Buddy's Bites and Brews--Hayward (American cuisine)

I can't believe I almost wrote this place off after drawing my conclusions from the look of the sign and the silly name. I've driven past this brewery/restaurant many times while on my way to my favorite Japanese restaurant, Tomodachi, in Hayward. Who'd of thought I was driving past amazing food and drink almost every other week. Location: 24297 Hesperian Blvd. in Hayward.

After a recommendation in passing from a friend of a friend, I decided to give this place a try. The name, the signage, the decor, even the names of their dishes have a cheeky, surfer sense of humor (the place was started by a surf instructor and his friends). But the food is no joke. It was already busy at about 6:45pm on a Friday night. After about a 45 minute wait, we were seated.

They change their selections of beer on tap regularly and offer more than just your usual Bud or Corona. As a beer lover, the choices were definitely to my liking. I started with a pint of their Denogginizer. A very hoppy, 10% alcohol by volume, full-bodied beer.

For my entree, I selected their Breaded Snapper Burger. A surprisingly fresh and perfectly flaky piece of fish was bestowed before me, dressed with a lightly spicy red cabbage slaw, cilantro and tarter sauce. I also opted to upgrade my fries for their sweet potato tater tots. That was a good choice. Even my boyfriend, who is not a big fan of sweet potato, fought me for those tots. It also came with a tomato-y, brown sugar-y sauce that also had some heat and exceptional flavor.

My boyfriend choose the "Ham" Burger. A thick patty of juicy Angus beef served with ham, bacon, pepper jack and cheddar cheese, a fried egg, onion straws and garlic ranch sauce. All this between a nicely buttered, lightly toasted bun. Also a winner.

I had absolutely no room for dessert, but they sounded good. Buddy's also serves brunch on the weekends and offers happy hour during the week from 3pm-6pm. I think I'm going to become a very happy regular.