Good Eats and Beer in Downtown L.A.

It's hard to believe that it's been a little over a month since our visit to the Los Angeles Brewing Company in Downtown, L.A. We've been wanting to write this review ever since! This was perhaps one of the most epic nights of our trip. Celebrating a birthday and with our hubbies accompanying us, we opted to venture out of our usual cute, wine and fine dining experience. On a hot summer evening we were in the mood for something new, fun and exciting....and some good, cold BEER for a change. ;)

First of all, L.A. Brewing Company is only a few months old and has already received very mixed reviews. The place is down the road from the popular downtown L.A. Live hot spots. We arrived in time to find parking right out front on a Saturday night. From the outside the place doesn't look too alluring...but once you walk in...WOW! What a gorgeous space...tall ceilings, a funky, tall green couch in the waiting area, big flat screen T.V.s, a huge bar, simple tables and booths, an upstairs seating area...never would have guessed this from the outside. The waitress was friendly, casual, helpful...she even created her own beer concoction for us that was very tasty. We ordered up some of their Honey Habanero Hot Wings immediately, because what goes better than beer with spicy wings. Oh, and their beer list? Simply perfect....over 100 to choose from! There's a full bar too.

So the wings came out and the boys were not impressed. While claiming to be Habanero Hot, there just wasn't enough spice to justify. We thought they tasted great, but the honey did seem to overpower the caliente. The waitress was surprised so she suggested their LABC Hot Wings. While pretty spicy, there was just a little too much batter and our complaints surprised the waitress once again. She got a big kick out of it though...not defensive, grumpy or rude, she just gladly took them back, apologized and helped us with other options...no charge on the wings. 

We ordered some Brewery Sliders, regular and sweet potato fries and another round of beers. The sliders were delicious...aged cheddar, onion strings and served on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls...what's not to love? The fries and beer did not disappoint either.

To our surprise, while enjoying our sliders, out came the chef with his assistant, big smile on his face and TWO HUGE burgers in hand. Chef Carlos introduced himself and declared it his mission to get us to LOVE his cooking.

Apparently our underwhelmed reaction to his hot wings inspired some personal attention. How's that for customer service? Well, mission accomplished because these burgers were To.Die.For. and the LABC Mashed Potatoes he served with them were probably one of the best we've had in a while.

The first burger was Cuban inspired with black beans and hash browns, not even on the menu. The different flavors blended perfectly. The second was pretty much the Brewery Burger, but a double and included bacon. The meat tasted fresh and juicy. We could barely finish them even though we passed them around the table taking turns indulging. 

Chef Carlos is a truly stand up guy and his passion for what he does is clearly obvious. We had some good laughs and really appreciated him taking the time to come out and make sure we enjoyed our dining experience. Best of all was when he challenged us...should we not feel these burgers deserved a score of 8 or more out of 10, the bill was on him....if we happened to love his burgers, then we owed him a beer. 

We gladly ordered him up his beer of choice. 

Both burgers deserved a 10! 

Then, as if our night couldn't have gone any better, Chef Carlos surprised us once more by serving us 2 fabulous desserts...a homemade "ding-dong" and an upside down pineapple mini-cake. To top it off, just for us, he made it a 2 layer "ding-dong". Amazing.

We definitely recommend stopping in to give Los Angeles Brewing Company a chance. While still new, we think they are definitely doing something right. If you're looking for the typical L.A. "Who's Who" scene you won't find it here. LABC is for the casual, down-to-earth folk. If you're looking for better than the norm Sports Bar Food, a terrific beer selection (EVEN A BEER CLUB!), Movie Nights, great Happy Hour & specials, a D.J. on some nights, Weekend Brunch with bottomless mimosas, a laid back vibe, awesome customer service and a great time, LA Brewing Co. is the place!  

Find out more by visiting their website: Los Angeles Brewing Company