Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Rogue Brewing has now closed the Issaquah Brewhouse and you must travel to Oregon to sample their fare. Agave Cocina in nearby Highlands offers tasty gluten free, sustainable dining options!
After my final scramble class field trip to Kendall Peak (attempt, anyway), the group stopped in Issaquah for a post hike meal and I have to report I was pleasantly surprised with our dining experience. I’d love to share with you what I was able to enjoy gluten free and paleo on the menu and encourage you to give them a try the next time you are on the I-90 corridor and looking for a place to eat after a day of outdoor adventure near Seattle.
Rogue Ales was founded in 1988 by Jack Joyce (and fraternity brothers Rob Strasser and Bob Woodell) in Ashland, Oregon but now calls Newport home on the coast where it opened its first pub, the Rogue Bayfront Public House in 1989. Rogue has been growing their own hops and ingredients in Independence, Ore. since 2008.
The farm is open to the public and has a small chateau, where you can grab lunch with a Rogue beer and tour their 52 acres of hops. They also have honeybees, marionberries, pumpkins, cucumbers and more. The Issaquah Brewhouse is its one location in Washington State and an opportunity to sample what makes it such a popular stop down in our neighbor below us.
From their website:
Issaquah Brewhouse brews its own small-batch beers. Our resident brewer crafts local favorites like Contraband IPA, White Frog and other unique concoctions on a 5 barrel system. Those brews are on tap alongside Rogue classics, like Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Dead Guy Ale. A full menu and Rogue Spirits cocktails are also served up. We welcome dogs where outdoor seating is available.
They do label their menu items for vegan, vegetarian and gluten sensitive. Unless a restaurant is completely gluten free, this is truly the best you can hope for. I had the Hazelnut and Cranberry Salad with seared salmon added but their menu had a variety of pub fare including burgers, soups, and appetizers.
The salmon was tender and juicy and the greens were fresh. You can usually bet salmon isn’t farmed if it it a subtle pink rather than a bright “salmon” color. This was so flavorful, I didn’t even need the dressing that came with it.
Most of my companions enjoyed meals that looked like this, I was only a little jealous. Might need to have that burger on a salad next time I go…
As for my beverage, I had a delicious Fruit Salad cider made from cherries, marionberries, and plums grown by Rogue Ales and apples, pears, peaches and apricots from Oregon. It was crisp and neither too dry or too sweet. If you are into beer, Rogue Ales are known for being on the hoppy side with the Dead Guy and Shakespeare being two of the most popular.
We had a large group and they did a fantastic job of accommodating us in a banquet room they have next to the main pub area. Everyone walked away happy with our outdoor adventure and our dining experience!
Have you eaten at Rogue Ales? What did YOU enjoy?
And if scrambling up snowy peaks is not your thing, you can check other hikes along this corridor on my I-90 page. Kendall Peak Lakes Snowshoe is nice in the winter, as well as the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River for year-round hiking. And Stegosaurus Butte is a scramble almost anyone can summit!
Rogue Ales Issaquah Brewhouse
35 W Sunset Way
Issaquah, WA 98027
www.rogue.com (check out for their most current menu)
425-557-1911
The restaurant is located close to old downtown and has street parking in front with a free parking garage right across the street.
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