Restaurant Review: Library Alehouse

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Kelly

Full Disclosure: I paid for this meal with my own money and I was in no way reimbursed for this blog post. The opinions are completely my own.

I don’t really think of California as a place filled with brewery type restaurants – but maybe that is only because Wisconsin is filled with them, so every other place I go seems to have less. Library Alehouse is a very cozy brew pub in Santa Monica, CA.

As we walked in, it was clear that they are know for their beer options. They boast 29 unique microbrews on tap as well as many unique bottled beers. We unfortunately are not beer lovers, but there were many people there enjoying different beers and sampler trays, so I can only imagine this would be a great place for a beer lover.

The meal starts off with chips and salsa. We had no idea this was coming (it’s not like we were at an Italian restaurant where you expect some kind of bread complementary with your meal) but it was a delicious surprise!

To drink I just ordered water, but the Husband got a Coke. I was pleasantly surprised that his Coke came in a cool retro style glass bottle.

For dinner, there were actually a few things on the menu that I had a hard time deciding between. Everything on the menu is slightly unique versions of classic foods of all tastes. Turkey Meatloaf, Fried Pickle Chips, and Pumpkin Ravioli – just to name a few. I decided on the Grilled Soy Ginger Wild Salmon – served with seasonal vegetables and brown rice.

This salmon was very good! Not only was the salmon good, but I was very excited about the large portion of rice and veggies. The veggies in particular were honestly better than I thought they would be. Usually when your meal is supposed to come with vegetables it is about 4 stalks of broccoli and two little carrot bites. This selection of veggies was large pieces of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and broccoli. They were delicious.

For dinner the husband had the Fish and Chips. There are a huge basket full of curly fries in the basket underneath the fish.

Overall, the food was very good. The atmosphere was small and cozy – but it wasn’t like you were just sitting at a cramped bar. The menu is quite extensive, and there is definitely something for everyone – including lots of vegetarian and vegan options.

Taste: A, delicious, quality, fresh tasting food.
Cost: B, the prices were a bit higher than a generic brew pub, but the portions were quite large and the food was delicious!

Would I go there again? If I lived in the area, yes I could definitely see myself going there again. However, since I am just visiting I’m trying not to repeat places so I can experience lots of different California dining options!