change regularly.

A brewpub is de rigueur for cities of a certain size, and Liberty Brewery & Grill serves that need for High Point. While it doesn’t compare favorably to Natty Greene’s or Foothills, it is a solid if inconsistent option in its own right.

Decked out in patriotic décor (think liberty and eagle statues), Liberty offers plenty of room inside and out. My wife and I showed up shortly before six on a Sunday evening to find plenty of cars in the lot yet no wait time for a table. The ambiance was lively without being uncomfortably loud.

Liberty’s menu offers no surprises but plenty of familiar favorites. It balances bar food (wings, nachos, burgers) with Southern-inspired entrees (chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits), tacos, pizza, and a few steaks. Vegetarians can rightly gripe about a lack of non-meat options, but for everyone else, there is plenty to choose from. Liberty’s house-brewed beer options aren’t as varied: think a half-dozen regular brews plus seasonal offerings.

For our first visit, my wife and I opted for fish and chips and shrimp and grits, respectively along with the rocket’s red ale and a seasonal mango beer. Results ran the gamut from delectable to forgettable to inexplicable. The shrimp and grits featured plenty of shrimp that were grilled well, but the tomato-based sauce was confusingly sweet. Every place puts its own spin on this dish though a certain degree of smokiness is a constant that was lacking here. Although unexpected, the flavor was not unpleasant. Meanwhile, the fish was thickly battered, crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside: a winning combination. Among its accompaniments, the house-made chips were very crispy and could have used more salt while the slaw rated a definite flavorless meh. Both beers were satisfying. The red ale was nicely balanced while the mango beer was sweet and refreshing.

Liberty’s pricing is moderate. Our entrees ran in the mid-teens, as anticipated. A $3 beer special during our visit, on the other hand, proved to be a steal.

While our server for the evening seemed new and a bit overwhelmed, she did her job well. Food came out quickly given the restaurant’s busyness, and an initial overcharge was just as quickly remedied.

All told, Liberty has enough to offer to make future visits likely, but it is very much a “depends on what you order” establishment.