A Review of Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon in North Olmsted, Ohio

Ideally located on the corner of Columbia Road and Lorain Road in North Olmsted, Ohio, Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon is an American brewpub. You will find an impressive array of beers, with some brewed on site, a large selection of sandwiches, melts and subs, and a laid back friendly atmosphere. The large space features a bar, outdoor patio seating with distinctly separate smoking and non-smoking sections, non-smoking indoor seating at tables or large booths, and, of course, a brewery.

You have an extensive list of beers from which to choose. Fat Head's has its own brews that are made on site: the amber lager Three Crowns, the helles lager Starlight, the Belgium style tripel Head Trip and the Belgian dark strong ale Sorcerer. The list also includes other Fat Head's brews and guest beers, so you have around thirty beers to try. Choose from India pale ales, Belgian style ales, stouts, porters, barley wine beers, hard cider, unique American ales, lagers, German style ales, wheat beers and pilsners. There is a beer for every taste.

The menu features typical appetizers like mozzarella sticks, nachos, and smoked chicken spinach artichoke dip. They serve soups, salads, wings, smoked wings, pizza and ribs. Sandwich choices include melts like the Grown-up Grilled Cheese, subs like the Lake Erie Walleye, chicken sandwiches like the Aloha Chicken, and burgers like the Triple-Bypass Burger. They also offer the Fat Head specialty sandwiches, the Headwiches. Billed as being as big as your head, these sandwiches really are huge. In fact, all the portions are very large, too large for the average person to eat in one sitting. Almost all of the main dishes are served with homemade potato chips or natural cut fries, but you cannot choose which. There are not many healthy options on the menu, but there are several vegetarian options beyond salads. The kids' menu does not offer any healthy choices; deep-fried pierogies, chicken fingers, pizza or grilled cheese are some of the items, and no vegetables except fries. Fat Head's prices will not break your budget but they will not help it any either. Some of the appetizers cost as much as the main dishes. Most items are between $9 and $11.

During my most recent visit, we were immediately greeted by the friendly staff as we entered the restaurant. There was no wait and we were seated right away, even though there were six of us in our group. My daughter was given a small box of crayons and a menu she could color on. The tables and booths are wooden, no cushions or table cloths, but they are surprisingly comfortable. Large windows look out onto the separate outdoor patios and the bustling streets beyond. The space has an open floor plan and there is plenty of room between tables. There is no music blaring from speakers so conversation is easy. The waitress was very prompt, polite and helpful. She returned with our drinks quickly as well. Even though the menu warns that it may take longer to prepare your food because it is made to order, our meals came before I was able to finish my salad. Our waitress was good, but she could have been more attentive because some of us waited for refills for quite some time.

I ordered the house salad and the Grown-up Grilled Cheese melt. I am disappointed that there was a hard boiled egg in the salad as there was no mention of it in the description. The melt was served with a side of homemade potato chips, which could have used a little salt. It was large, around six inches across, and was way too much for me to eat at once. It was tasty and I would order it again. Everyone in our group enjoyed their meals and their experience at Fat Head's.

If I had to rate Fat Head's as terrible, bad, fair, good or excellent, I would say it is good. I would have said it was excellent but its lack of healthy options and oversized portions keep it as good. I would recommend this restaurant to friends and I would eat there again, just not very often.