For Angels fans, Golden Road Anaheim has become almost as much a part of game day as Angel Stadium itself. Located directly across the street, it’s an easy pregame stop for a cold beer, some great food, and a little fun before heading into the stadium. The Anaheim Brewpub is family-friendly, the large outdoor patio welcomes dogs, and there are yard games and plenty of umbrellas for those hot Southern California afternoons. Inside, more than 30 taps line the bar, with new beer creations being brewed right onsite.
But with Angels baseball officially over for the season, we had another question: What does Golden Road have to offer when there isn’t an Angels game to pregame
As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons to keep Golden Road on your fall lineup. And let’s be clear—baseball isn’t over. Postseason baseball is just getting started, and in Southern California there are plenty of Dodgers fans, along with fans of other playoff teams, looking for a place to watch October baseball. Add NFL Sunday Ticket, Oktoberfest, new beers brewed onsite, pitchers of beer, and buckets of chicken, and Golden Road has plenty happening long after the last Angels game of the season.
Football, Pitchers, and a Bucket of Chicken
With NFL Sunday Ticket, football fans can settle in for an entire Sunday instead of being limited to whichever games happen to be showing locally. And Golden Road has added two things that seem almost designed for football season: pitchers of beer and buckets of chicken.
The new Nashville hot chicken bucket comes with six large chicken strips served over fries, making it perfect for putting in the middle of the table and sharing during the game. Add one of the new pitchers of beer, find your team on one of the screens, and you’ve got a great Sunday afternoon going.
Of course, football isn’t the only thing happening this fall. Golden Road kicked off its Oktoberfest celebration Friday, September 18, with games, beer, food, and plenty of reasons to hang out in the biergarten. Saturday included a beer stein-holding competition, and contestants weren’t just competing for bragging rights—a bike was on the line. Holding a giant stein straight out in front of you may look easy from the sidelines, but give it a little time and suddenly everyone watching becomes an expert on technique.
Come for the Beer, Stay for the Food
This is Life of Beer, so obviously we care about what’s in the glass. But if you’re going to spend a few hours at Golden Road, you’re going to want some great food to go with that beer—and there are definitely a few favorites worth mentioning.
Start with the pretzel. This isn’t one of those pretzels that arrives warm and delicious and then somehow turns into a rock five minutes later. Golden Road’s stays soft throughout, almost like freshly baked homemade bread, without developing that hard, microwaved texture. The dipping sauces make it even better, particularly the house-made cheese sauce infused with Golden Road Blonde Ale. Beer in the cheese you’re dipping your pretzel into? That works for us.
The poke nachos are another favorite when you want something lighter than a burger. With ahi tuna over crispy wonton chips, they’re a great option when you want something different from the usual burger-and-fries brewery meal. And while the poke nachos aren’t vegan, Golden Road has plenty of choices for people who are.
Executive Chef Cory Correia told us that almost anything on the menu can be adapted to make it vegan. He’s also hoping to add more salads and lighter choices, which makes perfect sense for his Orange County clientele. Let’s face it, we can be a little extra around here. Vegan? Dressing on the side? Hold the cheese? Add avocado? We know who we are.
And speaking of avocado, Golden Road learned pretty quickly not to mess with the avocado tacos. At one point, the tacos were removed from the menu, and customers started making their disappointment known in reviews. Golden Road listened, and according to Chef Cory, the avocado tacos were back within about two weeks.
There’s a reason people wanted them back. The avocado is the star, with a crispy outside and that creamy avocado inside. They’re filling enough that you definitely don’t have to be vegan to enjoy them, and based on how quickly people complained when they disappeared, Golden Road made the right call bringing them back.
What’s New on Tap?
The Vanilla Rice is worth trying even if you skip dessert. At 6% ABV, it’s a light blonde ale with vanilla and cinnamon that immediately bring those familiar horchata flavors to mind. It’s different, but still something you can sit and enjoy rather than one of those novelty beers that sounds interesting until you actually have to finish it.
Another one worth trying is the Cream Ale, a 5.4% ABV collaboration with Jones Coffee Roasters. It’s a clean cream ale conditioned on natural Ethiopian coffee beans. What I like about this one is that you get those coffee flavors without having to order a dark, heavy stout. Coffee and beer together without feeling like breakfast and dinner somehow ended up in the same glass.
And if beer isn’t your thing, there are still plenty of choices. Golden Road has a variety of seltzers to try, and for the wine drinkers there’s also a 12.5% ABV Sauvignon Blanc. So whether you’re reaching for a beer, a seltzer, or a glass of wine, nobody has to be the person sitting there wondering why they agreed to spend the afternoon at a brewery.
That variety is part of the fun of visiting Golden Road Anaheim. With new beers being created right onsite and plenty of choices for the non-beer drinkers, everyone in the group can find something they actually want to drink.
Save Room for the Brownie
After the nachos, tacos, or one of Golden Road’s burgers, there is one more thing you absolutely need to save room for: the M&M Brownie.
It’s decadent and moist but still chewy in a really good way. It’s one of those desserts where you tell yourself you’re only having one more bite, and then somehow you keep going back for another. Add the vanilla ice cream and it gets even better. The cold vanilla helps offset the sweetness of the warm brownie, and before you know it, the whole thing is gone.
And because this is Life of Beer, we obviously need a beer to go with it. Try the Vanilla Rice, a 6% ABV horchata-style blonde ale with vanilla and cinnamon. Those flavors work perfectly with the chocolate and vanilla ice cream without making the whole thing feel too heavy. One thing to keep in mind: Vanilla Rice is brewed with lactose, so this particular beer is not vegan.
Put the brownie, vanilla ice cream, and a horchata-style beer together, and you’re looking at some seriously sweet dreams.
More Than an Angels Pregame
Golden Road Anaheim will always be one of our favorite places to start an Angels game day, but there’s really no reason to wait until next baseball season to go back. Angels baseball may be finished for the year, but postseason baseball is just getting started, football season is underway, and Oktoberfest has arrived.
Between NFL Sunday Ticket, playoff baseball, Oktoberfest games, pitchers of beer, the Nashville hot chicken bucket, and new beers coming out of the Anaheim brewery, there are plenty of reasons to spend a fall afternoon across the street from Angel Stadium. And with everything from burgers and poke nachos to vegan options, that amazing pretzel, and a brownie worth saving room for, you might want to plan on staying awhile.
Angels baseball may be over, but sports, beer, food, and fun at Golden Road Anaheim are just getting started.
