Just in time for the weekend, Filling Stations is a weekly post that highlights one of Los Angeles’ destinations for craft beer, be it a bottle-shop with a great selection, a restaurant with great food to go with their beer list, or a bar serving excellent beers.

The Pub at Golden Road

• Neighborhood: Atwater Village View Larger Map
• Type: Brewpub
• Yelp Page
• Selection: 3/5 Price: 4/5 Staff: 4/5  Food: 4/5

One of our favorite spots to grab some of the freshest beer in town and relax on the patio or catch a game, The Pub at Golden Road is the restaurant arm of the Golden Road Brewing complex. Open for less than a year it has already built up a loyal following of beer-fans who stop by for growler fills, veggie/vegan grub, and a cool vibe that’s unique in LA.

Located adjacent to Glendale in an industrial area near the railroad tracks, the Pub at Golden Road is spacious and inviting with a large covered deck and a common room filled with a mix of long trestle tables and small round tables. There are a dozen seats at the bar, and even a dedicated ”doggy deck” for your furry friends.

The pub serves a mix of vegetarian and vegan fare as well as plenty of traditional pub-grub (read: with meat). All the dishes (PDF menu link) get a unique spin from Chef Adam Levoe; from the “noodle salad” made with strips of fresh coconut to the veggie burger that has a patty made from fried quinoa. There is also a wide selection of snacks and small-plates including the not-to-be-missed vegan Bavarian pretzel. (We think it is the best of the many pretzels that you can get around town these days.)

You order your food and beer at the bar and get a table number. The servers then run the food to your table when it comes out of the kitchen. The system works well, and they can serve a lot of people quickly from the kitchen. This helps the pub turn over pretty quickly which is nice since even though it is large it can be busy. The prices are a touch on the high-side for a hybrid counter-service restaurant, but the portions are large and the food is high quality and very fresh. We think it works out to be a good value.

Of course, the pub would be pretty unpopular if it wasn’t for the beer, and it is the best place to get all of Golden Road’s different brews. They usually have between five and seven different house beers available; Point The Way and the GRB Hefe are always available for pints, imperial pints, pitchers, and growler-fills, and the other taps are dependent on the brewery’s production schedule. There are also around a dozen guest-taps from local, California, and more far-flung breweries, and there should always a couple of taps on the wall that will fit your mood.

While you can occasionally find a tap of a Golden Road beer that isn’t Point the Way or Hefe around town, the pub is the best place to try the parade of new beers that have been coming from Brewmaster Jon Carpenter. They also often have special kegs available, from the fan-favorite tequila-barrel aged El Hefe Anejo to special pilot-batch beers, and there is usually something available on-cask from the bar’s beer engine. We’d especially recommend Golden Road’s excellent Schwartz Stout which gets some delicious adulterants – think espresso beans or cocoa nibs – when it is served on-cask! Cans of the GRB beers are available to-go, and they have started offering more of their beers for growler fills as their production capacity increases.

Unfortunately, the Pub’s website does not update often enough to accurately reflect what is on-tap (we think they should just point a web-cam at the tap-list), but they make up for this shortcoming by having an excellent social media presence. They are quick to reply on Twitter or Facebook to any inquires, and following them is certainly worthwhile so you can hear about their many specials and events.  The pub hosted a tasting-dinner with Hangar 24 back in March; it was a great time and we’d love to see move events like this in the future!

The Pub at Golden Road has become a popular hang-out spot for beer fans in just the few months that is has been open, and it is no wonder. It’s run by great people,  serves great food and beer, and has a great vibe. You can call us Golden Road fanboys if you like, it wouldn’t be the first time, but the truth is we are just fans of good beer, good food, and a great place to share it with friends.

Don’t Miss:

• Did we mention the pretzel? Get one, you won’t be sorry (unless you have too much sinus-scorching mustard.)
• The Croissant Bread Pudding is will-power crushingly good.
• One-liter growlers (aka “growlitos”) filled with GRB specialty beers.
• Tostada Salad with chicken if you can’t make up your mind.
• Raise your glass when the train speeds by!

Let’s hear your thoughts on the Pub at Golden Road, and while you’re at it let’s hear how you think Golden Road Brewing is doing in their first year.