As craft beer has boomed in San Diego, and local brewers have become celebrated around the world, the thirst for brewery amenities here has expanded, too. Thanks to local pioneers who brought craft beer out of the industrial park and into the mainstream, today’s craft fans crave a heightened experience. And beyond high-quality beer and stylishly comfy environs, memorable on-site food options are at the top of the list.
San Diego brewers have delivered in a big way, with inventive food offerings custom-tailored to their lineups of beers. Here are a few great places around San Diego to pair tasty brews with binge-worthy bites:
The Big Dogs
Some of the biggest names in San Diego beer were also among the first to venture into serving up food with their brews.
Pizza Port, now with eight locations around the region, made its reputation via its namesake pies as well as a lineup of award-winning beers. The company’s Pizza Solana is an ode to the original, still-thriving location on scenic Coast Highway 101 in the heart of Solana Beach; the menu now also includes pies named for Pizza Port’s digs in downtown Carlsbad, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach and Bressi Ranch.
And such San Diego beer pioneers as Karl Strauss Brewing and Stone Brewing, with its pair of king-sized bistros at Liberty Station and in Escondido, have been pub-grub pacesetters for decades, offering impressive menus and inviting settings. Both serve up a full range of burgers, salads, apps and other specialties, including kid-friendly items and a lineup of non-beer beverages.
Burgers and Tacos and Wings, Oh My!
Black Plague Brewing has teamed with Full Metal Burgers for between-the-buns sustenance, available full-time at its trio of tasting rooms in Oceanside, Escondido and North Park. The menu takes in a lineup of bold “Skeletonwiches” as well as “Appetizers for Destruction” (which, aggressive as they might sound, include vegan chicken nuggets and even a salad option).
With kitchens at Mike Hess Brewing’s Seaport Village and Imperial Beach locations, Quiero Tacos rolls out an electic menu of Mexican specialties, including such taco selections as tropical salmon and scallop picante. The brewer’s main production space in North Park also offers daily food, including food trucks, Taco Tuesday items and pizza delivered to your site.
Rouleur Brewing has its Upward Deli & Drinks, while another Carlsbad brewer, Culver Beer Co., runs the Locally Toasted Delicatessen. A rotating lineup of innovative seafood dishes is the signature of Shoots Fish & Beer, with locations in Oceanside and Carlsbad Village, while Burgeon Beer Co.’s Little Italy kitchen and tap, The Arbor, boasts multiple styles of hot wings (buffalo, dry-spiced, Szechuan chili), truffle fries and a Taiwan fried chicken “sando” on brioche.
Carving Out Culinary Niches
Some San Diego breweries initially handed the reins to established chefs and restaurateurs, including the husband-wife proprietors of North Park Beer Co. (NPBC), who welcomed Mastiff Sausage Co. to run the kitchen. But at their satellite taproom in Bankers Hill, they oversee their own kitchen, which serves smash burgers, wings and fries smothered in beer cheese made using the company’s flagship IPA. It’s been such a smash (pun intended) that NPBC put the food before the beer with its third location, a New York-style pizza shop in Pacific Beach.
Similarly, Northern Pine Brewing initially worked with the owners of a nearby Oceanside restaurant, but now offer a culinary concept called The Lodge, serving “good mountain food” comprised of family recipes and outdoorsy dishes plucked from their Idaho upbringings, such as fried sirloin finger steaks and duck fat honey-buttered biscuits.
That unique menu speaks to breweries’ efforts not only to install kitchens but also come up with offerings that differ from those of established breweries and restaurants in their areas.
At Prey Brewing in Vista, visitors will find a menu featuring dishes rarely seen in brewery-owned eateries. Alongside charcuterie and cheese plates, there’s hamachi crudo with Peruvian leche de tigre, crispy pork belly with hoisin aioli, and wild mushroom tacos with chipotle tofu crema. Prey also offers weekend brunch and a full-scale craft-cocktail program.
And food has always been part of the equation for Craft Coast Beer & Tacos, opened by a former Pizza Port employee. The place trades pies for San Diego-style taco-shop fare, offering everything from nachos to taco bowls to birria.
San Diego County’s breweries are renowned for their incredible beers, but getting a taste of them at the source is now even more memorable thanks to culinary delights that are changing the brewery-touring game for the good.