After a long day of hiking, we were starving and while normally we would have a tailgate dinner somewhere with a view or out in nature, I found another option.
When traveling and road tripping we always try to hit up local brewpubs if we can because I love burgers and Brian loves beer — and he likes to try the local brews. So when I found Eel River Brewing, saw mouth-watering photos of their food, and realized they’re an organic brewery, we just had to stop in for dinner.
Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna is a California craft brewery and restaurant featuring organic craft beer, fabulous pub fare, and a large patio with horseshoes.
Voted Best Brewery of the North Coast in 2006, 2009 and 2010, Eel River Brewing is America’s first certified organic brewery. Their award-winning organic craft line features five unique brews — the Organic Acai Berry Wheat Ale, Organic California Blonde Ale, Organic Amber Ale, Organic IPA, and Organic Porter — all made locally in Humboldt County, either at the pub or their production facility located in the historic Mill A in Scotia.
The restaurant and pub serves up delicious burgers and sandwiches, savory pub food, and hearty dinner platters in both their restaurant and the outdoor beer garden. As people with food allergies and food issues, we definitely appreciated the fact that they also have vegetarian and gluten free options, as well as fresh local seafood when available.
Brian ordered the fish and chips, I had a burger and sweet potato fries, and Natalie had some apps. While Brian and I don’t eat cheese, Natalie eats A LOT of it and was thrilled to see that Eel River Brewing uses cheese from the nearby Loleta Cheese Factory, that we just visited the day before!
We arrived just before the dinner rush and were greeted and seated right away. Our server was super friendly, helpful, and attentive to our needs the whole time were were there. She made sure our special orders (again, food issues) came out correct the first time, saw to our drink refills before we noticed we needed them, and made our visit a great experience.
Finding Eel River Brewing on our road trip was definitely a highlight and we recommend you make a point to grab a meal and beer if you’re ever in town.
Know Before You Go
- Eel River Brewing Company is located at 1777 Alamar Way, Fortuna, California 95540 in Humboldt County.
- Want some fun with your beers and eats? Enjoy a game of horseshoes in the outdoor beer garden!
- The brewpub and restaurant is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm daily. Brewery tours are available by appointment only.
- Happy Hour is Monday through Friday from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
- This organic brewery has some fun theme nights! On Mondays, it’s Show The Logo night where you get a $3.00 pint if you wear Eel River Brewing gear. Wednesdays are all you can eat Fish and Chips night. Thursdays get you happy hour pints all night long.
- Eel River Brewing uses cheese from the nearby Loleta Cheese Factory which you can also visit!
