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Sometimes the best craft brewery experience isn’t about the beer at all.
There are some spots in Vancouver that throw the typical pepperoni sticks and bags of chips (nothing wrong with those, though!) out the window in favour of fun, fresh-made, and altogether delicious food menus. Here are some of the best craft breweries in Vancouver at which to grab a tasty bite.
Superflux Beer Company
Superflux might have originally become known for its sleek interior and its even sleeker IPAs, but the East Van brewery’s food shouldn’t be missed, either. A beer and a hot dog is a classic combination, and Superflux pays homage to it with a selection of Two Rivers dogs that range from The Steak Frite (dry-aged beef, bearnaise sauce, crushed chips, sauteed oyster mushroom) to The Brat Dog (pork and beef bratwurst, house-made beer mustard, sauerkraut). Also consider the chicken sandwich, made with arugula, provolone, roasted tomato mayonnaise, pepperoncini, and chicken covered in pumpkin seed pesto, all served on a soft, chewy baguette.
Strathcona Beer Company
An East Hastings staple named for the neighbourhood it was born in, Strathcona boasts an extensive pizza menu with flavours such as the Honey Swine (pepperoni, roasted red onions, hot honey) and the Garden of Strath (arugula pesto, charred broccoli, preserved lemon, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese). For something lighter, there’s the ‘Not Your Average’ Kale Salad with baby kale, dried cranberries, Parmesan, green onion, orange, apple, toasted pistachio, and a citrus miso dressing. Don’t miss the Garlic Bites, either: pizza dough chunks are tossed in garlic butter and Parmesan, and served with your choice of dipping sauce. Carby perfection.
33 Acres Brewing Co.
One of the city’s first craft breweries to put serious focus on the grub, 33 Acres is a foodie staple for a reason. Enjoy a pint of Darkness or Ocean with the Mount Pleasant brewery’s ever-evolving food menu—which may feature items such as the forever-favourite popcorn smothered in nutritional yeast and garlic oil, meaty castelvetrano olives with lemon zest, or the warm pretzel and mustard (add chorizo if you know what’s good). The Italian Deli Sandwich is worth a look, too, featuring provolone, a trio of Italian meats, shaved onion, banana peppers, and red wine vinaigrette.
Brassneck Brewery
Main Street’s Brassneck has somehow made snacking sophisticated. There’s the warm baguette with herbed butter (tres chic), the Sesame Squash Miso Hummus with homemade crackers (just the right amount of umami), and the Whipped Feta With Green Olive & Za’atar (salty, creamy, addicting). There’s also a rotating flavour of hot and savoury pie, served warm with grainy mustard and pickles. It’s all the perfect fodder to be washed down with a glass of Passive Aggressive or the aptly-named No Brainer. Finish things off with the not-too-sweet miso chocolate chunk cookie by local bakeshop Scarlito’s Way.
Main Street Brewing
For its newly revamped food program, Mount Pleasant’s Main Street Brewing phoned a friend: Karl Gregg of Rosie’s Hospitality. Known for its Texas-style BBQ, Rosie’s took the opportunity to pair Main Street’s easy-drinking beers with a menu of elevated yet accessible bar classics. The scotch egg is three-bite comfort, with a local hard-boiled farm egg wrapped in pork and beef sausage and served alongside beer mustard and pickles. Or there’s smoked brisket sausage roll, which sees house-made sausage wrapped in flaky golden pastry. The smoked olives are nothing to shy away from; and same goes for the banh mi, which can be made with pulled pork for the meat eaters or smoked tofu and braised mushrooms for the vegetarians. A sweet and spicy chili sauce brings it all together.
Go for the beer, stay for the food—these places know that it takes two to tango.
