The Refuge
The pastrami is what this San Carlos pub is known for. Jeff's four stars from May 2017 call the burger decent and the beer list large, and he puts the pastrami first.
Why go
Jeff ate here in May 2017 and gave it four stars with the order built in: Nice pub with decent burger. Known for their pastrami. Large selection of beer.
Decent is the word he used for the burger, and pastrami is what he says the room is for. The place is run by a husband-and-wife team, Matt Levin and Melanie Roth, with Luciano Marquez as Director of Operations, and their own page puts two years of work in Paris behind them.1 No source connects that to what comes out of the kitchen, so this page does not either.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the pastrami.
- Avoid: defaulting to the burger. Jeff's word for it is decent.
What locals & experts say
- Jeff (first-hand), 4 stars, May 2017: "Nice pub with decent burger. Known for their pastrami. Large selection of beer."
- The Refuge (its own words):
The heart and soul of The Refuge are husband and wife team, Matt Levin and Melanie Roth along with Director of Operations, Luciano Marquez.
1
Good to know
- Timing: the venue's own hours are Monday to Friday 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 9pm, Saturday 11:30am to 9pm, Sunday 11:30am to 8pm.1
- Booking: walk in.
- Getting there: Laurel Street, downtown San Carlos, five minutes from the Caltrain station.
Jeff's take (his words)
- His review (Jeff, first-hand, 4 stars, 21 May 2017): "Nice pub with decent burger. Known for their pastrami. Large selection of beer."
Verdict
could-visit — A San Carlos pub known for pastrami, run by Matt Levin and Melanie Roth, with a beer list Jeff called large and a burger he called decent. His four stars name the thing to order and the thing to skip, which is more use than most listings manage. No writer has been read on it, so the rung follows the one first-hand voice.