Restaurant of the Month: Redondo Beach Brewing Co.

South Bay Events presents its pick of the month for May 2013!

Long before small plate tapas and locally brewed craft beer became trendy keywords for Google and content fodder for the blogosphere, a neighborhood pub in the heart of Redondo Beach’s Riviera Village was quietly serving thoughtful but unpretentious food in a casual beach side manner. In 1992 Michael Zislis, a leader and entrepreneur in the South Bay brewpub genre, opened the Redondo Beach Brewing Co. on Catalina Avenue cementing the concept that tasty beer and quality food are key to long term sustainability in the South Bay. Zislis set the tone for a beer-centric marketplace and continues to expand the marriage of craft beer & food by opening a second location (with partners) for Rock & Brews in Redondo Beach sometime in the near future. The attraction to Redondo Beach Brewing Co. begins with its location, big & comfortable menu, seat yourself dining, and of course, beer.

It’s a two story brewpub with a bar on the first floor and seat yourself tables on first and second floors. Patio dining with a little sunshine is available upstairs. Redondo BrewCo has four or five beers brewed year round such as their Redondo Beach Blonde, the Rat Beach Red, the Blueberry Wheat, Dominator Wheat and a Pier Pale Ale. Also made are several seasonal beers such as the Chocolate Porter or Pumpkin Ale. Ask to sample some of their house beers before ordering. The beers are tasty and down to earth, brewed behind the bar in giant cooper looking vats, it brings the feeling of an authentic brewpub.

The menu is diverse with generous portions and reasonable prices for salads, fish plates, burgers & sandwiches, pizza & pasta, and appetizers. It’s typical brew pub fare that’s not challenging and caters to families, beer drinkers, pre or post beach day travelers, a work day lunch crowd, and a steady flow of local patrons. The menu is always consistent and everybody will find a dish or app that meets their liking. The Garlic Cheese bread, fried calamari, or beer-battered mushrooms make for great starters. The Baja Fish Tacos are gigantic, come with rice and beans and pair nicely with their blonde beer.

Be sure and order the Greek tacos. It’s a base of puffy and warm pita bread topped with a choice of ground lamb with spices or diced chicken. Then it's topped with a green lettuce. A relish of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and Kalamata olives goes on next. After that, crumbled feta cheese, then a balsamic dressing which they dress over the top, and it's finished off with a small side of Tzatzikis (Greek yogurt sauce). It comes two to a plate without fries or any other sides and finishing just one taco can be challenging.

Redondo Beach Brewing Co. is a simple treasure with above average bar fare, a small variety of quality in-house craft beers and shines the brightest on a sunny weekend after a bike ride or day at the beach.

The Redondo Beach Brewery is located at 1814 S Catalina Ave. in Redondo Beach. Give them a call at 310-316-8477.