15 Local Breweries Open For Outdoor Drinking - And Dining

We’ve got some actual good news: LA County breweries were allowed to (re-)reopen last week, and tons of excellent spots are coming back with patios, gardens, and parking lots for outdoor drinking - and eating. Because according the Department of Health, every beer tab must be accompanied by a “bona fide meal,” meaning you’ll have to order some food. There are also limits on party size and the amount of time you can stay at a table, and you’re supposed to make a reservation at least one day in advance (breweries that serve their own food are exempt from this rule). But, all that being said, you can finally go support your favorite breweries and sit on a patio to drink some locally made beer - here are 15 spots to do that. Cheers!

The Spots

Long Beach beer and BBQ spot Beachwood BBQ has been open since the early days of outdoor dining, since they’ve got a food menu (full of smoked meats and all the accompaniments you could want, btw). As far as beer goes, their blended sours aged over fruit barrels are excellent, as are nearly all of their hazy IPAs.

Boomtown Brewery is back, with their extensive patio seating in the Arts District, along with wood-fired tacos from Corazon LA. Reservations available here.

Brouwerij West has a massive parking lot patio set-up, where you can drink Belgian-style ales and lagers near the port in San Pedro - we like 8 ½, their hazy double IPA, the best. Reservations available here.

Casa Agria is one of our favorite places for a day trip. This Oxnard brewery has a family- and dog-friendly patio, and they make some of the best sours and hazy IPAs in Southern California, making your quick drive up the coast well worth it. They’ve also got rotating BBQ and taco pop-ups.

South Bay favorite Common Space brewery has opened back up in the parking lot outside their production facility in Hawthorne. In addition to some great, innovative beers like kettle sours, tiki IPAs, and rice lagers, they also host some fun food trucks, like Billionaire Burger Boyz. Make a reservation online.

Eagle Rock Brewery is back up and running just off Fletcher Dr. near Atwater Village. Their Populist IPA is an LA classic, and they’re hosting Burnt To A Crisp, a very good Texas-style BBQ food truck, for meals. Reservations available by calling (323) 257-7866 or emailing reservations@eaglerockbrewery.com.

El Segundo Brewing has always had one of the best back patios in the South Bay, so residents of Beach Cities (and Stone Cold Steve Austin) should be happy about their return. Reservations here.

Frogtown Brewery is back open by the LA River, with a brand new beer garden featuring a projection screen that’ll be showing Dodgers games until they inevitably lose in heartbreaking fashion (unless Mookie puts them over the hump). Reservations here.

Chinatown’s Highland Park Brewery opened back up the beginning of October with a socially distant patio on Spring St. Their beers are fantastically consistent, so any choice will be a good choice - their flagship Timbo Pils and Hello LA are great places to start if it’s your first visit. And their new pimento cheese-slathered burger is a winner, if you’re looking for a full meal.

Homage Brewing might just be the best Southern California brewery you’ve never heard of - it’s a tiny spot in Pomona serving excellent, innovative saisons, barrel-aged sours, and IPAs. They have a few tables, and somewhat random hours, so be sure to check their Instagram before you go.

Boyle Heights’ Indie Brewing is back open, with a big patio in their industrial parking lot. In addition to having some excellent flagships - the IPA Del Rey, Pacific Kölsch Highway, and Beverly Pils are all standouts - they also host the tremendous LA Taco Company on Sundays. Reservations here.

LA Aleworks has been in the astroturf game far longer than most spots in LA - and their excellent, fake grass-covered patio has reopened with picnic tables, umbrellas, Edison bulbs, and a lot of great beer - like Hop Season, a new, really fantastic fresh-hopped pale ale. Reservations here.

Santa Monica Brew Works reopened and is running a weekend beer garden out of their huge parking lot on Colorado Ave. We usually go for whatever seasonal offerings they have, which is an Oktoberfest and a fresh-hopped IPA right now. Reservations online.

Smog City’s Torrance location has expanded their patio to include most of the parking lot, with plenty of picnic tables, umbrellas, and greenery. Open Thursday 3-9pm, and Friday-Sunday 1-9pm - reservations here.

Trustworthy is a small spot in Burbank with a new patio and a brand-new wood-fired pizza oven for house-made pies. Anything you order will be solid, but our favorite is the Made It To Eagle, a straightforward American IPA. Call or text (818) 841-5040 to reserve.