The HIVE Tasting Room and Kitchen

This place is amazing. They have done well with the property—the inside is beautiful, and the patio is awesome. My big dog loved it, too. It’s counter service, but the staff was very kind. The food looks incredible. All we had was the burrata, and we split a beer, but we’re excited to return and try more.

That said, the location itself isn’t the best. This spot would truly shine on a river or in a more natural setting, but given the industrial surroundings, they’ve made it work surprisingly well. I feel bad marking off a star for "Atmosphere" because they really did a great job with that location, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be honest.

I’ll report back when we try more food!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Burrata

Love the place! I've been to this venue twice and both times were amazing! Special thanks to Chuck for the chat and for helping us the 2nd time I was there!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Really enjoyed this unique place. Good food with the added benefit of having a wide variety of mead to try and free honey tasting, and they have a ton.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was our first stop after landing in SMF. Spacious patio with a garden feel. Went with the January seasonal tapas plate along with the seasonal mead tasting since this was my first time trying( there were 2 tasting options). All 4 meads were enjoyable but the earl grey one was easily my favorite. We added on the skirt steak plate which I highly recommend

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I haven't even left this place & I've already text my friends telling them all about this place & leaving this review. Never have heard of Mead, but it's delicious! My goat cheese & pear is only slightly more delicious than it is beautiful. Loved the details shared about the flight of Meads I'm drinking. To top it all off, this outdoor area is beautiful!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The HIVE has been distributing honey for over 45 years, and just recently (within 3 years?) started distributing mead.

The good: the inside is very classy - this is not your industrial warehouse tasting room. The people are friendly and they carry a wide range of food and mead.

The not good: buyer beware: their prices are astronomical! A mead tasting of 4 meads, at maybe 1.5 - 2 oz each, is EXPENSIVE! I’ve had similar tastings at $15-20. We shared a cheese plate ($28) and the plate had no labels or info as to what the cheeses were. Based on the look and the texture I believe the cheeses are the same as ones carried by Costco - nothing special. The mortadella was rubbery and, worse, moldy - there was white mold tufts on the casing. We purchased two 375 ml bottle meads for $65 each (plus tax, it came to over $70 each). We checked prices online and they were closer to $30-$35 each. Ouch!

The unacceptable: the tastings have descriptions of each of the meads which is necessary. However, the menu has a lot of meads you can order by the glass - at $15-$20 a glass! - but there are no descriptions other than name, brewer, and % ABV! We had to look up / Google each one which took forever. The staff wasn’t able to provide info other than “you can read the label.”

Conclusion: you are paying for atmosphere. The grounds and building are lovely. Sadly you are paying 2-3X the value of the experience. Be prepared to leave with more questions than info, and with a lot less money than when you entered! I do NOT recommend this for a first time mead experience.

Parking: Lots of parking

Wheelchair accessibility: ADA accessible

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 2

Great selection of unique honey. Nice people too!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Just get your honey and leave. The price for the food is was over priced and the servings are more like appetizers. Definitely left hungry. The service was excellent. The people are outstanding.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 5

Food was awesome no complaints, outdoors seating, service was with a smile.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Enjoyed our visit on a very hot day. Was immediately welcomed and sat. I tried a mead sampler, which was amazing. Also, sampled the honey. Ended up taking home a few bottles of mead and honey. We’ll be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Plate

This is such a cute place close to Sacramento. Everyone working was super nice and so 5stars for service. We will honestly be back for just a drinking outing I’m sure. However, the food could’ve had a bit more seasoning, I got bit by multiple bugs (it’s an outdoor place), and it was very expensive.

Service: 5

Highly recommend this place. Such great mead & the food was delicious - hit all the taste buds!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Plate, Mead Tasting Flight, Cannoli

This was on my list to visit and I am glad I did finally. They have an amazing selection of mead and they taste fantastic. Pair that with food and I was happy and content. They have honey tasting as well from various locations and several flavors of honey blends and spreads. Definitely put this on your list to visit and have a great time with friends and family. They are dog friendly too and plenty of parking

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mead Tasting Flight

Came for a group brunch and really enjoyed this place!
Lots of shaded outdoor seating. Food was ordered at the front register and then they brought it out to our table. The clear winners were the charcuterie board, steak, waffles, and the cannoli. Also highly recommend the mead flights, all were tasty. Really enjoyed the Tripping Islands, and wish they made single servings to take home but it only comes in a large bottle.
We also did a honey tasting afterwards, and all the honey was really good. Favorites were the purple vetch, and the California avocado.

Dietary restrictions: Menu is clearly labeled for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mead Tasting Flight, Cannoli

So many amazing mead options. There is something for everyone to try. The food was also too notch as well. Large outdoor seating area. All staff onsite were friendly and helpful. We will be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mead Tasting Flight