Native Son Alehouse - Santa Ana

Native sons is a cool place to win a beer or cocktail. They have a beautiful roof terrace, a full bar and interiors. Service is always good. The staff is friendly.

The cockroach I saw crossing the floor while I was there kind of killed the whole experience for me.Arrived early to meet a friend for lunch, had some Cajun fries, there gravalox bagel bites, and their coffee old-fashioned hybrid thingy. My friend ordered a cocktail that I can't remember and they're avocado toast.Ambiance was nice, servers were friendly, service was not as prompt as I would like but that isn't a big deal to me..However when I was taking the last bite of the grav locks I see something moving on the floor and let the waitress know that there appears to be a cockroach crawling on the ground.I live near and work in Long Beach, there's some areas where there's just going to be a cockroach population and it's next to impossible to get rid of in the general area, but there are things you can do to secure the dining location and kitchen itself. I might try this place again in a year, but not again anytime soon.

Last weekend we made an online reservation for brunch and a pour of the Russian River Piney. The earliest reservation time available was for 2:45 and it was no problem because we saved our appetites in the hopes of having a tasty brunch. We arrived a little early and they didn 't look too busy but apparently were understaffed. A hostess/server asked if we had a reservation and then told us they would get a table ready for us. We waited a little bit and were seated along with another 3 parties that came in after us. As hungry as we were, we patiently waited as we watched the other parties that arrived after us received attention as we sat in anticipation. When our server came to the table and we wanted to order brunch, we were notified that brunch ended at 2:00. Not sure how or why we made a brunch reservation for 2:45 when it 's not even an option. I wasn 't in the mood for a burger so it may have colored my perception because I found the spicy burger to be pretty bland and I didn 't even finish it. The fries were ok, yet not great by any means. Overall the brunch we reserved was mediocre at best.

I walked in on a rainy day. There was someone sitting at the bar having a patty melt, so I asked for one, and was told it was a family item and not on the menu. The bar tender further explained that they could not make it because it's not on the menu and couldn't charge for it. I offered to pay more and was still refused. The cook supposedly made a phone call to the sous chef who also told her not to make the item. So help me understand why she was allowed to make it in the first place? It makes it worse that I was told it was a family item, I understand I'm not in a romantic relationship with anyone there, but seriously? ‍ I think an establishment should offer to make something for you, especially if they just made it for someone else and the item contains less ingredients than the item you offered to pay for. Going forward no matter how friendly an establishment is with customers, if you're not willing to make the item for anyone else because I'm not your girlfriend, don't make it at all. To be clear that was the relationship between the person in the kitchen and the person who was eating. Further more, the manager Carly, came up to my table after my friend and I had ordered drinks. She was extremely defensive after she read my Yelp review and accused me of being threatening. I went on to explain to her that I wasn't trying to threaten her or the bar, but I felt it was extremely unprofessional for them to make special meals that aren't on the menu for girlfriends of the cook.

Great spot with a huge outdoor balcony on the 2nd floor. Killer cocktails, great beer and spirit selection. Food looked good but didn't try.