When the Carolina Panthers faced off against the Denver Broncos in the biggest game of the year Sunday afternoon, there was no better way to watch Super Bowl 50 than at your local pub. For a sports bar with gastropub-quality food and drink selection, Sunday’s friendly neighborhood spot was Gulp Restaurant and Brew Pub.
With six flat-screen HD televisions and surround sound, Gulp catered to every seat in the house, whether you were cheering on your team or picking your favorite commercial or waiting patiently for the Coldplay and Beyoncé halftime show.
If the game didn’t do it for you, the food and drink should have kept you entertained and satisfied, too.
Be it from a tab, cap, or cork, Gulp’s drink selection is one of the main reasons to drop by. The impressive tap list includes more than 36 selections from Los Angeles brewers to remote monasteries. Plus, between the California and imported wines and the specialty cocktail menu, the only problem you’ll run into is choosing your drink.
The cocktails are playful but classic – try the Minty Ginger for a refresher (Tito’s Vodka, orange juice, ginger beer, mint leaves, bitters) or Pink Paradise as a sweet aperitif (Malibu Coconut Rum, Amaretto, cranberry juice, pineapple juice).
Ultimately, however, you’re going to Gulp for the beer. From the bottle, try out the Vanilla Porter (Breckenridge Brewery, Colorado, Porter, 4.7 percent) or the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout (Anderson Valley, Boonsville, CA, Oatmeal Stout, 5.8 percent). From the tap, Westside Today recommends supporting local business like the delicious Santa Monica Brew Works in Pilsner, IPA, or XPA (Extra Pale Ale).
To be sure, the chef-driven menu works in tandem with the beverages. The bill of fare ranges from bar food staples like burgers (on brioche buns, mind you), chicken wings, and loaded mac and cheese to upscale dining choices like the smoked albacore sandwich (smoked albacore tuna, bacon, apples, sauerkraut, avocado, grilled tomatoes, mayo, and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread) and the kale salad (kale, carrots, trio squash [butternut, zucchini, yellow], toasted almonds, cranberries, parmesan cheese, and whole grain Dijon mustard garlic vinaigrette).
To try something you can’t get elsewhere during Super Bowl weekend, opt for the $12 pastrami fries or sweet ginger poutine (fries, sweet ginger gravy, braised beef, mozzarella curds, pickled onions, scallions). Then move onto any one of their $10 to $15 turkey, mac and cheese, dry aged, turkey, southwest BBQ, or veggie burgers, or munch on the bratwurst, beer battered fish and chips, or loaded mac and cheese (three cheese Béchamel, Andouille sausage, braised chicken, and shrimp). Don’t miss the $13 burger, fries, and beer combo, either.
Just 250 feet from the Westside Pavilion, Gulp’s location in the heart of West Los Angeles and makes for a perfect meet-up location for all types of parties. The staff is great too, with a high-level service and attention.
Happy Hour is every day from 5pm to 7:30pm, and on Monday and Tuesday all appetizers are half off. Go to Gulp this weekend to find out why this place should be your new neighborhood watering hole.
Gulp Restaurant and Brew Pub is located at 10928 W. Pico Blvd., open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 11:30am- 2am, and Sunday 11:30am- 11pm.
For more information call 310.474.0007 or visit westla.gulpbrewco.com.
