Golden Road Brewing brings pints and pirogi to Grand Central Market

Announced back in May 2015, Golden Road Brewing’s Grand Central Market outpost opened quietly Tuesday, adding a welcome watering hole for visitors to the ever-popular downtown food court.

Occupying the space along the market’s west side near the Hill Street entrance, the brightly tiled counter features 20 taps of Golden Road’s brews and a snack-friendly menu of pirogi, the addictive Eastern European-style dumplings, and salads.

Born of a beer drinking trip to the Czech Republic by Golden Road’s chef, Adam Levoe, and the brewery’s former owner, Tony Yanow (Golden Road Brewing was sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev late last year), the menu of what Levoe calls “California pirogi” was designed to match with the beers and to be take-out friendly.

“Pirogi are the perfect beer food,” Levoe said. “You can fill them with anything.”

The outpost was slated to open in the fall of 2015, but after Golden Road was purchased by AB InBev, the development of the location was slowed and the stall redesigned.

“As we started working with the new ownership, we had the time and resources to do it right,” said Golden Road founder and president Meg Gill. “We could be more thoughtful and focus on how to communicate our brand identity inside the very foodie-minded institution.”

The idea was to create the feeling of a comfortable neighborhood bar within the bustling confines of the 99-year-old market. White subway tile and open-face letter board menus line the back wall, and the bar is lined with tap handles that range from Golden Road’s core brands (Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefe) to special releases (Citra Bend, Berliner Weisse).

Besides the nine types of pirogi on the menu (six savory, three sweet) there are half a dozen salad options and a few hot sides to choose from. Prices range from $2.50 for a single pirogi (or $6 for a set of three dumplings) to $15 for a fully loaded citrus and kale salad with duck confit, and a pint of beer will set you back $5 or $7.

Levoe suggested that newcomers to the pirogi concept try the bacon-and-cheddar dumpling or the vegan Soyrizo option; he said either would pair nicely with the brewery’s selection of IPAs. For the hop-lovers, Levoe recommended the rich wild mushroom pirogi to match with the hoppiest brews on tap, such as the popular Wolf Among Weeds double IPA.

Patrons can get pints of Golden Road’s beer to drink at the bar or to enjoy while they shop the market, but they can’t yet fill growlers or buy cans to take home. The proprietors hope to add the option for take-away jugs of beer soon, but there are some permitting and logistical issues that need to be ironed out first. Until then, the Golden Road Brewing stall is open during regular market business hours.

Golden Road Brewing at Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.

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